Understanding how family-level dynamics affect children\u27s development : Studies of two-parent families

Despite advances in family and child research over the past decade, most studies continue to examine dyadic subsystems of the larger family system rather than the full family context. With few exceptions, empirical support for the utility of whole-family analysis in child development research remains to be established. This sourcebook draws together diverse studies of whole-family (2-parent) dynamics to explore the potential of this paradigm for understanding individual variability in children\u27s early social and emotional development. Several chapters underscore the significance of coparental processes—behaviors between adults that include and involve the child. Other chapters assess patterns of cohesion, emotion, coordination, and involvement among members of the family group. Though the studies reported in this sourcebook capture family-level processes in only 1 type of family, they provide a knowledge base from which subsequent research on other family configurations can proceed