Child Rearing in America
Challenges Facing Parents with Young Children

This book presents a wealth of information about the lives of families with very young children.

Neal Halfon (Edited by), Kathryn Taaffe McLearn (Edited by), Mark A. Schuster (Edited by)

9780521813204, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 August 2002

450 pages, 16 b/w illus. 82 tables
23.5 x 16.1 x 3.2 cm, 0.759 kg

"We know a great deal about children's behavior, but heartbreakingly little about what their parents do, believe, and need. The findings of Child Rearing in America are sometimes shocking and frequently sobering, but always they represent a sense of hope. The information in this book represents a cutting edge and critical part of the foundation on which we must develop social policies and programs to support parents and benefit the next generation of American children. It should be in the library of everyone who is concerned about families and about family policy." Edward Zigler, Yale University

This rich and well-researched volume comes in the wake of intense national interest in young children. Leading scholars from diverse disciplines use relevant data from the Commonwealth Survey of Parents with Young Children to present new information about the lives of families with very young children - how parents spend their time with their children, the economic and social challenges they face, and the supports they receive to improve their children's health and development. Such a broad portrait based on nationally representative date has not been attempted before. Drawing on their extensive expertise and research in the issues being addressed, the authors examine and elaborate on the survey findings. They synthesize the major themes emerging from the data and consider the family, community, and policy implications to frame and interpret the results. What emerges is a picture of the complex forces that influence families and child-rearing in the early years.

1. Introduction and overview
Part I. Conditions of Families with Young Children Neal Halfon, Mark A. Schuster and Kathryn Taaffe McLearn: 2. Resources devoted to child development by families and society M. Rebecca Kilburn and Barbara L. Wolfe
3. Preparing for parenthood: who's ready, who's not? Constance T. Gager, Sara S. McLanahan and Dana A. Glei
Part II. Child Rearing Practices: 4. Meeting the challenges of new parenthood: responsibilities, advice, and perceptions Allison Sidle Fuligni and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn
6. Child discipline in the first three years of life Lawrence S. Wissow
7. Breastfeeding in the United States today: are families prepared? Wendelin M. Slusser and Linda Lange
8. Depressive symptoms in parents of children under age three: sociodemographic predictors, current correlates, and associated parenting behaviors Karlen Lyons Ruth, Rebecca Wolfe, Amy Lyubchik, Jessica Grogan and Ronald Steingard
Part III. Delivery of Health Services to Mothers and Children: 9. Prenatal care, delivery, and birth outcomes Paul H. Wise
10. Access to health care for young children in the United States Paul W. Newacheck, Miles Hochstein, Kristen S. Marchi and Neal Halfon
11. Anticipatory guidance: what information do parents receive? What information do they want? Mark A. Schuster, Michael Regalado, Naihua Duan and David J. Klein
Part IV. Future Direction and Policy Implications: 12. New models of pediatric care Barry Zuckerman and Steven Parker
13. Families with children under three: what we know and implications for results and policy Neal Halfon and Kathryn Taaffe McLearn.

Subject Areas: Paediatric medicine [MJW], Personal & public health [MBNH], Medicine: general issues [MB], Law [L], Psychology [JM], Social work [JKSN]