This study analyzed the relation between the friendship networks of parents and the peer networks of their children. Subjects were 255 second- through fifth-grade children of an inner-city primary school in the western part of Berlin, Germany, who were interviewed about friends. In the interview, children were asked to name other children with…

A research program at the University of British Columbia has investigated parents' influence on the career development of their adolescent children, focusing on parents' intentions, the actual activities they engage in, the interpersonal structure in which the activities take place, the ways in which parents and young adults construct the domain…

Based on research indicating that children between ages 2 and 5 become aware of gender, race, ethnicity, and disabilities, this brochure attempts to assist parents in dealing with misconceptions, discomfort, fear, and rejection of differences that may develop into prejudice in their young children. The brochure argues that bias adversely…

Two studies that relate to the intergenerational transmission of child discipline practices and techniques are described. The first study attempted to demonstrate that such transmission actually occurs. A sample of 32 Canadian middle-class mothers of 3- to 5-year-olds, and the mothers of these mothers, were asked to rate the frequency with which…

The relationship between marital distress and children's level of functioning was examined in a study in which children were observed in peer and family interactions. Couples were considered distressed if both partners scored below the mean on the Marital Adjustment Test. The subjects were members of five families with distressed couples and eight…

Among studies that have examined the relationship between parenting styles and children's development of social skills, the research of Diana Baumrind is noteworthy. In several studies, she has identified authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parenting styles, which differ on the dimensions of nurturance and parental control. Authoritarian…

A two-part study involving qualitative research in the form of focus groups and a quantitative telephone survey examined the extent of drug and alcohol use by school-age children and the behaviors and attitudes surrounding it. Results indicate that Wisconsin parents are comfortable with alcohol use, considering it a part of their culture, although…

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to determine whether a relationship exists between maternal depressive symptomatology and children's emotional well-being, and (2) to determine specifically whether it is the depressed mother's lack of supportiveness that affects her child's well-being. A total of 160 nonclinical population mother/child…

Addressed to the parents of children taking computer courses in school, this booklet outlines the rationales for computer use in schools and explains for a lay audience the features and functions of computers. A look at the school of the future shows computers aiding the study of reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history. The features…

Hispanic American youths' educational and career aspirations and expectations and parental influence on these attitudes are the subject of this study. Variables studied include parent status items (occupation, education, income). Comparisons among Hispanic subgroups (Mexican Americans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and other Latins) and among Hispanics,…

Building on previous research indicating that among first, third, and fifth graders, older children expect affective expressive behavior to be regulated, a study was made of children's beliefs about rationales for and consequences of regulated affective expressive behavior. Children's beliefs were examined in conjunction with their parents' (1)…

The etiology of homosexuality is probably best explained from a multidimensional framework which takes into account socialization, family background, and individual developmental factors. A research review was conducted to examine the influence of parental characteristics in the etiology of homosexuality. The findings of the review support the…

The newly developed, 72-item Q-Sort Inventory of Parenting Behaviors was administered to fathers and mothers of 84 young children in a 3-year longitudinal, cross-sectional study of stability and change in parents' child rearing priorities and the impact of the stability and change on child development during the first 5 years of life. Parents of…

In response to criticism aimed at the quality and effectiveness of American schools, especially in the areas of mathematics and science where American students were found to take considerably fewer courses than their foreign counterparts, most states raised course work requirements for high school graduation. To examine the effects of the state…