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…

Explored relation of biological and psychosocial risk factors to infant development among pregnant women who had pregestational diabetes, gestational diabetes, or were nondiabetic. Found that infants of diabetic mothers scored lower on the Bayley Scales at 1 year and revealed fewer positive and more negative behaviors than infants of nondiabetic…

An ongoing longitudinal study of 558 focal youth and families was used to review mechanisms of resilience. Findings demonstrated how resilience to economic adversity for families was promoted by marital support, effective problem solving, and a sense of mastery. For youth, resilience was promoted by support from parents, sibling, and other adults.…

Offers brief annotations of 24 books for adolescents in which girls take on tough tasks, face seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and triumph over adversity. (SR)

This article describes a number of strategies and social-emotional interventions for use with maltreated children. These include: structure to increase feelings of safety and security, positive behavior management techniques, and methods that foster social and emotional resiliency. (Author)

Studies 208 African-American urban high school students. Grade point average (GPA) and specific strategies for coping with day-to-day stressors were found to be significantly related to psychological adjustment. Students who had higher GPAs tended to use family members as means of solving problems, minimized problems by use of humor, and used…

This article describes a group intervention model that attempts to help parents cope with the problems of rearing a preschool child who is deaf or hard of hearing. The group process involves changing emphases on: (1) the parent's individual personal perspective; (2) development of group norms; and (3) process and problems in daily life. (Contains…

Outlines lessons learned during many missions undertaken in countries of the former Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia that were designed to set up psychosocial assistance programs to teach coping skills to children adversely affected by armed conflicts and the socioeconomic transition process from a planned to a market economy. (SM)

A study examined associations between bilateral visual acuity and depression among 391 Cuban Americans, 1,514 Mexican Americans, and 527 Puerto Ricans. Among Mexicans, depression was higher for those with moderate and greater impairment. Among Cubans, depression was higher for those with a distance visual acuity worse than 20/50. (Contains…

Multiple, daily decisions about a myriad of things add to people's sense of stress, complexity, and being stretched too thin, but especially for parents of young children. This article points out the need to offer parents quality options, not simply more options, and advice and support in following through on the decisions they make affecting…

Examined effects of four coping dimensions on conduct problems, depression, and achievement in multiethnic, inner- city sample of early adolescents. Found that for girls, interactions of active coping with family and community stress revealed a classic stress-buffering effect for active coping. Findings for boys did not support this effect.…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIMH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) support the CDC's Serostatus Approach to Fighting the HIV Epidemic (SAFE; Janssen et al., 2001). One aim of the strategy is to help individuals living with HIV (and…