This article examines associations between the Great Recession and 4 aspects of 9-year olds' behavior--aggression (externalizing), anxiety/depression (internalizing), alcohol and drug use, and vandalism-using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal birth cohort drawn from 20 U.S. cities (21% White, 50% Black, 26% Hispanic,…

Using data ("n" = 3,790 with 2,119 in the 3-year-old cohort and 1,671 in the 4-year-old cohort) from 353 Head Start centers in the Head Start Impact Study, the only large-scale randomized experiment in Head Start history, this article examined the impact of Head Start on children's cognitive and parent-reported social-behavioral outcomes…

Household chaos has been linked to poorer cognitive, behavioural, and self-regulatory outcomes in young children, but the mechanisms responsible remain largely unknown. Using a diverse sample of families in Chicago, the present study tests for the independent contributions made by five indicators of household chaos: noise, crowding, family…

In this study, we examined the developmental pathways from children's family environment to school readiness within a low-income sample (N = 1,046), with a specific focus on the role of sustained attention. Six distinct factors of the family environment representing maternal parenting behaviors, the physical home environment, and maternal mental…

The Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) was a randomized clinical trial of early intervention services for low birth weight, premature infants. Mothers and infants received services for 3 years beginning at neonatal discharge. At the intervention's conclusion, mothers in the intervention group who had lighter (less than 2001 g) birth…

The current study examines whether associations exist between household chaos and children's early reading skills, after controlling for a comprehensive battery of home literacy environment characteristics. Our sample included 455 kindergarten and first-grade children who are enrolled in the Western Reserve Reading Project. We go on to test…

Using data from the first 2 phases of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, the authors examine the links between maternal employment in the first 12 months of life and cognitive, social, and emotional outcomes for children at age 3, at age 4.5, and in first grade. Drawing on theory and prior research from developmental psychology as well as…

Early development is likely influenced by quality of early parenting and improvements or declines in quality over time. Little is known about how changes in different dimensions of parenting influence child outcomes, nor the relative sizes of associations when considering several aspects simultaneously. These questions are addressed in the Early…

Explores whether the effects of sibling birth are mediated by associated changes in the family environment and changes in family members' interaction patterns. Data from a national longitudinal survey indicate that the birth of a sibling lessened positive interactions with the older child and mothers increasingly adopted controlling parenting…

Examined the nature of adult transitions, including adjustment at different phases of the transition from college and the effects on family relations of returning home in young adulthood, in 169 young adult females followed since adolescence. Found that while this transition period is not without some elements of stress, most individuals did not…

Examined longitudinally maternal emotional distress, parental behavior, and provision of cognitively stimulating activities as mediators of the association between family income and prematurely born young children's development. Found that provision of stimulating experiences in the home mediated the relation between family income and children's…

Used a subsample from the Infant Health and Development Program to examine effects of neighborhood and family income and family risk factors on developmental test scores at ages 1 through 3. Family poverty was associated with lower scores at ages 2 and 3. Neighborhood affluence was associated with higher scores at age 3. Home environment was a…

Examined data on 900 European American children from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care to explore links between maternal employment during the child's first year and child cognitive outcomes. Found that maternal employment by the child's ninth month related to lower school readiness scores at 36 months, with more pronounced effects for certain…

Investigates changes in children's socioemotional development, achievement, and self-concept after the birth of a sibling. Data from a national longitudinal survey of preschool-aged children, over a two-year and a four-year period, indicate that a sibling's birth accompanied significant, albeit temporary, increases in children's behavior problems.…

Examined differences in intelligence test scores of black and white five-year-olds born premature with low birth weight. Found that black children's IQ scores were 1 SD lower than those of white children. Adjustments for ethnic differences in poverty reduced the differential by half; adjustments for differences in home environment reduced it by…