There is a common perception that stresses tend to increase and accumulate with age, but there have been no definitive studies of differences in perceived life stress among different age groups. To study these differences, a quasi-random sample of 215 adults completed a 41 item life-stressor questionnaire, modified from the Paykel (1971) and…

Although research suggests that highly test anxious subjects are often motivated to escape from situations in which they are being evaluated, many persons in experimental situations do not see escape as an option. To examine the behavior of test anxious persons in aversive test situations, 60 college students, who were assessed as being high or…

Strategies that may be used by schools to prevent teacher burnout suggested in this paper are: (1) increasing staff input in decision making; (2) improving the work environment; (3) increasing the flexibility of the school structure; (4) providing opportunities for individual time-out; (5) increasing the sense of individual work significance; and…

This paper provides general guidelines for psychiatric mental health workers who work with children and adolescents in a residential treatment center. Twenty-four questions commonly asked by therapists in these situations are posed and answers are discussed for each question. Topics covered include why some patients appear perfectly normal, the…

Recent research suggests that circumstances surrounding the death of a loved one and the characteristics of the survivor may affect the grief reaction. To investigate the effect of race and type of death (sudden or anticipated) on the bereavement experience, a true-false questionnaire and the Grief Experience Inventory were administered to 74…

Retirement may have a negative effect on a person's health, and may even accelerate death. To determine the validity of this effect, time intervals between reported retirement date and death date were tabulated for retirees from a large petroleum corporation. A regression analyses was performed to control for physiological factors, job status, and…

The following pointers are made for agencies providing opportunities for risk-taking recreation: (1) there are individual differences and distinct motivations for various levels of risk expression; (2) actual (objective) risk should be finely calculated; (3) agencies need not necessarily provide actual high-risk activities to satisfy a desire for…

Programs to help individuals stop smoking have shown disappointing results since many quitters resume smoking within six months. A closer study of motives, personal styles and subjective cognitive schema that maintain smoking behavior might provide useful clues to helping individuals stop smoking permanently. Male patients in a VA Medical Center…

The Coping Analysis Schedule for Educational Settings (CASES), an observation instrument to identify students' primary coping or interaction styles, was evaluated with 44 educable mentally retarded (EMR), learning disabled (LD), or normal children (7 to 11 years old). CASES is intended to be a quantitative tool for collecting the data required…

Research has suggested that an association exists between sex role identity and typing and affective states. The relationship of sex role type and depressive mood was explored through the direct manipulation of affect in a mood induction procedure. Female (N=208) and male (N=131) subjects, classified as either androgynous, masculine, feminine, or…

Although research has been conducted on who will relapse after having quit smoking in clinics, little has been done to determine the immediate precipitants of recidivism. A telephone hotline, manned by four experienced interviewers, was set up to receive calls from ex-smokers who had relapsed or who felt at high risk for relapse. A structured…

The events surrounding legal challenges to minimum competency testing programs are described, and ways of coping with the experiences are suggested. Discussion primarily is based on five legal challenges to the Florida program although reference is made to suits in other states for contrast. Whenever a student is faced with a threat to promotion…

Interviews were conducted with 30 single women between ages 30-40 in an investigation of the life styles of never-married women. Two-thirds of the respondents reported that, as teenagers, they had established approximate ages for marriage; most expected to be married by age 25. Women who expect to marry see single life as temporary, and may delay…

Medical play can be used as a tool to aid children in coping with stress related to hospitalization, surgery, medical care, and illness. Providing children with adequate guidance and appropriate supplies necessary for medical play, prepares children for medical experiences by enabling them to express their thoughts and feelings. Before attempting…

This paper reflects selected findings from a study of successful coping mechanisms used by elderly individuals who, approximately two years before the time of being interviewed, had experienced a major crisis identified as either: (1) the death of a significant individual with whom the elderly person has in most cases been living until the time of…