First published in 1986. In recent years, the importance of caring for and nurturing the young has moved from the private concern of families to the public agenda. This has been due in part to some of the failures of childrearing within the family, as shown in instances of abuse, neglect, and incest. Other symptoms that also may be related to the stresses inherent in contemporary parenting are latch-key children, delinquency, adolescent suicide, and substance abuse among children and adolescents.

Part I of this volume focuses on the developing child's responses to infants and younger children as possible precursors of later nurturance. The research studies outlined in this section provide detailed descriptions of the range of responses of children of different ages to the young. In addition, they call attention to person and situational variables-such as gender, sibling status, adult encouragement, and the infant's own responses to the child-that appear to modify children's behavior during child-infant interaction. Part II extends the developmental course of nurturance by examining early parenting and its determinants. In addition, cultural contexts and biological influences are examined for their potential impact on the developmental course of nurturance.