SAGE Journal Articles

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Article 1: Kim, H. S. (2011). Consequences of parental divorce for child development. American Sociological Review, 76(3), 487-511.

Learning Objective: 13.1
How does the asset support this Learning Objective? The article discusses the findings regarding the impact of divorce on children (part of the section on “What Constitutes a Family?”

Summary: In the article, Kim propose a three-stage estimation model to examine the effect of parental divorce on the development of children’s cognitive skills and noncognitive traits. Using a framework that includes pre-, in-, and post-divorce time periods, the author disentangle the complex factors affecting children of divorce Within some combinations of developmental domains and stages, in particular from the in-divorce stage onward, findings show negative effects of divorce even after accounting for selection factors that influence children’s skills and traits at or before the beginning of the dissolution process. These negative outcomes do not appear to intensify or abate in the ensuing study period.

Questions to Consider:

  1. What is the difference between pre-, in-, and post-divorce time periods with respect to development?
  2. What aspects of academic achievement are affected?
  3. What implications does the research have on supporting children experiencing divorce?
     

Article 2: Linares, L. O., Montalto, D., Rosbruch, N., & Li, M. (2006). Discipline practices among biological and foster parents. Child Maltreatment, 11(2), 157-167.

Learning Objective: 13.3
How does the asset support this Learning Objective? The article discusses discipline practices and parent-to-parent cooperation and effective discipline.

Summary: In a sample of 124 parents (62 pairs of biological and foster parents) of children who were maltreated (M age = 6.2 years), this study compared self-reports of discipline practices be- tween biological and foster parents toward a target child and explored the role of child, parent, and foster care ecology factors on discipline practices. Controlling for parental age, psychological distress, and marital status, biological and foster parents reported using similar levels of positive, appropriate, and harsh discipline. For biological and foster parents, child characteristics (being female, younger, and having more con- duct problems) were associated with parental self-reports of less effective discipline. The study also found a positive association between parent-to-parent cooperation and effective discipline. These findings suggest that parenting interventions may need to move beyond simple presumption of deficits in parenting knowledge, and that children could benefit from enhancement of supportive relationships between biological and foster parents involved in the foster care system.

Questions to Consider:

  1. What are the best practices for family-to-family discipline practices to promote child well-being during foster placement?
  2. What are the key child factors are associated with the different discipline styles of biological and foster parents?
  3. What are the ethnic differences in parenting and what was found to increase positive discipline and lowering harsh discipline?