The development of a family forgiveness scale

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure forgiveness in the intergenerational family. In the final scale the contructs were defined as: (1) realization, (2) recognition, (3) reparation, (4), restitution, and (5) resolution. A detailed four-step procedure was used to provide the scale with construct, content and predictive validity. This paper describes a four-stage process to develop the scale, data supporting the validity and reliability of the scale, and the final version of the instrument.     

PEER TUTORING FOR CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER: EFFECTS ON CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

We investigated the effects of classwide peer tutoring (CWPT) on the classroom behavior and academic performance of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Typical instructional activities were contrasted with CWPT for 18 children with ADHD and 10 peer comparison students attending first- through fifth-grade general education classes. CWPT led to increases in active engagement in academic tasks along with reductions in off-task behavior for most participants. Of students with ADHD, 50% exhibited improvements in academic performance in math or spelling during CWPT conditions, as measured by a treatment success index. Participating teachers and students reported a high level of satisfaction with intervention procedures. Our results suggest that peer tutoring appears to be an effective strategy for addressing the academic and behavioral difficulties associated with ADHD in general education settings.     

Using Cognitive Dissonance to Encourage Water Conservation1

In a field experiment on water conservation, we aroused dissonance in patrons of the campus recreation facility by making them feel hypocritical about their showering habits. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, we manipulated subjects “‘mindfulness” that they had sometimes wasted water while showering, and then varied whether they made a “public commitment” urging other people to take shorter showers. The “hypocrisy” condition-in which subjects made the public commitment after being reminded of their past behavior-was expected to be dissonance-arousing, thereby motivating subjects to increase their efforts to conserve water. The results were consistent with this reasoning. Compared to controls, subjects in the hypocrisy condition took significantly shorter showers. Subjects who were merely reminded that they had wasted water, or who only made the public commitment, did not take shorter showers than control subjects. The findings have implications for using cognitive dissonance as means of changing behavior in applied settings, especially those in which people already support the desired goal, but their behavior is not consistent with those beliefs.     

HIV-infected psychiatric patients: beyond confidentiality

The AIDS epidemic calls for an ethical analysis of conflicting obligations surrounding HIV-infected psychiatric patients and confidentiality, as well as issues that go beyond confidentiality. Although laws pertaining to HIV infection have been enacted in a number of states, these statutes leave much discretion to health professionals. The ethical principle known as "the harm principle" can permit disclosure of confidential information and detention or isolation of psychiatric patients who pose a threat of infecting other patients. From an ethical point of view, however, the circumstances under which traditional protections may be weakened or abandoned remain limited.     

Stress and family health

This study investigates the difference between perceived everyday individual stress and levels of family health. Subjects completed the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES III), the Derogatis Stress Profile, and a personal data form. Quota sampling of 121 subjects was used to obtain 25 subjects in each of three groups: balanced, mid-range, and extreme family types. Individuals identified as members of mid-range families reported less overall stress than balanced or extreme family members. Significant differences appeared between the balanced and mid-range groups. Balanced individual family members reported slightly higher levels of stress than extreme family members.     

Family therapists and family business: A view of the future

The family business is a unique entity that has recently come to the attention of business consultants and family therapists. The unique processes of family business are amendable to the applications of family systems theory, organizational development theory, and various theories that focus on individual growth and development. In this paper we review some of the basic concepts relative to understanding family businesses and briefly outline our approach to consultation with family businesses.     

Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children: A Mix of Responsibility

The report, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, was written by a committee of distinguished scientists for the National Academy of Science. The report contains a synthesis of research related to early reading, and it includes a large number of recommendations for a variety of audiences. In this paper, Bronfenbrenner's systems model is presented as a mechanism for planning actions and initiatives to carry-out the committee's recommendations, for guiding the evaluation of those actions, and for conducting research on the effects of those recommendations.