The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings that self-mutilating behaviors have to adolescents. Phenomenological interviews of six students resulted in the development of seven core themes. The data provided valuable insight into the world of self-mutilation at its beginning stages. Implications for school counselors are discussed.

Interviews were carried out with 16 South African Zulu widows. Much of what the widows had to say seemed like what one might hear from widows in economically developed countries, but there were also striking differences. All the widows lived in poverty, and for some their grief seemed much more about the poverty than about the husband's death.…

This participatory action research project worked with four street-life-oriented black men to document how a community sample of street-life-oriented black adolescents between the ages of sixteen and nineteen frame street life as a site of resiliency inside schools based on 156 surveys, 10 individual interviews, and 1 group interview. Data…

In this final, collaborative paper in the "Learning to be drier" edition, we reflect on and draw together some of the key threads from the diverse narratives in our four site papers from across the southern Murray-Darling Basin. Our paper title, "Wicked learning", draws on a recent body literature (Rittel & Webber 1973)…

The Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands (CARD, elementary version) was used to investigate teacher stress among a sample of elementary teachers (n = 521). The CARD measures teacher stress by examining the subjective experience of both classroom demands and resources provided by the school, and thereby attempts to capture the situationally…

Objective: This study aimed to examine occupational stress and mental health among secondary school teachers in Hong Kong, and to identify the differences between those actively engaged in stress management behaviors and those who were not. Design: Survey design was adopted using validated instruments including Occupational Stress Inventory…

Research has shown that students' social, emotional, and behavioral health affects their academic achievement. This has enormous implications for teachers, school mental health providers, and the students themselves. A student who is hungry, disengaged, preoccupied, or behaviorally disruptive simply is not going to respond as well to even the best…

This study examined the specific relations and processes underlying the association between marital disturbance and child maladjustment. Data were gathered on 51 9- through 12-year-olds, along with their parents, on specific dimensions of marital discord, children's coping responses to conflict, and child adjustment. Parent reports, child reports…

This guide offers advice to help people cope with a variety of losses, including losses associated with divorce, retirement, relocation, disability, or illness, and the loss of a pet, financial security, independence, or control and decision making. It discusses what one can expect when one suffers a loss and how to handle grief. Common reactions…

Recent research in illness has stressed the importance of constructive processes as determinants for coping and appraisal with illnesses. The goal of this study was to construct a lexicon of cognitive and behavioral responses people employ to cope with illness. Undergraduate college students (N=105) were given two illness scenarios describing the…

This study examined the coping strategies implemented by older parents in their attempt to manage the pain and demanded changes which usually accompany the dissolution of family relationships. Fifty-two parents, ranging in age from 54 to 87 years participated in focus groups and personal interviews. A number of psychological and social resources…

Transactional theories of stress suggest that redefining or reframing difficult circumstances may be a useful coping strategy for family caregivers. To identify specific cognitive reappraisal themes and strategies caregivers use, this study examined published accounts of caregivers' (N=26) experiences, which represent an unobtrusive, untapped data…

The experience of marital infertility is a major biosocial life crisis that also represents a serious threat to the development of psychosocial generativity. Psychological studies of the consequences of involuntary infertility, however, are rare. A study was undertaken to identify variations in the coping patterns used by men who have experienced…

Since the incidence of cancer in this country is high and the cancer survival rates are increasing, it is important to study coping strategies in cancer patients. As survival time lengthens, coping strategies that might affect the quality of a patient's life become increasingly important. A study was conducted to examine coping strategies in newly…

Clinical interest in lesbian mothers has begun to emerge from the closet in recent years. Culture has dictated the milieu in which lesbian parents live and has prevented most therapists from being able to respond to lesbian parenting as a healthy option. In a heterosexist world, virtually all public displays of sexuality or family life are…