Presents suggestions for creative game changing that will even the odds for family members of unequal ability who want to play various games and sports together. The special privileges and tips include handicapping, retaking moves, and creating noncompetitive rules. (SM)

Hypothesized that, compared to white adolescents, African-American adolescents maintain more intimate stance toward family, whereas friendships are less intense, and that African Americans perceive lower levels of peer pressure and are more tolerant of behavioral differences in friendships. Data from personal interviews with 942 adolescents lend…

Reviews 44 trade books that focus on the relationships between families and friends. Offers an annotated bibliography on dinosaurs including 15 primary level books, 14 intermediate level books, 7 intermediate to advanced level books, and 2 advanced level books. (MG)

Evaluation of family preservation program in northern California examined progress and outcomes of 367 cases served during 3-year period. Detailed analysis examined specific service elements of program, match of services to families' needs, and resulting gains made by parents in variety of skill areas. (Author/NB)

Notes that interpersonal conflict among family members and between spouses can cause dissatisfaction and threaten feasibility of marriage. Defines Family Defense Mechanisms (FDMs) as fixed patterns of behaviors that, when followed by spouses and other family members, enable them to better manage their interpersonal differences and conflict.…

"Voices of Youth" section presents discussion with young people in a Duluth, Minnesota, treatment facility for adolescents with alcohol and behavioral problems. Adolescents discuss when they first tried alcohol, what they had to give up because of drinking, how their behavior changed, how they decided to get help, and how helpful treatment…

Investigates relations between economic hardship, coping, and family relationships in African-American, Latino, and Euro-American families. Results indicate similarities in the families' experiences of economic distress, yet significant differences in the overall pattern of relations among the three ethnic groups. (Author/MKA)

Compares students with disabilities and students with no disabilities on the family systems measures of fusion and triangulation. Examines the relationships among fusion, triangulation, and college adjustment. Relationships between fusion and college adjustment and between triangulation and college adjustment were found. (Author/MKA)

Using Bowenian family systems theory, this study examines the effects of the intergenerational transmission of anxiety in the family of origin through the processes of fusion, triangulation, and control on late adolescents' attitudes toward marriage and readiness for marriage. Findings indicate that fusion and triangulation are related to negative…

Examines the relative influences of family functioning (general) and family members' sense of competence (specific) on the community adaptation of 180 seriously mentally-ill adults. Although both variables were significantly associated with the ill family member's level of adaptation, sense of competence was the more powerful influence.…

Reviews Covey's "7 Habits of Effective Families," noting that time plays an important part in each habit. Discusses several important "time" issues for families: time to plan for time, time for awareness of quality time, time to have two-way communication, time for family moments, and time to reflect. Includes suggestions for…

Examines systemic underpinnings of sibling incest and its relationship to internal and external factors of offending behavior. Describes treatment in context of offenders' families, underscoring poor boundaries, impact on the victim, and necessity of hierarchical reconstruction; argues formulation of a safety plan to prevent future offenses is…

Explores the relationship between family communication patterns and reticence. Reveals that reticent individuals reported a significantly lower level of conversation orientation within their families than members of a comparison group. (SG)

Reliability and validity of Chinese Self-Report Family Inventory (C-SFI) were examined in three studies. Study 1 showed C-SFI was temporally stable and internally consistent. Study 2 indicated C-SFI could discriminate between clinical and nonclinical groups. Study 3 gave support for internal consistency, concurrent validity and construct validity.…

In this study, the model of two independent dimensions of family connectedness, closeness-caregiving, and intrusiveness, was tested by assessing spouses from 264 couples, using the California Inventory for Family Assessment (CIFA). As predicted, factor analyses distinguished dimensions of intrusiveness (blurring of boundaries) from…