Mentally retarded institutionalized persons admitted to a California state hospital in 1970 (N=165) and 1980 (N=27) were followed for three years to examine mortality rates and causes. Higher mortality rates in the 1980 group (one-third died within three years) appeared related to the trend toward institutionalization of only the most debilitated.…

Details the author's experiences in helping her adopted four-year-old daughter from Bangladesh cope with the loss of her biological family and her adjustment to a new culture, and offers suggestions for professionals and parents helping young children make similar adjustments. (HOD)

The intention of this research is to contribute additional data, hopefully bearing on the solution to some of the problems and indirectly, the cause(s) of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and to present ideas for consideration for future SIDS research. (Author/RK)

This curriculum unit, suitable for advanced placement high school courses or introductory level college courses, explores Hungarian fertility and mortality rates and their social and economic consequences. Students are required to map, graph, analyze, and summarize demographic data to examine population trends in Hungary in the post-World War 2…

In the United States, approximately three-fourths of all deaths among persons aged 10-24 years result from only four causes: motor-vehicle crashes, other unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide. Results from this 1999 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey demonstrate that numerous high school students engage in behaviors that increase the…

This book presents a graphic and detailed account of the last few days of the life of Ursula Assaid. Ursula was a 5-year-old child who was tortured to death in the name of discipline at the hands of her mother's boyfriend. An important lesson determined from the account is how not only the killer, but neighbors, teachers, and visitors who saw the…

Reviews research and presents case studies discussing aspects of suicide, death, and grief among the people of New Guinea, Vanuatu (a Canadian Hutterite colony), rural Tennessee, Ireland, and among American Indians. Rituals, myths, and legends are described in the eight articles of this special issue. (JAC)

Aspects of the French cultural attitude toward death are explored, with reference made to a survey of public opinion and a magazine article about recognition of the anniversary of Charles De Gaulle's death. Attitudes about privacy, ritual, and family behavior are highlighted. (MSE)

Deals with the treatment of families of victims of terrorist activities. Discusses specific issues common to families affected by terrorism. Describes therapy concentrated on promoting family strengths and coping and deemphasizing individual pathology. Suggests family therapy is an effective treatment modality for dealing with tragic loss. (Author)

Compared perceptions of 39 parents and 186 teachers toward death education for young children. Parents expressed significantly less support than teachers for death education as a part of early childhood education and did not wish teachers to share their personal or religious beliefs with children. (Author/JAC)

The challenge of geriatric medicine in an era of limited resources is addressed. Focus is on containing the costs of health care in several neglected areas of geriatrics: stroke, long-term care, patient and family counseling, and death. (JMD)

In order to be of effective help to the grieving client the counselor must be knowledgeable of the dynamics of the grieving process and, in addition, must come to terms with his own feelings about death. (Author)

This article examines ways in which counselors can help teachers deal with death as a developmental concern, an immediate matter which may affect students. Suggestions are made for developing teacher groups which would explore the topic of death. (Author/HLM)

Presents brief annotations of 23 picture books and children's books that focus on literature in which the generations come together--books that celebrate the relationship between young and old; challenge ageist stereotypes; explore the complexities of aging; and deal with the death of a loved one. (SR)

Rehearses some 20th-century narratives as they have appeared in United States history and as they have been represented in African-American literature. Suggests that some of these narratives are insufficiently critical in their construction of stereotypes or in their over-romanticized notions of racial memory, which mask the complications of color…