Family predictors of the incidence of children's asthma symptoms: expressed emotion, medication, parent contact, and life events.

Self-report measures of both parents' expressed emotion, their time spent with their children, family life events, and children's medication compliance were obtained from 32 pairs of parents with a 5- to 12-year-old child with asthma and used to predict the number of the children's asthma-related medical contacts and school absences in the preceding year. Higher levels of fathers' expressed emotion, specifically critical comments, were associated with higher school absenteeism, and the amount of time fathers reported spending with their children on weekends was inversely related to the number of times children had an asthma-related medical contact. These findings were interpreted as reflecting the father's reactions to his child's asthma. Implications for intervention are discussed.

Parental conflict and male adolescent problem behavior.

Mothers in 30 clinical and 35 nonclinical families completed a behavior checklist for a target son and all other sons in the family who were between 13 and 17 years old. Each of these male adolescents completed two perceived parental conflict questionnaires for their biological parents. In each group, child behavior problems and parental conflict were correlated under two conditions: (a) using information pertaining to the target adolescent and (b) using information pertaining to the male adolescent experiencing the greatest behavior difficulties. Correlations increased in the nonclinical group when the information used was for the adolescent experiencing the greatest behavior difficulties.

New trends in medical libraries in hospitals.

External and internal forces affecting medical library services are examined. Public Law 89-239, the Heart, Cancer and Stroke Amendments of 1965, and Public Law 89-291, the Medical Library Assistance Act of 1965 which was extended by Public Law 91-212 have an impact on medical libraries. The Veterans Administration relationships with primary beneficiaries of these laws are explained. Internally, effort has been expended through automation, networking, and extension of resources by amalgamation of books and audiovisuals to evolve responsive concepts with emphasis on independence through interdependence. The Veterans Administration Library Service plans and accomplishments in these areas are reviewed.

The Veterans Administration library program.

The Veterans Administration Library Service is continuously responsive to the information requirements of the agency's policies which provide for the improved care and treatment of veterans through research, education, and clinical programs. At the same time, it participates in the planning of the federal government as a whole in providing library support for health care for the American people. There are both internal and external forces influencing VA hospitals and their libraries. Retirements and consequent recruitment of new people will necessitate a rethinking of the VA library program at the same time as external forces will be affecting the program. These external forces include the application of machines to library services through the development of in-house capabilities coupled with joint-use participation and P.L. 89-785 which provides for the exchange of medical information, sharing of facilities, and cooperative training programs. A conceptual rearrangement of information resources will facilitate attainment of our goals.