| Abstract: | Demographically matched groups of normal, nonreferred children who had, or had not, experienced one of four family background problems (lack of educational stimulation in the home, family pressures to succeed, economic difficulties, and general family problems) were compared on teacher ratings of school maladjustment and competencies. Children with each of these family problems had greater school difficulties and fewer resources than matched controls without such histories. Systematic relations, paralleling earlier findings with referred samples, were found between specific types of family and school problems. Thus, children from homes lacking educational stimulation had higher learning and acting-out problem scores than controls, and children under family pressure to succeed had higher anxiety ratings than controls. Some implications of these findings for prevention were considered. |
