Examining the impact of parental risk on family functioning among homeless and housed families.

The present study used data from 132 families that were homeless and a comparison group of 434 housed families in order to compare family functioning across the two groups. Family functioning was assessed by family support workers when the families sought help from one of seven family service agencies in Washington, DC. Multiple regression models showed that there were few differences between homeless and housed families; a difference that did emerge showed that homeless families fared better than housed families in terms of children's developmental stimulation. However, when considering the compounding effects of additional family risk factors, adverse effects of homelessness were observed. As compared with housed families, homeless families with a history of parental mental illness had limited access to support networks and poorer interactions with their children. Poor financial and living conditions were observed among homeless families with histories of substance use. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The role of home-visiting programs in preventing child abuse and neglect.

Kimberly Howard and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn examine home visiting, an increasingly popular method for delivering services for families, as a strategy for preventing child abuse and neglect. They focus on early interventions because infants are at greater risk for child abuse and neglect than are older children. In their article, Howard and Brooks-Gunn take a close look at evaluations of nine home-visiting programs: the Nurse-Family Partnership, Hawaii Healthy Start, Healthy Families America, the Comprehensive Child Development Program, Early Head Start, the Infant Health and Development Program, the Early Start Program in New Zealand, a demonstration program in Queensland, Australia, and a program for depressed mothers of infants in the Netherlands. They examine outcomes related to parenting and child well-being, including abuse and neglect. Howard and Brooks-Gunn conclude that, overall, researchers have found little evidence that home-visiting programs directly prevent child abuse and neglect. But home visits can impart positive benefits to families by way of influencing maternal parenting practices, the quality of the child's home environment, and children's development. And improved parenting skills, say the authors, would likely be associated with improved child well-being and corresponding decreases in maltreatment over time. Howard and Brooks-Gunn also report that the programs have their greatest benefits for low-income, first-time adolescent mothers. Theorists and policy makers alike believe strongly that home visiting can be a beneficial and cost-effective strategy for providing services to families and children. If home-visiting programs are to have their maximum impact, service providers must follow carefully the guidelines mandated by the respective programs, use professional staff whose credentials are consistent with program goals, intervene prenatally with at-risk populations, and carry out the programs with fidelity to their theoretical models.

Relationship Supportiveness during the Transition to Parenting among Married and Unmarried Parents.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined trajectories of mothers' and fathers' ratings of the other parent's supportiveness over the first five years after the birth of a child in order to capture the ways in which relationship quality changes for married and unmarried couples during the transition to parenthood. DESIGN: The sample consisted of 2172 mothers and fathers, at least one of whom was experiencing a first birth. Parents were assessed at birth and again when their child was 1, 3, and 5 years old. At each assessment they reported on the emotional supportiveness they received from the other parent as well as their relationship status. RESULTS: Latent growth curve models revealed that for both mothers and fathers, supportiveness tended to be high at birth and decreased steadily thereafter. Furthermore, perceived supportiveness at one year was a better predictor than the same measure at birth in terms of predicting changes in supportiveness over time and whether or not the couple would break up by the child's fifth birthday. Married couples had the most positive trajectories, with higher levels of supportiveness than dating or non-romantic parents and less decline over time than cohabiting couples. Relationship supportiveness also varied by key demographic variables including parental race. CONCLUSION: Reports of partner supportiveness at birth may not be a good indicator of later support or stability. However, by one year postpartum, supportiveness ratings may be more representative of the overall relationship. Family structure is also important in understanding the nature of the transition to parenting among first time parents.

Continuity of paternal social support and depressive symptoms among new mothers.

The present study examined trajectories of paternal support and maternal depressive symptoms over the first two years after the birth of a child. First-time mothers (N = 582) were assessed 6 times during the first 24 months of their child's life. At each assessment they reported on a number of ways in which their child's father provided support, and at three of the assessments, their own depressive symptomatology was assessed. Latent growth curve models revealed that while higher support was related to lower depressive symptomatology, both paternal support and maternal depression tended to decrease over time. The relationships between paternal support and maternal depression are complex and suggest the importance of considering the multiple ways that parents influence one another over time.

Cell phones and the measurement of child neglect: the validity of the parent-child activities interview.

Two multisite studies were conducted to assess the feasibility of using cell phone interviews (the Parent-Child Activities Interview) to learn more about the quality of daily parenting among high-risk mothers, including child neglect. In Study 1, 45 primiparous teenage mothers with 3- to 9-month-old infants were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups: one received frequent cell phone interviews and the other group less frequent interviews over their home telephone. Relationships among paper-and-pencil surveys of parenting (gathered in person) and a Parenting Essentials score (coded from the phone interviews) were significantly correlated. In Study 2, adolescent and adult mothers and their first-born children ( n = 544) completed 2 observations of parenting in their home as well as a series of 3 PCA calls at ages 4 and 8 months. Parenting Essentials coded from the interviews were significantly related to observed measures of parenting at both time points. The Parent-Child Activities Interview shows promise as a reliable and valid measure of parenting, capturing frequent and detailed information about daily parenting practices. Cell phones may prove useful in intervening with mothers at risk of suboptimal parenting and child neglect.

Fathers' influence in the lives of children with adolescent mothers.

Little is known about the extent, nature, and impact of fathers of children with adolescent mothers. The current study measured father involvement with 134 children of adolescent mothers over the first 10 years of life. Overall, 59% had consistent father contact across the first 8 years. This contact was associated with better socioemotional and academic functioning at 8 and 10 years of age, particularly in school related areas. Children with greater levels of father contact had fewer behavioral problems and had higher scores on reading achievement; these results held after controlling for maternal risk. The findings showed the important role that fathers play in the lives of at-risk children, even if the father does not reside with the child.