This paper provides an overview of family experience in the United States by examining three dimensions: (1) childhood family experience, including the experiences of one-parent and step-parent families, and age at homeleaving; (2) marriage and childbearing including nonmarital childbearing, cohabitation, marriage, home ownership, and marital…

The national divorce rate has risen since the Civil War from less than two per 1,000 to one of every two married in 1976, with a continuing increase likely. Implications for divorced people suggest an increase in mental and physical illness concurrent with increase in stress. The impact appears to diminish with time. Divorce is a legal, emotional…

A conference on the role of the prosecutor in spouse assault cases, organized by the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) and the Center for Women Policy Studies (CWPS) was held in Memphis, Tennessee, September 25-28, 1978. The objectives of this conference are described in terms of the need to reach consensus on how cases should be…

This study examined the underlying common origins of pediatric social illnesses (i.e., child abuse and neglect, failure to thrive, accidents, and poisonings) in children under age 4. Subjects were 560 children admitted to the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston. Children admitted with pediatric social diagnoses were matched on the basis…

Contents of this volume of studies analyzing the causes of the alarming growth in illegitimacy, families lacking a father, and welfare caseloads, include the following studies: "The Family, Poverty, and Welfare Programs: An Introductory Essay on Problems of Analysis and Policy," Robert I. Lerman; "The Impact of Welfare Payment…

Central in the development of this book is the issue of stability and instability in the family life of black people. A background section on the social facts of family life, which for the most part includes historical, demographic, and ecological data, is presented. Additional chapters discuss: (1) how marital stability can be used as a social…

The following factors are required for the development of favoritism: (1) a parent with an emotionally traumatic childhood; (2) a child with an unusual or stressful conception or birth; (3) the investment of a child's actions with "good" or "bad" meanings; and (4) severe marital conflict. To be a favorite is a mixed blessing.…

Outlines the changes in the family structure in our society and the new stresses this puts on the children and the schools who are now faced with educating students with many potential problems. The report covers marriage, divorce, women's employment, sex, unmarried pregnancy, childbearing, changing family size, and poverty. Includes references…

Concerned with social contexts and culture as they apply to parenting, this volume, the fourth of five on parenting, deals specifically with socially defined groups of parents and social conditions that promote variations in parenting. The volume consists of the following 15 chapters: (1) "Ethnic and Minority Parenting" (Cynthia Garcia…

Analyzes effects of divorce on adults in terms of practical problems, consequences for social life and intimate relationships, health, and safety. Reviews effects on children in terms of cognitive performance, school success, personality, interpersonal relationships, health, and delinquency. Suggests marital discord is a more important determinant…

Examined the relationships between violence within the family and child behavior problems in a sample of 185 children living at battered women shelters. Found that children were affected by witnessing violence between their parents and by harsh punitive discipline, particularly administered by mothers. Family violence variables were better…

Examines hypothesis that stepfamilies experience more marital conflict than do biological families. Measured remarriage's and stepchildren's impact on marital conflict frequency. Findings suggest that remarriage and stepchildren are not necessarily associated with more frequent marital conflict and that stepchildren's effect varied depending on…

Background: Research has focused on maternal dysphoria and child adjustment. However, family process models indicate gaps in the study of paternal dysphoria, broader family functioning, and diverse child outcomes. Method: A community sample of 235 mothers and fathers of kindergarten children completed measures of depressive symptoms, family…

Background: This study examined the impact of family transitions, that is, parental separation, divorce, remarriage and death, upon the lives of Australian children and adolescents in a longitudinal study of temperament and development. Methods: Using longitudinal and concurrent questionnaire data, outcomes for young people experiencing…

A detailed review of current research and state-of-the-art ideas concerning both communication processes and family functioning is presented in this collection of articles. The volume is organized around three sections. Part 1, "The Development of Family Communication Patterns," contains: (1) "Communication in Infancy"…