Subjective life expectancy, death anxiety, and health behavior were assessed in college students (n=36) with at least one parent who died prematurely of illness (PD group) and students (n=36) with both parents alive (PA group). PD group estimated their life expectancy to be shorter than the PA; subgroup of PD reported poorer diet. (Author/ABL)

Two experiments evaluated the social interactions of 15 Asperger-type autistic subjects with either normal or schizoid control subjects. Asperger subjects tended to avoid gazing at the interviewer when the interviewer was talking. Results suggest that a lifelong absence of gaze response to social clues including speech may explain some features of…

Parents of 834 children (ages 3-7) rated 16 voice usage items (such as talking loudly, talking on the telephone, and singing) for frequency of occurrence. Results indicated that, as the child's age increased, voice usage became more conservative. Frequency tables for vocal behaviors across age were developed. (Author/JDD)

This study of 63 children who reported sexual and ritualistic abuse in preschool settings found that recantation occurred in 17 cases, and 15 children who recanted redisclosed abuse after the initial recantation. Subjects made vague disclosures before revealing more specific acts and revealed less intrusive sexual abuse before more intrusive…

Assessed viewpoints of 63 university students, 58 law enforcement officers, 48 bartenders, 26 beer distributor employees, and 46 health educators regarding level of irresponsibility perceived to be associated with specific alcohol-related behaviors. Subjects agreed that drinking behavior resulting in physical injury, legal trouble, or failure to…

This article examines effects of separation and divorce on children in the context of possible psychological maltreatment. Common behavior patterns of children in this situation are discussed in terms of those that are acceptable and those that must be considered harmful. (Author/DB)

Studied the attraction responses of child athletes to coaches who differed in their behavior patterns during the season. Children with low self-esteem responded positively to coaches with high self-esteem and negatively to coaches with low self-esteem on the instructiveness and supportiveness dimensions. Moderate- and high-self-esteem children…

Performed secondary analysis of data from National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, involving 12,686 subjects, to examine patterns of alcohol and cocaine abuse. Found joint alcohol and cocaine abusers demonstrated highest levels of previous 30-day and lifetime drug use, high levels of delinquent activity, and highest rates of unemployment and marital…

Conducted 325 survey interviews and 22 guided in-depth interviews with injection drug users to document drug usage and injection patterns, sexual practices, perceived risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection, sources of health information, and knowledge and attitudes about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. (Author/ABL)

Investigates the relationship between principal leadership style and organizational process in secondary schools and identifies effective leadership styles, based on a survey involving 64 secondary schools and 672 teachers in Hong Kong. Results indicate a strong relationship of leadership to organizational process. (37 references) (MLH)

Data concerning maladaptive behavior obtained on a sample of persons (n=8255) with mild to profound mental retardation and aged from birth to 98 years were factor analyzed resulting in identification of 2 principal factors for children, 3 for adolescents and young adults, and three and 4 for middle and older adults, with level of retardation also…

This study evaluated a method for assessing the behavioral function of severe self-injury in four adults with severe/profound mental retardation. Initial assessment included analyzing within-session trends and fluctuations in rates of self-injury by plotting the frequency within each minute of the session. (DB)

Conducted post hoc analysis of 60 Hispanics and 60 Caucasians who had filed under workers' compensation to examine cross-cultural differences of somatization and malingering as assessed by Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Significant differences were found for somatization; Hispanics were more likely to somatize. Minimal differences…

Whether the measurement of intelligence by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III (WISC-III) differs for children who exhibit inappropriate test-taking behavior was studied empirically with 247 inappropriate behavior and 515 appropriate behavior children. Results suggest that the factor index and full-scale IQ may have different meanings…

Examined the reliability of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Scale (MEIM) (J. Phinney, 1992) in measuring feelings of ethnic affirmation and belongings, ethnic behaviors, and ethnic knowledge with 118 inner-city African American children aged 8 to 12 years. Results of reliability analyses are mixed and indicate that constructs of ethnic behavior and…