IMPACT OF PARENTAL HEALTH-PROBLEMS ON CHILDREN - CONCEPTS, METHODS, AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Described conceptual and methodological issues that arise in the desig n and analysis of data from studies of the impact of parental health p roblems on children. Researchers should consider how the functional ef fects, duration, and type of exposure of parental health problems affe ct children's psychological experience. Multiple pathways (e.g., paren tal modeling, family socialization practices, and genetic factors) tha t affect the transmission of psychological and/or health risk to child ren need to be considered. Important methodological issues in this are a of research include sample selection and bias, confounding factors, and limited assessment of family influences. Future work should identi fy factors that enhance child and family resilience to the effects of parental health problems. Studies are also needed to develop and test interventions to reduce the psychological morbidity associated with pa rental health problems.