The spouse of a former superintendent provides suggestions for minimizing, though never eliminating, harmful repercussions on their mates. Expectations of being a public persona, socializing with board members, sacrificing free time, responding to public criticism, and dealing with boards' private agendas demand creative coping approaches.…

Analyzes the impact of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 on labor markets, especially the low-wage labor market. Because family stability requires that someone do family work, cutbacks that have been justified by invoking traditional family values will almost surely contribute to the continued erosion of family life.…

A one-year test-retest study tested the model that the relationship between maternal depression and adolescent suicidal symptoms is mediated by family functioning. Children (N=240) and their mothers, 77% of whom had a history of mood disorder, participated. Results are consistent with the hypothesized model. (Author/EMK)

Focuses on children with learning disabilities in the context of family. Discusses family influences on development and explores three levels of approaches for describing and understanding families: structural components, family climates, and family daily routines. Implications for assessment and intervention planning are discussed. (Author/CR)

Describes study identifying themes that characterize experiences of young adults who made one suicide attempt between the ages of 20 and 24. Six major themes identified include: family experiences, adolescent interactions, emotional experiences, self-destructive behaviors, depression, and perception of control. Views suicide attempts as a…

Reviews the existing theoretical and empirical evidence on the formation and maintenance of adoptive relationships, with a focus on an attachment perspective. Emphasizes Bartholomew's categorical model of attachment styles. Presents inferences about the influence of attachment status on interpersonal and family functioning. (DLH)

Argues that many family melodramas in films of the '80s and '90s focus their narrative on the negative dynamics of the parental relationship. Identifies underlying generic patterns and ideas found in these films. Explores representations of mothers, fathers, and children; gender representation and codependency; and familial dysfunction. Broadens…

A course on cross-cultural dietary patterns provides family and consumer sciences students with information about influences on ethnic diets while introducing food preparation and computer nutrient evaluation techniques. (SK)

A study of 1,015 children with behavior problems investigated the impact of a child's emotional and behavioral problems on the family. Families of youth who first used mental health services when they were ages 10-15 showed significantly higher rates and levels of family impact than families of youth who did not enter services. (Author/CR)

Analyzed narratives about future family life and themselves as fathers written by 13- to 14-year-old boys in suburban and rural Swedish communities to examine adolescent construction of self-identity. Found that their writing connected to fellowship, equality, and knowledge transmission. The father role in the narratives gave boys access to adult…

Parents' characteristics that influence the incidence of spanking are investigated. Differences between boys and girls, mothers and fathers, older and younger children, Black and White, and married versus single women, as well as attributes of the child, the parent, and the social context are explored using multiple regression analysis. Profiles…

Studies the relationship between the daily hassles of Head Start fathers and father figures and their involvement with children. Findings indicated a significant but negative relationship between daily hassles and amount of accessibility and play interaction with children after statistically controlling for child- and father-related variables.…

A psychologist reflects on the lessons learned in working with children with autism, their families, and their schools: there is no way to predict child development, no child and no family go untouched by the diagnosis, and the feelings that parents have related to an initial diagnosis change over time. (CR)

Examines the issues that face child welfare and substance abuse treatment professionals as they attempt to address the needs of chemically-dependent mothers and their children. Addresses these challenges and recommends strategies for forming new alliances and closing gaps in service delivery. (JPS)

In examining factors relating to how married couples make work and family decisions, concluded gender and marriages are constructed and, in turn, reconstructed through the decisions couples make about work and family. Qualitatively analyzed longitudinal data gathered from 61 couples who made a work and family decision. Takes a feminist critical…