Though academic research has shown retirement to be viewed by retirees as a satisfying time in life, popular opinion holds that retirement is a difficult adjustment for a couple. This study was undertaken to find out more about one source of popular opinion, the popular press. All popular books and magazine articles on the topic of marriage and…

Family relationships seem to be of particular importance to an aging parent's psychological well-being. Feelings of burden experienced by an adult daughter, however, may interfere with the nature of her relationship with her aging mother and may have a potentially deleterious effect on the mother. To test this hypothesis, a study was undertaken…

This collection of papers probes the current trends likely to have the greatest impact on the field of physical education. Contributors explore the future of physical education regarding scholarship, teaching, women faculty, sport management, and wellness programs. The following papers are included: (1) "Considering the Future of Physical…

The first point made in this presentation concerns the character of basic human needs, in relation to social groups and intimate relationships. Marjorie Fiske's report (1968) of the importance of confidants to the well-being of older persons has been replicated abundantly, but intimacy and confidants are not all people need. Older persons may also…

In previous research, two major sets of variables have been identified as correlates of emotional well-being among the elderly: measures of physical health and of social support. To suggest variables predictive of in-hospital discharge planning, and of emotional well-being after a severe incident of ill health, the Posthospital Support Study…

The effects of a health fitness program for college faculty and staff were studied at the University of Montevallo. The program covered physical fitness, assessment, prescription, training, and health education concerning nutrition and stress management. Six male and three female faculty members and staff participated in the 28-week health fitness…

This study assessed the effectiveness of a brief group treatment program aimed at ameliorating some of the psychological reactions commonly seen in wives of alcoholics. The goals of the 8 week treatment program were: (1) to help wives identify their counterproductive attempts to cope with the alcoholism; (2) to develop constructive coping…

Children experience stress just as adults do. Various responses to stress can damage the body's health in at least two different ways. First, they may do direct damage to the tissues--especially those of the circulatory system. Second, and more often important to the health of children, they may suppress the body's natural defenses against…

Close relationships have been identified as moderators of stress and as enhancing well-being. A model of friendship based on a conception of self (Wright, 1974) which delineates several relationship dimensions was used to study the qualitative components and sex differences in close relationships. Elderly widows and widowers (N=50) were…

The beneficial role that leisure can play in the lives of older persons is increasingly recognized by gerontologists and leisure service specialists. To study the psychological benefits of 18 commonly chosen leisure activities, 1,649 older adults, aged 55-75, responded to 27 paragraphs measuring the psychological benefits of leisure activities,…

College graduates face the contradictory and inconsistent beliefs of a society that seems to be struggling between a desire to either degrade or enhance the dignity of man. Amid all the current mechanical marvels there exists social ills of nightmare proportions. In the turmoil to find solutions to the many problems many have lost sight of the…

People who decide or are forced to relocate often undergo a lengthy waiting period before they can move. This waiting period may be a highly stressful time for individuals anticipating relocation. This study explored relocating older adults' (N=63) coping strategies and the impact of these strategies on health, cognitive functioning, and well…

The well-being of parents and children and the quality of the parent-child relationship during divorce deserve attention. This study examined the relationship between aspects of parent-child relationships and the well-being of parents during marital separation and investigated the effects of a 5-week community-based educational intervention for…

This teacher's resource guide for implementing a "Walking Wellness" curriculum in grades four through eight offers 16 hands-on workshops. Activities focus on fitness walking, cardiovascular conditioning, nutrition and weight control, walking techniques and posture, stress control, tobacco-free living, and lifestyle planning. The student…

Research suggests that the perception of personal competence may account for a significant portion of the variance in individual physical and psychological well-being. Yet to be investigated is how people arrive at judgments of their competence, the structure of personal competence perception represented by these judgments, and the relation of the…