The efficacy of bibliotherapy has primarily been investigated in anxiety disorders, depression, or substance dependence. The efficacy of self-help books to increase parenting competence was only investigated in a few studies despite their broad dissemination in public. The aims of the study were to investigate the short- and long-term efficacy of…

Points out that there is a discrete population of midcareer, largely first-time mothers who seek some form of psychological help when they first return to work after childbirth. Reports that family-oriented conjoint counseling and self-help groups are effective forms of treatment for this population. (LLL)

A self-instructional training program was evaluated with two boys who were diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity. The training included both conceptual and task-specific verbalizations and targeted completion of classroom work. Mothers were trained as adjunct therapists. Subjects became more self-controlled, less disruptive, and…

Describes peer support program for women in prison for the death of a child. Explains how group has helped participants reduce their isolation, mourn their loss, identify their responsibility in the death, and change destructive patterns of feelings and behavior. Follow-up of women who have been paroled is discussed which indicated their positive…

Traces the tradition of self-help in the Black community from the slave era through the contemporary civil rights movement. Contrasts the nontraditional female-headed extended Black family with that of the traditional male-headed nuclear White family. Discusses community-based self-help programs for Black families developed by the National Council…

Mother Centers are a grassroots self-help movement in Germany that help stay-at-home mothers break through the isolation they experience in German society when they have children and are not available for full-time employment. There are about 300 mother center projects currently in Germany, including 40 in the former East Germany. The programs…

The Discover program is a program for women who want to become self-sufficient and self-supporting. Clients of the program may be separated or divorced, single mothers, or married to an underemployed spouse. The Discover program involves career exploration in the hope that its graduates will enter an occupational training program. The goals of the…

A case study was conducted of the organized, cooperative efforts of women in six communities in Bolivia. From December 1978 through January 1988, visits were made to women's organizations called "mothers' clubs." Effects of club membership on members, their families, and their communities were examined. A research review showed that: (1)…

A qualitative study examined how formal and informal social and cultural learning for political action was incorporated into two women's organizations in Colombia: the Association of Daycare Mothers and the Community Mothers. Research was guided by the historic hermeneutic method, which identifies experience through the narrative testimonies of…

The policy of apartheid, until recently one of the dominant aspects of South African society, has caused grievous harm to that nation's non-white population, especially black women and children. Most black children have not grown up in stable, two-parent families due to migrant labor policies and low wages. Housing, health care, nutrition, and…