The media reinforce negative stereotypes and encourage the belief that Americans abuse and neglect their aging parents. Current research does not support these stereotypes. But public education about aging and the relationships among older adults and their children is needed. (Author/SK)

Discusses work with small groups of care-taking relatives of frail, dependent older adults. Considers repetitive themes of concern expressed by the caregivers and their dependent relatives and some of the changes in attitudes and approaches of participants during and after the groups' experiences. (Author)

Identifies different patterns of wife abuse, using a multivariate quantitative taxonomic procedure to delineate five homogeneous subgroups of abused women. Found that abuse occurs differentially in stable and unstable relationships, with differences in individual histories and responses of the victim to her assailant. (Author/JAC)

Home economics programs must be reexamined in light of the increasing number of dual-career families. New programs tailored to meet their needs help to keep home economics on the cutting edge. Home economists must be flexible, creative, and willing to meet the challenges. (JOW)

Therapists (N=250) completed questionnaires rating the frequency, severity, and treatment difficulty for 29 problems commonly experienced by distressed couples. Responses indicated a number of potential directions for research in marital therapy. Communication and alcoholism were rated as the most damaging and difficult problems to treat.…

Examined the relationship between parental divorce and the psychosocial adjustment of divorced women and their dependent children. The current relationship with the ex-husband was the best predictor of divorcees' adjustment, while divorcees' happiness in their former marriages was most strongly related to their children's adjustment. (Author)

Attachment outcomes of 31 maltreatment cases (involving extreme neglect or abuse), selected from a total poverty sample of 267 high-risk mothers and their children, were compared to those of a subsample of 33 cases with a history of excellent care. Attachment was assessed when infants were 12 and 18 months old. (Author/MP)

Probate coincides with changes in the relational system of a family and often affects the distribution of status and power among kin. The systems approach focuses on the interrelations among beneficiaries and, in some cases, disinherited members of the family. (Author)

Although some couples avoid divorce for children's benefit, divorce may actually be a better solution than an unhappy home. Children's potential for creating stress between spouses may sometimes make divorce more likely. Counseling may provide alternatives. (JAC)

In this introduction to a special issue devoted to runaway youth, demographic characteristics of runaways and the characteristics of the runaway episode are reviewed. (Author/BEF)

Findings indicate that wives attempt to treat husbands' alcoholism at home long before they seek professional help. Wives' strategies reflect their changing beliefs about alcoholism, about their marital relationships, and about their failure to cope. Home treatment strategies of amelioration under stress contribute to the stress as well.…

Data from past studies on adolescent alcohol misuse and family structure of adult alcoholics formulate a picture of family environment which contains high levels of anxiety, maintenance of the problematic behavior by the family, parental modeling of inappropriate alcohol use, and lax parental control. (Author)

Describes resources available to parents involved in intercountry adoption. Emphasizes the importance of links between prospective adoptive parents and others who have experienced the adjustment process. (Author/RH)

Guidelines are given for professional school health personnel dealing with suspected child abuse. (LH)

Families who continued in conjoint family therapy were compared on a variety of antecedent variables to families who drop out. Maximal discrimination between continuing and dropout families was demonstrated by simultaneous consideration of several significant variables. (Author)