The purpose of this study was to develop a causal model to examine the ways in which familial and social variables influence identity development in late adolescence. Four hundred and ten 18-to 21-year-old male and female college students at a large Midwestern university completed a questionnaire assessing familial security, familial and social relations, and three dimensions of identity. The resulting causal models indicated that security in familial relations enhanced identity development directly, and also indirectly by initially enhancing adolescents' social confidence and degree of interpersonal affiliation. However, the pattern of interaction among these variables varied with sex and with the specific identity measure used. It is suggested that security in familial relations may provide the support for meaningful exploration and experimentation, and enhance aspects of adolescents' sociability, which, when taken together, may enhance the identity formation process.

An attachment-based, psychotherapeutic parent education course was created for incarcerated mothers and fathers to help improve their ability to provide positive parenting and a more stable home environment for their children. The current study assessed the effects of this parenting curriculum on parents' reported tendencies to be abusive, their sense of efficacy and satisfaction as a parent, their psychological distress, and their knowledge of child development and positive child guidance. Results of pre-post assessments showed a significant improvement in parents' reported sense of efficacy and satisfaction in the parenting role; their knowledge, skills, and behavior as a parent; their understanding of child development; their knowledge of alternatives to using corporal punishment; establishing appropriate parent-child boundaries; and they were less likely to view their child's independence as a threat. Females showed a significant decrease in distress symptoms. Results are discussed in terms of the need for effective, high-quality parent education as an important component of intervention programs that aim to improve the developmental outcome for children of incarcerated parents.

Stepping movements were investigated for evidence of early motor asymmetry in 24 familial right‐handed infants and 14 familial left‐handed infants at each of five ages: 2–3 days after birth, 14 days, and 1, 2, and 3 months of age. Results indicated a nonsignificant right leg advantage during the newborn period, with few significant lateral preferences evidenced in either direction at later testing ages. These results fail to indicate that a reliable leg preference persists beyond the newborn period, particularly among familial right‐handed infants. Thus, it seems unlikely that an asymmetry in stepping movements during early infancy marks the beginning of a direct developmental path that culminates in a motor asymmetry in later childhood.

No abstract