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The United States is facing a crisis with respect to filling job vacancies within science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) industries and with students completing STEM undergraduate degrees. In addition, disparities exist for females and ethnic minorities within STEM fields. Whereas prior research has centered on disparities in STEM fields, retention rates, and some intervention programs, researchers have not given much attention to the role of career development initiatives within STEM recruitment and retention programming. The purpose of the present study was to incorporate demographic variables, math performance, and career development-related factors into predictive models of STEM retention with a sample of undergraduate students within a STEM recruitment and retention program. The resulting two models accurately predicted first-year to second-year retention with 73.4% of the cases and accurately predicted first-year to third-year retention with 70.0% of the cases. Based on the results, the researchers provide a rationale for STEM career programming in K-12 and higher education settings and for the inclusion of career development and career counseling in STEM education programming.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) recruitment programs are growing at post-secondary institutions in response to the national shortage of trained workers in STEM fields. Many programs prove effective in recruiting students into STEM majors with research indicating the benefits of experiential learning activities in program outcomes. This study qualitatively examined the experiences of first-year undergraduate students in a STEM-focused career planning class within a STEM recruitment program. Findings illuminated the importance of STEM faculty guest lectures and research lab visits in providing meaningful opportunities to learn more about specific STEM fields and to make career decisions. Recommendations for programmatic improvements are also made based on critical feedback on the structure and content of these experiential activities.

This exploratory study examined race/ethnicity, income, and employment status (including underemployment specifically) as predictors of relational distress for members of a couple in a predominantly low-income, historically marginalized racial-ethnic (HMRE) background sample (N = 671 couples). Results of a dyadic multiple regression using structural equation modeling did not show an effect for underemployment on relational satisfaction, but effects for employment status and race differed significantly. Findings strengthen the demand for holistic and integrative approaches to multi-couple group career counseling and career development for disproportionately higher numbers of HMRE couples and families.

Postsecondary retention of students in STEM continues to be a challenge. Access to mentorship, experiential learning activities, and lack of intentional K-12 preparation impact retention in STEM for students of color in particular. Career development interventions that provide focus on self-exploration, career decision-making, and career thoughts can increase retention and decidedness for students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to illuminate the experiences of undergraduate STEM interested students (specifically students of color) in a STEM focused career planning course. Our primary research question was, “How do students in a STEM focused career planning course describe their experiences from the course?” The researchers found that, overall, students had a positive experience in the class and it helped them find mentorship, become more decided in a major, and learn about the world of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the construction for a modified Acceptance of Couple Violence (ACV) scale administered to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer college students (N = 266) measuring intimate partner violence. We ran an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis; results identified 1 factor for the instrument explaining 76% of the variance in scores for all items.

Postsecondary retention of students in STEM continues to be a challenge. Access to mentorship, experiential learning activities, and lack of intentional K-12 preparation impact retention in STEM for students of color in particular. Career development interventions that provide focus on self-exploration, career decision-making, and career thoughts can increase retention and decidedness for students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to illuminate the experiences of undergraduate STEM interested students (specifically students of color) in a STEM focused career planning course. Our primary research question was, "How do students in a STEM focused career planning course describe their experiences from the course?" The researchers found that, overall, students had a positive experience in the class and it helped them find mentorship, become more decided in a major, and learn about the world of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Parental Stress and Coping Inventory was developed for mental health professionals serving low-income and low-resource parents. A sample of 1,567 parents completed a revised Family Adjustment Measure for the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted in this study. Findings resulted in three scales that explained 53% of the variance.

We administered the Family Adjustment Measure to 368 parents of children with special needs to identify positive adjustment. We randomly split the sample to conduct exploratory factor analysis ("n" = 194) and confirmatory factor analysis ("n" = 174). Results indicated four possible subscales and that explain 51% of the variance.

The purpose of this study was to examine associations among parental bonding factors and the early onset of sexual behaviors and substance use. Significant differences were found in the levels of care among the parental status groups and among the ages of onset for alcohol use. (Contains 2 tables.)

Given the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Kenya, more Kenyans now find themselves in the role of informal caregiver for a family member or multiple family members living with HIV/AIDS. However, there exists little research on how these individuals cope. The present study explores coping responses among caregivers for family members living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. An exploratory factor analysis of the Brief COPE yielded five factors, with strong loadings on Emotional Support and Instrumental Support. Implications for using the Brief COPE in research and clinical practice among Kenyans are discussed.

This study investigated the impact of emotional openness on attitudes towards seeking professional counseling of 500 English-speaking Caribbean college students, some living in the U.S. and others resident in the Caribbean. Length of stay in the U.S. was included as a potentially influential variable. Results indicated that emotional openness is a statistically significant predictor of the attitudes of Caribbean college students in general towards seeking professional counseling, while, where relevant, length of stay in the U.S. was not. Implications for university counselors both in the Caribbean and the U.S. are discussed.

The authors describe how 3 groups of family caregivers (spouses, daughters, and sons) are affected by the caregiving role. In addition, clinical considerations and interventions for mental health professionals working with these different groups of family caregivers are discussed. A clinical case example is also presented. (Contains 2 tables.)

Compared with White persons, Black/African American persons in the United States continue to experience high rates of educational deficits and employment stagnation as well as lower college graduation rates. This study examined the influences on Black/African American and White college students' high school completion, college attendance, and career choice. Results indicate that future income and future status have a greater influence on the career choice of Black/African American college students than on the career choice of White college students. The authors discuss these findings and present implications for career development professionals. (Contains 1 table.)

Family caregiving for individuals with dementia is an increasingly complex issue that affects the caregivers' and care recipients' physical, mental, and emotional health. This article presents 3 key culturally sensitive caregiver models along with clinical interventions relevant for mental health counseling professionals.

Perimenopause, which recently has been recognized as separate from menopause, affects approximately 22 million U.S. women. It is a time when women are at greater risk for emotional, relationship, and sexual problems. The authors describe the symptoms of perimenopause, discuss the resulting psychosocial and sexual impact, and present treatment implications for counselors.

Parents dream that their children will have every benefit possible to survive and thrive in the world. When their children have special needs, these dreams are challenged. Parents must adjust to the needs of their child and to the loss of this aspect of their dream. Common challenges and considerations when working with fathers of children with special needs are presented. "Redreaming," an intervention to facilitate positive reappraisal, and creative approaches are also presented. (Contains 3 tables.)

During the past decade, several studies have been published that investigated the social, emotional, and physical functioning of grandparents raising their grandchildren. Research suggests grandparents in these families experience high [...]

With a sample of 2,118 largely low-income, ethnic minority individuals with and without chronic illness (CI), this study examines couple-oriented relationship education (RE) on emotional distress levels. We applied a correlational research design to examine dyadic changes in distress following a couple RE intervention with a one-group pretest-posttest design. Female participants reported higher relationship distress at baseline. Both females and males showed significant improvement in distress post-RE intervention (Wilks' λ =.93, F (1, 669) = 79.49, p <.001, η2=.08); women showed greater improvements at the end of the RE intervention, despite posttest relational distress still being greater than men. The CI group did not benefit more than the non-CI group suggesting further investigation regarding changes in distress post-RE for couples with CI. Counselors may find couple-oriented RE intervention useful to promote relational health in those with CI or as part of a holistic health intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of childhood parental bonding on emotional distress experienced by primary caregiving sons for a parent with dementia. Design and Methods: Data from the 40 participants were obtained using the Parental Bonding Inventory (PBI), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and Caregiver Survey Questionnaire (CSQ). A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to investigate any main effects or interaction between the two PBI bonding variables (care and overprotection) and the two distress variables, the BSI's Global Severity Index and the CSQ's distress percentage. Results: Caregiving sons who identified more care in the childhood bond with their parent attributed less distress to their primary caregiver role. Sons reporting less care attributed more distress to the primary caregiver role. Implications: Results suggest that the parental bond developed during childhood may play a role in predicting the extent to which caregiving sons will attribute distress to their caregiving role. Key Words: Caregiver, Burden, Brief Symptom Inventory

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