Research published during the past decade on African American, Latino, and Asian American families is reviewed. Emphasis is given to selected issues within the broad domains of marriage and parenting. The first section highlights demographic trends in family formation and family structure and factors that contributed to secular changes in family structure among African Americans. In the second section, new conceptualizations of marital relations within Latino families are discussed, along with research documenting the complexities in African American men's conceptions of manhood. Studies examining within-group variation in marital conflict and racial and ethnic differences in division of household labor, marital relations, and children's adjustment to marital and family conflict also are reviewed. The third section gives attention to research on (a) paternal involvement among fathers of color; (b) the relation of parenting behavior to race and ethnicity, grandmother involvement, neighborhood and peer characteristics, and immigration; and (c) racial and ethnic socialization. The article concludes with an overview of recent advances in the study of families of color and important challenges and issues that represent research opportunities for the new decade.

Empirical findings on the determinants of perceived satisfaction with the police generally have been sparse and inconclusive. More importantly, most studies have failed to control for the confounding effects of race and residential location on perceived satisfaction. Presents a contribution to the evaluation of public perceptions of the police. Using multiple classification analysis, examines whether race and residential location interact in their effects on citizen attitudes toward the police. Concludes that there is little support for the view that minorities in general are less satisfied with police performance. Suggests that perceived satisfaction with the police is determined by residential location rather than racial factors.

Economic hardship diminishes psychological well-being and the capacity for supportive parenting. Single mothers' coping behavior, psychological functioning, and communications to the child about financial matters and personal problems predict the degree of psychological distress experienced by their children.

Uses interview data from a sample of 155 single mothers of at least one child between the ages of 10 and 17 to assess the impact of financial strain and welfare status (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) on three areas of maternal functioning: (a) belief in the appropriateness of telling children about family problems, (b) disclosure of financial matters and personal worries to children, and (c) curbing of children's material consumption and social experiences as a strategy to ease financial strain. Also examined whether other environmental conditions (i.e., negative life events, social support), demographic factors, and mothers' mental health account for significant variation in these three outcomes once financial strain and welfare status are taken into account. Financial strain, but not welfare status, was a significant predictor of all three dependent variables. Age of child, number of children in the household who

Studies of child socialization in the Caribbean are rare and the knowledge of such issues are at best fragmented. This study responds to the need for additional studies of the interactional features of Caribbean families and investigates the cognitive bases of socialization practices in the Caribbean region. Specifically, the study investigates the hierarchy of thirteen socialization values and the factors that differentiate their relative ranking. Using a sample of adults in the greater Georgetown area in Guyana, N=654 and a split ballot quasiexperiment, socialization values preferred for I 0 year-old, 13 year-old, and 16 year-old children are described . Though a clear pattern of generalized values emerged, the study uncovered subtle and important gender of child, gender of respondent differences as well as variation along a developmental continuum. Though not consistent as hypothesized, some socio-economic differences were also observed in socialization preferences. The need for further investigation of socialization values and practices are noted.