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Person‐Centered Approaches to Understanding Early Family Risk
Author(s) -
JobeShields Lisa,
Andrews Arthur R.,
Parra Gilbert R.,
Williams Natalie A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of family theory and review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.454
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1756-2589
pISSN - 1756-2570
DOI - 10.1111/jftr.12118
Subject(s) - early childhood , stressor , psychology , developmental psychology , context (archaeology) , childhood development , clinical psychology , paleontology , biology
Research consistently indicates that exposure to early family adversity is associated with compromised development in early childhood. Consequently, researchers, direct service workers, and policy makers have sought to understand and alleviate the multidimensional stressors faced by families during the prenatal and early childhood periods. Person‐centered approaches are one method of understanding the interplay of risk factors. The present review synthesizes current person‐centered research investigating social and economic risk factors during the prenatal and early childhood periods, and summarizes how person‐centered approaches have advanced the understanding of early family risk and later child adaptive functioning. Results are discussed in the context of the family during early childhood development, with a discussion of clinical and prevention‐based implications.