This qualitative study used questionnaires, interviews, and observations to assess what having children with disabilities means to three families. The disabilities include severe mental retardation and seizure disorder, Down syndrome, and neurofibromatosis. Interview data were categorized into the following five areas: the children,…

This packet is intended to provide support for those facing job layoff or who have recently been laid off. Its aim is to provide a basic framework for decision making, together with relevant information, countering the disorientation that job loss often leaves in its wake. Notes for trainers offer suggestions for use of the pack. An introduction…

This brief report summarizes what is known about pediatric traumatic brain injury, including the following: risk factors (e.g., males especially those ages 5 to 25, youth with preexisting problems including previous head injury victims, and children receiving inadequate supervision); life after injury; physical and neurological consequences (e.g.,…

This literature review addresses perceived positive contributions of disabled persons to their families and proposes a new framework for such research. Considered first is the theoretical framework underlying Family Stress and Coping Theory, specifically the ABCX model of R. Hill and its modifications. Next, family research trends in the…

The main objective of this study is to explore the coping behaviours of Israeli continuing education students who combine work and academic studies. Multi-level analyses revealed that: (1) perceived academic stress is determined by academic load and perceived work stress by workload; (2) coping strategies are related to an array of perceived…

Designed for the large corps of professionals and volunteers who work in the growing number of organizations and programs involved in international educational exchange, this book provides two important resources: (1) a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of the youth exchange experience and the factors that come into play when providing the…

This digest provides a demographic profile of family caregivers and discusses the emotional and physical burdens on family caregivers. It examines how caregivers cope with these burdens and highlights research findings on the most effective coping strategies. The digest concludes by summarizing the challenges to the helping profession in…

These parent resource materials address seven topics of concern to parents of preschool, elementary school, and adolescent children. The first brochure offers tips on choosing child care, discussing in-home, family, center, and infant-toddler care. A checklist is included for assessing day care programs, caregivers, and environments. The second…

Noting that loss of control is a major concern confronting patients experiencing an illness, this paper critically analyzes the research literature on control and clarifies the implications of this research for provider-patient communication. The paper first defines control, noting that the most frequently cited definition is the "locus of…

A longitudinal study of stepfamilies, divorced maternal custody families, and nondivorced families was conducted to assess the competence of mothers in different family structures, examine stepfather-stepchild relationships compared to relationships between nondivorced biological fathers and their children, see how relationships changed over time…

Stresses experienced by college students at different educational levels are considered, along with ways that colleges can help reduce destructive forms of stress. After discussing how stress and coping are related, problems in defining stress and coping are considered, and models are proposed for understanding stress. Following an overview on the…

This booklet, one of a series prepared by the New York City teacher specialists at Teacher Center Sites, describes a strategy for helping teachers to understand and deal with the sources of stress. The emphasis of this strategy is on identifying sources of stress, and organizing ways of effectively managing and preventing stress by increasing…

This paper deals with different support systems available for teachers and stresses the importance of inservice teacher education. The first section discusses teachers' support systems, which usually include six domains: self, family, friends, job, community, and profession. Five models are used to describe the intensity of support of each domain…

Defining public services as the basic community/regional services which are provided to residents through tax receipts and service charges, this publication identifies variables for each service group and presents them in the form of questions that communities should find useful when analyzing impacts of growth. After listing questions dealing…

In July, 1983, the Center for Independent Living of Greater Bridgeport and its cooperating agencies conducted a survey of 32 people, the majority of whom were developmentally disabled and resided in institutional or community settings, in both rural and urban areas. This report addresses the perceived needs and levels of independence experienced…