This article focuses on the common and unique contributions of three major life-span theories in addressing improvement/maintenance and reorientation, which represent central processes of coping with major life change and loss. For this purpose, we review and compare the dual-process model of assimilative and accommodative coping, the model of…

The authors examined the extent to which religious coping predicted subsequent drug use in adolescent boys. Three hundred and twenty-six adolescent boys completed the Wills Coping Questionnaire (Wills, 1985) as well as a number of drug use inventories. Results showed that religious coping, measured at 12-14 years of age, predicted a significant…

So much of teaching is now driven by data (i.e., test scores) and dictated by "best practices" that teachers are losing confidence in their own creativity. Yet, despite these unfortunate consequences of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the important work of teachers remains unchanged. That work is the work of connecting personally and…

Suicide deaths are often viewed as sudden and unexpected. Research examining bereavement responses to suicide are generally set within this conceptual framework. Twenty-two parents were interviewed about their bereavement experience following the suicide death of a young adult son or daughter. Data analyzed using narrative methods revealed the…

In this reaction article, the authors support and extend Robert T. Carter's excellent analysis of the impact of racism today on Americans of color. Drawing on their own data, they suggest important extensions of his arguments in regard to the cumulative and long-term effects of racial discrimination and other racial oppression--as well as in…

It is a known fact that coming to the university environment for the first time can be frightening, and this experience comes with a mixed-bag of reactions for most of these first-year students. Undoubtedly, how they react to this new environment, generally impacts on their academic and social adaptation at these institutions. Therefore, the…

This phenomenological study examined the stories of illiterate African American adults to determine the factors that led to their illiteracy. Narrative techniques were utilized to discern themes from narrative accounts of eight participants. The participants were enrolled in one of two adult basic education programs referred to as ABE I and ABE…

Runaway behavior is a national epidemic that affects many school-aged youths. Although there are no definitive numbers, it has been estimated that between 1.3 and 2.8 million youths run away each year, and youths with disabilities are more at risk for engaging in runaway behavior than their nondisabled peers. Considering the high number of youths…

Undermanaged procedural pain has been shown to have short and long term effects on children. While significant progress regarding empirically supported treatments has been made, theoretical bases for the development and management of procedural pain are lacking. This paper examines the role of social learning theory in our current understanding of…

This paper investigates learning related to the phenomena of drying over the past decade in the southern Murray-Darling Basin in Australia, as perceived in a mid-river site within the western Riverina of New South Wales, Australia. The insights from audio-recorded interviews, with a wide range of adults across the water-dependent community, mostly…

Families bereaved by suicide can experience an extremely intense and complicated grieving process. This can be associated with a range of difficulties and can put bereaved family members at risk of a range of problems. In recognition of this, Barnardo's Child Bereavement Service piloted a two-day residential programme (integrating separate…

Few of today's teachers can remember an economic situation quite like the one everyone now faces. To find analogies for the collapse of the housing bubble and the subsequent credit crisis, one has to search not his or her memories but the textbooks. "The Great Gatsby" and "The Grapes of Wrath" suddenly make more sense now. Generations of students…

Previous studies have shown that those with severe food allergies have significant gaps in knowledge about their disease and how to prevent recurrences. The purpose of this study was to address these deficiencies by creating and testing an educational packet, "Coping with Food Allergies." Participants included 46 of 58 adults with documented…

This study investigates the impact of several types of exposure to terror attacks on adolescents' psychological outcomes in the context of ongoing terror. A total of 913 adolescents (51 girls) aged 12 to 18 years (12-13.6 = 33%; 13.7-15.6 = 38%; 15.7-18 = 28%) took part in the study. Detailed data were collected concerning objective, subjective…

Women have long since used social networking as a means of coping with their struggles, educating and empowering themselves, engaging in broader social movements, and building international advocacy. Internet communities that are designed and facilitated to be inclusive of women's experiences can be important social spaces where women feel…