Answer to Question 1
New pressures and social changes may place children at increasing risk for the development of disorders at younger ages (Obradovic et al., 2010). Many stressors today are quite different from those faced by our parents and grandparents. Some have been around for generations: chronic poverty, inequality, family breakup, single parenting, and so on. Others are more recent or are now more visible: homelessness, adjustment problems of children in immigrant families, inadequate child care available to working parents, and conditions associated with the impact of prematurity, parental HIV, and cocaine or alcohol abuse on children's growth and development.
Answer to Question 2
A risk factor is a variable that precedes a negative outcome of interest and increases the chances that the outcome will occur. Children who survive risky environments by using their strong self-confidence, coping skills, and abilities to avoid risk situations may be considered resilientthey seem able to fight off or recover from their misfortune.
Rates of Car Injuries and Fatalities by Age
Divorce Rates, Selected Countries In many countries divorce rates have risen in recent decades.
Disorders of the Female Reproductive System Cont.
Disorders: Homeostatic Imbalances
Some Mitochondrial Disorders
Examples of Human Disorders Caused by Single-Gene Mutations