Children chronically exposed to stress early in life are at increased risk for maladaptive outcomes, though the physiological mechanisms driving these effects are unknown. Cortisol reactivity was tested as a mediator of the relation between prenatal substance exposure and/or early adversity on adaptive and maladaptive outcomes. Data were drawn…

One point of intersection in ethnic and racial identity research is the conceptual attention paid to how positively youth feel about their ethnicity or race, or "positive ethnic-racial affect." This article reports results of a series of meta-analyses based on 46 studies of this dimension and psychosocial, academic, and health risk…

This study investigates the link between the frequency of family breakfasts and dinners and child academic and behavioral outcomes in a panel sample of 21,400 children aged 5-15. It complements previous work by examining younger and older children separately and by using information on a large number of controls and rigorous analytic methods to…

Assessed child behavior, maternal depression, and family socioeconomic status and observed mother-child interactions for 376 first graders and their mothers. Found that the quality of mother-child interactions mediated the relationship between maternal depression and child behavior problems for boys, girls, and Caucasians but not for African…

Found significant cultural and racial differences in 62 of 118 behavioral and emotional problems among 308 Kenyan, Thai, African-American, and Caucasian-American 11- to 15-year-old children. Caucasian-American children were rated high on undercontrolled problems such as disobedience. Embu children in Kenya were rated high on overcontrolled…

A longitudinal model of parent academic involvement, behavioral problems, achievement, and aspirations was examined for 463 adolescents, followed from 7th (approximately 12 years old) through 11th (approximately 16 years old) grades. Parent academic involvement in 7th grade was negatively related to 8th-grade behavioral problems and positively…

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…

Analyzed individual developmental trajectories of disruptive behavior problems (DBP) between 3.5 and 6.0 years for children of adolescent mothers. Found that DBP decreased with age. Boys and children of more depressed/anxious mothers exhibited higher levels of DBP. Maternal negative control was associated with level of DBP and change rate, and…

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.…

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…