Teacher ratings of children's problem and competence behaviors: normative and parametric characteristics.

Teacher-rated adjustment differences among young elementary school children from (a) a recent sample and a 1974 cohort, and (b) urban/suburban, male/female, and grade-level subgroups were examined. A problem behavior checklist (Classroom Adjustment Rating Scale) and a school competence measure (Health Resources Inventory) for 974 children from 5 urban and 5 suburban schools were completed by 101 first- to fourth-grade teachers. Children from the more current cohort were rated as significantly more maladjusted than those from the earlier sample on 8 of 10 adjustment variables. In the recent sample, girls and suburban children evidenced a greater number of school competencies and fewer problem behaviors than boys and urban children, respectively. The implications of these findings for the future use of the teacher rating scales are discussed.

Recent stressful life events and young children's school adjustment.

A group of 211 first-to fourth-grade children who had experienced one or more recent stressful life events were compared to a demographically matched sample of 211 children who had not experienced such events on measures of school adjustment problems and competencies. Stressful life events were found to be associated with the presence of more serious school adjustment problems and fewer competencies. Those associations were strongest for children who had experienced multiple recent stressful events. The importance of preventive interventions for this at-risk group was emphasized and future research steps in the area were considered.

Parental death or divorce and the school adjustment of young children.

This study examined the effects of two potentially crisis-producing experiences, parental divorce or death, on the school adjustment of young children. Children with such "crisis" histories were found to show greater overall school maladaptation than children without such histories. Children of divorce had significantly more acting-out problems than noncrisis controls or death children and those with histories of parental death more serious shy-anxious problems than the other groups. These effects were stable across (a) independent year samples, (b) referred and "normal" nonreferred groups, and (c) urban and rural samples. Differential judgments about the competencies of children who have experienced parental divorce, death, or neither were also found. Divorce children were seen as having fewer competencies than death children or noncrisis controls. The association between specific crisis history and specific school adjustment patterns is seen to have implications for the study of coping with stressful life events and for preventive efforts.

Relationships between family background problems and social problem solving skills of young normal children.

Relationships between family background problems and social problem solving (SPS) skills were studied in normal third grade children. Twelve urban and suburban classroom teachers provided information about the presence of six family background problems for 243 children. Three problem solving skills were assessed: 1) alternative solution thinking, means-end thinking, and 3) social role taking. Overall, children with, one or more family problems, compared to those with no problems, generated fewer effective solutions and were less able to carry out a stepwise plan or to take the point of view of another. Differential reltionships were found between specific family background problems and specific problem solving skill deficiencies. Implications of the findings for school-based preventive programming were considered.

Hairdressers as caregivers. I. A descriptive profile of interpersonal help-giving involvements.

The interpersonal help-giving behaviors of 90 hairdressers were explored in depth in an interview study. On the average, hairdressers saw 55 customers a week, and talked 25 minutes with each. About one-third of the talking time concerned clients' moderate to serious personal problems--particularly problems with children, physical health, marriage, depression, and anxiety. Hairdressers reported that offering sympathy and support, being lighthearted, just listening, and presenting alternatives were among their most frequent response strategies. Although they often enjoyed fielding clients' personal problems, at times they felt perplexed by them. Hairdressers perceived listening to customers' interpersonal problems to be an important part of their everyday function and expressed a need for professional inputs in that domain.