Increasing numbers of women are returning to college following an interruption of their education. Role strain is a common experience of these women. Most studies of role strain and family support among returning women have relied on the women's self-reports. A study was conducted using manipulated descriptions of family environments which were…

Exploring the stresses and dangers substitute mothering may pose to a toddler's personality development, this paper points out behavioral hallmarks of toddlerhood, describes the main developmental tasks toddlers have to master, and discusses factors that facilitate healthy development during this phase. Special emphasis is given to the most…

Questionnaire data from 168 rural residents of Atacosa, Cass, Freestone, Scurry, and Upton counties, 153 health and human services providers and interviews with 125 residents of 25 rural communities identified and described stressors in the rural Texas environment. Rural Texans viewed economic problems (money, lack of jobs, poverty, working…

In order to determine what is known about the relationships between father absence, socioeconomic status, race, and children's cognitive performance, a systematic analysis of related literature was undertaken. This study used the quantitative integrative review methodology of meta-analysis, involving transforming the findings of each study to a…

This document reviews the literature on the following: (1) studies on the nature of the Hispanic family; (2) studies on the prevalence of Hispanic alcohol use and abuse; (3) general impact studies on the consequences for children of family alcoholism; and (4) studies of family factors that appear to protect or shield high risk children from the…

This fact sheet presents an overview of current and projected changes in American family life, along with implications of those changes for home economics educators. Topics which are covered include: (1) changing family structures; (2) working women and homemakers; (3) family problems such as divorce, adolescent sexuality and pregnancy, violence…

On the whole, professionals agree that there is an advantage in both parents having access to the child or children after separation. This paper provides (1) an overview of the controversy over the value of such access; (2) a description of various contexts of access disputes and perspectives involved in the assessment of access situations; (3) a…

The Montgomery County public school system presently provides assistance through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to troubled employees with problems which affect work performance. EAP's mandate is to provide crisis intervention, prereferral evaluation, information, referral, and follow-up services. From its inception to March, 1981, EAP…

This report was prepared as a result of Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich's 1984 request that the Governor's Council on Families and Children review the status of Minnesota's families and children, report its findings, and determine the concerns of other interested people in the state. The report presents highlights and records comments from four…

A child's school disorder can, and most often does, exist within the complexity of the family's transactional patterns and must be dealt with in this context. To do so, a conceptual model of family dynamics is needed. Minuchin (1979) offers a theoretical framework to help structure such a model. He and his colleagues identified five common…

Families are rule-governed systems of interdependent individuals whose interaction follows an intricate pattern of behavior. Communication patterns in a family reflect and emerge from contradictions in rules. A function may be defined as something that a system does and must do if it is not to break down. For instance identity and stability…

Historically, alcoholism has been defined as an individual problem, and as a result, family factors have received little attention. During the past decade, however, a new theoretical-methodological perspective has been introduced which draws upon general systems theory for rationale, family theory for substance, and behavioral psychology for…

Economic loss and hardship during the 1929 Depression produced marital tension resulting from increased conflict over finances and temperamental behavior of husbands and wives. Data on 110 couples were obtained from the Berkeley Study at the Institute of Human Development in California. Annual data were collected from wife, home observer, and…

This pamphlet, part of a series designed to help parents care for themselves and their children while promoting good mental health, deals with ways in which children are affected by divorce and how they learn to cope with the subsequent separation and changes. Advice for preparing children for the separation and divorce includes suggestions on how…

Research is attempting to examine the causes and effects of incestual child abuse and has discovered more complicated temporary and long-term repercussions than previously suspected. Fifteen subjects in a residential facility participated in a study to examine the self-concept and intellect of girls who had been victims of incest. Their scores on…