Early childhood adversity is often experienced directly by both caregiver and child, although research tends to more narrowly focus on the child. In this analysis, we test the relationship between family adversity and children's academic engagement as mediated by maternal health. Secondary data analysis was conducted with the 2011/12 public…

Exploring the stresses and dangers substitute mothering may pose to a toddler's personality development, this paper points out behavioral hallmarks of toddlerhood, describes the main developmental tasks toddlers have to master, and discusses factors that facilitate healthy development during this phase. Special emphasis is given to the most…

A 3-year longitudinal study of children at risk for depression was completed, studying children (aged 8-16) of unipolar depressed, bipolar, chronically medically ill, and normal women. Nearly 100 children from 68 families were included, and the psychiatric status and functioning of the mothers and children were studied at 6-month intervals.…

This literature review compares the adjustment of mothers and fathers to the stress resulting from having a child with a disability. The ABCX model developed by Hill was selected for the analysis due to its emphasis on the response to stress in general of both the family as a whole and of individual family members. The model distinguishes between…

The project, Extending Family Resources, was designed to assess the impact on 14 families of raising children with handicapping conditions and to implement a model program to reduce obstacles facing those families. The model emphasized incorporating under-involved relatives, friends, and neighbors into the family's support network. Performance…

The relationships between economic stress on the family and child and parental adjustment were examined for a sample of 199 girls and boys in grades one, four, and seven. These associations were examined separately for families in which both parents were present and in which mothers only were at home. Economic stress was associated with boys'…

This study compared parent stress, family functioning, and social support in 55 families with a developmentally handicapped child (ages 0-7) and 55 families with a nonhandicapped child. Findings indicated that a young handicapped child did induce greater stress in his parents than did a nonhandicapped child. Parents of handicapped children…

The thesis underlying this paper is that maltreatment of children is fundamentally a socio-cultural problem, rather than a personal one. The use of an ecological model of human development is advocated to provide insight into the dynamics of child maltreatment, with emphasis on organism-environment interaction, social policy and second-order…

A theory of normal mother-infant relationship based on Margaret Mahler's theories is the basis of a treatment program for disturbed mother/infant relationships. This theory includes the concept of symbiosis which for the child is an undifferentiated condition, a fusion with the mother where the two have a common outward border, thereby protecting…

The Parenting Stress Index (PSI) is a clinical and research self-report instrument (101 items) designed as a screening and diagnostic assessment technique to identify parent and child systems which are under stress, and in which deviant development of the child is likely to take place, or where dysfunctional parenting is likely to occur. The PSI…

To explore the correlation between unemployment and child abuse rates, a literature review was conducted and the phenomenon was examined in a rural Inland Northwest county (X County) of 9,800 population which derived its main income from lumber and agriculture. Monthly substantiated child abuse cases were tallied from the Department of Health and…

Indian country presents even the most seasoned and careful researcher with numerous methodological issues. Two of the most salient of these are appropriate understanding of postcolonial stress in tribal communities, and the use of participatory action research methods and models in a culturally sensitive manner. This paper explains postcolonial…

This study investigated the way in which parental beliefs moderate affective reactions to children at risk for abuse. A sample of 40 unrelated mothers was drawn from a larger research project. At-risk and not-at-risk children were recruited from 40 families participating in counseling at a local child abuse agency. At-risk status was determined…

The role of social support in moderating stress was examined in 65 parents of hyperactive children. The sample included 29 couples and 7 single mothers. The theoretical framework guiding the research was Lazarus' general model of stress. Each parent's psychological functioning was hypothesized to be a function of the severity of the child's…

The paper explores the impact of child variables, parent variables, and family resources (professional and informal supports) on the family's ability to cope with a child with special needs. Child variables include child gender, birth order, severity of handicap, degree of child dependency, extent of attachment, age of the child, and presence of…