Psychological aspects of fetal alcohol syndrome prevention in pregnant women of childbearing age

The article observes the study results of knowledge, attitudes and alcohol behavior in pregnant women within fetal alcohol prevention program in childbearing age women. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is Health Belie/Model and the method of dual-focused brie/ intervention. The study was conducted on the basis of the psychology department ofSaint Petersburg State University. Data were collected in 10 women's consultation clinics ofSaint Petersburg. The sample included 280 women of childbearing age. Methods of psychological research are presented by materials developed by the «FAS research team» according to the study goals. The results showed that the developed preventive program and its components (brief intervention and passive information] achieve their main goal, program implementation reduces or stops the use of alcohol by pregnant women, in other words, it virtually eliminates the risk of developing FAS and FASD in a future child. This program was carried out as a part of the project supported by grant R01AA016234 «Prevention of FASD in Russian Children», principal investigator: Tatiana N. Balachova, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (USA), from the NIH / National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Fogarty International Center

COPING WITH A SUDDEN LOSS

Loss of a loved one remains an actual sphere of life and a frequent reason for seeking psychological help. Currently, this area is widely studied, but unfortunately a greater contribution to the scientific development of this subject make foreign experts, while the topic is not so extensively explored in Russia. That is why this article focuses on English-language sources. The article presents a generalized analysis of some English literature on mourning, and analysis of the interviews conducted with 75 respondents suffering from a sudden loss. The article describes the main grief features, as well as the sudden loss experience aspects, identified and characterized in detail. This article contains examples - quotes from the literature, and some of the interviews. This information can be useful, both to the people experiencing loss and their families, as well as to psychologists, social workers and other professionals specializing in this field

MODERN RUSSIAN FAMILY IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIO-HISTORICAL CHANGES OF PARENTHOOD

Introduction. Contemporary Russian studies about the traditional Russian family often describe it as being in a state of crisis. According to researchers, this crisis is defined by a decrease in registered marriages and corresponding increase in unmarried cohabiting couples; a rise in extramarital births; a rise in divorces; and a trend towards families with few children. Current statistics show that around 70% of families in the Russian Federation fall apart, and that the number of registered marriages is going down. In many respects, these changes are linked to the transformation of parenthood in Russian society over the past 100 years, which occurred due to various social and historical phenomena. These include; the emancipation of women and their consequent contributions to politics and the economy, which was accompanied by a shift in the distribution of reproductive and productive labour in married couples; the development of state childcare, and changes to the legal status of a child and their role in the family structure. Transformations in the institute of the family can therefore be viewed not as indicators of crisis, but rather as a logical remodelling, in response to changes in social, economic and political areas of public life.Materials and methods. The following methods were used for the preparation of this article; theoretical analysis of Russian and international literature, study of scientific articles and publications on the topic, overview of results from Russian and international studies, content analysis.Results. Changes in child-parent relations throughout historical development of the family institute in different societies (specifically within Russia); special characteristics of the modern Russian family and its distinctive features; comparison of these features with those which are typical for families in developed countries.Discussion and conclusion. The phenomena in the Russian family system, which contemporary researchers often describe as crisis indicators are, to a great extent, simply replications of typical trends in developed countries. These phenomena are part of global changes in public life.  However, the Russian system is nonetheless unique, with its own legacy of social, economic and culturalcharacteristics, and child-parent relations