Reviews two books on involving father figures in early childhood and on early education as a career choice for males: "Getting Men Involved: Strategies for Early Childhood Programs" (J. A. Levine, and others), and "Men in Child Care and Early Education: A Handbook for Administrators and Educators" (edited by B. G. Nelson and B. Sheppard). (TJQ)

Examines familial conversation patterns of African American families during evening meals, using a social interaction analysis. Found that family size had a pervasive impact on familial interaction, and that although mothers were the clear focus of mealtime interactions, the increased number of children necessitated that fathers take a more direct…

Assessed the significance of distinctive versus shared family realities. Data indicated a divergence of adolescents' and parents' perception of the family in domains that concerned adolescents' emerging intellectual and emotional autonomy. Parents' and adolescents' perceptions converged in regard to domains that threatened family cohesion. (BC)

How 330 young, 481 middle, and 299 late adolescents (535 males and 575 females) perceive the relative importance of relationships with their mother, father, most important sibling, best same-sex friend, and most important teacher was investigated. Results from the Network of Relationship Inventory were analyzed. (SLD)

Examined cultural differences in Costa Rican and U.S. fourth and sixth graders' perceptions of their relationships with social network members. Costa Rican children rated their relationships with most persons more positively than did U.S. children. Costa Rican family members and teachers played a relatively more important role than did best…

Reports data from a study assessing the comparative availability of services to teenage mothers and teenage fathers in agency settings in a midwestern state. A survey of 149 agencies indicates that teenage fathers are underserved relative to teenage mothers. Implications for social service policy are discussed. (SLD)

Parental knowledge of child sexual abuse and interest in educating themselves and their children for primary prevention was studied, via interviews with 51 mothers and 50 fathers of preschool and day-care center children. There were significant differences by sex of parent for sources of preferred information, preferred educators, and types of…

Two studies examined fathers of preschool boys with and without clinic-referred behavior problems. Found that clinic fathers differed from fathers of matched comparisons on life stress, psychological symptoms, parenting attitudes, positive involvement, and harsh discipline. Harsh discipline contributed uniquely to clinic status. Teacher, mother,…

Examines types and frequency of posttreatment contacts among bereaved parents who participated in an experimental support program. Compares those who reported high versus low social support and high versus low numbers of network confidants on selected outcome and coping variables. Number of network confidants did not significantly affect the…

Reviews the evolution of U.S. adoption law since 1851. Recounts changes in the perceived "best interests" of all members of the adoption triad over time, and growing recognition of links between adoption and child welfare policy. Discusses current controversies including open adoption, birth parents' rights, unmarried fathers, and the…

Discusses how social trends changed father involvement and family life, and in turn affected children's and fathers' developmental trajectories. Examines how today's children will construct expectations about fathers' and mothers' roles. Maintains that a life-span approach considers the broader sociohistorical context in which fatherhood develops.…

Examined relationship between paternal roles and 3-year olds' well-being in low income, African-American families. Found that children's cognition, receptive language, behavior, and home environment were not related to father presence. Controlled for maternal age, education, and parenting satisfaction; found that paternal roles related to indices…

Suggests that parents resolve disagreements about parenting and child behavior by: (1) listening to discover each other's normal way; (2) negotiating to find three alternatives to get unstuck; and (3) prioritizing to close the deal and reach a mutually agreeable solution. (DLH)

Provides an overview of the changes and diversity in the history of the U.S. family. Focuses on topics such as family life during colonial times, the themes and variations in family patterns, the emergence of the "republican" family, enslaved families, family life during the twentieth century, and contemporary families. (CMK)

Parents play an important role in the development of young people's smoking behavior, through the modeling effects of their own smoking status, through the ways they raise their children and through the ways they deal with smoking at home. The present study focused on anti-smoking socialization by, first, comparing the perspectives of both parents…