This study examined executive functioning in college aged adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs; n = 84) and non-ACOAs (188). We examined whether characteristics of the family environment and family responsibility in one's family of origin were associated with executive functioning above the contribution of ACOA status. ACOAs reported more…

Three aspects of parenting, positive family communication, facilitation of supportive family relationships, and maintenance of standards in the family, were examined as predictors of positive values and social competencies in sixth- (n = 1,453), seventh- (n = 3,732), and eighth- (n = 4,474) grade youth. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated…

Zimmerman may be correct in asserting that welfare spending and divorce rates are either unrelated or inversely related. However, future research efforts should take advantage of methodological innovations such as pooled cross-sectional time-series analysis, and develop a more comprehensive indicator of states' social integration levels. (LLL)

This study used ethnographic data to examine the nature and functions of transnational relationships of low-income Latin American women who had immigrated to the United States and were living in areas of extreme poverty. Findings indicated that these Latin American mothers utilized transnational ties to help maintain the cultural identities of…

Learning that a child has a lifelong developmental disorder is stressful and challenging to any family, yet it is clear that some families adapt and adjust more readily than others. In this article, it is proposed that a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is especially likely to be experienced as ambiguous loss. Interviews with mothers…

Presents a theoretical framework for analyzing the relationship of family and aesthetics. Reviews the aesthetics of family policymaking and presents aesthetic sensibilities in enhancing family environment. Suggests the aesthetic in the existence and form of the family as a new way of viewing family relations. (JAC)

Investigates the likelihood of family reunification across ethnic groups of youth using runaway shelter services nationwide. Youths who reported abuse or neglect by their parental figures or had parent(s) who were unemployed were less likely to reunify following a runaway episode. However, completing youth shelter services markedly increased the…

Previous studies have demonstrated that bilingualism among Latinos in the United States may not necessarily result in negative status attainment consequences. Such studies have typically overlooked gender differences in the consequences of bilingualism. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (N=866 females; 737 males), we…

This investigation examined the implications of shift work for parent-adolescent relationship quality--intimacy, conflict, parental knowledge, and involvement--in a sample of 376 dual-earner families. The findings suggested that mothers' relationships with their adolescents were not negatively impacted by their working nonstandard schedules but…

This article presents an emergent conceptual model of childhood adultification and economic disadvantage derived from 5 longitudinal ethnographies of children and adolescents growing up in low-income families. Childhood adultification involves contextual, social, and developmental processes in which youth are prematurely, and often…

Examined role of selected family environment factors in facilitating children's postdivorce adjustment utilizing a nationwide sample of 341 divorced family children. Concurrent and longitudinal predictions of children's adjustment from selected home environment factors provide information for professionals working with divorced families. Discusses…

Using a conceptual framework that acknowledges the losses associated with a parent's incarceration, 56 caregivers visiting an incarcerated family member during children's visiting hours were interviewed. Problems believed to be created by incarceration included parenting strain, emotional stress, and concerns about children's loss of involvement…

Focuses on coparenting, spouses as partners or adversaries in parenting role, in families raising toddler sons. Reviews preliminary longitudinal research findings concerning nature of coparenting and contextual determinants of different types of coparenting alliances. Proposes coparenting processes to interact with marital and parent-child…

Drawing on Durkheim's theory of social integration, an analysis of states' spending for public welfare and their divorce rates for 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1985 showed that the welfare state is not a destabilizing influence on family life as critics have charged. Past divorce rates were shown to have the most significant influence on current divorce…

The coping patterns of developing self-reliance, accepting the demands of the profession, building social support, and maintaining family intergration, reported by 42 wives, were associated with specific dimensions of family functioning--interpersonal relationships, personal growth, and system maintenance. (Author)