Mothers from inner-city, poor families with high-risk infants were interviewed when their infants were three months of age concerning sources of support (e.g., fathers, relatives, friends) and types of support received (e.g., goods, services, advice, financial support). Observations of the mother-infant interaction in a free-play setting were also…

The relationship between stress and social support systems of Hmong refugees is examined. Hmong communities function in some ways like large extended families; thus, there is not much reliance on outside resources. Homesickness was a stressor for older Hmong. Others were limited because of their lack of English proficiency. (VM)

Detailed study of Detroit-area adolescents provides explanations for the spread of sound change outward from urban areas and upward through the socioeconomic hierarchy. Social network structure, orientation to the urban area, and phonology are contrasted for the two adolescent social categories, "Jocks" (middle class) and…

Data collected from 82 family triads demonstrate that adolescents are more consonant with mothers than fathers, particularly in the area of kinship relations. Fathers' distinctive association with adolescents is in the area of friendship relations and concerns affective aspects of relationships. These patterns are not dependent on gender of…

A test was conducted of a supplemental skills training and social-network-development aftercare program with 130 drug abusers from four residential therapeutic communities. The intervention produced positive effects on subjects' performance at the conclusion of treatment. Performance improved in situations involving avoidance of drug use, coping…

Traces the 17-year development of a national organization which links parents of handicapped or disabled children with other parents of children with similar disabilities. Highlights the instrumental role of the organization in the development of various other national support groups. (DST)

The article asks the following questions about self-identity: (1) how do people derive a unitary sense of self out of membership in many social categories; (2) do people respond differently when the social as opposed to the personal aspects of their identity are evoked; and (3) how do people respond to collective injustice? (PS)

Results of three studies provide considerable support for the importance, existence, and the normative adequacy of the cognitive process of "second guessing." Preliminary data suggest that people are quite good at detaching sources of bias and make reasonable adjustments in their judgments to correct for those biases. (PD)

Discusses the interactive effect of social networks and support systems on parent-child relationships and early childhood development. Suggests that greater attention to family ecology is needed, and raises a number of questions regarding the delivery of comprehensive health services for children and their families. (CJM)

Examining the overseas experience of language learners in diverse contexts through a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches, studies in this volume look at the acquisition of language use, socialization processes, learner motivation, identity and learning strategies. In this way, the volume offers a privileged window into learner…

This truancy prevention publication provides a general background discussion on the issue of truancy but mainly centers on the nuts and bolts of developing and implementing an effective community wide collaborative to address truancy. The first section provides some understanding of the factors associated with truancy and the resulting high costs…

A research project identified the challenges and benefits of collaborative research between extension agents and researchers. Its methodology was a critical review of the collaborative research approach used in a case study examining the usefulness of social capital in promoting rural landscape sustainability in two counties in the Hudson River…

This paper examines the value of religion in developing a school community capable of forming social capital. Research included a multiple case study approach involving a Catholic school, a non-Catholic religious school, and a public school within the same geographic area. Data collection involved: school documents (parent-student handbooks,…

Suggests a cognitive-emotional approach to understanding loneliness, explores some empirical work on the subject, and offers social workers and counselors some possible intervention strategies. Researchers must examine the relationship between loneliness, depression, and negative attitudes. (Author/JAC)

The Community Cadre Network in Virginia is a local support network for helping individuals with spinal cord injuries make the transition from an institutional setting to home and community life. Cadre members are people who have been through the experience of traumatic injury, rehabilitation, and return home. (SEW)