School phobia in a multiphobic family: The family that phobes together...

This article studies a family of three in which the presenting problem was the daughter's school phobia but where parents also had phobias. Approaches to individual psychotherapy of phobias are discussed and strategic interaction principles of family treatment are illustrated.Judith Sherman, a family therapist, also teaches in the Marital and Family Program at Queens College, City University of New York. Ruth Formanek is on the faculty of Hofstra University and in private practice.     

Children's gender-role stereotypes: A sociological investigation of psychological models

This study investigates sociologically the predictions of the cognitive developmental, the social learning, and the interactive models of gender-role development. We examine the effect of a variety of variables on gender-role stereotyping among a sample of 1264 four-, five-, and six-year-old children enrolled in preschool programs in a major metropolitan area. Age, sex, and race are found to be significantly related to children's gender stereotypes. With age, children increasingly associate stereotypical behavior patterns with the male and female gender roles. Children are also found to demonstrate a higher degree of gender-role stereotyping with regard to members of their own sex. An age/sex interaction effect indicates that the tendency of children to demonstrate a higher degree of same-sex stereotyping is most pronounced among four-year-olds. Finally, black children are found to be less gender-typed in their images of males and females than are white children. These data suggest that the interactive model, including both social and cognitive factors, is the best explanation of these data and should be further investigated.     

Pulling together, drifting apart: A longitudinal case study of a four-generation family

This case study is based on secondary analysis of longitudinal data from 21 members of a four-generation family. The data were collected over a twenty-year period by the USC Longitudinal Study of Three Generations, through two sets of interviews (1987 and 1990) and four waves of surveys (1971, 1985, 1988, and 1991). Examining a single family's evolution through a monographic approach enables us to look closely at its members' interactions within and between generations; to see how family cohesiveness evolves over time; and to understand the meanings their relations have to family members themselves. In this article, we analyze the interactions through which members of this multigenerational family establish greater or lesser interpersonal distance among themselves, both within and between generations. Results indicate that issues in family distance include: divorce within the oldest generation; social class and money matters; and geographic location. Sources of family closeness include family rituals; medical problems and care giving; and efforts of family kin-keepers. The study highlights the holistic and variable characteristics of family ties.     

Counseling issues related to maternal substance abuse and subsequent sudden infant death syndrome in offspring

Recent reports linking maternal prenatal drug use to SIDS in offspring raise six specific issues related to professional intervention: (1) blaming addicted parents compounds the normal guilt experienced after SIDS; (2) low self-esteem often underlies drug usage; (3) punitive intervention by child protective agencies may lead to parental mistrust of health professionals, reducing access to help; (4) society's increasing tendency to criminalize drug use during pregnancy may expose women to prosecution if a SIDS death occurs; (5) the debate over monitoring at risk infants is further complicated if caretakers use drugs; and (6) recent articles have suggested that the majority of SIDS deaths may be the result of homicide, neglect, environmental hazards, etc. For addicted parents, a SIDS death increases the risk of social fragmentation and poses challenges to professional interventions.The destructive effects of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome go far beyond the lost lives of infants. The psychiatric morbidity among surviving family members can be severe and prolonged. Professional counseling seems vital in the prevention and treatment of a disabling guilt that follows the death of a child. (Bergman et al., 1969)     

Portfolios for learning and assessment: laying the foundations for continuing professional development

Portfolios are widely used in a range of education programmes at different levels in a number of countries. They are also well established at all stages in social work education. However, in the literature there is surprisingly little critical analysis of the application of the portfolio in social work. In this paper the authors' objective is to contribute to professional knowledge about the use of portfolios in social work. The authors are all members of the Higher Education Funding Council Self-Assessment in Professional and Higher Education Project and are concerned to develop self-assessment in social work and enhance the development of life-long learning. They begin by examining the literature about portfolios from the field of education. Findings are then analysed from a small exploratory study of the use of portfolios in practice learning on a Diploma in Social Work course. Five different but related conceptual themes which emerge from the analysis are discussed: compiling the portfolio; issues of evidence; reflection in a context of assessment; the practice teacher and the learning dialogue; and the challenge of assessment. Suggestions are offered for effective portfolio practice.     

Occupational stress and social work

This article describes a research project exploring occupational stress within social work. This includes a literature search and an empirical study via a questionnaire within a Social Services department in South Wales in 1998. The results indicate that the majority of the respondents were experiencing differing levels of stress. Demographic details, support received, job satisfaction, effects on service provision and strategies to combat stress are identified. Implications from the results are used to indicate recommendations for further development of support and help for social workers, including, pointers for social work educators. Ideas for future research are included.     

Chronic strain,daily work stress and pain among workers with rheumatoid arthritis: Does job stress make a bad day worse?

The structure of the job and the daily experience of work are challenges for workers with rheumatoid arthritis. Yet little is known about how these two factors interact to put workers with chronic pain at risk for worse pain on a given day. This exploratory 20 workday diary study of 27 workers with rheumatoid arthritis used hierarchical linear modelling to examine how the structure of the job and neuroticism moderate the relationship between daily undesirable work events (daily stressors), and pain reports within a day. On days with more undesirable work events compared to days with fewer events, individuals with jobs associated with job ‘strain’ (high demand/low control) reported greater midday pain, irrespective of neuroticism and negative mood, than workers with other combinations of demand and control. These findings demonstrate the utility of analysing fluctuating within-person relationships among pain, mood and daily work stressors within the context of the structure of the job, and helps to explain why daily work stressors result in worse health outcomes for some but not all workers with RA.     

Impacts of Home Modifications on Aging-in-Place

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between home modifications and aging-in-place. Using the ENABLE-AGE United Kingdom sample (N = 376), the authors hypothesize that seniors who have modified their housing are likely to have stayed longer in their current housing. There is a positive relationship between home modifications and aging-in-place. The results underscore the importance of supportive environment to prolong living in housing settings.