TREATING CONDUCT-DISORDERED ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS BY WORKING WITH THE PARENTS

A method of therapy for families with an acting out adolescent or young adult is presented, as is a rationale for the method. The aim of the approach is to alter the underlying problem of immaturity that is hypothesized to exist in these families. Emphasis is placed on working with the parents in a systematic way over an extended period of time. As progress is made by the parents, an emotional crisis is created in the adolescent that can then be used by him as the basis for extensive change. The therapy of the parents proceeds in phases: 1) preparation for a long-term effort; 2) rethinking and objectively evaluating the nature of the relationship with the adolescent in specific areas; 3) translation of the newly gained perspective into action positions vis-à-vis the adolescent; and 4) non-child-focused therapy.     

Some social implications of personnel planning

It would appear that most discussions on manpower or personnel planning are concerned with highlighting the dichotomy between organizational needs and personal needs. The assumption that these two separate need areas can be successfully harmonized through personnel planning is implicit. In this paper the intention is to discuss this relationship in terms of the consequences for employees of attempts to achieve the aims of organizational manpower plans through the establishment of personnel control mechanisms.     

Stability of retrospective reports in depression: traumatic events,past depressive episodes,and parental psychopathology

Research findings based on the retrospective reports of depressed individuals have long been held suspect because of possible negative reporting biases associated with depression. In the present study we assess the stability of retrospective reports of past traumatic events, past depressive episodes, parental depression, and parental substance abuse in a sample of 234 adults whose depression status changed over two assessments conducted one year apart. Depression status was found to affect reporting of number of past depressive episodes and past traumatic events, but not reporting of parental psychopathology. Implications of these findings are discussed for research that relies on the retrospective self-reports of depressed participants.     

Perceived discrimination,traditional practices,and depressive symptoms among American Indians in the upper midwest

American Indian adults are thought to experience significant depressive symptoms at rates several times higher than adults in the general population, yet we know very little about factors associated with depressive symptoms among this under studied group. Many researchers have argued that depressive symptoms are associated with conflicts between American Indian traditional cultural values, practices, and beliefs and those of the majority culture. This report, based on a sample 287 American Indian adults from the upper Midwest, takes into account two measures of cultural effects: perceived discrimination, as one indicator of culture conflict, and traditional practices, as a measure of cultural identification. The results indicate that discrimination is strongly associated with depressive symptoms among American Indian adults and that engaging in traditional practices is negatively related to depressive symptoms. Moreover, interaction effects between perceived discrimination and traditional practices indicate that engaging in traditional practices buffers the negative effects of discrimination among those who regularly participate in them.