It is estimated that 29 million American children have alcoholic parents. The author documents the unstable environment and psychological consequences suffered by these children, who are at great risk to become alcoholics themselves. (Editor)

The influence of both the school and the family on student achievement is studied, and a foundation for future research incorporating both classroom and family environment variables is provided. (RL)

Childhood and adolescence in the United States today are more distinct from other stages of life than in less industrialized societies or in America's past. (MM)

Draws from works by Bronfenbrenner, Tinbergen, and Burgess to conceptualize child maltreatment as a social-psychological phenomenon that is multiply determined by individual, family, community, and cultural forces. (Author/GC)

Examines correlates of marital hostility and husband withdrawal behavior patterns, and their impact on the functioning of mother-child, father-child, and mother-father relationships when children are 5 years old. Describes models linking mothering and fathering to later internalizing and externalizing behavior when children are age 8, identifying…

Summarizes and critiques Asarnow's 1988 review of 24 longitudinal studies identifying environmental factors and individual vulnerability important to development of schizophrenia. Found Asarnow's analysis well conducted but summary should have addressed longitudinal research design. Concludes that identifiable behavior and family interaction…

Reviews recent research that suggests that changes in family environments because of parental depression increase children's risk for psychopathology. Argues that some aspects of family and child functioning may not be adversely affected by parental depression. Considers conceptual models to explain the effects of parental depression, and areas…

Criticizes claims in "The Bell Curve" that a high value for heritability of intelligence constrains the extent to which environmental changes can increase intelligence. Cites adoption studies and the increasing intelligence of successive cohorts of U.S. children as evidence that intelligence can increase substantially without heroic…

Focuses on children with learning disabilities in the context of family. Discusses family influences on development and explores three levels of approaches for describing and understanding families: structural components, family climates, and family daily routines. Implications for assessment and intervention planning are discussed. (Author/CR)

Investigates the extents to which adolescents' achievement strategies are associated with the parenting styles they experience in their families. Respondents (N=354) identified four types of families: those with Authoritative; Authoritarian; Permissive; and Neglectful parenting styles. Results further reveal that adolescents from authoritative…

Emphasizes the importance of positive family influence in successful school education. Describes and applies family systems counseling, using the interactional game metaphor, to many of the problems common in school settings. Stresses that negative responses or physical punishment are not only ineffective but result in perpetuating unintended…

Utilizes data from a prospective longitudinal study of at-risk children to explore multiple predictors of high school dropouts across development. Results reveal association of early home environment, quality of early caregiving, socioeconomic status, IQ, behavior problems, academic achievement, peer relations, and parent involvement with dropping…

Presents Parental Environment Cluster model of child neglect which identifies three clusters of factors involved in parents' neglectful behavior: (1) parenting skills and functions; (2) development and use of positive social support; and (3) resource availability and management skills. Model offers a focal theory for research, structure for…

Children with disabilities receive most of their support from families. While most family caregivers are mothers or fathers, grandparents are increasingly providing care for children with disabilities. In addition, family caregivers come from diverse cultural backgrounds that impact their views on disability. This paper reviews the literature on…

Marriage and Family Therapy is an increasingly popular treatment that was almost unknown 50 years ago. Family Therapy has been multidisciplinary from the beginning, drawing practitioners from social work, psychology, psychiatry, nursing, and pastoral and mental health counseling. It is often difficult to get a whole family to arrange schedules so…