The family's socioeconomic status and the social-psychological aspects of family functioning were found to influence children's physical well-being both directly as well as indirectly through access to good medical care. Quality of psychotherapeutic care had no effect on psychological well being, which was affected by family living conditions.…

Tested relationships between mood states, self-reflection, and helpfulness. Subjects read mood-inducing statements negative in content, containing the personal pronoun "I;" negative but not self-referencing; emotionally positive in content; emotionally neutral; or no statements. Results showed self-reflection was responsible for…

Among samples of Australian unemployed, younger and older people had different psychological reactions to unemployment. Age was a better predictor of psychological reactions than sex, length of unemployment, or migrant status. The younger unemployed showed less tolerance of others and less self-reliance than older people. (Author/MJL)

Examined the relationship among selected ascribed and achieved traits and their relationship to occupational attainment, using a longitudinal sample of males (N=583). Data suggest that achieved and ascribed variables do not operate seperately. Residence in childhood and number of siblings had a significant effect on adult job status. (JAC)

Researchers examined social and psychological motivations for those who participate in leisure activities and developed an instrument to measure these motivations. The instrument includes four subscales for dealing with intellectual, social, competence-mastery, and stimulus-avoidance dimensions of motivation. (Author/PP)

Emphasizes the importance of play therapy for hospitalized children. Describes separation anxiety and psychological patterns including protest, despair, and denial. Describes the play therapy program at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, which helps children express their fears and cope with anxiety. (JAC)

Assessed five scales as mental health measures for older persons (N=318). The internal consistency reliabilities for the anxiety, depression, and well-being scales were moderately high to high, but the reliabilities for the affect balance scale suggest some caution. Cutting points for the well-being and depression scales are suggested. (Author/JAC)

Signs of school anxiety are described, and parents are advised about ways to help their children with this problem. Anxiety may arise when children start to school, change schools, or enter college and may also be triggered by a physical illness or family problem. (PP)

Examined a Sufi personality typology that describes nine life strategies depicted by a nine-sided figure called the enneagram. Devised an objective 135-item test instrument to differentiate the nine styles, and obtained positive results. Enneagram typology may have diagnostic, prognostic, and heuristic value for studying personality structure and…

Compared self-esteem among 87 unemployed metal refinery workers and 81 who were still employed. Results confirmed that unemployed workers scored lower in self-esteem and those who were reemployed at other jobs scored between the unemployed and employed workers. Implications for counseling practices are discussed. (JAC)

Perceived risk, defined as a multidimensional psychological phenomenon which influences individuals' decisions, was measured in 68 adults for 20 leisure activities. Overall risk and six component factors of risk associated with leisure are analyzed: (1) financial; (2) performance; (3) physical; (4) psychological; (5) social; and (6) time loss. (FG)

Psychological and physiological stress indices were taken from collegiate swimmers of both sexes. Later a scale of self-reported masculinity and femininity was administered. Males had higher systolic blood pressure but lower self-reported anxiety and hostility with the stress of competition. Differences in relative masculinity/femininity allow…

Investigated whether assertive and nonassertive individuals differ in defense mechanisms they most typically rely on when confronted with interpersonal stress and conflict. Results indicated assertive males and females both endorsed the most adaptive defense mechanism cluster, whereas nonassertive males and females endorsed more primitive defense…