Evaluated the effectiveness of a prenatal-education program in increasing prenatal care utilization, improving maternal weight gain, and reducing low-birthweight births among adolescents. Data from weekly program reports and state vital statistics and health services information indicated that program participants were less likely to have…

Birth-order position was studied among 828 academically talented sixth-grade students. When compared to census data, the sample was disproportionately composed of first-born students. However, this effect was largely explained by the covariate of family size, with small families over represented among the gifted. Other findings indicated no…

Reviewed the medical and school records of 230 adolescent mothers to determine the effects of an alternative public school for pregnant teenagers. Found that pregnant mothers who did not attend the school until later in their pregnancy were more likely to deliver a preterm, low-birthweight infant than were mothers who began attending earlier. (MDM)

A model of the impact of structural advantage and disadvantage on infant mortality rates was developed and fitted to county-level data. Advantage and disadvantage had significant direct effects on infant mortality in urban areas but had smaller indirect effects in rural areas, being mediated by rates of teenage childbearing and low birth weight.…

Using national longitudinal survey data, employs current duration-analysis techniques to examine the first teaching spell for a sample of teachers. Estimates of a proportional hazard model indicate that the length of a teacher's first spell is more responsive to wages than improved teaching conditions. Marriage and fertility variables are also…

Presents the results from two surveys that explored the relationship between time of birth and being a day or night person. Explains that in survey one, U.S. high school students completed a questionnaire related to daytime or nighttime activity, while in survey two, U.S. college students completed the same questionnaire. (CMK)

This study compared the linguistic, cognitive, and behavioral performance at 6-8 years of age of eight children born preterm and low birth weight (3-5 pounds) with that of 12 full-term peers. Quantitative analyses of performance profiles for all the children are provided. Findings found no significant differences between groups in linguistic,…

Variation in mothers' child-directed speech and in their children's rates of language development are examined as a function of childbirth order and family socioeconomic status. Findings suggest that language experience plays a non-trivial role in language development, and that the nature of that role is different for different components of…

Addresses intergenerational risk factors affecting individual growth. Discusses how risk factors occurring during a mother's own developmental history can affect the postnatal environment, and how an intergenerational approach can aid in understanding cognitive development. (Author/SD)

This paper explores the social dimension of lifelong learning from the perspective of demographics, with particular focus on the issue of the birth of fewer children, which has become one of the most important current social issues in Japanese society. When considering the relationship between lifelong learning and demographics, the issues arising…

Through the administration of self-report surveys, this study examined the relationships among a) parenting styles, b) family structure, c) academic achievement, d) birth order, e) gender, and f) humor on the initial personal-emotional, social, academic, and commitment to college adjustment among 257 first-quarter college freshmen. Multiple…

The moderating effect of maternal warmth on the association between low birth weight and children's attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and low IQ was studied in 2,232 twins. Half of 5-year-old children had low birth weights, below 2,500 g. Maternal warmth, a component of expressed emotion, was coded from mothers' audiotaped…

Stricter child support enforcement may reduce unwed childbearing by raising the costs of fatherhood. The authors investigate this hypothesis using a sample of young women from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, to which they add information on state child support enforcement. Models of the probability of a teenage premarital birth and of…

The use of assisted reproductive technology is increasing rapidly. Research, although sparse, has resulted in inconsistent findings as to the developmental prognosis for infants conceived by assisted reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilization and the use of fertility drugs. In the present study, the authors compared twins who were…

Objective: To minimize barriers to care, ameliorate antenatal depression, and prevent postpartum depression, we conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility of providing brief interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-B) to depressed, pregnant patients on low incomes in an obstetrics and gynecological (OB/GYN) clinic. Method: Twelve pregnant,…