This dissertation examines caregiving contexts in early childhood. Specifically, I look at how caregiving contexts are related to or influenced by other caregiving contexts and broader social contexts. The dissertation is composed of an introductory chapter that provides a theoretical overview and summary of the dissertation followed by two additional...
Parents play a crucial role in shaping the contexts within which young children develop, particularly in the early years of a childs life (Bornstein, 2002; Brooks-Gunn & Markman, 2005; Maccoby & Martin, 1983). Parenting is also one of the key pathways through which socioeconomic factors, such as maternal education, may...
In three essays, this dissertation examined the associations between child characteristics, interparental discord and various aspects of child development and physiological functioning. In the first essay, using longitudinal, nationally representative data on infants and their families from the early childhood longitudinal study (ECLS-B), results revealed small, but significant associations between...