Growing up Healthy: The Ecology of Child Well-Being

Abstract

Amato, P. R., & Booth, A. (1997). A Generation at Risk: Growing Up in an Era of Family Upheaval. Cambridge MS: Harvard University Press. Hardcover ISBN 0-674-29293-9. price $35.00. Weissberg. R. P., Gullata, R. P., Hampton, R. L, Ryan, B. A., & Adams, G, R. (Eds.). (1997). Healthy Children: Enhancing Children's Wellness. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Softcover ISBN 0-7619-1092- 1, price $29.95. Growing up healthy has never been a simple task; however, begetting a generation of healthy, well-functioning individuals is more complex today than it was in the past. The primary source of health-related habits, attitudes and beliefs, namely the family (Campbell, 1986; Doherty & McCubbin, 1985), has changed dramatically over the past three decades in response to changing social and cultural paradigms. And the World Health Organization's expanded conceptualization of health in 1974 to include physical. psychological and social functioning rather than just the absence of disease, created a new genre of threats to child well-being, Finally, a growing demand for health has perpetuated a culture that is highly sensitive to potential barriers to well-being (Barsky, 1988), particularly among children. The question begging to be asked is, how can children grow up healthy and reach their fullest potential? The impact of changing family structure and family processes ties at the heart of the child well-being literature. Theoretical, methodological and empirical evidence is converging to indicate that family processes, particularly parental involvement, are the most important determinants of child well-being (Acock & Demo, 1994; Amato & Keith, 1991 a, 199 lb-, See also October 1998 issue of Family Relations). Despite the ongoing debate regarding the importance of family structure (Poponoe, 1993; Skolnick, 1994), we know that children raised in families with low levels of parental conflict, and who have parents that provide monitoring and support, have higher levels of physical, psychological and social well-being. By taking different perspectives, the two books reviewed for this essay frame the issue of child well-being nicely. Amato and Booth present the results of longitudinal data examining how changes within the family of origin over time influence the psychological and social well-being of children upon entering young adulthood. Weissberg and colleagues, on the other hand, present a bounty of empirical information regarding the most effective interventions for promoting physical, psychological and social wellbeing among children and adolescents. The authors and editors of both books support and advance Our understanding of child wellbeing by demonstrating that a child's well-being results from complex interactions between the active individual and the people and events in their social milieu over time. In A Generation at Risk, Amato and Booth examine how changes in economic well-being, gender roles, family relationships, and family structure within the family of origin affect children's psychological and social well-being during young adulthood. Using self-reported, nationally representative data from the Study of Marital Instability Over the Life Course (N = 2,033), the authors examined direct effect, moderated (e.g., gender. age) and mediated (i.e., through parental support and control) models of the association between changes in the family of origin and adult child wellbeing. Results generally support the life course hypotheses anticipating that changes within the family have long tasting affects on individual family members (oftentimes through parental support): however, results also indicated that these associations varied by age and gender depending upon the outcome of interest. Amato and Booth do an excellent job presenting the real world effects of family change on young adults and staying clear of the ideological arguments regarding the state of the American family (although the use of upheaval in the title suggests that the family is in decline). …