While minor physical anomalies (MPAs), a set of 17 non-obvious but measurable characteristics of the hands, face and feet, have been linked to a number of behavioral syndromes in children, such personality correlates of MPAs in adults have not been studied. To explore the relationshp between MPAs and temperament in a college sample, 114 students…

The frequency and distribution of social problem-solving strategies, goals, targets, and outcomes were coded during preschoolers' free play. Flexibility and persistence in problem-solving sequences were examined, and the relative importance of strategies, goals, targets, and the identity of the problem solver in predicting social problem-solving…

The research papers in the current Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (Vol. 30, No. 2) invitational issue on temperament are examined from the perspective of previous research and the indications they provide for critical unsolved issues concerning temperament. (Author)

Rural/urban differences were studied in self-reported stress, coping, and behavioral problems in adolescents. Levels of stress and ways of coping were similar between the two groups. However, urban males reported more conflict and externalizing behaviors than females and rural males. Results suggest that adolescents may utilize many coping…

Conducted a longitudinal analysis of the relationship of divorce to the national suicide rate in Canada. Found the suicide rate varied directly with the rate of family dissolution, even after taking into account the effects of unemployment and females' participation in the labor force. (Author/ABB)

Examined nature and frequency of problems and help-seeking preferences of 60 persons of Chinese origin. Results confirm that family was preferred first choice of help for psychological and interpersonal problems, with friends being frequent second choice for females. No overall significant differences were found between males and females.…

This study investigated the physical abuse experienced by 195 Canadian adolescent runaways. Subjects had generally been victims of chronic, extreme abuse, experienced at a young age, often perpetrated by biological parents (most often the mother) prior to the first runaway episode. Female runaways were at greater risk than males for all types of…

Rorschach protocols of 18 sexually-abused children were compared to protocols of 18 clinical controls. Dependent variables included responses with overt sexual contents, sexual symbols, and near-sexual content. Results suggested that the dependent variables, in combination, could differentiate sexually abused children from other groups. Other…

This study examined the efficacy beliefs of male and female college students in Southwestern Ontario (Canada) with and without scholastic deficits. A total of 20 men and 20 women without scholastic deficits and 51 men and 41 women with scholastic deficits (such as severe problems in reading, writing, or arithmetic) completed the Self-Estimate Test…

Examined gender differences in depressive symptoms during adolescence related to gender-typed characteristics, problem solving abilities, and stressful life events in Canada. Surveys of high school students indicated that girls reported more depressive symptoms and scored higher on expressivity, whereas boys reported more instrumental attributes.…

Results indicated that the two component solution of the Behar Preschool Behavior Questionnaire had a simpler structure and was easier to intepret than the three component solution. In addition, the two component solution was found to be stable across sexes, ages, socioeconomic populations, and cultures. (PCB)

Examines effect of sex of rater on the interaction and degree of consensus obtained in ratings of child behavior. Children between the ages of 6 and 13 in a residential treatment center were rated on two rating scales. Explanations of results are offered in terms of sex role expectations and stereotyping. (Author/DST)

Assessed the cross-sex similarity of behavioral disturbance dimensions as measured by the Bristol Social Adjustment Guides (BSAG) using a sample of 2,527 Ontario schoolchildren. Results confirmed the cross-sex equivalence in the factor structure and support the use of the BSAG's under- and overreaction scales as indicators of maladjustment. (JAC)

Studied the relationship between gender and mathematical problem solving in 83 male and 76 female high achieving Canadian 12-year-olds. Gender differences were found on the Canadian Test of Basic Skills but not on the GAUSS assessment. Implications for the discussion of the origin of gender differences in mathematics are discussed. (SLD)

This review of the literature on aggression and violence in girls, especially girls in Canada, begins with data showing increasing rates of assault and other violent crimes by Canadian girls, although the rate for girls continues to be much less than for boys (a fact possibly responsible for the small amount of research on this population). The…