Differences in 4- and 6-year-old children's perceptions of their inner social circle, their major sources of emotional and problem solving support, their reasons for choosing a particular source of support, and the types of behaviors they view as supportive in various stressful situations were studied. Mother, father, siblings, grandparents,…

The long-term care of dementia sufferers has been conceptualized as a chronic stressor because of the growing evidence that the stress of caring for such an individual has adverse effects on caregivers, including significant decrements in social/recreational activities, emotional and physical fatigue, and depressive symptomatology. Because of…

The rapid growth of computers in schools has brought about the equally rapid growth of persons to coordinate computer education programs and work with teachers and students. For these persons there is often a "collegial void," a lack of others with whom to share ideas and concerns. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and…

The homeless have long been considered a disaffiliated and socially isolated group. Research has indicated that most of the homeless are single and have no family relationships or friends to provide support. A study was conducted to gather information on both objective and subjective measures of social support from 125 individuals residing at a…

To determine how integration in informal communication networks may mediate job stress and burnout, data were collected from two public elementary schools in the South at two points in time, with a three-week interval between collections. Questionnaires were completed by teachers at the beginning of a staff meeting. An individual's integration in…

A review of the clinically relevant literature on prevention of child maltreatment was conducted in an attempt to provide: (1) a definition and theoretical understanding of some aspects of prevention, child maltreatment, and social support systems; (2) a proposal of the usefulness of social isolation as an important theme in interpreting the…

Although the differences in supportive resources for males and females have rarely been studied, it seems reasonable that these differences exist because socialization for males and females typically emphasizes different traits. To explore gender differences in the nature of social support, 97 male and 82 female undergraduates completed the…

This paper reviews the rationale for social network programs in the effort to deinstitutionalize the mentally ill. Stress and mental health problems are discussed in terms of biological and social determinants, measurement techniques, and coping mechanisms. Supportive relationships as buffers to stress are examined and the concepts of social…

Characteristics that might help predict student prominence within a medical school class were studied. The prominent student is one who is highly visible and extensively involved in key relationships with other students. This prominence is expected to provide the student with greater access to information and resources held by classmates. A total…

The social support literature lacks empirical studies addressing structural distinctions between social network ties. It often divides social support into functional categories such as material, emotional, or advice support, with little regard to specific support providers or how the support from these providers can be delineated by individuals…

A babysitting exchange program was created for a group of women in order to build a social support network and to provide a test of the buffer hypothesis (i.e., the idea that social support may shield an individual from the negative physical and mental consequences of stress, particularly when stress is at high levels). The sample consisted of 30…

The Community Aging Program is a demonstration outpatient, mental health program designed to study and treat elderly individuals. The individual's skills relevant to living independently are assessed and those individuals with deficits enter an appropriate treatment program. Two of the treatment programs or modules help the individual adjust to…

This monograph presents results of a survey of 13 ethnic groups conducted in the Greater Cleveland area in 1980-81 to determine how ethnicity was affected by communication and the mass media. In the introductory section, the monograph describes the ethnic composition of Cleveland (which includes Hispanics, Vietnamese, Koreans, Filipinos, Indians,…

Despite low levels of criminal victimization, older people often express greater fear of crime than others. To examine the causes and consequences of such fear, 1,185 adults aged 60 and over, were interviewed about their personal characteristics, social resources, environment, subjective well-being, and lifestyle. Results showed that older people…

This mini-workshop sought a framework for examining the dynamics of migration processes, especially the interlinkages between sending and receiving countries. These two focuses emerged as directions for further research: (1) a topology reflecting the concepts underlying international migration; and (2) empirical studies which attempt to apply the…