'Family': methodologies for studying families and family effects

This project addressed some of the most fundamental methodological issues facing family researchers today. In recent years, behavioural genetics has increased understanding of not only genetics effects on child development but also environmental effects and the interaction between the two. A major aim of the proposed research was to develop optimum methods for assessing both shared (ie, common to all children in a family) and non-shared (ie, specific to individual children in the family) influences and the relationship between them.

The project also examined the influences of the wider social environment in which families operate.

• ESRC award details

Working papers

• Multilevel Models for Family Data (PDF, 199kB)

Presentations

• Presentation To Oxford RM festival (2005):
• Multilevel Models For Family Data (PowerPoint, 0.4 mb)

Publications

• Rasbash, J., Jenkins, J., O'Connor, T. G., Reiss D., Tackett, J.(2008) A Social Relations Model of Family Negativity and Positivity Using a Genetically-informative Sample. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (submitted) ( auxiliary graphs (PDF, 89kB))
• Jenkins, J., Rasbash, J., and O'Connor, T. G., Dunn J., Simpson A.(2004). The mutual influence of marital conflict and children's behaviour problems: shared and non-shared family risks. Child development 75(6)
• Jenkins J., Behnke P., Dunn J., O'Connor T., Rasbash J.,(2005) Change in Maternal Perception of Sibling Negativity: Within- and Between-Family Influences. Journal of Family Psychology Vol. 19, No. 4, 533-541
• Thomas G. O'Connor, Judy Dunn, Jennifer M. Jenkins and Jon Rasbash. Predictors of between-family and within-family variation in parent-child relationships Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 47:5 (2006), pp 498-510
• O’Connor, T.G., Cheng, H., Dunn, J., Golding, J., and the ALSPAC Study Team. (2005). Factors Moderating Change in Depressive Symptoms In Women Following Separation: Findings from a Community Study in England. Psychological Medicine,35, 715-724.
• O’Connor, T.G., Jenkins, J.M., Dunn, J., Rasbash, J. Predictors of child-specific and differential parenting: A multilevel analysis of families with multiple children, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (in press).
• O’Connor, T.G. How Behavioral Genetics Findings Accentuate Family Process. Families, Systems, and Health. (in press).
• O’Connor, T.G., Wynne, L.C. Genetics and Family Process, Current Directions in Psychological Science. (in press).