This study investigates the impact of employment status and work conditions on the quality of the home environment provided by single mothers of preschool-age children. Multivariate analyses were conducted using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The results indicate that employment status is not a significant predictor of the…

This study examined the multiple factors that contribute to the school readiness and early school progress of children living in an urban disadvantaged area. Structured interviews were undertaken with parents of children who had recently started school to elicit information about those aspects of children's health, and their home and neighbourhood…

The present study examines potential variation in the family environments of African American and Caucasian males and females coming to the attention of the juvenile court. Results of initial analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures indicated a significant Gender x Ethnicity interaction on scores from the family/parenting domain of the Global Risk…

Mothers of 110 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were interviewed with the Child and Adolescent Impact Assessment when their children were approximately 9 years old. Regression analyses revealed that African American mothers reported lower levels of perceived negative impact of having a child with ASD than did Caucasian mothers. Higher…

Although much research has been done to determine how familial processes affect academic achievement, few researchers have directly studied culturally or linguistically diverse populations, in particular Latinos. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of distal variables (maternal intelligence, maternal education,…

Two studies investigated how mothers of young children anticipate and interfere in events which may result in injury to their child. The first naturalistic study examined 150 mothers of firstborn children between 1 and 3 years old in Sweden. Mothers were interviewed and instructed in reporting about events which they anticipated would cause injury…

The contribution of family environment to variation in achievement scores of children was found to be relatively small compared to the contribution of social status. Parental aspirations and their educational orientations assessed by home interviews and the implications of this study for previous environmental research are discussed. (Author/CM)

Examined the frequency of children's disclosure of sexual abuse and factors that might influence disclosure. Results, based on 179 children's reports, indicate a 47% disclosure rate. The child's age, siblings in the home, perpetrator other than a biological parent, alleged oral-genital contact or penetration, previous disclosure, and physician…

Identified a number of risk factors contributing to early household formation. Found that for girls, factors included mother's educational level and birth order; for boys, parental divorce at any stage of childhood. Risk factors common to boys and girls were age of mother at time of child's birth and race. (HTH)

This literature review of family factors associated with externalizing behavior disorders such as hyperactivity and aggression in preschoolers found that: (1) preschoolers with externalizing disorders had families who were more likely than comparison families to have at least one type of negative characteristic; and (2) family characteristics were…

This study examined the contribution of the home environment to the reading achievement of 49 children and adolescents with low vision. It found that children with no books at home read less well than those with books at home, but that no other home variables were related to reading achievement. (DB)

Examines various dimensions of functioning in alcoholic and nonalcoholic families. Participants were 813 college students who completed a standardized measure of family functioning, demographic questions, and questions related to experiences in their families of origin. Results indicate that children raised in alcoholic families tend to experience…

This study examined the relationship between adolescent emotional adjustment and the family environment (i.e., family status, family process, and parental resources). This was done by way of multilevel analyses, with a sample of 2,636 parent-child couples of both intact and divorced families. The results indicated that adolescent emotional…

In this study, the author examines the patterns of leaving home in a sample of 93 participants and their parents. The quality of parent-child relationships, psychological symptomatology in adolescence and young adulthood, and attachment representation were assessed longitudinally from mid-adolescence to young adulthood. Attachment representation,…

This study examined caregiver strain (i.e., burden of care, caregiver burden) among families of adolescents in treatment for substance abuse disorders compared to youth with mental health problems. We used descriptive and regression analyses to compare groups and to examine the youth and family variables associated with caregiver strain across the…