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Adolescents, especially female youth, who have more family meals tend to be at lower risk for substance use. The present study tested whether family meals relate to substance use count and frequency during high school, whether associations differ by gender, and whether other family-related variables explain these associations. A community sample of 316 adolescents (Mage = 16.40, SD = 0.74; 56.96% female; 41.77% Latine, 23.10% Asian American, 29.11% European American, 6.01% from other ethnic backgrounds including Middle Eastern and African American) reported the number of substances they have ever used and how often they used alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes, and completed measures of parental support and family cohesion. Across 15 days, they reported whether they had a family meal, got along with parents, and spent leisure time with their family each day. Regression models tested associations between frequency of family meals and substance use, whether associations differed by gender, and whether associations were explained by other family-related variables. Results indicated that more frequent family meals were associated with lower substance use count and less frequent alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use among female adolescents but not male adolescents. Other daily family experiences were unrelated to substance use, and family meal frequency was independently related to lower substance use after accounting for parental support and family cohesion. Taken together, more frequent family meals in high school may reduce substance use risk for female adolescents, and interventions could consider promoting family meals in addition to other positive family values.

This systematic review of the literature examined the extent and nature of white parent's ethic-racial socialization (ERS) of white children, the factors associated with white parents' ERS, and the child outcomes of white parents' ERS. It followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The review included 43 English-language works published between January 2000 and June 2021 and referenced in PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, or Sociological Abstracts. It showed that white parents are engaged in ERS, employing many of the same strategies identified in research with parents of color as well as strategies identified as specific to white families. The review revealed child and parent factors related to ERS and child outcomes of ERS, including racial attitudes. In contrast with parents of color's ERS, white parents' ERS tends to teach strategies of advantage, preparing children to maintain their privilege. We offer recommendations for practice and future research.

Relational savoring (RS) is a brief, strengths-based approach to heightening attentional focus to moments of positive connectedness within relationships. RS can be administered preventatively or within an intervention context when a therapist aspires to foster more optimal relational functioning. Typically administered within a one-on-one therapy setting, RS has demonstrated efficacy in enhancing intra- and interpersonal outcomes. To increase access to mental health services, the developers of RS are committed to engaging in an iterative approach of enhancing the cultural congruence and accessibility of this intervention within various cultural contexts, beginning with Latine groups in Southern California. In this article, we describe relational savoring and its theoretical and empirical support, including the process of culturally adapting the intervention within the context of three major studies, each with a distinct focus on Latine groups, a community that is underserved in mental health care settings. We then provide a vision for future research to improve upon the intervention's compatibility for Latine families and other populations.

COVID-19 adversely impacted parents with substance use disorders (SUDs) as evidenced by increased overdoses. This study used a qualitative approach to examine COVID’s impact on experiences and perceptions of a parenting program designed for mothers in recovery from SUDs, “Mothering from the Inside Out” (MIO), implemented through Early Intervention (EI) home-visiting services. Four EI programs participated in training and implementation of MIO. Subjects included 10 eligible EI providers trained in August 2019 or August 2021 and 11 mothers in recovery from SUDs. More mothers completed MIO during the pandemic compared to before. We conducted inductive thematic analysis of exit interviews and field notes, along with interpretation of process measures of intervention implementation. Initially, the switch to telehealth negatively impacted the provider-parent relationship but made engagement logistically easier for some mothers. Parent and provider participants reported the need for additional psychosocial support due to increased stressors, as well as ways that MIO helped them cope during the pandemic. COVID made EI enrollment of families more difficult in general; however once enrolled, telehealth improved retention in MIO, meeting a critical need during the pandemic.

Osteoporosis is a multifactorial bone disease characterised by reduced bone mass and increased fracture risk. Family studies have made significant contribution in unravelling the genetics of osteoporosis. Yet, most of the underlying molecular and biological mechanisms remain unknown prompting the need for further studies. This review outlines the proper phenotyping and advanced genetic techniques in the form of high-throughput DNA sequencing used to identify genetic factors underlying monogenic osteoporosis in a family-based setting. The steps related to variant filtering prioritisation and curation are also described. From an evolutionary perspective, deleterious risk variants with higher penetrance tend to be rare as a result of negative selection. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) can identify rare variants with large effect sizes which are likely to be missed by candidate gene analysis or genome-wide association studies (GWAS) wherein common variants with small to moderate effect sizes are identified. We also describe the importance of replicating implicated genes, and possibly variants, identified following HTS to confirm their causality. Replication of the gene in other families, singletons or independent cohorts confirms that the shortlisted genes and/or variants are indeed causal. Furthermore, novel genes and/or variants implicated in monogenic osteoporosis require a thorough validation by means of in vitro and in vivo assessment. Therefore, analyses of families can continue to elucidate the genetic architecture of osteoporosis, paving the way for improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Conclusion This study aimed to investigate the heritability of various obesity indices and their shared genetic factors with cardiometabolic traits in the Chinese nuclear family.A total of 1270 individuals from 538 nuclear families were included in this cross‐sectional study. Different indices were used to quantify fat mass and distribution, including body index mass (BMI), visceral fat index (VFI), and body fat percent (BFP). Heritability and genetic correlations for all quantitative traits were estimated using variance component models. The susceptibility‐threshold model was utilized to estimate the heritability for binary traits.Heritability estimates for obesity indices were highest for BMI (59%), followed by BFP (49%), and VFI (40%). Heritability estimates for continuous cardiometabolic traits varied from 24% to 50%. All obesity measures exhibited consistently significant positive genetic correlations with blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and uric acid (rG range: 0.26–0.57). However, diverse genetic correlations between various obesity indices and lipid profiles were observed. Significant genetic correlations were limited to specific pairs: BFP and total cholesterol (rG = 0.24), BFP and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (rG = 0.25), and VFI and triglyceride (rG = 0.33).The genetic overlap between various obesity indices and cardiometabolic traits underscores the importance of pleiotropic genes. Further studies are warranted to investigate specific shared genetic and environmental factors between obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been longstanding and widespread interdisciplinary interest in understanding intergenerational processes, or the extent to which conditions repeat themselves across generations. However, due to the difficulty of collecting longitudinal, multigenerational data on early life conditions, less is known about the extent to which offspring experience the same early life conditions that their parents experienced in their own early lives. Using data from a socioeconomically diverse, White U.S. American cohort of 1,312 offspring (50% female) and their fathers (N = 518 families), we address three primary questions: (1) To what extent is there intergenerational continuity in early life experiences (social class, home atmosphere, parent-child relationship quality, health)? (2) Is intergenerational continuity in early life experiences greater for some domains of experience compared to others? and (3) Are there person-level (offspring sex, birth order, perceptions of marital stability) and family-level factors (family size, father education level and education mobility, marital stability) that moderate intergenerational continuity? Multilevel models indicated that intergenerational continuity was particularly robust for childhood social class, but nonsignificant for other early life experiences. Further, intergenerational continuity was moderated by several family-level factors, such that families with higher father education/mobility and marital stability, tended to have offspring with the most optimal early life experiences, regardless of what their father experienced in early life. We discuss the broader theoretical implications for family systems, as well as practical implications for individual-level and family-level interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy affecting Western women today. It is estimated that as many as 10% of BC cases can be attributed to germline variants. However, the genetic basis of the majority of familial BC cases has yet to be identified. Discovering predisposing genes contributing to familial BC is challenging due to their presumed rarity, low penetrance, and complex biological mechanisms. Here, we focused on an analysis of rare missense variants in a cohort of 12 families of Middle Eastern origins characterized by a high incidence of BC cases. We devised a novel, high-throughput, variant analysis pipeline adapted for family studies, which aims to analyze variants at the protein level by employing state-of-the-art machine learning models and three-dimensional protein structural analysis. Using our pipeline, we analyzed 1218 rare missense variants that are shared between affected family members and classified 80 genes as candidate pathogenic. Among these genes, we found significant functional enrichment in peroxisomal and mitochondrial biological pathways which segregated across seven families in the study and covered diverse ethnic groups. We present multiple evidence that peroxisomal and mitochondrial pathways play an important, yet underappreciated, role in both germline BC predisposition and BC survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The goal was to determine whether or not there is an association between the belief that human development and family science (HDFS) is "just common sense" and academic performance in a rigorous research methods class in HDFS. Background: Naïve realism is a cognitive bias that creates a belief in common sense that is difficult to challenge. It is unknown whether student commitment to common sense impedes students' ability to learn. Method: Students (N = 112) in an HDFS research methods class were followed for a semester. Potential barriers to learning were measured through a self‐report survey before the start of the semester. The outcome variable was objective performance in the course as measured by exam scores. Results: Exam scores were positively correlated with prior academic achievement and negatively correlated with student belief that the discipline is just common sense. Conclusion: Naïve realism, expressed as the belief that HDFS is just common sense, predicts poor performance in a research methods class. Implications: Higher education faculty in HDFS must directly confront the problem that our discipline is perceived as just common sense. Naïve realism must be challenged directly in coursework if students are to learn about the science of HDFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narcolepsy is a life‐long neurological disorder with well‐established genetic risk factors. Human leukocyte antigen‐DQB1*06:02 remains the strongest genetic predeterminant; however, polymorphisms in genes encoding the T‐cell receptor alpha chain are also strongly linked. This case report shows the inheritance pathway of these genetic markers contributing to narcolepsy onset in a 17‐year‐old female. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical discipline increases children's risk of showing externalizing problems, whereas inductive discipline is negatively associated with children's risk of externalizing problems. Studies of parenting infrequently examine both positive and negative discipline techniques despite use of inductive and physical discipline being inversely related to each other and to child externalizing problems. A burgeoning literature on the biopsychosocial determinants of parenting is identifying cognitive and physiological mechanisms underlying the initiation and regulation of positive and negative parenting techniques. This cross-sectional study of parents of preschool-aged children (N = 70; 89% mothers, 43% racial-ethnic minorities) advances the parenting literature by examining predictors of parents' inductive and physical discipline use across their cognitive functioning, cardiovascular psychophysiology, children's externalizing behavior, and their interactions with one another. No main effects or interactions predicted inductive discipline, but the interaction between parents' inhibitory control and nonverbal intelligence predicted physical discipline, such that parents who scored low in both domains endorsed the most use of physical discipline in response to child misbehavior. Another interaction between parents' sympathetic activity and child externalizing behavior also predicted physical discipline. These findings are discussed in relation to parenting interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The childhood family environment can influence long-term well-being in part by modifying how individuals' respond to and cope with stress across the life span. Theoretical models propose that childhood stress will either exacerbate (stress sensitization) or attenuate (steeling effect) the effects of adult stress on mental health. This study tests whether childhood family stress modifies the association between stressful life events and depressive symptoms in pregnancy and consecutive postpartum periods. A sample of 127 women reported on depressive symptoms after one birth, during a subsequent pregnancy, and postpartum following that birth. Childhood family stress was assessed with the Risky Families Questionnaire. Stressful life events were measured at all three timepoints to capture the number of life events during both pregnancies and between pregnancies. Associations between stressful life events and depressive symptoms varied as a function of childhood family stress. At the between-persons level, more stressful life events were associated with greater depressive symptoms among women who reported infrequent exposure to childhood family stress in this sample, but not among women who reported more frequent exposure to childhood family stress. Results provide novel evidence that moderate exposure to childhood family stress may attenuate the association between stressful life events and depressive symptoms in the perinatal period, consistent with a steeling effect. That is, some degree of childhood family stress may promote resilience to perinatal stress. Findings underscore the utility of examining the interaction of risk factors across the life span in predicting perinatal mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

We examined the relation of White parents' color-blind racial attitudes (a global composite score and its subscales) and their implicit racial attitudes to their young children's race-based sympathy toward Black and White victims. One hundred and nighty non-Hispanic White children (54% boys, Mage = 7.13 years, SD = 0.92) reported their sympathy in response to short films depicting bullying toward White or Black children. Their primary caregivers' (mostly mothers') color-blind racial ideology (CBRI) was assessed through a questionnaire (reflecting global color blindness, as well as denial of institutional racism, White privilege, and blatant racial issues), and their implicit racial attitudes were assessed with a computerized test. Children's sympathy toward Black victims and their equitable sympathy (difference score toward Black vs. White victims) was predicted by parents' color blindness, implicit racial attitudes, and their interaction. Results indicated several interaction effects, such that parents' denial of blatant racial attitudes and global CBRI were negatively related to children's sympathy toward Black victims and equitable sympathy toward Black versus White victims, only when the parents held implicit racial attitudes that favored White people. In addition, parents' denial of White privilege was negatively related to children's sympathy toward Black victims. The findings are discussed in terms of potential ways to shape children's race-based sympathy and compassion, particularly with an eye toward ways White parents might socialize sympathy toward historically marginalized youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Osteoporosis is a multifactorial bone disease characterised by reduced bone mass and increased fracture risk. Family studies have made significant contribution in unravelling the genetics of osteoporosis. Yet, most of the underlying molecular and biological mechanisms remain unknown prompting the need for further studies. This review outlines the proper phenotyping and advanced genetic techniques in the form of high-throughput DNA sequencing used to identify genetic factors underlying monogenic osteoporosis in a family-based setting. The steps related to variant filtering prioritisation and curation are also described. From an evolutionary perspective, deleterious risk variants with higher penetrance tend to be rare as a result of negative selection. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) can identify rare variants with large effect sizes which are likely to be missed by candidate gene analysis or genome-wide association studies (GWAS) wherein common variants with small to moderate effect sizes are identified. We also describe the importance of replicating implicated genes, and possibly variants, identified following HTS to confirm their causality. Replication of the gene in other families, singletons or independent cohorts confirms that the shortlisted genes and/or variants are indeed causal. Furthermore, novel genes and/or variants implicated in monogenic osteoporosis require a thorough validation by means of in vitro and in vivo assessment. Therefore, analyses of families can continue to elucidate the genetic architecture of osteoporosis, paving the way for improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

The aim of this article is to present the issues of the family in relation to the scientific achievements of Prof. Helena Radlińska. In the course of the research, the descriptive research method was used. This was accompanied by a cross-sectional analysis of the documents. The subject of the conducted research were family issues, considered from the point of view of social pedagogy. The subject of the research was the family and people creating the family life environment. The summary of the analysis are the directions of further research, the effects of which will facilitate the creation of theoretical foundations for models of assistance, care, support and family development.

The COVID-19 pandemic has financial and emotional impacts on families. We explored how caregivers' financial strain and mental health are associated with changes in their young children's behavior during the pandemic. We additionally considered whether having a sense of purpose moderated these associations. Caregivers (n = 300) in the emergency department of a children's hospital were surveyed anonymously about changes to their employment (e.g., reduced/increased hours and job loss), ability to pay for expenses and whether their child's behavior had changed. Aligned with the Family Stress Model, caregivers' financial strain was associated with poor mental health, inconsistent sleep routines, and changes in children's problematic and prosocial behaviors. A sense of purpose buffered some of these relationships. Families are differently affected by the pandemic and our findings underscore the need for supporting caregivers' mental health and connecting them with resources.

We used National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System and Census data to examine Black-White and Hispanic-White disparities in reporting, substantiation, and out-of-home placement both descriptively from 2005-2019 and in multivariate models from 2007-2017. We also tracked contemporaneous social risk (e.g., child poverty) and child harm (e.g., infant mortality) disparities using non-child protective services (CPS) sources and compared them to CPS reporting rate disparities. Black-White CPS reporting disparities were lower than found in non-CPS risk and harm benchmarks. Consistent with the Hispanic paradox, Hispanic-White CPS reporting disparities were lower than risk disparities but similar to harm disparities. Descriptive and multivariate analyses of data from the past several years indicated that Black children were less likely to be substantiated or placed into out-of-home care following a report than White children. Hispanic children were slightly more likely to be substantiated or placed in out-of-home care than White children overall, but this difference disappeared in multivariate models. Available data provide no evidence that Black children were overreported relative to observed risks and harms reflected in non-CPS data. Reducing reporting rates among Black children will require addressing broader conditions associated with maltreatment.

Latinx families may be particularly vulnerable to emotional dysfunction, due to higher rates of economic hardship and complex social influences in this population. Little is known about the impact of environmental stressors such as unmet social needs and maternal stress on the emotional health of Latinx children from low-income families. We conducted secondary analyses using survey and biomarker data from 432 Latinx children and mothers collected in a separate study. We used binomial and multinomial logistic regression to test if household social needs, or maternal perceived stress or hair cortisol concentration (HCC), predicted child measures of emotional functioning or child HCC, independent of relevant sociodemographic factors. Approximately 40% of children in the sample had symptoms consistent with emotional dysfunction, and over 37% of households reported five or more social needs. High perceived maternal stress predicted higher odds of child emotional dysfunction (OR = 2.15; 95% CI [1.14, 4.04]; p = 0.01), and high maternal HCC was positively associated with high child HCC (OR = 10.60; 95% CI [4.20, 26.74]; p < 0.01). Most individual household social needs, as well as the level of household social need, were not independently associated with child emotional dysfunction or child HCC. Our findings begin to define a framework for understanding emotional health, stress, and resilience when caring for Latinx children and mothers living with high levels of social need, and the need for integrated mental health and social needs screening and interventions in settings that serve this population.

Abstract Background Bipolar disorder is a broad diagnostic construct associated with significant phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity challenging progress in clinical practice and discovery research. Prospective studies of well-characterized patients and their family members have identified lithium responsive (LiR) and lithium non-responsive (LiNR) subtypes that hold promise for advancement. Method In this narrative review, relevant observations from published longitudinal studies of well-characterized bipolar patients and their families spanning six decades are highlighted. DSM diagnoses based on SADS-L interviews were decided in blind consensus reviews by expert clinicians. Genetic, neurobiological, and psychosocial factors were investigated in subsets of well-characterized probands and adult relatives. Systematic maintenance trials of lithium, antipsychotics, and lamotrigine were carried out. Clinical profiles that included detailed histories of the clinical course, symptom sets and disorders segregating in families were documented. Offspring of LiR and LiNR families were repeatedly assessed up to 20 years using KSADS-PL format interviews and DSM diagnoses and sub-threshold symptoms were decided by expert clinicians in blind consensus reviews using all available clinical and research data. Results A characteristic clinical profile differentiated bipolar patients who responded to lithium stabilization from those who did not. The LiR subtype was characterized by a recurrent fully remitting course predominated by depressive episodes and a positive family history of episodic remitting mood disorders, and not schizophrenia. Response to lithium clustered in families and the characteristic clinical profile predicted lithium response, with the episodic remitting course being a strong correlate. There is accumulating evidence that genetic and neurobiological markers differ between LiR and LiNR subtypes. Further, offspring of bipolar parents subdivided by lithium response differed in developmental history, clinical antecedents and early course of mood disorders. Moreover, the nature of the emergent course bred true from parent to offspring, independent of the nature of emergent psychopathology. Conclusions Bipolar disorders are heterogeneous and response to long-term lithium is associated with a familial subtype with characteristic course, treatment response, family history and likely pathogenesis. Incorporating distinctive clinical profiles that index valid bipolar subtypes into routine practice and research will improve patient outcomes and advance the development and translation of novel treatment targets to improve prevention and early intervention.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to understand how periodic shifts in financial cutbacks and fears of contracting COVID-19 contributed to children's externalizing behaviors due to increases in maternal stress among low-income Latina mothers during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread health, economic, and psychological consequences for families and children. The Latino community is particularly vulnerable to the economic and health risks of this pandemic as a consequence of systemic oppression. The family stress model suggests that these family stressors will have psychological repercussions to parents, and downstream behavioral consequences to children.MethodWe examined both the within- and between-person impacts of worry surrounding contracting the virus and the economic consequences of the pandemic on maternal stress and child externalizing behaviors. Participants were 73 Latina mothers who completed assessments an average eight times across the first  10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. At each assessment time, the mother was asked about worries surrounding contracting the virus, economic cutbacks the family was making, her perceived stress, and her child's externalizing behaviors during a brief phone call.ResultsBetween-families, higher economic cutbacks indirectly increased child externalizing behaviors through maternal stress. The within-family model revealed that at assessments when mothers expressed greater worry about contracting the COVID-19 virus, they also reported greater stress. Further, at the within-person level, a mother's greater experience of stress was associated with greater reports of child externalizing behaviors, though the indirect association between COVID-19 contract worry and child externalizing behaviors through maternal stress was not significant.ConclusionsAcross the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the children in Latino families participating in this research exhibited more externalizing behaviors among families that engaged in more financial cutbacks as a function maternal stress. However, periodic spikes in Latina mothers' fears of contracting COVID-19 contributed to periodic spikes in stress, which predicted periodic spikes in child externalizing behaviors.ImplicationsGreater effort toward social policy that provides economic support for vulnerable families before periods of increased societal stress and greater protections for workers with limited sick leave and schedule flexibility will help promote resilience to future crises among low-income Latino families.

Trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) impact emotional and physical well-being, social functioning, and parent-child relationship quality. The effect of parental trauma on parenting and child maltreatment is often overlooked by current child welfare (CW) services. The novel intervention, Parenting-STAIR, was created to address maternal mental health, parenting skills, and child well-being outcomes. Parenting-STAIR is a combination of Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) Narrative Therapy and Parent-Child Care (PC-CARE). This open pilot study aimed to examine the feasibility and preliminary impact of Parenting-STAIR in reducing maternal PTSD and increasing positive parenting skills for mothers and families involved in the child welfare system. Parenting-STAIR was delivered to 111 mothers receiving family preservation services in New York City. Of these, 70 completed treatment; statistical and clinically significant changes were observed for maternal PTSD and depression as well as in parenting stress, parenting skills, and child behaviors. These findings provide encouraging initial evidence for the feasibility and impact of this novel PTSD intervention. An evaluation of maltreatment recidivism is needed, as well as implementation of a randomized controlled trial to establish efficacy of the intervention.

Child protective services (CPS) contact occurs at substantially higher rates among Black than White families. The present study considers systemic racism as a central driver of this disparity and emphasizes racialized poverty as a possible mechanism. We used data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and logistic regression analyses to assess the associations between income poverty, a racialized experience, and CPS contact, separately among Black and White families. Results indicated that income poverty was a significant predictor of CPS contact among White families, who were protected by higher income. In contrast, income per se was not a significant predictor of CPS contact among Black families, who were instead impacted by racialized family regulation and consequences of poverty, such as poor health and depression. Refundable state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) policies were protective for Black families, and more expansive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs decreased CPS contact for Black and White families. Implications include centering systemic racism and specifically racialized poverty as causes of racial inequities in CPS contact and rethinking the role of CPS in protecting children.

Unprecedented financial and emotional stress, paired with measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., school closures), place youth at risk for experiencing increased rates of abuse. We analyzed data from New York City's Administration for Children's Services to investigate the frequency of child maltreatment prevention service case openings during this time. Longitudinal counts of case openings were compiled for January through June of the years 2014-2020. An independent samples Kruskal-Wallis H-test suggested that pre-quarantine case openings were significantly larger than case openings during quarantine. To account for the possible influence of other historical events impacting data, a secondary Kruskal-Wallis H-test was conducted comparing only the 4 months of quarantine data available to the 4 months immediately preceding quarantine orders. The second independent samples Kruskal-Wallis H-test again suggested that pre-quarantine case openings were significantly larger than case openings during quarantine. A Poisson regression model further supported these findings, estimating that the odds of opening a new child maltreatment prevention case during quarantine declined by 49.17%. These findings highlight the severity of COVID-19 impacts on child maltreatment services and the gap between demand for services and service accessibility. We conclude with recommendations for local governments, community members, and practitioners.

Abstract: Social scientists increasingly are using experiments to examine causal processes and mechanisms in their research. Yet, experiments work much better for some research aims than others. Some goals that are of great interest to family scholars, such as testing theoretical arguments, are well‐suited to experimental approaches; other goals, such as documenting real‐world experiences, may be best served by another research design. Our aim in this article is to discuss the power and limits of experimental methods for the study of family, with an emphasis on describing the types of topics and approaches that work best in an experimental framework. We begin by briefly reviewing the current state of the literature and the types of experiments that are commonly used to study families and intimate relationships. We discuss recent examples and “best practices” to illustrate the potential strengths of experiments for the study of family. After walking through an in‐depth example of an experimental research design, we describe some unresolved theoretical puzzles in the family literature from the previous mid‐decade review that seem ripe for experimental study. In doing so, we demonstrate that experiments, when used appropriately, can provide powerful evidence of causal mechanisms that resonate with scholarly audiences and the public.

Abstract: This article assesses how the economic context of higher education expansion since the mid-20th century has shaped families’ financial lives—in terms of income and wealth/debt—as well as how these trends have differed for Black and White women and men. We use data from the NLSY-79 (comprising trailing-edge Baby Boomers) and NLSY-97 (comprising early Millennials) to show how academically similar students in these two cohorts fared in terms of educational attainment, household income, household wealth, and total student debt accrued by age 35. While we discuss findings across race-gender groups, our results call attention to the education-related economic disadvantages faced by Black women that have accelerated across cohorts. Over time, Black women’s educational attainment has increased substantially, and high-achieving Black women, in particular, have become uniquely likely to progress beyond the BA. But while high-achieving Black women have made many advances in higher education, they also have become more likely than similarly high-achieving White men, White women, and Black men to have zero or negative wealth at the household level, and to accrue student debt for themselves and for their children. Our findings demonstrate that the costs of expanded access to credit for higher education have not been borne equally across race, gender, and achievement, and that these patterns have multigenerational financial consequences for college attendees and their families.

Objective: We examined the associations among parenting, children's moral emotions, and children's prosocial behaviors toward Black peers and White peers. Background: Parenting practices inform children's prosocial behaviors; however, the contextual and individual factors that predict children's differentiated prosocial behaviors have been understudied. Method: Participants were 190 White children (5.4 to 8.91 years old, 45.8% female) and their primary parents. Parents reported parenting practices. Children's prosocial behaviors were assessed through distribution tasks; children's sympathy and empathic anger were observed in response to films that depicted injustice toward others. Results: Nurturant parenting positively predicted, whereas restrictive parenting negatively predicted, children's prosocial behaviors toward diverse others. Additionally, parenting predicted children's prosocial behaviors toward Black peers only when children expressed low levels of empathic anger toward victimized Black peers. Conclusions: Overall, nurturant parenting is positively related, and restrictive parenting is negatively related, to children's prosocial behaviors toward different targets. Children's target-specific empathic anger moderated the relation of specific parenting practices to children's prosocial behaviors toward racial outgroup peers. Implications: White parents should understand the way that restrictive parenting might impede children's generosity toward diverse others and engage in nurturant parenting, especially when children do not naturally feel concerned about distressed outgroup members.

Previous work has suggested that the drastic Khmer-Rouge-era changes to the family institution have not endured. Potentially more influential in the long term were the rapid socio-economic changes Cambodia underwent starting in the 1990s. We use four waves of the Cambodian Demographic and Health Surveys from 2000 to 2014 to document contemporary trends in marriage formation and dissolution. We find little change in the centrality of marriage, as both cohabitation and sex between unmarried partners remain quite rare. Marriage also continues to be nearly universal and early for women, but we find that the transition to self-arranged “love” marriages occurred earlier and faster than previously documented. A sign that parental endorsement may still matter though, marriage dissolution continues to be associated with spousal characteristics deemed undesirable by past generations. While higher among recent marriage cohorts, especially in the first year after marriage, levels of marriage dissolution remain comparatively low overall.

Background: Bipolar disorder is a broad diagnostic construct associated with significant phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity challenging progress in clinical practice and discovery research. Prospective studies of well-characterized patients and their family members have identified lithium responsive (LiR) and lithium non-responsive (LiNR) subtypes that hold promise for advancement. Method: In this narrative review, relevant observations from published longitudinal studies of well-characterized bipolar patients and their families spanning six decades are highlighted. DSM diagnoses based on SADS-L interviews were decided in blind consensus reviews by expert clinicians. Genetic, neurobiological, and psychosocial factors were investigated in subsets of well-characterized probands and adult relatives. Systematic maintenance trials of lithium, antipsychotics, and lamotrigine were carried out. Clinical profiles that included detailed histories of the clinical course, symptom sets and disorders segregating in families were documented. Offspring of LiR and LiNR families were repeatedly assessed up to 20 years using KSADS-PL format interviews and DSM diagnoses and sub-threshold symptoms were decided by expert clinicians in blind consensus reviews using all available clinical and research data. Results: A characteristic clinical profile differentiated bipolar patients who responded to lithium stabilization from those who did not. The LiR subtype was characterized by a recurrent fully remitting course predominated by depressive episodes and a positive family history of episodic remitting mood disorders, and not schizophrenia. Response to lithium clustered in families and the characteristic clinical profile predicted lithium response, with the episodic remitting course being a strong correlate. There is accumulating evidence that genetic and neurobiological markers differ between LiR and LiNR subtypes. Further, offspring of bipolar parents subdivided by lithium response differed in developmental history, clinical antecedents and early course of mood disorders. Moreover, the nature of the emergent course bred true from parent to offspring, independent of the nature of emergent psychopathology. Conclusions: Bipolar disorders are heterogeneous and response to long-term lithium is associated with a familial subtype with characteristic course, treatment response, family history and likely pathogenesis. Incorporating distinctive clinical profiles that index valid bipolar subtypes into routine practice and research will improve patient outcomes and advance the development and translation of novel treatment targets to improve prevention and early intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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ObjectiveTo estimate the effects of state-level changes in the minimum wage on marriage and divorce among low-wage earners.BackgroundProponents of raising the minimum wage highlight the potential benefits of increased earnings for low-income families, yet to date research on the effects of raising the minimum wage has focused almost exclusively on economic outcomes. No research has yet documented whether these changes actually affect marriage and divorce.MethodUsing the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey, this project applied a quasi-experimental difference-in-difference method to exploit similarities between states that have, and have not, raised their minimum wage.ResultsAcross data sources, among men and women earning low wages, a one-dollar increase in the state minimum wage predicts a 3%-6% decline in marriage entry and a 7%-15% decline in divorce one and 2 years later.ConclusionBoth changes are likely to strengthen low-income families, and are substantially larger effects than those obtained by federal policies directly targeting interpersonal dynamics within low-income couples.ImplicationsGovernment policies that reduce stress on couples and facilitate their access to resources may improve family outcomes, invisibly and without making additional demands on the time of couples who are already strained.

Initial child welfare screening decisions, traditionally made by an individual worker, determine if a family will receive further intervention by child protective services. A multi-disciplinary team (MDT) decision-making approach for child welfare referrals aims to provide a more thorough assessment of needs and strengths and to connect families to appropriate community-based providers. This study examined 159 child welfare referrals handled by MDTs compared to 331 referrals handled via the traditional screening approach. The study used a pseudo randomization procedure to assign referrals to the study conditions: Referrals logged on 2.5 days of the week were assigned to the treatment group; all others were assigned to the comparison group. Referrals handled by an MDT were more than four times as likely as those not handled by an MDT to be referred to community-based organizations (OR = 4.32, p < .001). There were no statistically significant differences in families' engagement with community-based organizations or child welfare outcomes. MDTs are a promising step in the initial process of connecting families to services, although they did not affect this study's longer-term outcomes.

Parents’ socioeconomic status and personality traits are important predictors of parental warmth. The aim of the present study was to examine the multiplicative relations between parents’ socioeconomic status and personality traits in predicting parental warmth. Parents’ education was used as the indicator for parent’s socioeconomic status. Building on the resource substitution hypothesis, we expected that the associations between parents’ personality traits and parental warmth will be stronger among parents of lower socioeconomic status. Our sample comprised of 378 Lebanese parents who completed an online survey. We found significant interactions between parents’ socioeconomic status and three personality traits, which are agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Generally, we found evidence that personality traits compensate for low socioeconomic status in predicting parental warmth. Our findings call for further investigations of the complex relations between socioeconomic status and the different determinants of parenting, and allay concerns about the negative influence of socioeconomic status on parental warmth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this overview of academic programs related to Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) is to describe the current status of HDFS in the academy. Background: HDFS is an interdisciplinary nexus of family science, developmental science, and early childhood education (ECE), often coexisting in academic units. Method: Universities were identified using Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes in Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data. Program information was identified by review of university websites and online catalogs. Results: Six hundred thirty‐six programs granted 28,000 HDFS‐related degrees in the United States in 2019. Universities are evenly split between public and private and are geographically diverse. Approximately half of programs self‐identify as HDFS, 30% ECE, 15% developmental science, and 5% family science. The largest number of programs (53%) were in colleges of education, but they were widely dispersed across campuses, with self‐identified HDFS programs likely to be in colleges that reflect a home economics heritage. The most common department name was Human Development and Family Studies/Science, but these were only 25% of programs. Department names and degree names reflect an interdisciplinary collaboration of developmental science with family science but were less likely to reflect early education. There was little correspondence between the name of degrees offered and the CIP codes attached to them. Conclusion: HDFS has a large and interdisciplinary presence on university campuses but an unclear identity. Implications: HDFS needs to clarify its relationship with ECE and to decide whether to standardize its complex and interdisciplinary identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Objectives Materials and methods Results Discussion and conclusion There are likely to be hundreds of monogenic forms of human male infertility. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is the most efficient way to make progress in mapping the causative genetic variants, and ultimately improve clinical management of the disease in each patient. Recruitment of consanguineous families is an effective approach to ascertain the genetic forms of many diseases.To apply WGS to large consanguineous families with likely hereditary male infertility and identify potential genetic cases.We recruited seven large families with clinically diagnosed male infertility from rural Pakistan, including five with a history of consanguinity. We generated WGS data on 26 individuals (3–5 per family) and analyzed the resulting data with a computational pipeline to identify potentially causal single nucleotide variants, indels, and copy number variants.We identified plausible genetic causes in five of the seven families, including a homozygous 10 kb deletion of exon 2 in a well‐established male infertility gene (M1AP), and biallelic missense substitutions (SPAG6, CCDC9, TUBA3C) and an in‐frame hemizygous deletion (TKTL1) in genes with emerging relevance.The rate of genetic findings using the current approach (71%) was much higher than what we recently achieved using whole‐exome sequencing (WES) of unrelated singleton cases (20%). Furthermore, we identified a pathogenic single‐exon deletion in M1AP that would be undetectable by WES. Screening more families with WGS, especially in underrepresented populations, will further reveal the types of variants underlying male infertility and accelerate the use of genetics in the patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between marital satisfaction and life satisfaction through meta-analysis method. A total of 6163 studies were identified as a result of the literature scanning and accordingly examined on the basis of their titles and abstracts. Ultimately, results of 19 studies were included to analysis. The findings obtained from analyses were examined and it was determined that there is a significant difference in all subgroups regarding the relationship between marital satisfaction and life satisfaction. Output of REM analysis showed that the pooled effect size of the relationship between marital satisfaction and life satisfaction is moderate (0.46). Considering the screening process within the scope of this study, it can be concluded that there are too many poor reporting practices regarding the studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive function at middle age is of particular public health interest, as it strongly predicts later dementia. Children who have experienced abuse subsequently have worse cognitive function than those who have not. However, it remains unclear whether the association of abuse with cognitive function persists into middle age. In 2014-2016, 14,151 women ages 49-69 years who had previously responded to a childhood abuse questionnaire completed a cognitive battery. In models adjusted for childhood socioeconomic status and head trauma, combined physical, emotional, and sexual abuse was associated with lower scores on both Learning/Working Memory (severe abuse, lower scores similar to that observed in women 4.8 years older in our data) and Psychomotor Speed/Attention (severe abuse, lower scores similar to that observed in women to 2.9 years older in our data). Adjustment for adulthood socioeconomic status and health factors (e.g., smoking, hypertension) slightly attenuated associations. In exploratory analyses further adjusted for psychological distress, associations were attenuated. Women exposed versus unexposed to childhood abuse had poorer cognitive function at mid-life. Associations were particularly strong for learning and working memory and were not accounted for by adulthood health factors. Childhood abuse should be investigated as a potential risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia in old age.

Parents play a critical role in the progression and outcomes of juvenile dependency (child welfare court) cases. Yet, very little is known about these parents' knowledge, attitudes, and experiences. We examined legal understanding and attitudes among 201 parents involved in ongoing dependency cases in California and Florida via semi-structured, in-person interviews. We expected parents' understanding to be low and attitudes to be negative, particularly among parents of color and low SES parents. We expected greater dependency understanding to be related to more positive justice attitudes, and procedural and distributive justice attitudes to be indistinguishable in this population. Findings partially confirmed expectations. Parents' understanding of the system was low, especially among parents of color and less educated parents. Parents felt less than satisfied about the fairness of procedures and decisions. However, procedural and distributive justice attitudes were distinguishable. Finally, and unexpectedly, parents' knowledge and attitudes were negatively related. The consistently low levels of knowledge across CA and FL suggest the critical need to increase parental knowledge. It is also important to promote fair court procedures and decision-making to improve parents' attitudes about procedural and distributive justice, which were found to be distinct and important factors among parents navigating juvenile dependency cases.

ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to examine associations among economic strain, parenting self-efficacy, parenting satisfaction, and parent primary language in a universally low-income sample of parents with newborns.BackgroundPrevious research links increased economic strain to lower levels of parenting self-efficacy and parenting satisfaction among socioeconomically diverse parents with older children. Little research has examined whether primary language shapes the associations among economic strain, parenting self-efficacy, and parenting satisfaction.MethodParents (n = 194, M age = 30.91) completed self-report surveys measuring economic strain, parenting self-efficacy, and parenting satisfaction. Parents' ethnic self-identification and primary language were used to stratify parents into three groups: Latinx Spanish speakers, Latinx English speakers, and non-Latinx English speakers.ResultsRegression analyses revealed that economic strain was negatively associated with both parenting self-efficacy and parenting satisfaction. Further, the negative association between economic strain and parenting self-efficacy was stronger for Latinx Spanish speakers.ConclusionEconomic strain may negatively influence parenting self-efficacy and parenting satisfaction during the newborn period. Parents whose primary language is Spanish may be disproportionately affected by economic strain.ImplicationsParents of newborns may benefit from increased economic supports in linguistically responsive pediatric care and social service settings.

The implementation of evidence-based psychotherapies often requires significant commitments of time and expense from mental health providers. Psychotherapy protocols with rapid and efficient training and supervision requirements may have higher levels of uptake in publicly funded clinics. Family-focused therapy (FFT) is a 4-month, 12-session treatment for bipolar and psychosis patients consisting of psychoeducation, communication training, and problem-solving skills training. In a pilot randomized trial, we compared two methods of training community clinicians in FFT: (a) high intensity (n = 24), consisting of a 6-hour in-person didactic workshop followed by telephone supervision for every session with training cases; or (b) low-intensity training (n = 23), consisting of a 4-hour online workshop covering the same material as the in-person workshop followed by telephone supervision after every third session with training cases. Of 47 clinician participants, 18 (11 randomly assigned to high intensity, 7 to low) enrolled 34 patients with mood or psychotic disorders (mean age 16.5 ± 2.0 years; 44.1% female) in an FFT implementation phase. Expert supervisors rated clinicians' fidelity to the FFT manual based on taped family sessions. We detected no differences in fidelity scores between clinicians in the two training conditions, nor did patients treated by clinicians in high- versus low-intensity training differ in end-of-treatment depression or mania symptoms. Levels of parent/offspring conflict improved in both conditions. Although based on a pilot study, the results suggest that low-intensity training of community clinicians in FFT is feasible and can result in rapid achievement of fidelity benchmarks without apparent loss of treatment efficacy.

The term "childless" is highly problematic. Attempts to split it into "voluntary" and "involuntary" may appear to give more detail on context, but the differentiation can be misleading. The condition of "-less" has negative connotations and implies "missing" something; possibly something which is "natural." The term "childfree" has been employed as an alternative expression which denotes active choice, freedom, and emancipation. Few studies, however, have explored how individuals refer to themselves, or how they interpret—or even care—about these distinctions. Such existing studies only explore the use of these English expressions among speakers of English as their primary language. This exploratory qualitative study explores how women without children define themselves in their native language in an Asian setting—Cantonese in Hong Kong. It also explores how such women interpret the various terms developed in English to describe their circumstances. Respondents refer to themselves in neutral, factual terms—literally "without children." Others make an explicit link between being unmarried and childless status. While respondents find the English expression of "childfree" positive, they do not express a strong need to either deploy it in English, nor "develop" a Cantonese equivalent. The study provides further evidence that "labels" generated and applied by academics in one context and in one language may not be universally applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadly, this article details the imbrication of a Black feminist qualitative researcher's onto-epistemology and data (meta-) analysis process. I theorize Black feminist memory work, then apply this method by returning to data I collected for a completed research project and meshing those data with a curated selection of thematically connected family photographs. By revisiting and reviewing textual and visual data, I demonstrate the function of Black feminist memory work as a visual research method with which to not only describe, analyze, and interpret evocative photographs, but also excavate and make meaning of the sometimes repressed and oftentimes emotion-laden episodic and autobiographical memories that inevitably surface when conducting qualitative research. I conclude by underscoring how this tool creates opportunities for qualitative researchers to address the ontological concerns that connect qualitative inquiry to Black feminists' humanistic hopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth with autism face challenges accessing services as they transition to adulthood. Improving parents' ability to advocate for services on behalf of their youth may be an effective way to improve service access and ultimately transition outcomes in this group. In this study, we tested whether participating in an advocacy intervention improved parents' ability to advocate for services for their transition‐aged youth with autism. One hundred and eighty‐five parents of youth with autism ages 16–26, recruited across three states in the U.S., were randomized to one of two experimental conditions. The treatment condition received the ASSIST program, a 12‐week (24‐h) group‐based intervention. The control condition received the same written materials as the treatment condition. Primary outcomes for this report—parent advocacy ability—were collected at baseline (prior to randomization) and post‐test (immediately after the treatment group finished the 12‐week program) by survey. After taking ASSIST, the treatment condition had greater gains than controls in knowledge of adult services (B = −1.62, CI = −2.33 to −0.90) and perceived advocacy skills (B = −0.19, CI = −0.33 to −0.04). Participants who had less knowledge, lower perceived advocacy skills, and less active coping styles at baseline had the greatest treatment gains. Findings suggest that ASSIST is effective in improving parent advocacy ability and may be most beneficial for parents who experience greater challenges advocating for their son/daughter with autism. Future research will examine whether gains in parent advocacy ability leads to improvements in service access and post‐school outcomes for transition‐age youth with autism. Lay Summary: Disability services can be important tools to improve the lives of autistic youth, but they are often difficult to understand and access. This study tested whether a services advocacy program improved parents' ability to advocate for services on behalf of their son or daughter with autism. The study findings suggested that parents who took the program were better prepared to pursue disability services for their transition‐aged youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole-exome sequencing (WES) in families with an unexplained tendency for venous thromboembolism (VTE) may favor detection of low-frequency variants in genes with known contribution to hemostasis or associated with VTE-related phenotypes. WES analysis in six family members, three of whom affected by documented VTE, filtered for MAF < 0.04 in 192 candidate genes, revealed 22 heterozygous (16 missense and six synonymous) variants in patients. Functional prediction by multi-component bioinformatics tools, implemented by a database/literature search, including ClinVar annotation and QTL analysis, prioritized 12 missense variants, three of which (CRP Leu61Pro, F2 Asn514Lys and NQO1 Arg139Trp) were present in all patients, and the frequent functional variants FGB Arg478Lys and IL1A Ala114Ser. Combinations of prioritized variants in each patient were used to infer functional protein interactions. Different interaction patterns, supported by high-quality evidence, included eight proteins intertwined in the "acute phase" (CRP, F2, SERPINA1 and IL1A) and/or in the "fibrinogen complex" (CRP, F2, PLAT, THBS1, VWF and FGB) significantly enriched terms. In a wide group of candidate genes, this approach highlighted six low-frequency variants (CRP Leu61Pro, F2 Asn514Lys, SERPINA1 Arg63Cys, THBS1 Asp901Glu, VWF Arg1399His and PLAT Arg164Trp), five of which were top ranked for predicted deleteriousness, which in different combinations may contribute to disease susceptibility in members of this family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]