Relapses in alcoholics, smokers, and heroin users are frequently provoked by stress. Individuals often return to using addictive substances when feeling angry or frustrated as the result of negative mood states, interpersonal conflict, or social pressure. A behavioral weight-control program used to treat 140 overweight college students was…

The educational and pyschological effects of the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on secondary school students were examined. A course including TM technique was taught to two public high school classes of 30 volunteers each. One class took the TM course for both semesters; the other took an alternative course in self-development for the…

This report is the outcome of the first attempt to research self-help groups (SHGs) systematically on a large enough scale to represent the whole of those in Great Britain. Chapter 1 explains and defines what SHGs are and how they relate, qualitatively and quantitatively, to the universe of all voluntary organizations of which they are a part.…

Reports on qualitative study of recovering people who attended a 12-step fellowship and involved themselves in the community to find out how this involvement was affected by 12-step participation. Respondents reported fellowship prepared them for community activity by teaching them skills, offering opportunities to practice participation with…

This study evaluates a self-management procedure for teaching adolescents with learning and behavior problems (BP) to improve completeness, accuracy, and neatness of creative writing homework assignments. Students were taught behavior change fundamentals, self-instruction, and how to set and work toward goals. Results from two BP high school…

This special issue contains nine articles on labor-intensive public works, social investment funds, rural infrastructure projects, grassroots socioeconomic rights, remuneration systems for self-help projects, road construction and rural transport, employment and environmental rehabilitation, and water as a source of employment. (SK)

This document is the final report of a study conducted to determine what factors contribute to strong Black family life and how these strong families solve problems, in order to add to the knowledge base on stable families so as to enhance practical intervention with families in need, and to identify models of self-help strategies used by stable…

Because older job seekers have been shown to exhibit less job search motivation and competence than other groups, a job club program based on learning and self help principles was developed to empower the older job seeker. Of persons (N=48) who requested assistance from a local area agency on aging, half entered the job club program and half were…

The development of a program of self-help support groups for teachers experiencing stress in Chicago public schools is described. These support groups attempted to alleviate stress-related illness by reducing teacher isolation and by enabling teachers to help each other cope with problems and fears. The support groups were led by teachers who…

Research on mutual-aid groups has begun to examine reasons for joining and outcomes, but few investigations have focused on the processes of group development or interaction. The applicability of a therapy-group development model to student mutual-aid groups was examined to determine the extent to which specified formal group structure and…

This description of a weight reduction program, based on generalizations derived from eight years of work with overweight persons, discusses the clients' rationalization of overeating behaviors. In this behavior modification program, the client is required to permanently give up one high calorie food and to write down all foods eaten before actual…

Research investigating the performance of students enrolled in courses taught by a Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) has tended to support the claim that PSI is a superior teaching method. The present research study isolated the self-pacing aspect of PSI courses and attempted to teach 13 academically deficient first year college students…

A study to examine literacy programs for women in rural villages in India interviewed all program directors and staff and some women involved in nongovernmental (NGO) projects in the Pune area. NGO officials were universally disenchanted with government programs. NGOs' goals varied from preschool education in the villages to agricultural reform to…

Despite differential gender findings in the epidemiology of substance use, only a limited amount of research focuses on the differences in initiation into drug use and antecedent conditions. As part of the awareness of the need for mutual support among African American women, the National Black Women's Health Project, in conjunction with the…

A comprehensive picture of existing services to families under stress can be useful for immediate and long-range planning. In order to determine the range of services to families under stress, including those identified as involved in child abuse and neglect, the Council for Child Protection and Family Support, Missoula, Montana, surveyed, through…