We conducted 2 studies to (a) establish the usefulness of the construct of home chaos, (b) investigate its correlates, and (c) determine the validity of the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS) used to measure the construct in each study. Study 1 relied on a sample of European American preschoolers and their mothers and Study 2 on a sample of African American school-age children and their caregivers. Home chaos was associated with less effective parental discipline; elevated behavior problems, limited attentional focusing, and reduced ability to understand and respond to social cues in children; and reduced accuracy and efficiency in a cooperative parent-child interactional task, after controlling for potential confounds. It is concluded that (a) home chaos is not a proxy for adverse social or psychological circumstances but a useful construct in its own right; (b) home chaos is associated with multiple detrimental correlates in parents and children; and (c) the CHAOS scale provides an adequate and economical measure of home confusion and disorganization that should prove useful in clinical research with diverse populations.

According to developmental research, peer relationships serve a positive function in children's, adolescents', and adults' lives. We expected that peer relationships would also benefit emerging adults as they transition into college. Using friendship quality and attachment measures, we examined the link between the closeness of peer relationships (with high school and college friends) and adjustment outcomes (academic, social, emotional, and institutional attachment) among 271 first-year college students. Results suggest that a close relationship with a high school friend is beneficial during the first weeks of college, but later in the first semester there are more benefits to having a close relationship with a new college friend.

In a survey of 271 undergraduates conducted during the 2nd and 11th week of their 1st semester of college, the authors found that self‐esteem mediated relations between social anxiety and academic, social, and institutional adjustment. Implications for 1st‐year college students with social anxiety are discussed, with an emphasis on early identification and recommendations for counselors to adapt cognitive behavior therapy interventions for use with college populations.

This study examined the relationship between parental attachment, changes in parental attachment, and psychological functioning and adjustment for college freshmen. Twice during the first semester, 271 freshmen completed self-report measures of parental attachment, psychological distress, self-competence, and college adjustment. Higher attachment security was associated with more positive outcomes for both men and women. Although individual differences in parental attachment remained consistent across the first semester, attachment security decreased for male students who lived at home. Students whose relationships with parents deteriorated over time had higher levels of distress and lower adjustment scores. Implications for college counselors are discussed.

Developmental theory describes the central importance of peer relationships in the lives of young adults (e.g., Erikson, 1963). In this study we tested the importance of peer relationships to academic outcomes. First-year undergraduates completed a self-report survey to indicate the number and closeness of their friendships. We compared these variables to academic outcomes, including grade point averages (GPA) and persistence throughout the first college year. Having trust in, sharing common interests with, and the extent of conflict with a new college friend was associated with GPA and persistence to the second college year. Results are discussed in the context of assisting students in the transition into college.