Beyond the nuclear family. Resources and implications for pediatricians.

In the United States, the shift from traditional nuclear families to diverse family forms has been dramatic. As a result, it is estimated that only 50% of children will live with their biologic parents until their 18th birthday. Consequently, many of the children seen by pediatricians live in non-nuclear family homes.

Impressions of psychiatric problems and their management: China, 1977.

The authors, who visited the People's Republic of China in October 1977, describe the treatment methods used there, particularly in the Shanghai Mental Hospital, a 1,000-bed hospital for acutely ill patients. Psychiatric treatment there appears to be a blend of Western pharmacology, traditional Chinese medicine, and group therapy. The authors also speculate on the possible cultural sources of stress-related and interpersonal problems, provide a review of the literature regarding psychiatry in modern China, and outline the history of psychiatric treatment there.

Common problems of stepparents and their spouses.

The half-million adults annually who become stepparents in this country have relatively little guidance available to them from mental health professionals or from the public. This paper examines conflictual situations that frequently interfere with the successful blending and establishment of new stepfamilies.