This study investigates the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in adolescent antisocial girls. This question is important because disturbance of HPA functioning has been found in populations of violent adult males and antisocial adolescent males, suggesting that it may be a marker of a physiological disorder associated with…

This study examined practitioners' understandings of cultural sensitivity in the context of pregnancy prevention programs for Latina teens. Fifty-eight practitioners from teen pregnancy prevention programs in California were interviewed in a guided conversation format. Three themes emerged in our analysis. First, practitioners' definitions of…

We examine whether abortion removes from the population those infants most at risk of homicide. As part of our identification strategy, we find that abortion reduces the number of unwanted births, estimating that 1 percent increase in the abortion ratio reduces unwanted births by approximately 0.35 percent. Using cross-sectional time-series data…

Objective : To qualitatively examine the perceptions of young fathers toward issues related to early childbearing. Methods : Focus groups were held with male partners of adolescent females who had become pregnant while participating in an HIV-prevention trial. Results : Primary domains that emerged included young male's desire for pregnancy, their…

We use data from both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households to assess whether relinquishing a serious intention to have (more) children leads to greater increases in depressive symptoms than continuing confidence in childbearing intentions. Our sample includes 2,200 individuals of childbearing age, men and women, all parities,…

Each of the elements required to create a healthy baby--genetics, the anatomy of the male and female reproductive system, the processes by which eggs and sperm are produced, the processes by which the embryo is created and implanted, maternal health during pregnancy, and embryonic/fetal growth and development--is vulnerable to damage by…

Since 1965, the Head Start program has served low-income 3- and 4-year-old children and their families with comprehensive early education and support services. Programs provide services focused on the "whole child," including early education addressing cognitive, developmental, and socio-emotional needs; medical and dental screenings and…

Enhancing Developmentally Oriented Primary Care (EDOPC) is a formal didactic curriculum based on Healthy Steps materials that is designed to improve practicing pediatricians' knowledge and confidence in developmental screening within the medical home. We modified the EDOPC program to provide a formal curriculum to pediatric residents serving…

This article discusses how a growing network of Christian alternative schools--some nearly as vulnerable as the children they serve--is bent on getting troubled students back on track. Denver Street School expects a lot of its teachers, but does not pay them much, as it tries to turn around the lives of troubled students seeking a second, or even…

The main purpose of our study was to assess the effects of prenatal tobacco smoke on respiratory symptoms and on doctor consultations in a birth cohort of 445 infants who had no smoking mothers and who had no postnatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Before and after delivery, questionnaires and interviews with mothers were…

Since the 1970s, the share of U.S. children growing up in single-parent families has doubled, a trend that has disproportionately affected disadvantaged families. Paul Amato and Rebecca Maynard argue that reversing that trend would reduce poverty in the short term and, perhaps more important, improve children's growth and development over the long…

Scandinavia has long been admired by American liberals and sex education advocates who cite comparable rates of adolescent sexuality, yet lower rates of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and abortion in Scandinavia. The United States has, however, two variables with which Scandinavia in general, and Norway in particular, has not…

This study uses longitudinal data spanning 13 years from a study of 234 adolescent mothers to evaluate the effects of cumulative domestic violence on employment and welfare use before and after welfare reform. Domestic violence increased the odds of unemployment after welfare reform, but not before; domestic violence had no effect on welfare use…

Perinatal complications have been associated with a myriad of later-developing behavioral, neurological, and psychological disorders. These have included school-related disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, mood and anxiety disorders, and learning disabilities. This article reviews the research that considers the…

The "Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006" ("Perkins IV" or "Perkins") requires states to report to the Department of Education each year on their progress in achieving their adjusted performance levels--negotiated with and approved by the Department--on the core indicators of performance (core…