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The Value of Multiple‐Generation Cohorts for Studying Parenting and Child Development
Author(s) -
Kretschmer Tina
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
child development perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1750-8606
pISSN - 1750-8592
DOI - 10.1111/cdep.12403
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , perspective (graphical) , child development , offspring , developmental science , cohort , longitudinal study , medicine , pregnancy , genetics , pathology , artificial intelligence , biology , computer science
Participants in longitudinal studies that followed children into adulthood now have children of their own, which has enabled researchers to establish multiple‐generation cohorts. In this article, I illustrate the benefits of multiple‐generation cohort studies for developmental researchers, including: (a) the impact of child and adolescent characteristics (i.e., preconception factors) on parenthood can be studied from a developmental perspective and without having to rely on retrospective reports, (b) intergenerational continuity and transmission can be examined for psychological, behavioral, and social development, and by comparing parent and offspring generations for the same developmental period, and (c) the interplay of genetic and environmental influences on parenting and child development can be disentangled. Even though multiple‐generation studies pose unique logistical and methodological challenges, such cohorts are indispensable for rigorous research into parenting and the origins of child development.