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Parenting practices are major influences on incidents of juvenile delinquency. Stress experienced by parents of children with behavioral problems is a leading contributor to parenting practices. We investigated the extent to which parental stress was reduced by participation in an established multiple group family intervention, the Family Solutions Program, developed to reduce recidivism among juvenile offenders. We also examined parent stress by gender, ethnicity, dropout rates, intervention benefits at 3-month follow-up, single- versus two-parent households, and across dimensions of family functioning and parent-adolescent communication. Parents reported greater levels of parent stress than non-clinical parents prior to intervention. Parental stress did diminish in response to intervention, but not until follow-up to intervention completion. No differences were found on initial parent stress level between completers and non-completers of the intervention or between parent stress and gender or ethnicity of the parent; however, single-parent household was associated with significantly higher levels of parent stress. Family functioning was significantly negatively correlated with parental stress. Finally, open communication between juvenile first offenders and their parents improved significantly in response to the intervention both at post-intervention and at follow-up.

Parenting practices are major influences on incidents of juvenile delinquency: Stress experienced by parents of children with behavioral problems is a leading contributor to parenting practices. We investigated the extent to which parental stress was reduced by participation in an established multiple group family intervention, the Family Solutions Program, developed to reduce recidivism among juvenile offenders. We also examined parent stress by gender, ethnicity, dropout rates, intervention benefits at 3-month follow-up, single-versus two-parent households, and across dimensions of family functioning and parent-adolescent communication, Parents reported greater levels of parent stress than non-clinical parents prior to intervention. Parental stress did diminish in response to intervention, but not until follow-up to intervention completion. No differences were found on initial parent stress level between completers and non-completers of the intervention or between parent stress and gender or ethnicity of the parent; however, single-parent household was associated with significantly higher levels of parent stress. Family functioning was significantly negatively correlated with parental stress. Finally, open communication between juvenile first offenders and their parents improved significantly in response to the intervention both at post-intervention and at follow-up. Keywords Family intervention * Parental stress * Juvenile delinquency

Surveyed members of the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (N=426) regarding the utilization of marital and family therapy models in clinical work. The number and percentage of respondents using each model specified were assessed. Rankings denoting prevalence of the eight models were derived from first-choice responses. (JAC)

Examined relationship between sex-role orientation and marital adjustment in 112 married couples. Spouses separately completed Bem Sex Role Inventory and Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results indicated that in general both androgynous and sex-typed individuals and their spouses were significantly higher in marital adjustment than were undifferentiated individuals and their spouses. (Author/NB)

Describes rationale for and creation of the Parent Helpers Program, a program designed to provide families who experience the birth of a developmentally disabled infant with a supportive and informative climate in which to maximize family adjustment. Presents the structure of the program and case histories of parents. (Author)

Based upon responses to questionnaires by 162 university married-housing couples, equity theory was used to explain the relations between affective self-disclosure and marital adjustment. Found that the greater discrepancy in partners' affective self-disclosure, the less was an individual's marital adjustment. (Author/RC)

Discusses a study that found that marital adjustment was positively related to both spouse's reported self-disclosure of feelings and to self's reported perception of affective disclosure. Also found that one's perception of differences between self and other in the disclosure of love was inversely related to one's marital adjustment. (JOW)

The relationship between sex-role orientation and marital adjustment was investigated. Using a sample of 112 married couples, husbands and wives separately completed the Bern Sex- Role Inventory and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. The hypotheses tested were based on the assumption that an androgynous sex-role orientation, which incorporates both instrumental and expressive capacities, would he most positively related to self and spouse's marital adjustment, while an undifferentiated orientation would be least related. Results indicated that in general both androgynous and sex-typed individuals and their spouses were significantly higher in marital adjustment than were undifferentiated individuals and their spouses. In addition, spousal sex-role types were found to be related and couples in which both partners were classified as undifferentiated reported the lowest levels of marital adjustment while androgynous couples and sex-typed couples reported greater levels of marital adjustment. The results were discussed in relation to their support for a symbolic interaction/role theory interpretation of the association between sex-role orientation and marital adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has been consistent in documenting the direct negative effect of early marriage on marital stability, while disagreeing over the level of influence of status attainment measures on divorce. However, the discipline has failed to come to consensus on the complexity of these relationships: that early marriage may operate indirectly through mediating variables to increase the likelihood of divorce. The focus of this paper is an analysis of a path model which includes the estimated effects of antecedents of early marriage, early marriage and education on the probability of divorce. Findings using the General Social Surveys support research that suggests that early marriage is the most important variable influencing divorce. Further, little influence of the early marriage measure through education was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract available for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A letter to the editor is presented discussing the authors' work developing a computer-based clinical simulation for psychiatry education.