Families and Child Health

Abstract

Sixteen papers, based on presentations made at the Nineteenth Annual Penn State Symposium on Family Issues held in October 2011, explore the family's role in child health and development. Papers discuss the developmental origins of chronic disease; how can we overcome the biological inertia of past deprivation?--anthropological perspectives on the developmental origins of adult health; developmental origins of disease and health disparities--limitations and future directions; the effects of early severe psychosocial deprivation on children's cognitive and social development--lessons from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project; family discord and child health--an emotional security formulation; family influences on children's mental and physical health--some contributions of, and challenges to, the emotional security theory; emotional insecurity and child health--implications and future directions; could emotional security theory help advance family-focused preventive interventions?; life course exposures and socioeconomic disparities in child health; life course exposures and socioeconomic disparities in child health--opportunities for intervention; social class and child health--our complexity complex; the pro-family workplace--social and economic policies and practices and their impacts on child and family health; work-family strain and health care for children; harder than rocket science?--the science of designing and implementing strong family-friendly policies; emerging evidence from research that can improve social policies and programs to impact child health; and integrating perspectives on child health. Landale, McHale, and Booth are at Pennsylvania State University. Index.