Examined 128 children for contributions of biomedical risk conditions, SES, and HOME scores to prediction of intelligence, and association of extreme scores on HOME and SES to intelligence-test performance. Found home environment was the most important predictor of intelligence at all ages, with SES showing a smaller effect beginning at age 5.…

Study explores why some female adolescents in La Paz, Bolivia, become pregnant while others in similar circumstances avoid early pregnancy. Results reveal that girls who had experienced a pregnancy were less likely to have reported affectionate and supportive parents, more likely to have reported fighting in their home, and exhibited lower levels…

Tests validity of the Literary Response Questionnaire (LRQ) and assesses its relationships with Dutch junior-high-school student, home-background, and school-related variables. Confirms the seven first-order factors of the LRQ identified in a previous study. Finds grade, gender, type of education, vocabulary size, reading behavior, and cultural…

Maternal treatment of sibling pairs with affectively ill and well mothers was examined in relation to child psychiatric status across childhood and early adolescence. Found that older siblings' symptoms were predicted by maternal bipolar or unipolar illness, whereas younger siblings' symptoms were predicted by lower maternal engagement and higher…

Examined processes in socialization that might account for an observed relationship between early socioeconomic status (SES) and later child behavior problems. Subjects were 585 children, followed from preschool to grade 3. Found that SES in preschool significantly predicted teacher-rated externalizing problems and peer-rated aggressive behavior.…

Children in child welfare are especially likely to have unmet mental health needs. The role of family factors in children's use of mental health services was examined in a longitudinal sample of 1,075 maltreated or at-risk children. Vulnerable family environment (poor family functioning, low social support, and caregiver psychological distress) is…

This study investigated the contributions of maternal education and ethnicity to three dimensions of home-based parental involvement in young children's education and development: parental expectations about educational attainment, children's activities at home and outside the home, and family routines. Controlling for family background variables…

Mastery motivation, usually measured by task persistence, is often used to predict infant competence. This study attempted to clarify how a measure of persistence can be used to facilitate the prediction of competence when examining the relationship between persistence and maternal child-rearing behavior. The measure of persistence used in this…

A study examined school and home variables as contributing factors in the development of communication apprehension in children. Subjects, 89 undergraduate students in 2 sections of a semester-long course in organizational communication and two sections of an introductory level course in interpersonal communication at a midwestern university,…

Family functioning patterns have been found to be related to various demographic characteristics. Data on 46 demographic variables were gathered from 159 census tracts in Tarrant County, Texas. Based on a principal components analysis and varimax rotation, seven components were extracted. Strong positive relationships were found between family…

Development of a psychosocial explanation of antisocial and delinquent behavior to guide prevention efforts has recently gained attention. This study considered several types of social stressors and compared their effects on levels of antisocial and delinquent behavior. Male and female adolescents (N=84) were surveyed for socioeconomic status,…

An attempt was made to identify aspects of the family environment that predict social competence in the school environment. A total of 69 second graders were administered a revised verion of Furman and Buhrmester's (1985) Network of Relationships Inventory. Social competence was assessed sociometrically and with seven behavioral nominations.…

In order to identify significant environmental factors that relate to the rhythm and pitch responses of 5-year-old children, a team of elementary music teachers individually tested approximately 100 preschool children upon kindergarten entrance. The rhythm responses measured pulse (or beat), rhythm pattern identification, and rhythm pattern…

Discusses the concept of temperament interactions in the context of statistical interaction. Categorizes temperament interactions that involve temperament as an independent variable, as a dependent variable, or as both. Describes use of hierarchical multiple regression for the analysis of temperament interactions. (Author/CI)

Questionnaires administered to 190 children, ages 9-14, including persistent absentees, measured students' anxiety levels and relationships with parents, teachers, and peers. Academic-ability and parent-status data were gathered from school records. A multiple regression analysis was used to determine the predictive efficiency of these variables…