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Dwelling implies the establishment of a meaningful relationship between people and a given environment. Through physical spaces, people identify and orient themselves by symbolically expressing the meaning of social–cultural behavior. This paper examines the spatial meanings in the traditional Chinese family by analyzing the placement and arrangement of walls and courtyards. Specifically, this paper studies how physical space was defined and developed within the Chinese family by the spatial articulation of human relationships and the functions of daily life and how these spatial arrangements reinforced family hierarchies through purposeful separation and togetherness. The findings reveal that through binding together the family relationship and spatial concerns, Confucian discourses and practice were attached to the daily life of every Chinese. In addition, this study indicates that the primary concern in a Chinese house was not togetherness but separateness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to test the hypotheses that (1) similar to other positive pre- and post-natal outcomes, Mexican immigrant mothers are more likely to breastfeed, and to breastfeed longer, than white or Mexican-American mothers; and (2) acculturation accounts for the ethnic/nativity differential in breastfeeding initiation and duration. The results support both hypotheses. Mexican immigrants to the U.S. are much more likely than whites to breastfeed, and to breastfeed longer. Mexican-American mothers, after controlling for background characteristics, have similar initiation and duration to whites. Using expanded acculturation measures developed for this paper, acculturation accounts for some of the difference between whites and Mexican immigrants in breastfeeding initiation, and much of the difference for breastfeeding duration. The results suggest that low levels of acculturation operate to protect Mexican immigrants from choosing to formula-feed, which gives their babies many health advantages, and may be associated with better health outcomes across the life course. The results also suggest that successive generations of Mexican immigrants may abandon breastfeeding, which is deleterious for their infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's education has become an important part of urban family consumption, and the rapid expansion of private tutoring schools and supplemental lessons has constituted a big part of the children's education market. Taking the perspective of family studies and using China Education Panel Survey (2013–2014) data, this paper explores the relationship between family structure, parenthood, and the consumption of children's education. This research shows that family investment in children's education exhibits dual characteristics of instrumental rationality and emotional expression; children from one-child families, living with both parents and receiving more attention and affection from their parents, have more educational opportunities outside of school; girls receive more advantage over boys. Meanwhile, social class differences in the consumption of children's education are significant. Middle-class families have greater education expectation and will invest more in children's education, displaying a significantly stratified preference in supplemental lessons. These findings illustrate the need to take a new look at family studies and consumption research regarding the issue of child education consumption in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the conception of liberal education as fundamentally about connection, this paper describes an undergraduate Child and Family Studies Program that is both a liberal studies major and a program to prepare students for professional roles. Program development was faculty-driven and derived from understandings of what it means to have connected learning in a liberal studies major as well as what it means to be a professional. The program was initially designed using a multidisciplinary model where students took courses in liberal studies that were coupled but not necessarily integrated with professional course and service work. Only as we examined student outcomes over time did the program become truly interdisciplinary using mechanisms such as a practicum seminar and a professional portfolio to help students make connections between the various parts of the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Familial clustering of a disease is defined as the occurrence of the disease within some families in excess of what would be expected from the occurrence in the population. It has been demonstrated for several cancer types, ranging from rare cancers as the adenomatosis-coli-associated colon cancer or the Li-Fraumeni syndrome to more common cancers as breast cancer and colon cancer. Familial clustering, however, is merely an epidemiological pattern, and it does not tell whether genetic or environmental causes or both in combination are responsible for the familial clustering. Familial clustering may be due to genetic predisposition to the disease, but exposure to environmental factors - shared by members of some families, but not by members of other families - may also cause familial clustering and hence mimic genetic inheritance in the study of nuclear families. Based on assumptions regarding the individual steps in the biological process starting with exposure to carcinogens and ending with death from disseminated cancer we suggest that genetic and environmental factors may both be involved in most of these steps. The present paper focuses on research methodologies necessary to discriminate between the effect of genes and family environment in the development of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper effects of censored variables on estimates of genetic and environmental influences were studied. Analytic results showed that with 50% censoring, about 15–20% of the variance may be attributed to the wrong source and that this amount increases rapidly with more than 70% censoring. Censoring effects on comparisons between different genetic studies, subgroups within a study (e.g., sex or age groups), or different behaviors (e.g., the heritabilities of delinquency and depression) were also examined. Results indicated that censoring may be quite influential for these kinds of comparisons. For instance, it was demonstrated that, especially for unstandardized solutions, small initial group differences in means can lead to seriously biased conclusions concerning the resemblance in biometric parameters. Finally, a simulation study supported the applicability of the general analytical results and showed that summed scores of censored Likert-type items may be seriously affected by censoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews evidence from clinical, epidemiologic, and family studies regarding the association between social phobia and other syndromes. Social phobia is strongly associated with other anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and affective disorders in both clinical and community samples. An average of 80% of social phobics identified in community samples meet diagnostic criteria for another lifetime condition. Social phobia is most strongly associated with other subtypes of anxiety disorders, with an average of 50% of social phobics in the community reporting a concomitant anxiety disorder including another phobic disorder, generalized anciety, or panic disorder. Approximately 20% of subjects in the community meet lifetime criteria for a major depressive disorder. The onset of social phobia generally precedes that of all other disorders, with the exception of simple phobia. Both clinical severity and treated prevalence are consistently greater among social phobics with comorbid disorders The results of family and twin studies reveal that shared etiologic factors explain a substantial proportion of the comorbidity between social phobia and depression, whereas the association between social phobia and alcoholism derives from a nonfamilial causal relationship between the two conditions. Clinical and phenomenologic implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a buried dynamic in psychopathology as it arises in family process: the child's loss of self through caring before being cared for. This role reversal which places childhood at the disposal of family need is conceptualized, and the related material, integrated, in terms of the myth of Cronus, who swallowed his children. Some tentative clinical probings of this subject are discussed as well as the resistive sources which have placed this subject, for the most part, beyond reach of research and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic epidemiology is the study of inherited factors involved in the etiology of a disease or disorder and uses the methods of both medical genetics and clinical epidemiology. In general, genetic epidemiology tries to answer the following four questions: Is the disorder inherited; What phenotype is inherited; How is it inherited or what is the mode of transmission; and What is the nature of the genetic mutation, if any, that gives rise to the disorder? The hope is that by identifying the gene or genes involved in pathophysiology, a much better understanding of the steps from gene product to phenotype will be possible, leading to improvements in diagnosis, an opportunity for thoughtful family planning, and perhaps, most important, to the development of treatments based on an understanding of the biochemistry of the disorder. We review the current knowledge of the genetic epidemiology of autism and the other pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) and highlight promising new directions. There seems to be widespread agreement that the PDDs are caused, at least in part, by genetic factors. There is also some agreement on the phenotypic boundaries associated with these same genetic factors. However, many points of uncertainty remain, and several methodologic issues need to be resolved before further progress in mapping susceptibility genes is possible. We do not specifically review molecular studies, medical conditions associated with autism, or the broader autism phenotype, as these topics are covered in other papers in this special issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on various studies related to dyslexia and their comparisons. Jean M. Healy and Dorothy M. Aram use family histories in their study of hyperlexia and its relation to dyslexia. Based on their investigation of twelve children with hyperlexia, they conclude that, like dyslexia, hyperlexia has familial and sex-related elements, although the link between the two remains speculative. They suggest that further research into this rare condition, clearly related to autism, may prove useful in extending the knowledge of the genetic and neurological factors affecting language ability. The effect of learning disabilities on psychological growth is the focus of Jonathon Cohen's paper. Bobbie H. Jones focuses on the educational and emotional needs of gifted dyslexics. The effect of training based on subtypes is the topic of Christina A. M. Fiedorowicz's paper. Training in this study, including computer-assisted instruction, emphasized accuracy and speed of response and was designed to address specific subtype skill deficits. Fiedoro-wicz found this training to be effective in improving component reading skills and suggests that further research in this area may prove fruitful in determining the most effective and efficient training methods for children with specific disability subtypes.

The article presents information on the Fertility and Family Surveys (FFS) Flagship Conference. The conference, which will take stock of what is known from FFS as well as from other data on new partnership and fertility behavior patterns in Europe and North America, will be held from 29 to 31 May in the year 2000. It will be hosted by the Population and Family Study Centre (CBGS) in Brussels, Belgium. This FFS Flagship Conference will be a scientific conference addressing substantive fertility and family issues, their developments over time and their dynamics from a comparative perspective. It will also discuss policy implications. Each plenary session will start with the presentation of a solicited paper by a well-known population scientist who will speak on the subject for about 30 minutes. This will be followed by a presentation/discussion of a selection of the best papers contributed to each session. Thereafter, the floor will be open for general debate. A chairperson will be responsible for ensuring that the session's programme is adhered to.

The article focuses on the migration research by using Melbourne family survey. As Gigi Santow points out, only married women are included in the sample, so younger women are self-selected for earlier marriages. Similarly, Southern Europeans are more concentrated in more recent migrant marriage cohorts. Again rather than rejecting the sample included region of origin as one of several factors. It doesn't seem fair to dismiss the resulting detailed breakdown of factors affecting marriage age as a global summary measure. The liabilities of the sample are taken into account by introducing appropriate control variables in the analysis of marriage timing. The possibility of significant distorting interaction effects among these variables also was explored. On the other hand, the same objections are perfectly valid with respect to analysis of birth timing- shows no such controls. The question is, how serious are such biasing factors. The author demonstrated this by including relevant background factors like age, region of origin, education, family status at arrival, and work experience after marriage in a detailed study of the likelihood of having a first birth within two years after marriage in the Melbourne.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of female faculty in family therapy and family studies graduate programs. Specifically, we were interested in how female faculty members in these programs experienced their roles as academics, partners, and/or parents. We conducted a discovery-oriented study qualitative study of 62 female academics in family studies and family therapy disciplines to identify the greatest concerns and benefits experienced by women in a family-studies-oriented academic field. Using a content analysis, we found that women in family studies/family therapy academic programs experience both high rewards and high demands and struggle with choosing among competing values. Additionally, the participants perceived support from colleagues, professional institutions, and family members as crucial to a female academic's ability to perform up to expectations. We also offer suggestions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflective functioning (RF) is a measure of mentalization-the capacity to think about one's own and others' thoughts and feelings and to understand the connections between mental states and behaviors. Previous research indicates a decline in marital quality across the transition to parenthood, and some studies have found that parents are less happy than non-parents. Thus, researchers have called for research into possible moderators of these patterns. RF may help couples navigate this transition by more easily taking each other's (and the infant's) perspective and understanding each other's behaviors. Much of the research on RF has focused on mothering behavior; research has not yet examined associations between RF and other family interactions. We examined associations between RF and marital and coparenting quality for both wives and husbands. Reflective functioning was coded from Adult Attachment Interviews conducted during pregnancy. We assessed marital quality at 3.5 months, and coparenting quality at 13 months, after the birth of the target child. Wives' higher RF was associated with higher levels of positive-and lower levels of negative-marital and coparenting interactions. Wives who were better able to reflect on their early experiences with their parents were involved in marital interactions that were more positive and supportive and less conflicted and undermining. Husbands' RF did not predict marital or coparenting quality. These findings highlight the importance of reflective functioning in understanding family functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though only one component product of the larger eugenics movement, the eugenic family study proved to be, by far, its most potent ideological tool. The Kallikak Family, for instance, went through eight editions between 1913 and 1931. This essay argues that the current scholarship has missed important ways that the architects of the eugenic family studies theorized and described the subjects of their investigation. Using one sparsely interrogated work (sociologist Frank Wilson Blackmar's 'The Smoky Pilgrims') and one previously unknown eugenic family study (biologist Frank Gary Brooks' untitled analysis of the flood-zone Oklahomans) from the Southern Plains, this essay aims to introduce 'environment' as a schema that allows for how the subjects of the eugenic family study were conceptualized with respect to their surroundings. Geospatially and environmentally relevant constructions of scientific knowledge were central to the project of eugenics during its formative years, but remain largely and conspicuously absent from the critical literature which engages this project to separate the fit from the unfit in American society. The dysgenic constituted a unique human geography, giving us significant insight into how concatenations of jurisprudence as well as cultural and social worth were tied to the land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined associations between labor induction and both (1) offspring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis in a Swedish birth cohort born 1992-2005 (n = 1,085,008) and (2) indices of offspring low academic achievement in a sub-cohort born 1992-1997 (n = 489,196). Associations were examined in the entire sample (i.e., related and unrelated individuals) with adjustment for measured covariates and, in order to account for unmeasured confounders shared within families, within differentially exposed cousins and siblings. We observed an association between labor induction and offspring ADHD diagnosis and low academic achievement in the population. However, these associations were fully attenuated after adjusting for measured covariates and unmeasured factors that cousins and siblings share. The results suggest that observed associations between labor induction and ADHD and low academic achievement may be due to genetic and/or shared environmental factors that influence both mothers' risk of labor induction and offspring neurodevelopment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the characteristics of individuals with DSM-IV pathological gambling (PG) who experienced childhood maltreatment and rates of maltreatment occurring in their first-degree relatives (FDRs). 94 subjects with DSM-IV PG, 91 controls, and 312 FDRs were assessed for childhood maltreatment as part of a family study of PG. Maltreatment was evaluated using the Revised Childhood Experiences Questionnaire. The Family Assessment Device was used to evaluate the functionality of the PG subject's (or control's) family of origin. Data were analyzed using logistic regression by the method of generalized estimating equations. Rates of maltreatment were significantly higher in subjects with PG than controls (61 vs. 25 %, P < 0.001). Subjects with PG who experienced maltreatment were more likely to be female, had more severe PG symptoms, had co-occurring mood and anxiety disorders, and reported greater early family life dysfunction than those with PG who did not experience maltreatment. Rates of maltreatment were higher in FDRs of PG subjects than controls (41 vs. 24 %, P = .002). Rates in FDRs of individuals with PG who experienced maltreatment themselves were still higher that in FDRs of those with PG who did not experience maltreatment (50 vs. 28 %, P = .009). The former were also more likely to have anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and suicide attempts. The results suggest that childhood maltreatment in persons with PG is common and intergenerational. Rates of maltreatment in FDRs of PG subjects are high, particularly among those who experienced abuse. The implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Family stigma constitutes a major problem in schizophrenia worldwide. Data on first-hand experience of stigma in families is necessary for planning and implementing interventions to reduce its burden. The aim of the study was to investigate the experience of stigma among relatives of persons with schizophrenia in Belarus.Methods: Qualitative research methods, such as the thematic analysis of in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 relatives of people diagnosed with schizophrenia, were used. Experience of discrimination, strategies used to cope with it, and requests for interventions were investigated.Results: The most salient themes in experience of stigma in the private domain of life elicited in the narratives included anticipated stigma and dissolution of families. The experience of stigma was associated with burdensome feelings of guilt, tiredness and loneliness, together with fear and anxiety due to uncertainty in the future and sorrow because of frustrated hopes in past. Analysis of the strategies used to overcome the difficulties revealed concealment and "life behind closed doors", avoidance of the rest of the family, taking full responsibility and sacrificing one's personal life.Conclusion: To reduce the burden of stigma in the private life of the family members of people living with schizophrenia in Belarus, important steps should be taken to promote the empowerment of families including: reforming mental health services; provision of better access to information; family support services, community care; development of family organisations; assistance in communication, re-socialisation and independent living for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is evidence for considerable heterogeneity in the responsiveness to regular physical activity (PA) which might reflect the influence of genetic factors. The aim of this systematic review was to assess whether the response to a PA intervention for measures of body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness is (i) correlated within twin pairs and/or families and (ii) more correlated in monozygotic twins (MZ) compared to dizygotic twins (DZ), which would be consistent with genetic effects. Methods: We performed electronic database searches, combining key words relating to 'physical activity' and 'genetics', in MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, SPORTS Discuss, AMED, PsycINFO, WEB OF SCIENCE, and SCOPUS from the earliest records to March 2016. Twin and family studies were included if they assessed body composition and/or cardiorespiratory fitness following a PA intervention, and provided a heritability estimate, maximal heritability estimate, or within MZ twin pair correlation (r). Data on heritability (twin studies), maximal heritability (family studies), and the r were extracted from included studies, although heritability estimates were not reported as small sample sizes made them uninformative. Results: After screening 224 full texts, nine twin and five family studies were included in this review. The pooled r in response to PA was significant for body mass index (r = 0.69, n = 58), fat mass (r = 0.58, n = 48), body fat percentage (r = 0.55, n = 72), waist circumference (r = 0.50, n = 27), and VOmax (r = 0.39, n = 48), where ' n' represents the total number of twin pairs from all studies. Maximal heritability estimates ranged from 0-21% for measures of body composition, and 22-57% for cardiorespiratory fitness. Twin studies differed in sample age, baseline values, and PA intervention, although the exclusion of any one study did not affect the results. Conclusions: Shared familial factors, including genetics, are likely to be a significant contributor to the response of body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness following PA. Genetic factors may explain individual variation in the response to PA. Trial Registrations: PROSPERO Registration No . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on demographer K. Yamaguchi's work. In many societies some couples value sons more than daughters and so reproduce in accordance with male-preferring stopping rules. It is important for demographers to try to quantify these rules (in order, inter alia, to construct population projections). Yamaguchi (1989) showed that if couples reproduce in accordance with such male-preferring stopping rules, then the expected mean number of siblings differs for boys and girls. (This differential is called the "sib differential.") Moreover, Yamaguchi showed that this differential itself varies according to the extent to which there is Lexian variation between couples in the probability of producing a male infant. The author suggests that the empirical basis for estimates of the Lexian variation between human couples is less secure than Yamaguchi's presentation implies.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between children's perception of dissimilarity in parenting styles, and internalizing and externalizing problems in children. Children from the general population ( n = 658) reported on the level of emotional warmth, rejection, and overprotection of both parents by filling out the child version of the Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (EMBU-C) and mothers completed the child behavior checklist (CBCL). Intraclass correlations were computed as measures of dissimilarity between parenting styles of mothers and fathers. Children's perceived dissimilarity in parental emotional warmth is associated with internalizing and externalizing problems (β = 0.092, p < 0.05; β = 0.091, p < 0.05). Perceived dissimilarity between parents' overprotection is associated with externalizing problems (β = 0.097, p < 0.05). Perceived dissimilarity between parenting styles is associated with externalizing and internalizing problems, over and above the effects of the level of the parenting styles. The results highlight the negative consequences of perceived dissimilarity between parents. To conclude, children have more internalizing and externalizing problems when they perceive their parents as more dissimilar in parenting styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by vasculopathy, immune cell activation, and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Over the past few years, a role for genetics in the susceptibility for SSc has been established. This review aims to provide an update on the progress made in the past year or so within the field of SSc genetics research. This year has been of particular interest due to the publication of a large genome-wide association study, further investigations into gene-gene interactions, and the tendency to validate genetic results in functional models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal first cousins of an individual with a neural tube defect (NTD) are at increased risk for an NTD. It is not known if they are also at risk for other serious birth defects. We carried out an interview study of uncles and aunts and first cousins in Irish NTD families covering their pregnancy histories and the health of family members. Maternal first cousins were more likely than paternal first cousins to have a birth defect (9.4% vs. 5.5%, p = 0.02; adjusted odds ratio: 1.72, 95% confidence interval: 1.04, 2.84). This study shows that two generations of distant relatives (uncles/aunts and first cousins) in NTD families have similar maternal excesses of NTDs and birth defects overall. Inheritance mechanisms favouring matrilineal transmission, currently unknown, may contribute to birth defect occurrence in these families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence is a serious issue deeply embedded in multiple contexts both internal and external making treatment and interventions difficult to implement. Although numerous models offer vital insight into aspects of intimate partner violence, in isolation they may be less effective in addressing the unique elements and complexity of the abusive situation. Therefore, in order to provide an integrated and effective method of treatment, a multi-leveled theoretical approach delineating the change process is needed. Boss’s contextual model of family stress provides a broad paradigm affording clarity and organization for assessment, intervention, and treatment. Each of the elements of the contextual model of family stress are presented and applied to a case study outlining one battered woman’s experience. Clinical implications addressing stressors, resources, perceptions, and contextual elements are discussed as well as treatment recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of a study on family activities and the household objects associated with scheduling them. It focuses on the material culture of dual-income households with children in Los Angeles, California. The ethnographic data collected indicated that the kitchen is typically a center of household management, and tends to contain a multitude of time management devices such as clocks and calendars. It is noted that kitchens serve as an effective location for family interaction, and often provide evidence of the degree to which leisure time is scheduled.

Scholars identified a negative relationship between assets and divorce decades ago, but the mechanisms behind this relationship remain unknown. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households ( N = 4,721 couples), this study compared three mechanisms that might link assets and divorce. Non-proportional Cox hazard models indicated that two of the three mechanisms explained the relationship between assets and divorce. Wives’ marital satisfaction and their perceptions of their hypothetical post-divorce standard of living completely mediated the relationship between assets and divorce. The relationship between assets and divorce was not related to husbands’ characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychoeducation is often used for family members of adult patients with mood disorders. An increase in family’s knowledge of the patient’s illness course and outcome is thought to improve treatment compliance and may reduce relapse rates through identification of early symptoms and risks. While studies on family-based psychoeducation of adult patients with mood disorders have been reviewed, a similar review has not been conducted in patients who are children and adolescents. We conducted a systematic review of studies published between 1980 and 2006 on independently standing psychoeducation programs for families with children suffering from mood disorders. Results revealed eight treatment and preventive psychoeducation studies for families of affectively ill children or children at risk for depression. Findings indicate that psychoeducation models typically adopt a workshop approach incorporating didactic teachings and interactive discussion sessions, with or without specific skills training. Given the paucity of randomized controlled trials and lack of comparability between psychoeducation models, conclusions about the true efficacy of each program as a treatment or an adjunct to the treatment of mood disorders in children and adolescents cannot be made. Further research into psychoeducation for families of children with mood disorders is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the relationship between social supports and employment and how this relationship may differ for Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White unmarried mothers with young children. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this article examines how various perceived and received social supports influence later employment outcomes. Multinomial regression analyses indicate that family, individual, and family background supports promoted employment while community supports were associated with lower employment levels. Race-specific analyses indicate that supports were related to employment to a much greater extent for Hispanics and non-Hispanic Blacks than for non-Hispanic Whites. Results suggest that unmarried mothers’ unique needs and supports must be taken into account to accommodate employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article examines the progress and impact of the Journal of Family and Economic Issues (JFEI) between 1988–2007. Over the past 20 years, JFEI has become a major journal publishing articles on the relationship between families and economic systems. JFEI contributed to both the economic and family studies disciplines by publishing articles that explore the interface of these two disciplines. Between 1988 and 2007, JFEI published articles on a variety of themes not often found in other economic or family studies journals such as family resource management, consumer attitudes and behaviors, and economic issues and family relationships. Other unique characteristics of JFEI include many collaborative multidisciplinary studies and many studies analyzing international or cross-cultural samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretically, a shortage of males in a local marriage market may influence the formation, quality, and trajectory of unmarried parent relationships. To test these hypotheses, I combine city-level sex ratio data from the U.S. census with microdata on unmarried couples who recently had a child from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study. A shortage of men in a marriage market is associated with lower relationship quality for unmarried parents. Male shortages are associated with lower rates of marriage following a nonmarital birth, in part because of the mediating influence of relationship quality. A shortage of men is not significantly related to the economic quality of male, nonmarital childbearing partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of congruency between the teaching and learning of science and the student’s personal worlds has long been recognised by the international science education community as an issue deserving space in the research agenda. The purpose of this study was to explore the diversity of student reactions when subcultures such as family, community peers, and personal worldviews are considered along side the subculture of school science. Two-hundred and fifty students from urban and provincial schools in the northeastern region of Colombia (South America) participated. From this group, 18 students were interviewed. It was observed that students adopt a compartmentalisation of knowledge that is evident as both an avoiding strategy in the classroom and as a mechanism to differentiate between the natural world of their everyday situations and the one portrayed by a Westernised science instruction in the classroom. The findings reflect how multiple worldviews correlate with student frameworks as implanted by school science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Researchers have proposed that work-family policy use may either reinforce or challenge the existing gendered division of labor within couples, but results from prior studies have been inconclusive. Using data from a regional survey of work and family life, we extend this research by focusing on how housework is divided within couples and by differentiating between traditionally female- and male- typed housework tasks. Results show that among dual-earning women, policy use is not related to share of female- or male-typed tasks. Among dual-earning men, policy use is positively related to share of female-typed tasks and negatively related to share of male-typed tasks. These findings suggest that work-family policy use does not reinforce the gendered division of housework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a case study on the use of social indicators to guide community action and influence policy decisions around children and families in Los Angeles County California. Since the early 1990s, the Children's Planning Council has incorporated strategic use of data in all of its planning and community organizing. The Council has developed a unique set of strategies for using social indicators, in combination with large-scale organizing, to convene stakeholders, change perceptions and influence decison-making. The article describes the Council, the theoretical framework that guides its approach to data, key issues that have guided its information strategies, and the challenges that still lie ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to identify aspects of family relationships that may protect young children from the pathogenic effects of family violence. Using a sample of 30 preschool-age children whose mothers were physically abused by a partner, we investigated the associations between children’s externalizing and internalizing behavior problems and: (1) the quality of the mother–child relationship, and (2) mothers’ attunement to their child’s sad and angry emotions. Results indicated that clinician ratings of the mother–child relationship, and mothers’ attunement to their child’s experience of emotion each made a unique contribution to the prediction of children’s externalizing behavior. These relationships remained robust, even after taking the severity of domestic violence reported by mothers into consideration. Maternal attunement, however, did not mediate the relationship between marital conflict and children’s behavior problems. No significant link was found between children’s internalizing behavior and maternal attunement to their children’s sadness and anger. Additional findings suggested that mothers with a PTSD diagnosis tended to be less attuned to their child’s experience of sadness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young children with high levels of acting out behaviors present a challenge for families, caregivers, and the childcare system. The Parenting the Strong-Willed Child ( PSWC) parenting class curriculum program is a 6-week, group based parent education program designed for parents of children with noncompliance problems (ages 2–8). The PSWC program was offered at no cost to parents enrolled in 8 Head Start centers, and parents were invited to participate in a program evaluation study. Seventy-one families enrolled in the study and completed at least one PSWC session. From pre- to post-test, parents reported significant improvements in both the frequency and intensity of child behavior problems. Parents also reported significant reductions in parenting stress, as well as improvements in their parenting behaviors, including a reduction in the use of lax discipline techniques and emotional reactivity in the context of discipline encounters. All improvements were sustained six months later. These preliminary results are encouraging, and point to the need for a more rigorous, controlled evaluation of the PSWC parenting class curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined gender, family structure, SES and language usage as predictors of cultural orientation and family cohesion. Ethnic differences in trajectories of family cohesion were tested within a hierarchical linear modeling framework. The sample consisted of 4156 adolescent respondents, measured at three time points during three consecutive years. The three study groups consisted of Mexican Americans oriented to Mexican culture ( N = 738), Mexican Americans oriented to majority American culture ( N = 867), and Non-Hispanic Whites ( N = 2551). Family cohesion was assessed using the cohesion subscale of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES III). Analyses consisted of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) in which a linear trajectory of family cohesion for the three groups was computed followed by a test for the effects of ethnicity with the inclusion of control variables. Thus, ethnic differences in the trajectories of family cohesion over time were examined. Neither group of Mexican Americans was significantly different from Non-Hispanic Whites in initial status. However, Mexican Americans oriented to Mexican culture showed a significant increase in family cohesion at mid adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an explosion in population studies determining the frequency of KIR genes. However, there is still limited knowledge of allele and haplotype frequencies in different populations. The present study aims to determine the haplotype frequencies using allele information on ten genes and presence/absence of the other seven genes in the parents of 77 families. There were 26 of 154 different genotypes without using allele information and 143 of 154 different genotypes using allele information. These genotypes came from 96 of 308 different haplotypes. Of these, 41 were A and 55 were B. Forty-nine haplotypes occurred only once. In total, 181 (58.8%) of haplotypes were A and 127 (41.2%) were B. Three different haplotypes carried two copies of KIR2DL4, two different haplotypes were truncated with both KIR2DL4 and KIR3DL1/S1 missing, and three different haplotypes were negative for both KIR2DL2 and KIR2DL3; two of these haplotypes carried KIR2DS2. A further haplotype, present in two individuals, appeared to have two alleles of KIR2DL5A present. The percentages of individuals who were homozygous for the A haplotype, heterozygous for the A and B haplotype and homozygous for the B haplotype were 35.1%, 47.4% and 17.5% respectively. The genes KIR3DL1, KIR2DS4 and KIR2DL3 were present on 31, 32 and 15 different B haplotypes, respectively, and 64, 65 and 40 of the total B haplotypes, respectively. Sixty B haplotypes had both KIR3DL1 and KIR2DS4, and four haplotypes had KIR2DS4 and KIR2DL3. However, in 40 of 41 different and 180 of 181 total A haplotypes, KIR3DL1, KIR2DS4 and KIR2DL3 were all present (we did not allele-type for KIR2DL1 and therefore could not determine presence/absence on those haplotypes). At the allele level, homozygosity was found in 22.1%, 9.7% and 12.6% for KIR2DL4, KIR3DL2 and KIR3DL1 genes, respectively, but 62.6% and 53% for KIR2DL3 and KIR2DS4 genes, respectively, despite the fact that no one allele dominated the frequency in any of these genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children born to adolescent mothers have heightened vulnerability for exposure to multiple stressful life events owing to factors associated with teenaged parenthood such as poverty and low levels of maternal education. This study investigated whether early exposure to negative life events such as parental divorce, residential instability, and deaths in the family predicted children’s socioemotional and behavioral functioning at age 10. Hierarchical regression analyses suggested that negative life events—which were reported by 94% of the sample—were associated with less favorable developmental outcomes, with social support serving as a buffer between exposure to these events and children’s anxiety, internalization, externalization, and maladaptive behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are associated with the metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance, obesity, hypertension) and higher cardiovascular risk. Recent association studies have suggested rare alleles responsible for very low HDL-C levels. However, for individual cardiovascular risk factors, the majority of population-attributable deaths are associated with average rather than extreme levels. Therefore, genetic factors that determine the population variation of HDL-C are particularly relevant. We undertook genome-wide and fine mapping to identify linkage to HDL-C in healthy adult nuclear families from the Victorian Family Heart Study. In 274 adult sibling pairs (average age 24 years, average plasma HDL-C 1.4 mmol/l), genome-wide mapping revealed suggestive evidence for linkage on chromosome 4 ( Z score=3.5, 170 cM) and nominal evidence for linkage on chromosomes 1 ( Z=2.1, 176 cM) and 6 ( Z=2.6, 29 cM). Using genotypes and phenotypes from 932 subjects (233 of the sibling pairs and their parents), finer mapping of the locus on chromosome 4 strengthened our findings with a peak probability ( Z score=3.9) at 169 cM. Our linkage data suggest that chromosome 4q32.3 is linked with normal population variation in HDL-C. This region coincides with previous reports of linkage to apolipoprotein AII (a major component of HDL) and encompasses the gene encoding the carboxypeptidase E, relevant to the metabolic syndrome and HDL-C. These findings are relevant for further understanding of the genetic determinants of cardiovascular risk at a population level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrary to theory and evidence from many other regions, previous studies in sub-Saharan Africa have found surprisingly weak associations between family size and schooling. It is unclear; however, whether these weak results reflect (spurious) limitations in methodology or (real) differences in context. This study uses schooling histories from Cameroon to test four contending methodological and contextual explanations for these weak results: measurement bias, statistical estimation bias, family buffering, and socioeconomic context. We find the strongest support for the last explanation: the relationship between family size and schooling varies with spatial and historical context. This relationship has strengthened within the country over time, and this raises concern about the implications of current demographic transitions on inequality among children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the meaning of quality of life (QOL) in China from the perspective of social representations. The data were collected by open-ended individual interviews with 16 ordinary Chinese people. The study shows that social thinking about QOL in Chinese society is activated in five critical domains of life: health, family, work, social relations and the natural environment. Meanwhile, “having” and “being”, the two antinomic, yet dialogical interdependent, interpretive repertoires, have an overarching generative and normative power over the discourse about QOL. They permeate and underpin the different domains of life. Dominated by an “economic logic”, the “having” repertoire constructs these life domains through a set of economic consequences and posits them as resources leading to material possessions. While dominated by an “existential logic”, the “being” repertoire confesses existential meanings to the same life domains, and emphasises the joy derived from them. Thereby, it infers that QOL as a social representation is generated from, and organised around, a central thema of “having” and “being”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research demonstrates that the constructive use of family rituals is reliably linked to family health and to psychosocial adjustment. This study explores the relationship between family rituals and child well-being. Two samples participated: 21 families whose adolescent was receiving psychiatric treatment and 21 families in which the adolescent was a public school student. A parent and the adolescent were individually interviewed regarding family rituals and completed standardized measures of adolescent and family functioning. Analyses demonstrated that, in addition to significant sample differences in the expected direction on measures of functioning, the non-clinical families scored significantly higher on the index of family rituality than did the treatment families; this is additional evidence that family rituals are a correlate of child well-being. Further analysis of the data pointed to “people resources” as a robust dimension in its association to adolescent functioning. The role family ritual and routine plays in defining family relationships, both within the nuclear family and with other important adults, was significantly related to clinical status. This work may point to an important, yet overlooked, dimension of family ritual life, the relational qualities of rituals and routines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study aimed to identify the personal, family, and job characteristics associated with low-wage employees’ job-family role strain. Data were collected from both English and non-English speaking workers at one hotel site. Multivariate data analyses revealed that different sets of circumstances create job-family strain for employees. Supervisor support was independently associated with two of the three job-family strain variables while other job factors emerged as significant when interacting with demographic variables. Findings suggest that structural factors associated with managing work and family responsibilities may more accurately measure job-family role strain for this worker population. The study provides further evidence that the concept of job-family role strain is inherently complex, warranting further investigation, especially for employees in low-wage earning jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Person-centered approaches to understanding delinquent and criminal careers have identified several distinct pathways or patterns of delinquent behavior (Gorman-Smith et al., 1998; LeBlanc and Kaspy, in press; Loeber et al., 1991 ; Loeber et al., 1993). In addition, research suggests that there may be etiological variations that correspond to these different pathways (Gorman-Smith et al., 1998). That is, there may be different configurations of risk factors associated with different types of delinquent and criminal offending. If this is so, understanding these relations can have important implications for intervention and prevention. However, there have been few studies that examine how the configuration of risk factors may vary in relation to different delinquency pathways. The current study brings a person-centered analysis to examine how patterns of family functioning relate to patterns of offending. In addition, this study contextualizes these relations by examining how these relations vary as a function of community setting. This study expands upon previous research that has identified four basic patterns of delinquent behavior among a sample of minority male adolescents living in poor urban neighborhoods (Gorman-Smith et al., 1998). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with a study which assessed the trends in the marriage role expectations held by female college students enrolled in an introductory marriage and family course. Methodology; Results; Discussion.

The proportion of children with emotional and behavioral disturbances within the foster care system in the United States is continuing to increase. Many of these children experience numerous placement changes each year often into extremely restrictive settings. The Fostering Individualized Assistance Program (FIAP) study examined the feasibility of applying a wraparound strategy to these children and their foster biological and/or adoptive families. This FIAP wraparound strategy paralleled the foster care system and involved the clinical case management of a broad range of individually tailored services, driven by a wraparound team of adult key players in each child's life. This was a controlled study which involved the random assignment of 132 children (ages 7–15 years) to the FIAP wraparound group or to a group that received usual foster care services. We provide a description of the FIAP wraparound intervention and findings that support the efficacy of this strategy in improving the placement outcomes for children last in the foster care system. Discussion focuses on systemic and intervention factors that may be improved upon to strengthen future individualized wraparound processes and evaluation/research efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of the research process as an intervention has recently been described in the family therapy literature. However, it is important to draw a distinction between research as intervention and research as a unique family therapy intervention technique. From a family systems perspective, research as an intervention technique may make therapy more palatable for some families. A case study is presented in which this technique created the context for change for a family involved in a chronic illness research project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long before the establishment of a general school system in Sweden (1842), a vast majority of the adult population had reached some reasonable level of reading literacy. The level of reading skill among the members of a household was assessed by the parish priest at annual catechetical examinations, and the results of these examinations were recorded in church registers. Eventually (in the 18th century) a 5-point grading scale was developed. In the present investigation, these unique records were used to study the transmission of low reading marks over successive generations in 17 families. For comparison, a set of 17 family trees originating from good readers was traced. The average scores of the descendants of poor readers were significantly lower than corresponding scores for descendants of good readers. However, the transmission patterns in the family trees of poor readers did not indicate any simple genetic mechanism. In another study, two dyslexic cases living today were traced backward to ancestors born around 1750. In one of the cases, a massive familial pattern of reading disability down to the eighth generation was observed, while most ancestors of the other case had average or above average reading skill as judged by the priests. The reasons for the absence of a simple hereditary pattern were critically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]