This survey of parents of 29 girls with Rett syndrome found that subjects reported more stress, lower marital satisfaction, and certain adaptations in family functioning compared to norms. However, most parents scored in the normal range. Scores were not related to socioeconomic status or characteristics of the affected child. (DB)

Children who grow up in violent communities are at risk for pathological development because growing up in a constant state of apprehension makes it difficult to establish trust, autonomy, and social competence. Child care professionals need to help at-risk children develop meaningful relationships with adults and peers. (MDM)

Offers advice on crisis intervention for all people who provide social services to Head Start families. Defines the conditions that constitute a crisis, and provides an explanation of four crisis categories and how to assess them. Outlines the steps home visitors take in providing support to a family in a crisis situation. (TJQ)

Evaluation with over 4,000 seventh and eighth graders in California and Oregon showed that Project ALERT, a curriculum to curb drug use by teaching resistance to pressures, successfully dampened cognitive risk factors for cigarette and marijuana use but had limited impact on beliefs about alcohol. (SK)

Lonely children experience feelings of sadness, malaise, boredom, and alienation. Loneliness has immediate and long-term consequences and may be attributed to many different causes. Teachers can learn to recognize signs of loneliness and use a variety of approaches in the classroom to help the child feel better and work through the experience.…

The coping characteristics of 1,035 disabled and 405 nondisabled children, aged 4 months to 3 years, are assessed across 3 categories of behavioral patterns (sensorimotor organization, reactive behavior, and self-initiated behavior). The influence of family income, gender, age, and ethnicity is examined and the implications for early intervention…

Serious limitations exist in the delivery of mental health services to refugees throughout the resettlement process: fragmentation, instability, language barriers, culturally inappropriate treatment methods, and severe staff shortages. Suggested improvements for refugee mental health services emphasize outreach, prevention, treatment approaches,…

This evaluation of 16 children (ages 7-12) with achondroplasia from Transkei, Hungary, and Nigeria found that, compared to controls, subjects had more behavior problems and less self-esteem. Subjects were socially withdrawn, internalized emotional problems, had lower academic performance, found less adaptive solutions to frustration, and faced…

Descriptions of temperament were more predictive of maternal adaptation than were mothers' expectations of infant behavior. Infant temperament was more important for multiparous mothers than for first-time mothers. Predicted interactive effects were not found. (RH)

Examined sex-typed traits (instrumentality and expressiveness), the work environment (demands and interpersonal resources), and importance of stressor episodes as predictors of measures of coping (avoidance, problem reappraisal, and active problem solving) with 132 managers. Found women more likely to use avoidance and problem-reappraisal coping,…

Interviews with 183 mothers of refugee families indicated a considerable range of stress-related reactions among displaced children, including sleeping and eating disorders, separation fears, and withdrawal or aggression. Children exhibited a significantly higher incidence of stress reactions if their mothers had difficulty coping with the stress…

Retrospective questionnaires and prospective monitoring measures were used to test the trait of coping styles of 105 college students as predictors of their weekly alcohol consumption. Individuals reporting deficits in emotion focused and avoidant coping strategies drank more often than subjects with other styles of coping. Measurement methodology…

Provides rationale for and description of school-based anger coping program for aggressive children. Discusses need for school-based, preventive interventions with this population. Outlines conceptual model for this intervention and reviews relevant findings on social cognitive processes. Describes cognitive-behavioral intervention framework and…

A tool called the Family Hierarchy of Equilibrium was developed to assess the configuration and balance of significant factors in the lives of families participating in early intervention programs. Critical life factors assessed include parent educational level, mental/physical health, alcohol/drug use, adult/child abuse, nutrition, housing, and…

Twenty children in grades 4-7, half with learning disabilities (LD), received cognitive behavior modification training to reduce math anxiety. From pretest to posttest, children with LD produced increased amounts of positive self-talk. There was a moderate, positive correlation between increased positive self-talk and math performance. (Author/JDD)