Psychosocial adjustment of adolescent children of a depressed, arthritic, or normal parent.

Examined the joint effects of having a parent with a psychological or physical disability and stressful life events on the mental health of 3 groups of adolescents: 16 adolescent children of a depressed parent, 16 adolescent children of a parent with rheumatoid arthritis, and 16 adolescent children of parents free from psychological or physical disability. Ss were asked to complete a battery of assessments, including the SCL-90, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Family Environment Scale, and scales assessing life events and satisfaction with school. It was found that, in contrast to the normal group, Ss with arthritic parents reported lower self-esteem, whereas Ss with depressed parents reported lower self-esteem and more symptomatology. However, the 2 risk groups did not differ in terms of mental health or family and school adjustment. Both negative and positive life events were strongly related to poorer adjustment, but only for Ss with depressed and arthritic parents. There was a significant interaction effect of parental disability (depressed vs normal) and negative life events on symptomatology, with the Ss with depressed parents who experienced few negative life events reporting symptom levels equivalent to that of the normal group. Within-group analyses revealed that a positive familial social climate was related to better adjustment among all 3 groups: satisfactory school involvements were related to better adjustment among the depressed-parent and normal groups. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk for psychopathology in the children of depressed mothers: A developmental model for understanding mechanisms of transmission.

A large body of literature documents the adverse effects of maternal depression on the functioning and development of offspring. Although investigators have identified factors associated with risk for abnormal development and psychopathology in the children, little attention has been paid to the mechanisms explaining the transmission of risk from the mothers to the children. Moreover, no existing model both guides understanding of the various processes' interrelatedness and considers the role of development in explicating the manifestation of risk in the children. This article proposes a developmentally sensitive, integrative model for understanding children's risk in relation to maternal depression. Four mechanisms through which risk might be transmitted are evaluated: (a) heritability of depression; (b) innate dysfunctional neuroreguIatory mechanisms; (c) exposure to negative maternal cognitions, behaviors, and affect; and (d) the stressful context of the children's lives. Three factors that might moderate this risk are considered: (a) the father's health and involvement with the child, (b) the course and timing of the mother's depression, and (c) characteristics of the child. Relevant issues are discussed, and promising directions for future research are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental psychopathology in children of depressed mothers.

It is suggested that the tripartite model by R. D. Parke et al (1988) of the ways that parents influence their child's social development might be used to organize the study of abnormal development in children of depressed mothers. Parents influence their child through dyadic interaction, coaching and teaching practices, and managing their child's social environment. Disruption in each of these areas has been associated with parental psychopathology and has been implicated in the development of deviant child outcomes. The components of a theoretical model of developmental psychopathology are outlined, as well as theoretical and methodological problems that have yet to be resolved. Issues of concern include the heterogeneity of maternal diagnoses; distinguishing among genetic, parenting, and environmental effects; matching the level of behavioral analysis with the question being answered; the heterogeneity of child outcomes; age-related effects; bidirectional influences; and the role of paternal psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk models of dating aggression across different adolescent relationships: A developmental psychopathology approach.

The present study examined physical dating aggression in different adolescent relationships and assessed linear, threshold, and moderator risk models for recurrent aggressive relationships. The 621 participants (59% girls, 41% boys) were drawn from a 1-year longitudinal survey of Canadian high school youths ranging from Grade 9 through Grade 12. Approximately 13% of participants reported recurrent dating aggression across 2 different relationships. Using peer and dyadic risk factors from Time 1 of the study, the authors confirmed a linear risk model, such that adolescents in 2 different violent relationships had significantly more contextual risk factors than did adolescents in 1 or no violent relationship. Further, structural equation modeling assessing moderation of contextual risk factors indicated that, for adolescents with high acceptance of dating aggression, peer aggression and delinquency significantly predicted recurrent aggression in a new relationship. In comparison, for adolescents with low acceptance of dating aggression, negative relationship characteristics significantly predicted recurrent aggression. Acceptance did not moderate concurrent associations between risk factors and aggression in 1 relationship. Results support a developmental psychopathological approach to the understanding of recurrent aggression and its associated risk factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social contagion and adolescent sexual behavior: A developmental EMOSA model.

Epidemic Models of the Onset of Social Activities (EMOSA models) describe the spread of adolescent transition behaviors (e.g., sexuality, smoking, drinking) through an interacting adolescent network. A theory of social contagion is defined to explain how social influence affects sexual development. Contacts within a network can, with some transition rate or probability, result in an increase in level of sexual experience. Five stages of sexual development are posited. One submodel proposes a systematic progression through these stages; a competing submodel treats each as an independent process. These models are represented in sets of dynamically interacting recursive equations, which are fit to empirical prevalence data to estimate parameters. Model adjustments are substantively interpretable and can be used to test for and better understand social interaction processes that affect adolescent sexual behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fantasy proneness: Hypnosis, developmental antecedents, and psychopathology.

In 7 studies, 6,000 college students were screened to obtain 5 samples of 156 fantasy-prone Ss. Fantasy-prone Ss were selected from the upper 2–4% on a measure of imaginative involvement and were contrasted with nonfantasizers (lower 2–4%) and medium fantasy-prone Ss. Wilson and Barber's construct of fantasy proneness was supported. Fantasizers differed from nonfantasizers on measures of hypnotizability, imagination, waking suggestibility, hallucinatory ability, creativity, psychopathology, and childhood experiences. Differences in hypnotizability were most reliable when Ss participated in a multisession study and were screened not only with the screening inventory, but also with an interview that substantiated their fantasy-prone status. However, our findings indicated that less correspondence between fantasy proneness and hypnotizability exist than Wilson and Barber suggested. Hypnotic responsiveness is possible even in the absence of well-developed imaginative abilities, and not all fantasizers were highly hypnotizable. Fantasizers recollected being physically abused and punished to a greater degree than other Ss did and reported experiencing greater loneliness and isolation as children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confidence in protection: A developmental psychopathology perspective.

S. Goldberg, J. Grusec, and J. M. Jenkins (see record 1999-15264-001) provided a thorough review of J. Bowlby's (1982) work and offered a persuasive argument to consider confidence in protection as the roots of the parent-child attachment system. In an attempt to explore implications of their work, confidence in protection is examined from a developmental psychopathology perspective, with issues highlighted specifically about the role of family functioning, as well as the notion of risk and protection mechanisms. Questions are raised in the spirit of responding to and extending S. Goldberg et al.'s (1999) thought-provoking analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A multimethod analysis of families with a polydrug-dependent or normal adolescent daughter.

Compared behavioral interactions and perceived relationships in families of drug-dependent and normal adolescent girls. A total of 29 family triads including father, mother, and teenage daughter participated. L. S. Benjamin's (see record 1975-02991-001) structural analysis of social behavior model and methodology were used to code videotaped interactions and to rate self and other in perceived relationships. Observations of parental behavior toward their daughters did differentiate families of drug abusers from control families, but daughters' behavior did not. Parents communicated a conflictual message of both greater affirmation and condemnation of their daughter's autonomy. Both parents and daughters in the drug-dependent group blamed the daughters, despite their actual behavior, for the family's problems. The findings are interpreted as consistent with social-developmental and psychoanalytic theories of adolescent substance abuse as derailed individuation from the family. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of normal forgetting, psychopathology, and information-processing models of reported amnesia for recent sexual trauma.

This study assessed memories for sexual trauma in a nontreatment-seeking sample of recent rape victims and considered competing explanations for failed recall. Participants were 92 female rape victims assessed within 2 weeks of the rape; 62 were also assessed 3 months postassault. Memory deficits for parts of the rape were common 2 weeks postassault (37%) but improved over the 3 month window studied (16% still partially amnesic). Hypotheses evaluated competing models of explanation that may account for reported recall deficits. Results are most consistent with information processing models of traumatic memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial outcomes of children of unipolar depressed, bipolar, medically ill, and normal women: A longitudinal study.

The psychosocial functioning of children of unipolar depressed, bipolar, medically ill, and psychiatrically normal women was studied over a 2-yr period. 96 children aged 8–16 yrs were assessed at 6-mo intervals on Child Behavior Checklist behavior problems, social competence, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, academic performance, and school behavior. The children of unipolar mothers showed significantly poorer functioning on all measures as compared with the other 3 groups of children, including bipolar offspring. A greater proportion of children in the unipolar group also had relatively chronic, clinically significant problems in psychosocial functioning. Children of bipolar women did not differ from children of psychiatrically normal women. Results are discussed in terms of consequences of children's continuing exposure to maternal depression and attendant stressors, as well as the contribution of social and academic difficulties in a vicious cycle of maladjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: A comparison of child and parent training interventions.

Families of 97 children with early-onset conduct problems, 4–8 yrs old, were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: a parent training treatment group (PT), a child training group (CT), a combined child and parent training group (CT?+?PT), or a waiting-list control group (CON). Posttreatment assessments indicated that all 3 conditions had resulted in significant improvements in comparison with controls. Comparisons of the 3 treatment conditions indicated that CT and CT?+?PT children showed significant improvements in problem solving as well as conflict management skills, as measured by observations of their interactions with a best friend; differences among treatments on these measures consistently favored the CT over the PT condition. As for parent and child behavior at home, PT and CT?+?PT parents and children had significantly more positive interactions, compared with CT parents and children. One-yr follow-up assessments indicated that all the significant changes noted immediately posttreatment had been maintained over time. Moreover, child conduct problems at home had lessened over time. Analyses of the clinical significance of the results suggested that the combined CT?+?PT condition produced the most significant improvements in child behavior at 1-yr follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structural analysis of families with a polydrug-dependent, bulimic, or normal adolescent daughter.

This study compared perceived relationships and interaction patterns among 44 families with externalizing (polydrug-dependent), internalizing (bulimic), or normal adolescent daughters. Data from L. S. Benjamin's (1974) structural analysis of social behavior rating scales and observational coding system were subjected to a pattern analysis of effect sizes. Results revealed that families of polydrug dependent girls were less well attached and less autonomous than were families of daughters with bulimia who were, in turn, less attached and autonomous than controls. Observed interactions also showed that parents of drug-dependent teenagers communicated a mixed message of blaming the daughter while pseudo-affirming her. The findings were interpreted as evidence for specific disturbances in the critical elements of attachment and autonomy in both clinical disorders, with more pronounced and pervasive problems in the families of polydrug-dependent girls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The specific psychopathology of bulimia nervosa: A comparison with restrained and unrestrained (normal) eaters.

The hypothesis that patients with bulimia nervosa and restrained eaters exist on a simple continuum of psychopathology was tested in 60 Ss (20 bulimics, 20 restrained eaters, 20 unrestrained eaters). Regarding measures related to dieting behavior and physical appearance, the restrained eaters differed significantly from unrestrained eaters and were similar to bulimic patients except for level of psychopathology. The restrained eaters could not be distinguished from the unrestrained eaters with regard to measures representing interoceptive perception, self-esteem, and fears about interpersonal relationships. On these traits, bulimic patients could be clearly distinguished from the normal Ss. The results support a 2-component model of the psychopathology of bulimia nervosa. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Asthma severity and psychopathology in a tertiary care department for children and adolescent

OBJECTIVES: To find what self-perception of their health (SPH) and of their morbidity by school-children; and to analyse possible differences, in function of their social and demographic characteristics and life-styles. DESIGN: An observational crossover study, using a health questionnaire. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: 548 6th and 8th grade (EGB) children in the Occidente Health Area, Córdoba. INTERVENTIONS: Self-filled health questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 43.7% of students felt very healthy. Bad SPH was independently associated with being a girl, poor state of physical fitness and feeling unhappy. Tiredness and nervousness were the most frequent disorders suffered by school-children. CONCLUSIONS: Although the SPH of the school-children was acceptable, we found high perceived morbidity and prevalence of accidents, along with a striking consumption of medication.     

Maternal depression, paternal psychopathology, and adolescent diagnostic outcomes.

The authors examined the relationship between maternal depression, paternal psychopathology, and adolescent diagnostic outcomes in a community sample of 522 Australian families. They also examined whether chronic family stress, father's expressed emotion, and parents' marital satisfaction mediated the relationship between parental psychopathology and adolescent outcomes. Mother's education, child's gender, and family income were covaried in all analyses. Results revealed that maternal depression and paternal depression had an additive effect on youth externalizing disorders. In addition, maternal depression interacted with both paternal depression and paternal substance abuse in predicting youth depression but not youth nondepressive disorders. Chronic family stress and father's expressed emotion appeared to mediate the relationship between parental psychopathology and youth depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive readiness to parent and intellectual-emotional development in children of adolescent mothers.

Seventy adolescent mother-child dyads were assessed longitudinally to determine relationships among prenatal maternal knowledge and attitudes about parenting, evaluated in the 3rd trimester; postnatal maternal perceptions of parenting stress and child temperament as well as maternal interactional style, evaluated when children were 6 months of age; and intellectual, linguistic, and behavioral development at 3 years of age. Mothers who were more cognitively prepared for parenting had children who displayed better intellectual development and fewer internalizing and externalizing behavioral difficulties. Mothers who were less cognitively prepared for parenting prenatally perceived their parenting role as more stressful and their children as more difficult. Although maternal interactional style did not act as a mediator, perceptions at 6 months were found to mediate the relationship between prenatal cognitive readiness and child intelligence and internalizing behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social cognition and adjustment in children at risk for psychopathology.

This study tested two models of how social cognition affects the link between child adjustment and two family risk factors, maltreatment and parental psychopathology. The mediation model proposed that social cognition mediates the link between the risk factors and maladjustment. The compensation model proposed that social cognition compensates for the risk factors. Social cognitive measures were social problem-solving competency and hostile attributional and response biases. In 83 Ss (7 to 14 years of age), maltreatment, but not parental psychopathology, predicted aggression and peer rejection. The adjustment of Ss with a disturbed parent depended on maltreatment status. Risk status did not predict social cognition, so the mediation model was not supported. Consistent with the compensation model, Ss with high social cognitive skills were better adjusted regardless of risk status. Implications for high-risk research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Advancing videotape parent training: A comparison study.

This study examines the specific effects of adding a broader based, videotape treatment component (ADVANCE) to a basic videotape parent skills training program (GDVM). ADVANCE treatment trains parents to cope with interpersonal distress through improved communication, problem solving, and self-control skills. 78 families with a child diagnosed as oppositional-defiant or conduct-disordered were randomly assigned to either GDVM alone or GDVM plus ADVANCE. Parent reports of child adjustment and parent distress, assessment of child's knowledge of social skills, as well as independent observations of mother– and father–child interactions and communication and of problem solving between parents were obtained at pre- and post-GDVM and at post-ADVANCE. Both groups significantly improved at short-term follow-up. ADVANCE produced additional significant improvements in parents' communication, problem-solving skills, and consumer satisfaction, as well as children's increased knowledge of prosocial solutions. The clinical significance of these findings is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Monitoring challenges: A closer look at parental monitoring, maternal psychopathology, and adolescent sexual risk.

The present study sought to examine associations between maternal psychopathology, parental monitoring, and adolescent sexual activity among adolescents in mental health treatment. Seven hundred ninety mother-adolescent dyads recruited from adolescent mental health treatment settings completed audio computer-assisted structured interview assessments examining parent psychiatric symptoms, parental monitoring, and adolescent sexual risk behavior. Path analysis was used to examine the associations between variables of interest. Maternal caregivers who reported more mental health symptoms were more likely to have adolescents who reported recent sex and this relationship was mediated by less parental monitoring. These findings suggest that maternal caregivers with mental health symptoms may need specific interventions that provide assistance and support in monitoring their teens in order to reduce sexual risk taking among adolescents in mental health treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of incest on self and social functioning: A developmental psychopathology perspective.

The effects of child sexual abuse have become a leading concern of mental health service providers. Despite an explosion of studies, one major difficulty in this research is the lack of a developmentally sensitive model for conceptualizing short- and long-term effects and continuity and discontinuity of effects over time. This article proposes a model based in the perspective of developmental psychopathology. It is argued that incest has its unique negative effects in the domains of self- and social functioning, specifically in jeopardizing self-definition and integration, self-regulatory processes, and a sense of security and trust in relationships. Studies with clinical samples indicate that diagnostic conditions associated uniquely with a history of incest reflect serious self- and social impairments. A review of the developmental literature on self- and social development summarizes each major developmental transition from infancy to middle adulthood, and the implications for the negative effects of incest on development are discussed. Finally, implications for developmentally sensitive research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)