| The University of
Maryland, Baltimore County, will conduct three longitudinal data
analyses on 332 high maltreatment-risk children and their families.
The sample includes poor, African American families with (1)
children at biological risk due to prenatal drug exposure, (2)
children with failure to thrive (FTT) and associated psychosocial
risks, and (3) a matched control group from a well-baby clinic. The
overall objectives are to define maltreatment through an outcome
focus, to target limited CPS resources, and to maximize use of
existing data. The first study will examine the developmental
consequences of prenatal drug exposure and/or postnatal experience
with a drug-dependent adult. The study will evaluate the sequelae
of dual, of single, and of no exposure. The second study will
compare the cognitive development of poor children both with normal
growth with FTT to identify the factors related to their cognitive
development. The study will compare outcomes of normal and abnormal
growth and will examine the cognitive development of children with
FTT older than 4 years of age. This study will compare risk factors
for cognitive delays for children with normal and abnormal growth,
a comparison not undertaken in previous research. The third study
will examine the influence of disadvantaged contexts and the
interaction of family and community characteristics on
developmental outcomes. The objectives of this study are to examine
the relationship of structural disadvantage to parenting quality
and child development at age 5; to develop a measure of
neighborhood characteristics that will allow psychological
assessment independent of structural dimensions; to examine both
the relationship of maternal perceptions and of the interaction of
perceived and actual characteristics on parenting and child
development. |
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