A family systems model of the divorce process was proposed and tested for divorced mothers and fathers using a series of multiple regression analysis. Findings support the hypothesized positive relationship between boundary ambiguity and coparental conflict. Reports factors that influence boundary ambiguity were found to be distinct for mothers…

Analysis showed that fathers' payment of child support was positively associated with measures of children's well-being. The frequency of contact with nonresident fathers was not related to child outcomes in general. Reports that feelings of closeness and authoritative parenting were positively associated with children's academic success and…

Details reports from high school students on each parents' responsiveness and demandingness and their own academic achievement, involvement in problem behavior, psychosocial development, and internalized distress. Adolescents with one authoritative parent exhibited greater academic competence than peers with parents who were consistent but not…

Adolescents (N=506) in a northeastern metropolitan area were surveyed to test hypotheses that family factors, particularly parental support and monitoring, influence individual trajectories in development of alcohol misuse. Results showed that parenting significantly predicts adolescents' initial drinking levels as well as rates of increase in…

To further the understanding of the determinants of fathering, the parenting of 64 fathers of first-born male toddlers was observed. Assessed the associations between fathering behaviors and variables representing three broad domains of influence on parenting (parent characteristics, social-contextual factors, and child characteristics), as well…

Reports on two studies that assessed the relationship between mothers' and fathers' disciplinary practices with three-year-olds and outcome expectancies. Mothers who used corporal punishment at least once a week believed that it was more likely to result in positive outcomes than mothers who never or occasionally spanked. No significant…

Examined Belsky's model of the determinants of parenting among 666 pairs of White mothers and adolescents and 510 pairs of White fathers and adolescents. Results indicate that, when parents reported higher perceived parenting competence, sons and daughters reported more parental monitoring and responsiveness and less parental psychological…

Parents' characteristics that influence the incidence of spanking are investigated. Differences between boys and girls, mothers and fathers, older and younger children, Black and White, and married versus single women, as well as attributes of the child, the parent, and the social context are explored using multiple regression analysis. Profiles…

Hypothetical childrearing problems were used to examine the quantity and quality of solutions that 128 mothers of children of all ages generated and the problem-solving processes they employed. The set of problem-solving processes made a contribution to the quantity and quality of childrearing solutions beyond the contribution made by maternal…

Examines parenting practices of African American mothers (N=114) of children ages 5-12. Maternal education, socioeconomic status, childrearing history, and maternal depression differentially predicted child-centered parenting, reasoning, and mothers' tendencies to let situations go. Stresses importance of extending models of parenting determinants…

Presents a general discussion of the conceptual and operational limitations found within the existing efforts to assess constructs central to the study of parents. The discussion is followed by a review and critique of measures designed to assess concepts central to research on parents. Includes recommendations to improve the quality of measures.…

Examines the independent and joint contributions of three core dimensions of authoritative parenting - acceptance-involvement, strictness-supervision, and psychological autonomy granting - to adolescent adjustment. Findings are discussed with regard to behavior problems, psychosocial development, and academic achievement. Provides evidence that…

This study describes how the experiences and circumstances of most successful children born to low-income adolescent mothers differ from less successful children over the first 54 months of their lives, as defined by scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised. The two groups differed markedly on measures of caregiving, home environment,…

Compared mothers (n=1,433) and fathers (n=128) in one-parent families on time spent with children and in household work. Found that family work in one-parent households, like family work in two-parent households, is gendered, consistent with theories indicating parenting behavior is gendered. (JBJ)

Described coparenting processes in two-parent families raising firstborn toddler boys (n=69). Developmental analysis indicated that the mean frequency of total events and supportive exchanges remained unchanged from 15 months to 21 months, whereas unsupportive interactions decreased and mixed events increased. Individual differences in mothers'…