Family Influences on Childhood Behavior and Development: Evidence-Based Prevention and Treatment Approaches

Families matter. Families provide the context in which children are raised and exposed to the larger world around them. Families clothe, bathe, and feed, and they create the environment in which children grow and develop. Families may be coventional or unconventional, biological or acquired, and are influenced by race, ethnicity, income, and education. Families teach about relationships and interactions with others, and they are part of neighborhoods, communities, and the world at large.