Family Therapy and Drug Abuse: A National Survey

The following report describes the results of a national study of the role of family therapy in the drug abuse field. Characteristics of agencies that work with families are described, as well as the demographic characteristics and psychological problems of the clients most apt to be treated in family therapy. The study also looks at the role and structure of family therapy in the ecological system of the treatment institutions. A profile of the family therapists who are responsible for providing services to families is presented. An attempt was made to assess agencies' level of development with regard to family therapy by using an instrument, The Progress Index for Family Therapy Programs. Generally, findings indicated that there is considerable variation in expertise. More extensive training in family therapy techniques was of major concern, particularly among clinics with a heroin addict population.     

An Empirically Derived Typology of Families: II. Relationships with Adolescent Health

In this report from the California Family Health Project, we describe the relationship between an empirically derived family typology based on parent data, and the self-reported health and well-being of 151 adolescent offspring. The typology is comprised of four family types: Balanced, Traditional, Disconnected, and Emotionally Strained. Three adolescent health indices were constructed from 13 self-reported health variables using principal components and multidimensional scaling analyses: Physical Health, Emotional Health, and Alcohol Abstinence. ANOVA indicated that Physical Health was significantly different among adolescents in the four family types. The findings varied, however, depending upon whether the typology was based on mothers’ or fathers’ appraisals of the family. In the father-based typology, adolescents from Traditional families scored highest while those from Emotionally Strained and Balanced families scored lowest. In the mother-based typology, adolescents from Balanced, Traditional, and Emotionally Strained families scored equally high, while those from Disconnected families scored significantly lower than those from the other three family types. Differences on Abstinence were significant only in the father-based typology. Adolescents from Traditional and Emotionally Strained families drank less than adolescents from Disconnected families. No significant differences among adolescents were found for Emotional Health, and adolescent gender did not interact significantly with family type to affect any of the three health indices. Traditional and Disconnected family types had offspring who clearly stood apart with higher and lower health scores, respectively. The results are discussed in terms of the current literature on social environment and health.     

Athletic Action as Creativity

ABSTRACT Describing an action theory of creativity, this paper introduces a time variable conception of incubation, and discusses the role of competition in creativity, the importance of awareness as preconscious functioning, the relationship of ego-strength to this functioning, a calisthenic-non-calisthenic continuum and its relevance to athletic creativity, and group creativity in athletics. Suggestions are made for encouraging preconscious functioning in athletics and physical education programs. The significance of a focus on the development of non-intellectual awareness as an essential component for creativity is indicated.