A case study approach was used to collect data from two 13-year-old boys with Asperger syndrome and their mothers in Queensland, Australia. Four themes were identified through the semi-structured interviews with the boys and their mothers: developmental differences, problems associated with the general characteristics of the disability, stress,…

Outlines a small group model that provides elementary school counselors with a creative way to help children of alcoholics build resiliency and develop protective strategies. Emphasizes the importance of the school counselor in taking a proactive approach and reaching out to help children develop the skills needed to survive an alcoholic home.…

A study involving 130 parents of children with visual impairments found parents were generally supportive of mainstreaming, but many also identified a number of risks and problems with it. Their child's social isolation concerned parents, along with the general education teacher's lack of knowledge and experience with visual impairments. (Contains…

Studied patterns of coping behavior and changes in coping for 169 Australian adolescents at grade levels 7, 9, and 11 using the Adolescent Coping Scale (E. Frydenberg and R. Lewis, 1993). Findings highlight differences in development of coping patterns between boys and girls. Discusses implications for the teaching of coping skills. (SLD)

Identifies factors that working-class/middle class black men perceive to cause significant stress following divorce and strategies that they use to reestablish their lives. Black men experience profound postdivorce psychological distress. Black men rely on: (1) family and friends; (2) church-related and social activities; and (3) heterosexual…

Examined effectiveness of a structured cognitive stress reduction program for unemployed managers (n=42) involved in an outplacement program. Using a control group design, managers who were assigned to cognitively based stress reduction program found reemployment significantly sooner and showed reductions in levels of state anxiety and anger that…

Describes features of psychological distress observed in children exposed to war, including withdrawal, aggression/conduct disorders, school problems, hyperactivity, and posttraumatic stress. Notes the high incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found in all refugee groups studied. Notes teacher efforts to work with traumatized…

Compares problem- and emotion-focused coping in students from North America, Germany, and Malaysia to determine the association between coping and physical symptoms. Results with 365 undergraduates found that North Americans and Germans with higher scores on emotion-focused coping had fewer symptoms, although the reverse was true for Malaysians.…

Sought to establish if frequent participation in leisure activities helped widows and widowers adapt to widowhood and maintain lower stress levels. Sixty recently bereaved widows (n=43) and widowers (n=17) who were living in an Australian city were selected for the study. No significant differences were found in age, gender, income, or type of…

Offers caregivers several suggestions for easing late afternoon stress and crankiness of infants and toddlers. These include carbohydrate-rich snacks; change of environment; activities that focus on touch; parachute activities; gross motor activities; looking at photographs of family members; lengthening outdoor time in the afternoon; and…

In this article, a mother shares her experience of learning that her son has autism. Coping with the diagnosis, along with the stresses of family life, are discussed, including the effect of the diagnosis on her marriage, which ended in divorce. The need to persist is emphasized. (CR)

In this article, a mother of an adult son with autism discusses the neurology of autism that makes stress so difficult to handle, even when it is the excitement of something positive. The uniqueness of the disability is highlighted, including the need for routines and the lack of coping skills. (Contains three references.) (CR)

In this article, a 22-year-old with autism discusses his diagnosis at 18 months, his experiences in school, and his trouble communicating despite his high intelligence. His giftedness in mathematics is highlighted, along with his interest in computer games. He also describes strategies he uses to deal with stress. (CR)

Examined validity of attachment-based measures of parent-child relationships designed for 9- to 12-year-olds. Measures included self-reports of perceptions of security and avoidant and preoccupied coping, a projective interview assessing attachment state of mind, parents' reports of willingness to serve as an attachment figure, and ratings of…

Assesses coping attitudes, sources, and practices within and across a sample of Asian American college and graduate students (N=470) from four ethnic groups. Findings reveal that Asian Americans tended to endorse coping sources and practices that emphasized talking with familial and social relations rather than professionals such as counselors and…