Child Development

Laura E. Berk 8th edition

Chapter 14
The Family




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Evolutionary Origins of Families
Assuming responsibility for childrens
enhanced survival
Fathers invested care and time
Extended kinship groups also helped
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Functions of the Family
Reproduction
Economic services
Social order
Socialization
Emotional support
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Family as a Social System
Family system
A network of interdependent relationships
Bidirectional
influences
All parties in the interaction
influence each other
Direct
influences
How people act with each other
Indirect
influences
Third parties that affect family
members
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Transition to Parenthood
Many profound changes
Roles often become more traditional
Reduced with second child
Marriage can be strained
Problems before children
predict problems after
Sharing care can help
Later parenthood
eases transition
Intervention for high-risk parents



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Benefits to Families
of Strong Community Ties
Parental interpersonal acceptance
Parental access to information and
services
Child-rearing controls,
role models
Direct assistance
with child-rearing
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Child-Rearing Styles
Acceptance Involve-
ment
Control Autonomy
Authoritative High High Adaptive Appropriate
Authoritarian Low Low High Low
Permissive High
Too low
or too
high
Low High
Uninvolved Low Low Low Indifference
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Making Parenting Matter
Teach moral values
Help overcome unfavorable
disposition
Adapt parenting
Foster positive capacities
Rich, varied experiences
Use authoritative style
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Development and Child-Rearing
Middle Childhood
Coregulation
Adolescence
Fostering autonomy
Emotional
Behavioral
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SES and Child-Rearing
Socioeconomic status:
Index of education, occupation, income
High SES - Affluence Low SES - Poverty
Many benefits. Children may
get more
Father involvement
Time, energy, material
resources
Involvement in decisions
Risks:
Accomplishment pressure
Isolation from adults
Can be stressful; children may
get more
Commands
Criticism
Coercive discipline
Physical punishment
Uninvolved father
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The Importance of Dinner
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Ethnicity and Child-Rearing
Compared to European-Americans, some
groups might use
More warmth
More strict control
More extended family
Parenting depends on
cultural values and
family context
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Types of Families
Traditional
Employed parents
One-child
Gay & lesbian parents
Single parents
Divorced parents
Blended
Extended
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The African-American
Extended Family
Emotional support,
shared income and
resources
Associated with more
positive mother-child
interaction during the
preschool years
Plays an important
role in transmitting
African-American
culture
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Trends in Having Children
Smaller numbers of children
Average fewer than 2
Mothers careers
Have first child later
Divorce

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IQ and Large Families
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Growing Up With Siblings
Early
Can be difficult transition for firstborn
Infants find older siblings comforting
Play together by second year
Temperament, parenting,
family context affect relationship
Middle Childhood/Adolescence
Rivalry increases in middle childhood
Still provide companionship
Must adjust to adolescence
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One-Child Families
Only children
Higher in self-esteem and motivation
Do better in school
Attain higher levels of education than children
with siblings
Closer relationships with parents
Can be less accepted in their peer groups

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Adoption and Adjustment
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Gay and Lesbian Parents
Children similar to children of
heterosexuals in
Mental health
Peer relations
Gender identity
Sexual orientation

May develop more empathy and
tolerance
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Single Parents
90 percent mothers
Young African-American
women most likely to
postpone marriage
Many marry later
Risks
Poverty
Poor child outcomes
Rely on extended families
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International Divorce Rates
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Consequences of
Parental Divorce
Immediate
Instability, conflict,
drop in income
Parental stress,
disorganization
Consequences
affected by:
Age
Temperament
Sex
Long-Term
Improved adjustment
after 2 years
Boys & children with
difficult temperaments
more likely to have
problems
Fathers involvement
affects adjustment
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Child-Rearing Styles and Childrens
Divorce Adjustment
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Helping Families
Through Divorce
Divorce mediation
Joint custody
Child support
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Blended Families
Mother-Stepfather
Most frequent
Boys usually adjust
quickly
Girls adapt less
favorably
Older children and
adolescents of both
sexes display more
problems
Father-Stepmother
Often leads to reduced
father-child contact
Children in fathers
custody often react
negatively
Girls & stepmothers
slow to get along at first,
more positive interaction
later
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Maternal Employment and
Child Development
Benefits
Higher self-esteem
Positive family and peer relations
Fewer gender stereotypes
Better grades
More father involvement
Drawbacks
Less time for children
Risk of ineffective parenting
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Support for Working Parents
Flexible schedules,
job sharing
Sick leave
Involvement of
other parent
Equal pay
and opportunities
High-quality child care
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Child-Care Arrangements
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Factors to Consider
in Choosing Child Care
Physical setting
Group size
Caregiver-child ratio
Daily activities
Adult-child interactions
Teacher qualifications
Relationships with parents
Licensing & accreditation
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Self-Care
Increases with age, SES
Effects vary with
Childrens maturity
How children spend their time
Time alone
Parenting
Supervision needed
until age 8 or 9
After-school programs helpful
through early adolescence
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Child Maltreatment
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Neglect
Emotional abuse
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Factors Related to
Child Maltreatment
Parent characteristics
Child characteristics
Family characteristics
Community
Culture
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Child Sexual Abuse
Victims
More often female
Reported in middle childhood
Abusers
Usually male
Parent or known by parent
Consequences
Emotional reactions
Physical symptoms
Effects on behavior
Prevention
and Treatment
Prevention: education
Treatment: long-term therapy
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Home Visits for
Child Abuse Prevention
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