Reviews literature indicating detrimental effects of father absence on children's cognitive development as assessed by standardized IQ tests, standardized achievement tests, and school performance. (BD)

The parental antecedents of overt child compliance were investigated by home observation of 136, 2 1/2-year-old male twins and singletons. The findings stress the impact of "power assertion" in the immediate situation, but an analysis of long-term effects support a cognitive view of child rearing. (JMB)

Presents findings of a study which examined the reactions of different family members to various social behaviors by a target child to determine what are the most probable consequences that child will experience. Discusses implications of results for understanding normative family interactions and clinical intervention. (KH)

This study examined the effects of situational pressure and maternal characteristics (social contingent self-worth, controlling parenting attitudes) on mothers' autonomy support versus control in the social domain. Sixty 4th-grade children and their mothers worked on a laboratory task in preparation for meeting new children, with mothers in either…

This paper presents a review of the literature on stress and coping in families with children having spina bifida and offers a transactional model to study the parent child interaction in these families. The conclusions drawn from the literature review are the following: both parent and child in the family setting need to be considered as both…

This article examines how an optimal interpersonal exchange between caregiver and infant occurs, including factors that promote developmental skills, heighten rapport with the caregiver, and elicit optimism about the future. The process of "previewing," in which caregivers make predictions concerning their infants' imminent developmental…

Recent concern with the ecological context of childrearing has sparked research interest in the effects of children's environment on their behavior. This study describes toy availability and use in naturally occurring childrearing environments, and then examines relationships between these aspects of the environment and peer interaction. It was…

This paper presents the history of parent education in the United States and describes a mother-toddler program designed to help young mothers acquire knowledge and skills in child rearing through modeling, counseling and discussion. Included are reviews of current methods of education for child rearing, the need for programs to aid young parents,…

This paper traces the history of parent education, the purposive learning activity of parents attempting to change methods of interaction with their children. Parent education will almost certainly receive increasing attention and emphasis within a variety of programs especially in the fields of education and mental health. (Author)

This article describes an interaction guidance model in which videotapes are used with families of young children, to help parents understand developmental issues, explore feelings regarding problematic relationships, help change parental representations of maladaptive relationships, and observe differences between fathers and mothers in parenting…

This study examined communicative expressions used by and interactions between 10 blind infants (less than a year old) and their mothers. The videotaped observations suggested that sighted mothers need special educational and psychological support. The recordings, when replayed to mothers, provided them with useful feedback. (DB)

Studies influences and interrelations of family dynamics and of varying quality of child-care on the child's capacity for compliance and self-regulation. Multiple regression techniques were used to examine relationships between child care, family, and child and parent behaviors. (Author/DR)

This study investigated (1) the amount of time mothers spend with preschoolers in specific activities related to cognitive development and the level of intensity of contact shared between mother and child during these activities; (2) sociodemographic variables which influence mothers' time spent with children; and (3) relations between mothers'…

This is an investigation of relationships between characteristics of lawyers, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers and criteria employed in child custody legal proceedings. Findings reveal disciplinary distinctions, equity for mother and father, and influence from demographic variables regarding preference for criteria to be applied…

This paper addresses itself to the reasons why suicide tends to repeat in some families. Factors include entire family exposure to stresses, grief, and guilt induced by suicide, the provision of a model by the original suicide, suicidogenic interpersonal styles in families, suicidogenic child-rearing practice, and innate predispositions to…