Evaluated the susceptibility of radioimmunoassays (RIA) for saliva cortisol to interference effects caused by oral stimulants (drink mix crystals) used to facilitate saliva collection in studies with children. Found that oral stimulants artificially inflated estimated cortisol concentrations, with the magnitude of the interference-effect…

This introduction to a special section on psychobiological studies of stress and coping discusses the problems of interpreting and integrating information on stress reactivity derived from a combination of behavioral and physiological measures. (PCB)

In research with children, there is a common problem which could reduce the reliability of a questionnaire for some children but not others: verbal comprehension. (Authors)

Criticizes impressionistic or outdated measures of socioeconomic status, recommends the Duncan Socioeconomic Index and the Siegel Prestige Scale, and describes a strategy for measuring household or family SES when household composition and characteristics vary. (Author/DB)

Implications are that increasing a child's ability to think in terms of alternative solutions to real-life problems could supplement a primary preventive mental health program. (Authors)

Assessed the possible confounding of preadolescents' temperament as a predictor of psychological adjustment, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and expert ratings. CFAs demonstrated that temperament could be reliably measured after eliminating overlapping items. Negative emotionality and impulsivity were negatively related to symptom…