To examine the development of triplets, 23 sets of triplets were matched with 23 sets of twins and 23 singletons (N138). Maternal sensitivity was observed at newborn, 3, 6, and 12 months, and infants' cognitive and symbolic skills at 1 year. Triplets received lower maternal sensitivity across infancy and exhibited poorer cognitive competencies…

Examined association of family-related factors with children's depression and conduct problems among low-income Mexican American (English- and Spanish-speaking) and European American mothers and children. Found ethnic differences in children's depression, maternal inconsistent discipline, and hostile control. Also found language differences within…

To assess the impact of economic hardship on 111 European American and 167 Mexican American families and their 5th-grade (M age 11.4 years) children, a family stress model was evaluated. Structural equation analyses revealed that economic hardship was linked to indexes of economic pressure that were related to depressive symptoms for mothers and…

Explored the antecedents of the ambivalent attachment pattern in Israeli infants. Found that mothers of ambivalent infants showed lower education level, higher separation anxiety, and higher parenting stress than mothers of secure infants. Infants' perceived difficult temperament did not discriminate between the two groups. Longer maternal work…

Children, aged 9-10, and their mothers described how they coped with stress, and mothers completed a questionnaire that assessed parenting dimensions. Results indicated that children from families with high levels of maternal support and low levels of family structure used the greatest variety of coping strategies, and children of supportive…

Examined effects of domain-differentiated beliefs about legitimate parental authority, and ratings of restrictive parental control and adolescent- and mother- reported psychological and behavioral control. Found that domain-specific parenting beliefs and ratings predicted adolescent-reported maternal psychological control and parental monitoring.…

Assessed mothers' childrearing attitudes and toddler behavior to predict mothers' emotions, attributions, parenting goals, and socialization strategies in response to vignettes depicting aggressive and withdrawn child behaviors two years later. Found that most child effects were moderated by maternal attitudes or gender effects. Authoritarian…

Examined whether maternal control protected African American adolescents from the negative influence of problem peers in a sample of 95 seventh- and eighth-graders. Found support for the hypothesis of a curvilinear relation between control and adolescent problem behavior, and suggested that high-quality parenting can play a modest but critical…

Used prospective longitudinal design to ascertain whether different types of behavioral inhibition were stable from toddler to preschool age, and whether inhibited temperament or parenting style predicted children's subsequent social/behavioral problems. Found that traditional and peer-social toddler inhibition predicted socially reticent behavior…

The relations of maternal reminiscing style and child self-concept to children's shared and independent autobiographical memories were examined in a sample of 189 three-year-olds and their mothers from Chinese families in China, first-generation Chinese immigrant families in the United States, and European American families. Mothers shared…

Drawing on the notion of linked lives, this study examined the effects of stability and change in maternal circumstance on developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior in children 4 to 7 years of age. Using data from a national sample of young mothers and growth curve analysis, the study demonstrated that early maternal circumstances…

Examined whether parenting and child characteristics of term and preterm 2- and 3.5-year-olds had common paths of influence on children's independent cognitive and social functioning at age 4.5 years. Found that high levels of mothers' maintaining children's interests across these ages supported later independence, but directiveness needed to…

Examined parent/peer linkages and how both types of experiences influence substance use in European-American adolescents. Found that mothers' responsiveness lessened adolescents' peer orientation, which reduced substance use. This process was moderated by maternal values regarding adolescent alcohol use. Among fathers, closer monitoring was…

Using interview data from 241 single African American mothers and their seventh- and eighth-grade children, this study tested a model of how 2 economic stressors, maternal unemployment and work interruption, influenced adolescent socioemotional functioning. Found that current unemployment, but not past work interruption, contributed to depressive…

This study investigated child compliance and maternal instruction during planning. Based on the Child Behavior Checklist and free-play observations, 40 mothers and their 4- to 5-year-old children were assigned to a group with children who behaved within the normal range of compliance (n = 20) or a group with children with high rates of…