This study examined home environment conditions (housing quality, material resources, formal and informal learning materials) and their relations with the Human Development Index (HDI) in 28 developing countries. Home environment conditions in these countries varied widely. The quality of housing and availability of material resources at home were…

This study examined the moderating effects of family conflict and gender on the relationship between community violence and psychosocial development at age 18. The study sample consisted of 728 children and families who were part of the Infant Health and Development Program study of low-birth-weight, pre-term infants. In this sample, adolescent…

Residential crowding in both U.S. and U.K. samples of 36-month-old children is related concurrently to the Bracken scale, a standard index of early cognitive development skills including letter and color identification, shape recognition, and elementary numeric comprehension. In the U.S. sample, these effects also replicate prospectively.…

This study examines the usefulness of a screening process implemented in the context of a Head Start home visit and compares families who screened positive for substance abuse with those who did not on an array of child and family indicators important for healthy child development. The sample included 1,105 low-income families with preschool-age…

Examines the early development of low birthweight infants and its relationship to five categories of medical and environmental variables: (1) health; (2) family status; (3) family context; (4) family process; and (5) parenting. Results indicated that scores on the Bayley Mental Development Index at 18 months were related to all five categories of…

A randomized clinical trial procedure was used at eight program sites to determine the impact of the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP), a parental education and support and child care program, on the home environment of 985 infants. Differences favoring intervention were apparent at three years, suggesting favorable program impact. (SLD)

The present investigation examined the ability of the Inventory of Home Stimulation (STIM) to predict changes in relative mental test performance of children between 6 months old and 36 months of age. The six STIM subscales were used in discriminant analysis to classify infants into three groups (gainers, stable, losers) in terms of their change…

Examined caregiving environments for 243 premature, low birthweight infants living in poverty to determine effects on health and development. Found that children's health and development benefited significantly from six protective caregiving factors: (1) increased parental responsiveness; (2) availability of toys and learning materials; (3)…

Describes the development of the Early Adolescent version of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (EA-HOME) Inventory. Presents information on its usefulness with African Americans, Chinese Americans, European Americans, Mexican Americans, and Dominican Americans. Notes findings indicating high interobserver agreement, with…

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…