Demographic data suggest that alcohol abuse among the elderly will increase in proportion to the population growth of that group. Four factors which may cause the elderly to be a highly susceptible group for alcohol problems are: (1) retirement and its boredom, role changes, and financial problems; (2) increased concern with death and losses of…

This paper discusses the concept of stress by drawing from social-psychological, occupational, family, and medical perspectives. A model of stress based on an integration of these perspectives is developed and then applied to the family relationship over time. The components of the model consist of: (1) a stressor stimulus, any situation that may…

Very little research has been undertaken to assess what factors are related to the utilization of coping strategies to deal with the losses associated with aging. Volunteers (N=40) 65 years of age or older were interviewed to determine if people at different levels of ego development differ in the number and type of coping strategies employed in…

Peak performance in the death crisis as a critical incident of creative response to the awareness of one's own or another person's death is the concern of this report. The topology of peak performance in the death crisis was examined in an investigation of retrospective self-reports of 20 adult respondents and a factor structure of peak…

This paper, one of several written for a comprehensive policy study of early childhood education in Illinois, examines and summarizes the literature on the problems of young children in adjusting to starting school full-time and describes the nature and extent of their difficulties in relation to statewide educational policy. The review of studies…

A formative evaluation was conducted of the instructional television program "Daddy's Girl" from "On the Level," a series of 12 lessons designed to aid secondary school students in dealing with personal and social growth. Designed to teach that adolescents usually have to work out new relationships with their parents and that…

A formative evaluation was conducted of the instructional television program "What Next?" from the Career Aspirations unit of "On the Level," a series of 12 lessons designed to aid secondary school students in dealing with personal and social growth. A total of 127 students in 8 Chicago public school classes viewed the program.…

Although data indicate that Alzheimer's disease occurs among all racial and ethnic populations, the Alzheimer's disease support group system is used nationally primarily by white, middle-class caregivers. Developing a model ethnic-specific support group for Hispanics requires delineation of formal and informal health care networks in the ethnic…

Parental separation or divorce is a life transition experienced by a significant number of adolescents every year. To examine the relationship between differences in current adjustment and a number of demographic, personal, and situational factors, 65 college students, aged 17-23 who had experienced parental separation or divorce between the ages…

Occupational status is a key component of identity and self-worth for men. But little research has been done on the influence of working status on women, particularly during life cycle transitions or periods of crisis. To examine the impact of employment status on the self-esteem, psychological well-being and physical health of women at mid-life,…

A study investigated the relationship of learning to problems that occur in the lives of adults. Of special interest were the dynamics of learning in natural/nonformal settings and the role of literacy in learning. Examination of research in reasoning and problem solving revealed two trends: increasing realization that much of what people do is…

Female drug addicts show greater personal distress and have fewer personal resources a9d social supports than other women. To gain new knowledge about female addicts, the Services Research Branch of the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded several research projects to analyze personality, attitudes and value measures of addicted women, support…

Several approaches have been used to teach basic counseling skills to beginning trainees. A cognitive self-instructional modeling approach was employed with a student pre-practicum class. The treatment group (N=9) received 6 hours of training by observing counselor models, formulating their helping responses aloud, practicing the asking of focused…

The literature found in current journals, periodicals, theses, books and other media was reviewed to study the use/abuse of drugs as an indicator of the bilingual/bicultural assimilation difficulties of Mexican Americans as they coped with the Anglo-American mainstream. Three areas were emphasized: (1) the general characteristics of the drug…

Teacher responses to problem student behavior was studied. Responses were coded for teachers' attributional inferences, concerning both problem students and their own ability to handle the problems. Attibutional inferences differed according to problem ownership. For problems owned primarily by teachers themselves, students were seen as acting…