Examined environmental and gene-environment processes linking parenting (affect, control, responsiveness) and preschoolers' behavioral adjustment difficulties (noncompliance, conduct problems). Found that estimates of shared environmental variance and mediation were greatest for observational data, and estimates of child genetic variance and…

Longitudinal links between perceived racial discrimination and later conduct problems and depressive symptoms were examined among 714 African American adolescents who were 10-12 years old at recruitment. Data were gathered 3 times over a 5-year period. Hypotheses were tested via latent curve modeling and multiple-group latent growth modeling.…

Examined nonshared environmental (NSE) influences on twin preschoolers' behavior independent of genetics. Found that within-pair parenting differences correlated with monozygotic differences in behavior. For the extreme 10 percent of the parenting-discordant and behavior-discordant distributions, average NSE effect size was 11 percent, suggesting…

Examined the moderating effect of risk on the relation between autonomy processes and family and adolescent functioning. In families in low-risk contexts, behavior undermining autonomy was negatively related to relationship quality; adolescents' autonomy expressions related to positive social functioning. In high-risk-context families, undermining…

Evaluated a family economic stress model that links economic well-being to child well-being among African American and Hispanic children from low-income families, mostly headed by single mothers. Found that lower economic well-being adversely impacted parent's psychological well-being; these parents felt less effective in disciplinary interactions…

Examined frequency with which children were exposed to various parental actions, materials, events, and conditions as part of their home environments, and how these exposures related to well-being. Found the most consistent relations between learning stimulation and children's developmental status, with relations for parental responsiveness and…

Compared aggressive, withdrawn, and aggressive/withdrawn children to normative and matched control groups on teacher and peer relationship attributes, loneliness, and social satisfaction from kindergarten through grade 2. Found that withdrawn behavior was neither highly stable nor predictive of relational difficulties. Aggression was fairly stable…

Unsupervised after-school peer contact was examined as a risk factor in developing externalizing problems among early adolescents. Longitudinal findings showed that unsupervised peer contact, lack of neighborhood safety, and low monitoring incrementally predicted grade seven externalizing problems, after controlling for family background factors…

Differences in racial socialization practices and their effects were examined in a sample of 241 African American 1st graders (average age 6.59 years) living in an urban area. Child outcomes included cognitive development, receptive language skills, and child problem behavior. The cultural environment of the home was associated with higher…

A sample of 183 third through sixth grade students were administered the Revised Class Play (RCP). Seven years later, these children and their parents completed a questionnaire measuring the students' behavioral symptoms and social, athletic, and academic competence. The RCP scores were related to adolescent competence and psychopathology. (BC)

Eight help-seeking categories were identified and compared with regard to adolescents' gender, race, alcohol consumption, substance abuse, and school misconduct. Problem behaviors were most prevalent for two categories: friends as only resource and social isolate. Males, Blacks, and Hispanics were overrepresented in the social isolate category.…

Assessed effects of social risks on psychological adjustment of African American and black South African 6- year-olds. Confirmed poverty and gender as risk factors; but not single-female family headship. Found that poverty and gender posed less risk for South Africans than African Americans. Found gender and national differences in adjustment;…

Using maternal reports of child behavior, evaluated child, maternal, and environmental predictors of behavior problems in 83 African American and Puerto Rican preschoolers of disadvantaged adolescent mothers. Children of teenage mothers were less likely to have behavior problems by age three if the mothers received emotional support from peers and…

Examined associations between maternal employment and mothers', fathers', and teachers' perceptions of young children. In contrast to findings from a study by Bronfenbrenner and others, maternal employment was more strongly associated with fathers' and teachers' perceptions of children than with mothers' perceptions of them. (GLR)

Tested a model linking maternal/family characteristics to child cognitive and psychosocial competence in African-American 6- to 9-year olds in rural single-mother-headed households. Found that maternal education, religiosity, and financial resources were linked with parenting style, mother-child relationship, and maternal school involvement.…