Examined the association of the mother-grandmother relationship with the parenting of preschoolers in a sample of 96 African-American multigenerational families. Found that the observed quality of the mother-grandmother relationship, as assessed by the Scale of Intergenerational Relationship Quality, was systematically related to parenting of the…

Examined within-family differences in parenting and problem behavior in 95 nondivorced and 421 remarried families. Within-family differences in parenting and problem behavior were greatest in remarried families where siblings did not share the same biological parent. Differential treatment was also more strongly related to problem behavior in this…

Investigated children's appraisals of the significance of negative events. Subjects were 256 preadolescent children of divorced parents. Cross-sectional structural equation models found significant paths between negative appraisal and psychological symptoms, over and above the direct effects of the traditional life event measure of stress. (MDM)

Examined adolescent earnings and multiple dimensions of relationships with parents by drawing on four waves of data from the Iowa Youth and Families Project. Found that between seventh and tenth grades, rural adolescent earnings and non-leisure spending were related to time spent with the family, to less parental monitoring, and to more sharing of…

Examined the hypothesis that family and friendship measures would moderate each other's associations with measures of children's perceptions of their adjustment and well-being. Subjects were 138 early adolescents and their parents. Stronger associations were observed between the family measures and the adjustment measures in children without a…

Examined the relationship between 41 preschool children's peer competency and the exchange of reciprocal negative affect displays during physical play with parents. Found that fathers who typically responded to their children's negative affect displays with negative affect of their own had children who shared less, were more aggressive, and…

Examined the relations of mothers' and fathers' reported emotion-related practices to parents' and teachers' reports of third- to sixth-grade children's social skills, popularity, and coping. Found that mothers' problem-focused reactions were positively associated with children's social functioning and coping, whereas maternal minimizing reactions…

Examined friendship formation and dissolution among 216 children, ages 8-15 years, over the course of a residential summer camp experience. Analyses suggested that friendship formation and duration were coherent, independent dimensions of individual differences and distinct from the overall extensivity of involvement in friendships. (MDM)

Compared 723 third- and fourth-graders with and without cross-sex friends on measures of social and cognitive competence, endorsement of sex role stereotypes, and family composition. Found that children with primarily opposite-sex friends had poorer social skills than children with mostly same-sex friends, although they were less stereotyped about…

Examined effects of hosts' conflicting motives on peer group entry outcomes among 68 triads of children, ages 10-12 years. Two host friends played a game for a prize that was forfeited for a smaller prize if a guest was included. Found that hosts admitted guest friends more often than nonfriends; female hosts admitted guests more often than male…

Examined the existence of friendship and friendship network characteristics among 227 fifth- and sixth-graders who differed in popularity status. Found that all children reported having at least one unilateral friend, while unpopular children were less likely than popular children to have at least one reciprocal friend. (MDM)

Examined 245 third- through sixth-graders' relational aggression, overt aggression, prosocial behavior, and social adjustment at three points during the academic year. Found that individual differences in relational aggression were relatively stable over time, and that relational aggression and prosocial behavior contributed to the prediction of…

Results of a study of aggression and friendship involving 315 children, ages 9-12, indicated that friendships of relatively aggressive children were characterized by relatively high levels of intimacy, exclusivity/jealousy, and relational aggression within the friendship context. In contrast, the friendships of overtly aggressive children were…

A theoretical model of parental socialization of children's coping behavior was tested with 310 fourth- and fifth-graders. Found that children's coping efforts were associated with family environment, the quality of the parent-child relationship, parents' own coping, and parent coping suggestions. Maternal data were more strongly associated with…

A total of 171 adopted children aged 4-12 were assessed on how their participation in the adoption process influenced their understanding of adoption, general self-worth, satisfaction with the level of openness, and curiosity about birth parents. Results indicated that greater openness about birth parents did not confuse children about the meaning…