Family context as a moderator of program effects in prenatal and early childhood home visitation

Typically research addressing minority family issues focuses on broad cultural differences between majority and minority families, and ignores or minimizes the diversity among families in the minority population. In this article, we address this diversity, specifically the influence of household configuration on the quality of the caregiving environment, and the ability of a nurse home-visitation program for first-time mothers and their infants to affect changes in the environment. Mothers who live with husbands or boyfriends have the best care-giving environments, and mothers who live alone make the greatest improvements. These results are discussed in the context of the nature of the relationship the home visitor is able to establish with key members of the household.