Introduction. Recent studies have suggested a secular increase in the prevalence of self-harm, suicidal ideation and depression in young people. This study aims to report the changes in prevalence of psychological disturbance over time in a clinic population. Method: Data on the prevalence of psychological symptoms was measured by the Youth Self-Report (YSR) and Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), in a 21-year clinic cohort of adolescents aged from 12 to 17. This data was analysed to investigate secular changes and predictors of disorder. Results: Significant secular increases were demonstrated in parent reports of self-harm and suicidal ideation, of 5percent and 4percent per cohort year respectively, but there was no significant change in the anxious/depressed sub-scale. There were no changes demonstrated in self-reports of self-harm, suicidal ideation or anxiety/depression. Self-harm and suicidal ideation, both parent reported and self-reported, significantly increased with increasing age, female gender, drug use, anxiety/depression and other clinically significant scores on the YSR and CBCL sub-scales. The YSR was a more accurate predictor of both self-harm and suicidal ideation than the CBCL. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that there has not been a significant increase in psychological disorder in this population. There was, however, an apparent increase due to increasing parental awareness of some symptoms, particularly self-harm and suicidal ideation. While parents have a higher rate of reporting disorder, young people's self-reports remain a more accurate predictor of specific symptoms, including self-harm and suicidal ideation.

Plainsong or Polyphony? Australian Award Winning Novels of the 1990s for Adolescent Readers. Using a musical metaphor of plainsong (to allude to monophonic sameness) and polyphony (to allude to multiphonic difference) this thesis seeks evidence of similarity (plainsong) or difference (polyphony). The texts considered are judged to have both literary merit and to meet the particular needs of Australian adolescent readers. Adult concerns about the suitability of particular Young Adult (YA) novels imply that there is an agreed archetype for this genre; an implication that this thesis explores using variety of critical perspectives, chiefly Narrative Theory, Reader Theory, Althusser’s concept of the hail and the work of Pecheux. Bakhtin(1981) applied the musical metaphor of polyphony to describe the novel as a genre in which an author orchestrates its themes through ‘the social diversity of speech types’ and ‘the differing individual voices that flourish under such conditions’ (p. 263). This study considers both polyphony and its opposite, plainsong, in its inquiry into two aspects of individual authorial voices. The first relates to the authors’ representations of adolescence as portrayed through their protagonist[s]; the second to the authors’ beliefs about their adolescent readers as reflected in the various ways each author tries to attract and engage their audience. This study finds that whilst patterns of similarity exist in the texts, these patterns shift when the novels are viewed from different critical perspectives. This thesis demonstrates that whilst the authors appear to share similar ideas about adolescence, they have different perceptions about what they can and cannot do in novels addressed to adolescent readers.

<p>Psykologiska bedömningar av föräldrar beskrivs sällan som en mer uttalad och tydlig del av arbetet inom barn- och ungdomspsykiatri, utan det är i hög grad ett underförstått arbetsområde. Syftet med den här undersökningen var att beskriva hur arbetet med psykologiska bedömningar av föräldrar konceptualiseras och praktiseras under det inledande skedet av behandlingskontakter inom BUP. Nio psykologer vid sju öppenvårdsmottagningar intervjuades och intervjuerna analyserades tematiskt. En viktig aspekt som framkommer i resultatet är hur det gemensamma arbetet mellan psykolog och förälder för att etablera en arbetsallians erbjuder goda möjligheter till psykologiska bedömningar av föräldern. Under arbetet med alliansen, och med alliansen som bas, kan olika former av systematik och modeller för psykologiska bedömningar tillämpas. Resultatet indikerar också att arbetsalliansens centrala betydelse för bedömningsarbetet är tydligt relaterad till organisationens påverkan på det arbetet, liksom till betydelsen av psykologisk kompetens vid arbete med psykologiska bedömningar av föräldrar.</p>

As thoughts of the future weigh heavily on many adolescents��� minds, the at-risk urban adolescent female are at an especially critical point; every decision she makes on a daily basis has the potential to affect the rest of her life (Way, 1995). However, secondary school-based mentoring programs can provide the modality to intervene with at-risk urban adolescent females to increase the likelihood of success both while in high school and after high school graduation.&lt;br&gt;This study is a phenomonologically-oriented qualitative study that asks the question: What is the impact of participation in a secondary school-based mentoring program on the lives of urban females after high school graduation. The results illustrate the impact of participation in a secondary school-based mentoring program upon the lives of six urban females after graduation from high school. The primary theory that framed this study was Bronfenbrenner���s (1979, 2004) bioecological model of human development. Data were obtained from the responses of the six participants to a guided individual interview. Two repeated themes emerged from the data. These themes were: 1) the relationships between the Pearl and others and 2) the continued impact of a secondary school-based mentoring program on the lives of urban females after high school graduation. These themes created the concepts that were used to report the results of the study. The following findings surfaced as elements of a mentoring program that impacted the lives of these six urban females after high school graduation: 1) the mentor in a secondary school-based mentoring program is critical, 2) schools should work cooperatively with parents/guardians throughout high school and college and work to profoundly support the urban female, 3) long term connections to the mentor and other members of the mentoring group help urban adolescent females achieve continued success, 4) the mentoring program should include multiple strategies for engaging urban adolescent females and providing these young women with the opportunities to develop essential skills for academic and social success in high school, college and work, and 5) mentored urban females who are linked by positive social ties, share common perspectives, and engage in joint activities create a community.&lt;br&gt;The outcomes of this study offer an insightful understanding of the impact of specific factors of participating in a secondary school-based mentoring program on the success of urban adolescent females. This understanding provides the Pittsburgh Public Schools and other school districts with information that can be utilized to develop and direct secondary school-based mentoring programs, specifically those for the at-risk, urban female. / School of Education; / Instructional Leadership Excellence (ILEAD) / EdD; / Dissertation;

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1984. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves 64-70.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Case Western Reserve University, 2007. / [School of Medicine] Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Includes bibliographical references. Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Marriage and Family Therapy, 2006. / Title of electronic copy: Relationship of implicit family process rules to adolescent presentation of psychological systems. Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-76).

The incidence of childhood and adolescent overweight in the United States is increasing at an alarming rate and is now considered the most prevalent nutritional disease of children and adolescents in this country. Although much attention has focused on genetic research, and heredity is an unarguable component of obesity, the role of the environment must be considered because genetic changes over entire populations are not likely to occur at such a rapid rate. In observing today’s environment where energy-dense foods abound, restaurant dining has increased, and children are more sedentary than ever, the current trends in child/adolescent weight status are not surprising. This study digs to the heart of worrisome eating habits by exploring the development of these behaviors in the family. Previous studies show that parents’ use of child feeding practices is related to their children’s weight status. It is hypothesized that children of parents who utilize highly controlling feeding strategies (pressure, restriction, monitoring) will have nutrient intakes and weight indicators that are either higher or lower than the average for children whose parents exert less control over the eating domain. The objective of this research is to discover if significant relationships exist between parental child feeding strategies and child/adolescent overweight or underweight and nutrient intake. Birch’s model explaining familial resemblances in eating and weight status was tested using her previously validated Child Feeding Questionnaire, standard anthropometric techniques, three days of diet records, and a previously validated child questionnaire. Three-hundred and twelve children/adolescents, 254 mothers, and 245 fathers from the Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area completed interviews, and data was analyzed with the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). Results confirmed the validity of Birch’s model and previous studies that found significant relationships between child feeding strategies and children’s nutrition status. Parents who pressured their children to eat (motivated by concern about the child being underweight) were more likely to have children with lower BMI percentiles and skinfolds while parents who monitored or restricted the child’s intake had children with higher BMI percentiles and skinfold thicknesses. No clear relationships were found between feeding styles and nutrient intake.

<p>Syfte</p><p>Syftet med denna studie har varit att med hjälp av intervjuer undersöka hur skolpersonal och föräldrar uppfattar betydelsen av motorisk träning för barn med ADHD/DAMP. I detta ligger att undersöka på vilket sätt barnens motorik, koncentrationsförmåga samt sociala förmåga påverkas av fysisk aktivitet, och på vilket sätt diagnosen ADHD/DAMP ställer krav på pedagogiska förhållningssätt.</p><p>Metod</p><p>Vi har gjort en litteraturgenomgång och en kvalitativ intervjustudiestudie. Urvalsgruppen från St: Örjans skolor har bestått av två pedagoger, en idrottslärare, en assistent och en förälder. Samtliga inom skolpersonalsgruppen hade många års erfarenhet inom området. Vi har använt oss av halvstrukturerande intervjuer som lagts upp utifrån följande temaområden: skolpersonal och förälders syn på fysisk aktivitet/motorisk träning för barn med ADHD/DAMP, den fysiska aktivitetens påverkan på barnen, förhållningssätt och bemötande samt barnet/barnens anpassningsförmåga till aktivitet.</p><p>Resultat och slutsats</p><p>Vad man kan urskönja av resultatet är att samtliga intervjupersoner i denna studie är ense om att fysisk aktivitet och motorisk träning är av stor betydelse för barn med ADHD/DAMP.</p><p>Något som de intervjuade tryckte på var den fysiska aktivitetens betydelse för barnens sociala utveckling, här sågs idrotten som en viktig arena. Genom idrott och fysisk aktivitet får barnen lära sig att umgås med andra, visa hänsyn, respekt, empati och förstå att andra människor har känslor. Den sistnämnda förmågan saknas ofta hos dessa barn.</p><p>Vad det gäller motoriken behöver dessa barn mycket träning och enligt litteraturen kan denna träning på sikt ge goda resultat. Noterbart i studien är dock att det råder delade meningar om att koncentrationsförmågan kan påverkas av fysisk aktivitet. Även intervjupersonerna menar att det inte med säkerhet går att säga att koncentrationen förbättras av fysisk aktivitet. Trots att vi har kommit i kontakt med erfarna personer inom detta område, anser vi inte riktigt att vi fått ut det vi förväntat oss. Detta kan bero på att våra och de intervjuades praktiskt pedagogiska kunskaper skiljer sig åt. I resultatet framträder det att de intervjuade har svårt att i mer preciserad form tala om motorisk träning, vilket gör att den röda tråden i deras beskrivningar är svår att läsa av. Slutsatsen är att de intervjuade anser att fysisk aktivitet och motorisk träning har en påtaglig betydelse för barn med ADHD/DAMP i relation till barnens sociala, emotionella och motoriska utveckling samt till viss del deras koncentrationsförmåga.</p>

While the functional and anatomical aspects of reconstructive surgery in children with leg length inequality (LLI), prominent ears (PE) and cleft lip and palate (CLP) have been studied in detail, the psychological aspects of surgery have been less explored. The benefit of a changed appearance and function on self-esteem and ability to social interaction are other areas where information is lacking. The aim of this thesis is to examine, during the process of reconstructive surgery, the mental health, self-esteem and social interaction of children with defects in appearance and function. Children, aged 6-16 years, with LLI (n=27) and PE (n=31) were invited to participate in interviews and psychological assessments by filling in a battery of questionnaires and tests (depression; anxiety; self-esteem; cognitive ability; and behaviour) before Ilizarov and otoplasty surgery and one year after. Parents filled in a child symptom check list and a state and trait anxiety questionnaire. Another six adolescents with CLP and their parents participated in interactive interviews with the aim of identifying relevant psychological issues for individuals with this condition. These issues were subsequently used to create new questionnaires. Being different, the development of self-esteem and social interaction were the central themes of the questionnaires designed after the interview study. The new questionnaires were explored in a retrospective study on other adolescents (n=26) with CL/P and their parents. Beck’s Youth Inventories (BYI) was used as comparative data. The LLI group had significantly lower mental health and self-esteem scores than the control group before surgery. The leisure activity level in both patient groups was low according to parents’ report before surgery. The mental health scores of both patient groups (LLI and PE) were improved after reconstructive surgery, but self-esteem was not affected. The questionnaires for CL/P patients proved to be useful in the exploration of self-esteem from a developmental perspective and in the search for strengthening factors of social interaction. Self-esteem was average or high on group level for adolescents with CL/P compared to BYI measure. Parents rated their adolescents to have higher self-esteem than the adolescents themselves. Females had a less positive development of self-esteem, there was an interaction effect between the female and male patients’ evaluation of self-esteem by higher age. Even a minor appearance defect like PE may affect mental health negatively. There were no adverse psychological effects one year after surgery in LLI and PE patients, rather, there were signs of improved mental health. Adolescents with CL/P have an anticipated risk of more mental health problems and especially those individuals who have been bullied. Cleft teams and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics should be attentive and offer psychological support to those individuals most affected by their conditions.