Examined the nature and extent of parental stress among adoptive parents of special-needs children. Found higher than average levels of stress, particularly on subscales related to parent-child dysfunctional interactions and to raising a difficult child. Identified five stress categories: (1) child characteristics; (2) parent-child interactions;…

One hundred twenty mothers of children with autism, with mental retardation, or typically developing were assessed for effects of social support and hardiness on level of stress. Results indicated significant group differences in ratings of depression, anxiety, somatic complaints and burnout. Both hardiness and social support were predictive of…

To examine how mothers cope with the stresses of raising a child with autism, mothers of children with (n=29) and without (n=29) autism were interviewed. Results supporting seven hypotheses suggest that mothers may redefine their roles as a coping strategy. Life satisfaction for mothers of children with autism was positively associated with…

Presents a process analysis of a psychodynamic intervention for a client with panic attacks. Discusses how a psychodynamic understanding of the complex etiology of the client's panic attacks that ultimately produced improved coping skills and a subjective sense of improvement for her. Process analysis is used to illustrate the theoretical base,…

Suggests that all teaching in literature classes is in some ways preparation for events such as September 11th. Argues that teachers teach students to read events such as these by showing them how to move from reaction to reflection, and from image to empathy; and to write so that they capture their thinking, reexamine it, and present it to…

Home life can be challenging but rewarding for individuals living with both their children and their parents. To make the experience successful, it is important to have open communication, an elder-proofed house, quality time for the children, and coping strategies for emergencies. Many free services are available to offer activities, advice, and…

This qualitative study of life management in 15 families of children with various disability characteristics and ages identified effective life management strategies (e.g., positive personal reframing), positive parent characteristics (e.g., decision-making ability), and parents' experiences of positive transformational outcomes in personal,…

A study of 80 adolescent females found that attachment style mediates the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) and child abuse and neglect on coping and psychological distress. The indirect effects of CSA and other abuse through attachment accounted for most of the effects on coping and psychological distress. (Author/CR)

Proposes a mental health treatment model for survivors of torture and war trauma, presenting principles underlying such treatment and a developmental view of such abuse. Describes a Guatemalan project that uses the model to train village women to treat survivors in their communities and a U.S. torture treatment program that treats survivors…

Hardiness of academic self-concept was measured in 481 high school students; factor analyses were conducted. Validity and reliability of the Academic Hardiness Scale were supported, and a three-factor model emerged, depicting hardiness as a process of commitment, control, and challenge that served to buffer stressful situations. (Contains 60…

Explores undergraduate student receivers' symbolic cognitive processes in response to particular types of norm violations. Finds that imagined interactions were used in respect to all three types of violations profiled and that participants were significantly more likely to engage in imagined interactions than to interact with or confront norm…

The purpose of the present study was to examine gender differences in the self-handicapping tendencies of a sample of 337 Australian school attending adolescents, who were aged between 15 and 19 years. Self-handicapping, as measured by the shortened Self-Handicapping Scale, was examined in relation to self-esteem, performance attributions, coping…

Purpose: Although persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) require increasingly more assistance with activities of daily living as their disease progresses, the caregiving environment has received little attention as a source of predictors of their survival time. We report here on a study to determine whether variation in survival time of persons…

This paper includes two main narrative strands--one personal and the other the result of the author's research with Joe, a member of an art class for people with HIV/AIDS in a local hospital. Both stories, Joe's and the author's, probe the mystery of disease, expression, and the search for coherence. The author's research and Joe's story weave…

To test a caregiving model of depression in spouses, 31 married couples completed interview and questionnaire assessments of depressive symptoms and caregiving activities. Spouses living with a partner with depressive symptoms had more symptoms of depression themselves. However, this association was found to be fully mediated by spouses' perceived…