Apprenticeships and traineeships are useful pathways for people with a disability to obtain a qualification and gain employment. Based on a three-year program of research, this report explores the barriers and facilitators of course completion reported by students with a disability who have completed an apprenticeship or traineeship. Formal and…

Gambling is now big business in Australia and public expenditure on gambling is high. Some individuals gamble to excess with adverse consequences for themselves and their partner. The present study targeted women who had concerns about a current or previous partner's gambling and employed a qualitative methodology to explore their experiences,…

In 2000 ACEI began an exploration of the potential role that a code of professional ethics might have in the Association. The Public Affairs Committee recommended that the Executive Board appoint an ad hoc Ethics Committee. That committee, under the leadership of Nita Barbour, accepted its charge to provide guidance to colleagues who struggle to…

Investigated the problems of 514 male and female adolescents of 14 and 15 years of age using an open-ended questionnaire. Boys reported more problems concerned with educational adjustments, girls more problems concerned with family adjustment. (Author/SDH)

Children who experience homelessness are at risk of poor health and well-being, and negative social outcomes. They are often exposed to stressful life events, such as domestic violence, parental mental health difficulties and family breakdown. Although many experience difficulties in remaining engaged in school, children report that schools can…

This article arose from the author's experiences as a researcher exploring children's reactions to their parents' separation. Between 1999 and 2004, the author undertook to find out what a sample of Australian children thought of their abilities to participate in decisions that directly affected them following family breakdown. Before beginning…

This paper discusses the migrant adolescent in Australia; specifically, the migrant of European origin, both newly arrived and Australian-born. The migrant experience can be perceived as being a dynamic psychosocial process that is uniquely experienced by each individual. In this process, the migrant adolescent has to deal simultaneously with two…

Married Australian couples possessing heterogeneous values involving religious principles and family relationship v vocational priorities were disadvantaged when solving problems for which such values were relevant. Data indicated that effects of dyad authority role expectations and value patterns were modified upon interaction by sex and…

The first of the two discussions presented here, "Sleep Problems, Overtiredness and Overanxiety," describes sleeping behavior of children from birth to 3 years of age and considers situations that affect children's sleep. Topics briefly addressed include the physiology of sleep; developmental aspects of sleep patterns; the effect of lack…

A study involving 64 Australian sex offenders and 33 non-sex offenders found childhood emotional abuse and family dysfunction, childhood behavior problems, and childhood sexual abuse were developmental risk factors for paraphilia. Emotional abuse and family dysfunction was found to be a risk factor for pedophilia, exhibitionism, rape, or multiple…

Alcoholism, and particularly alcoholism in the family, is an unsolved medical and social problem. Addictive drinking results in several social and psychological problems, most of which are caused by a change in brain function. Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages operates as a stressor and produces alkaloids at the base of the brain that are…

Examined 10 measures of personality, self-image, and emotional and family problems in 2,158 Australian adolescents, some of whom had suffered parental loss. Data revealed pattern of poorer adjustment in adolescents who had lost a parent but clearly demonstrated that type of loss and family reconstitution had no differential effects on psychosocial…

Family policy makers must first understand changes taking place and factors influencing Australian society so that they can then ease the burden on the disadvantaged poor. Growing affluence, increasing de-institutionalization of women's roles, later marriage, delayed and smaller families and an elongated family life duration are among the trends…

Investigated relationship dimensions of 70 Australian couples from stepfamilies. Findings indicated major strengths for stepfamilies were areas of sexual relationship and equalitarian roles, whereas major stressors were children and parenting, former attachments, and adjustments. Simple stepfamily couples (children from one parent) were in more…

This discussion focuses on different views of professionals concerning access of parents and children to one another in the context of divorce. Problems associated with access, children's reactions to parental separation, age-related reactions of children to parental absence, effects of access disputes, why children say what they say in access…