Psychological maltreatment may be too imprecise a concept on which to base involuntary intervention in families. Before intervening on these grounds alone, the state should find an actual or reasonably foreseeable injury which, if untreated, will create protracted difficulties for the child. (Author/LHW)

Explored social factor differences between respondents with and without courtship violence experience and between male offenders and female victims. Data from the Seven College Survey revealed that those with courtship violence experience exhibited relatively "problematic" social profiles. Especially significant were race; religion;…

Shows that attorneys are also "at risk" from client suits when client hostility in abused spouse cases is redirected from spouse to attorney. Reveals joint interdisciplinary linkages between family therapists and lawyers concerning vulnerability to client malpractice suits or violence. (ABB)

Studies families showing parenting difficulties and examines possible origins of those difficulties. Findings demonstrate a strong link between multiple parenting breakdown and markedly disrupted family experiences in childhood. Concludes that explanatory models based exclusively on either personal or material factors are inadequate. (RH)

Offers administrative directives, including visitor identification and student release policies and a specific release procedure, for preventing and dealing with problems related to child snatching by spouses or former spouses. (KS)

Identifies psychological and social effects of the economy on the family and on school-age children during periods of high unemployment and general economic distress. Proposals on how school counselors can assist children and their families during economically difficult times are suggested. (NRB)

Describes behavioral signs of family violence (i.e., child abuse, wife abuse), assessment techniques, and implications for counselors. (BL)

Examined the social networks of families with a child at risk of placement into substitute care. Results indicated that both families who remained intact and families rated by therapists as low in case-difficulty engaged in a greater amount of community interaction than did high case-difficulty families or families who disbanded. (Author/BL)

Research suggests it is possible for a child's school-based problem to have some sort of functional role in the family system, but serious work is needed to understand how it happens. Three cases are described. (MT)

Examines parental, adolescent, and family system characteristics that place a family at risk of destructive parent/child relations during the child's adolescence. Maladjusted youth from 10 through 16 years of age and both of their parents were visited at home by a team of researchers, who administered a battery of questionnaire, interview, and…

School nurses need to be aware of how divorce affects children and to have the necessary skills to assess emotional problems. Student behaviors to watch for that may indicate emotional problems are listed. (Author/DF)

Uses a family systems approach in reviewing literature indicating school problems can serve a functional role in the family. Suggests that family members may act to maintain school problems for the sake of family stability. Discusses implications for school counselors. (JAC)

Describes a therapeutic approach for helping families relieve a crisis by calling on their extended family of relatives, friends, and neighbors to meet and initiate a healing process leading towards a productive and constructive resolution of their crisis. (Author/RK)

The increase in divorce rates following the American adoption of no-fault divorce is correlated with radical changes in the lives of many parents and children. However, the dissolution of a marriage does not mean the end of a family. Family ties are forever, and family therapists can assist by easing the pain of divorce and empowering parents to…

This paper considers the effects of martial disruption on families and the associated risks to children. It discusses opportunities for reducing risk and fostering the psychological well-being of children and families, through research, carefully designed interventions, and proactive social policies. A theory of resilience as cumulative competence…