The impact of homelessness on children's level of aspiration.

In a sample of 39 school-age homeless children, their length of stay in shelters for the homeless was significantly correlated with an index of their level of aspiration. This correlation remained significant even when the effects of the children's intelligence and their performance on a related cognitive task were partialed out. Stories given in response to two Thematic Apperception Test cards by a small sample of these children illustrate the potentially traumatic consequences of homelessness on children's hopes and aspirations.

Rorschach adaptive fantasy images and coping in children under severe environmental stress.

We measured the relationship between the capacity of a group of inner-city, homeless children to produce adaptive fantasy images, as assessed by the Rorschach M+ score and their performance on the Fruit Distraction Test of selective attention and Rorschach measures of reality testing (extended F+ percentage) and object relations (Mutuality of Autonomy [MOA] Scale, Urist, 1977). The sample included 46 Black and Hispanic children (24 boys and 22 girls) who ranged in age from 5 to 13 years. Results from multiple regression analyses that also included age, intelligence, and gender as independent variables indicated that the M+ score accounted for the largest portion of the variance in the Fruit Distraction and MOA scores. The M+ score was also significantly positively correlated with the extended F+ percentage. The results suggest that children's capacity to withstand severe environmental stressors is linked to their ability to produce adaptive fantasy images on the Rorschach.

Reconstruction of orbital exenteration cavities. The use of the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous free flap.

We report a technique for reconstruction of orbital exenteration cavities following irradiation using a free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. This technique preserves the bony structure of the maxilla and the function of the infraorbital nerve.