Prenatal cigarette exposure and infant learning stimulation as predictors of cognitive control in childhood.

Prenatal exposures to neurotoxins and postnatal parenting practices have been shown to independently predict variations in the cognitive development and emotional-behavioral well-being of infants and children. We examined the independent contributions of prenatal cigarette exposure and infant learning stimulation, as well as their inter-relationships in predicting variations in the proficiency of executive attention, a core element of cognitive control and self-regulation. Participants were an ethnic-racially, socio-economically diverse sample of 249 children followed from birth in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods.

Self-regulation and its relations to adaptive functioning in low income youths.

Most studies of self-regulation involving children have linked it to specific outcomes within a single domain of adaptive functioning. The authors examined the association of self-regulation with a range of indices of adaptive functioning among 155 youth ages 8-18 years from families with very low income. Controlling for other explanatory variables, self-regulation was strongly associated with various outcome measures in the areas of mental health, behavior, academic achievement, and social competence.

A comparison of the health and mental health status of homeless mothers in Worcester, Mass: 1993 and 2003.

Objectives: We assessed background characteristics, health status, and prevalence rates of mental health disorders in 2 studies of homeless mothers conducted in Worcester, Mass, one in 1993 and the other in 2003.

Methods: We compared the women taking part in the 2 studies, which involved similar methodologies, on the key variables of interest over time.

Results: Homeless families taking part in the 2003 study were poorer than those taking part in the 1993 study, and female heads of household in that study reported more physical health limitations, major depressive illness, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Exposure to violence and low-income children's mental health: direct, moderated, and mediated relations.

The authors examined the association between exposure to violence and different indexes of mental health among 95 extremely poor children (age range = 8-17 years) and analyzed potential moderators and mediators. Findings indicated that 62% of youths had been exposed to at least 1 form of violence. Controlling for other explanatory factors, exposure to violence was significantly associated with internalizing symptoms (e.

Characteristics of resilient youths living in poverty: the role of self-regulatory processes.

As part of a larger investigation of very low income families, this study examined the characteristics that differentiated resilient from nonresilient school-age youths, with a focus on self-regulation (e.g., executive function, emotion regulation) skills.