Presents, in the first section, an autobiographical narrative about the author's mother and herself and her own daughter. Discusses, in the second section, issues raised when writing about and thus sharing aspects of a private life. (SR)

Focuses on family coping with adolescent's diabetes. Reviews literature on interplay between family processes and psychological features of adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes. Examines how family may influence adjustment and metabolic control of diabetic child and considers impacts of adolescent's diabetes on individual parents and on…

Responds to previous article by Popenoe on American family decline from 1960 through 1990. Contends that, if Popenoe is correct in his assessment of the American family, feminists need to try to reverse the negative family changes while still preserving the gains women have made. Sees this as a realistic goal. (NB)

A program to reduce stress in families of preschool-aged children with autism applied a family-systems model. Nineteen families participated. Evaluation data measured program goals for increases in factual knowledge about autism, knowledge about stress and stress management, and awareness of social support and advocacy issues. (Author/EMK)

Regardless of custody arrangements, what seems to matter for children is the quality of family functioning. Types of custody arrangements are defined, and the effects of joint custody on parents and children are discussed. Children's developmental needs are considered, and issues for parents and counselors to consider are explored. (EMK)

This literature review of family factors associated with externalizing behavior disorders such as hyperactivity and aggression in preschoolers found that: (1) preschoolers with externalizing disorders had families who were more likely than comparison families to have at least one type of negative characteristic; and (2) family characteristics were…

Compares the psychosocial outcomes and family processes across five family constellations among 634 African-American adolescents. Results challenge the assumptions that nonresident fathers are absent from their children's lives, and that living with single mothers adversely affects psychosocial development of African-American adolescents.…

Parents (N=67) and siblings (N=71) of children with and without learning disabilities (LD) and/or behavior problems were interviewed. The primary indicator of the impact of a child with LD on siblings and parents was whether the child also had behavior problems. Results also indicated that LD children and siblings differed in perceptions of…

Results of this longitudinal study (7 years) suggested that the stress attributed to a specific child (including a child with an intellectual disability) by parents (N=93) may be an indicator of more general family stress. Although the strength of parental worry decreased, the pattern of worries did not change over time. (Contains references.)…

Discusses the pursuer-distancer relationship style so as to help counselors recognize this type of interaction and offers several treatment techniques to alleviate it. Demonstrates the relationship between the concepts of parentification and childlike behavior and the pursuer and the distancer. Uses an integrative model of marital therapy as a…

Examines family-of-origin stress, age of first menarche, and the perceptions of pregnancy as a life event in 97 pregnant adolescents. Participants' reported high levels of family stress with only a moderate level of impact or stress attributed to the pregnancy. As a group, the girls' first menarche matched national averages. (RJM)

Links the developmental-familial implications of parental alcoholism with the individuation process. Suggests a developmental agenda for understanding adolescents, summarizes the literature on children of alcoholism, and focuses on elements of individuation which have relevance to children from alcoholic families. Looks at the concepts of physical…

Interviews with 58 nursing students over age 25 showed that they experienced financial, child care, relationship, and family problems. Many had considered dropping out in response to pressures of their multiple roles. (SK)

Discusses intergenerational negotiations about family problems in terms of multiparty problem formulations that raise basic questions about who is entitled to diagnose adolescents'"problems." Shows how adolescents' problems are formulated as "blame" allocations. Demonstrates (in three case studies) how the therapist acts as an…

In this article, the mother of 5-year-old son with autism shares two essays that highlight her son's uniqueness and gifts. She discusses her feelings of coping with the diagnosis, her fear that he will be rejected by his peers, and her trepidation about taking her son to visit his grandparents. (CR)