The Role of Family Functioning in Children's Development

Much of the work in our lab has sought to identify family and child factors that play a critical role in children’s healthy emotional and behavioral development. We have used longitudinal designs to understand these important family processes. These studies have focused on understanding the important role that parenting practices, parent psychopathology, and family stressors play in young children’s development, particularly among children with behavior problems. This work has documented not only the important role that mothers play in children’s development, but also shines a light on the role that fathers play in the prognosis for young children with behavior problems. In addition, using longitudinal methods, we have been able to better understand not only the ways in which parents influence children, but also how children influence their parents.

Herbert SD, Harvey EA, Lugo-Candelas CI, Breaux RP. Early fathering as a predictor of later psychosocial functioning among preschool children with behavior problems. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2013 Jul;41(5):691-703. PubMed PMID: 23269560; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4641444.

Harvey EA, Metcalfe LA. The interplay among preschool child and family factors and the development of ODD symptoms. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2012;41(4):458-70. PubMed PMID: 22530755; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3383894.

Harvey EA, Metcalfe LA, Herbert SD, Fanton JH. The role of family experiences and ADHD in the early development of oppositional defiant disorder. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2011 Dec;79(6):784-95. PubMed PMID: 21942501; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3227539.

Breaux, R., Harvey, E., & Lugo-Candelas, C. (2014). The role of parent psychopathology in the development of preschool children with behavior problems. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 43, 777-790.