The first study (Chapter 3) examined the reliability and validity of the modified Children's Leisure Activities Study Survey (CLASS) questionnaire in assessing physical activity and sedentary behavior of the Hong Kong Chinese children. The modified Chinese questionnaire (CLASS-C) consisted of a checklist of 31 physical activities and 13 sedentary pursuits. The test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was examined in 84 boys and 136 girls aged 9 to 14 years by the comparison of data from the two survey administrations carried out one week apart. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were analyzed to determine consistency in results. A sub-sample of 139 children completed the 7-day accelerometer protocol. The validity of the questionnaire was determined by comparing data from the second administration with the accelerometer estimates of moderate- and/or vigorous-intensity physical activity. Bland-Altman plots were performed to further examine the agreement of the two methods. Acceptable reliability was found in self-reported time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (ICC = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.61-0.77) and in the sedentary behaviors (ICC = 0.69, 95%CI: 0.59-0.77). Self-reported estimate in daily MVPA was moderately correlated with minutes assessed by the accelerometer (girls: r = 0.48, P<0.05; boys: r = 0.27, P>0.05). Bland-Altman plots showed that self-reports of vigorous physical activity were higher than those assessed by the accelerometer. / The second study (Chapter 4) developed an instrument based on the social ecological model to evaluate the socio-environmental correlates of the children's physical activity and sedentary behavior. The instrument consisted of segments that incorporated reports from both the children and their parents. Children were asked about intrapersonal factors and perceived environments at home and in the neighborhood. Corresponding parents reported demographic information (age, education, occupation, income, and weight status), their physical activity and sedentary behavior habits, the control on their child's sedentary behavior, and perception of physical environment in the neighborhood. The questionnaires were administrated in a group of 160 primary schoolchildren aged 10 to 14 years and their parents on two occasions with 8 to 10 days apart. The test-retest reliability of each individual item was determined using percent agreement and kappa statistics for the categorical variables and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for the continuous variables. The overall missing rates were 2.5% to 5.6% for children- and parent-reported items. The ICC values for continuous variables in children-reported individual and familial factors ranged from 0.66 to 0.79. For self-reported categorical variables, kappa values ranged from 0.27 to 0.76, and an percent agreement statistics were greater than 80%. Meanwhile, reliability statistics for parent-reported home and environment variables showed acceptable consistency with most of the ICC values greater than 0.70. / The third study (Chapter 5) aimed to investigate the physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns among a sample of 1013 primary 4-6 schoolchildren using the CLASS-C questionnaire. The individual, social and physical environmental correlates of the activity behaviors were investigated through a sub-sample of 303 children, whose habitual activity was objectively assessed by ActiGraph accelerometer, in addition to subjective measures by the CLASS-C questionnaire. The multiple correlates of activity behavior for the children in the sub-sample group were assessed using the environmental correlates questionnaire which was developed in Study II. Cluster analyses were used to group children with similar activity patterns. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to assess the associations of the multiple variables with activity behaviors. Approximately half of the children did not reach the recommended physical activity level and one fifth of them engaged in excessive TV viewing of 2 hr every day. Cluster analysis identifies 5 clusters of children who shared similar patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviors. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that participation in school sports team and having higher self-efficacy was positively associated with self-reports in MVPA in boys after controlling age, body mass index (BMI), and parental education. Girls who reported participation in school sports team and perceived the availability of more sports facilities at home self-reported more time spent in MVPA after controlling socio-demographic variables. Perception of parental support on physical activity was positively correlated with accelerometer-assessed MVPA among girls, while it was inversely associated with sedentary behaviors in boys. Residence density was positively associated with boys' sedentary behaviors, while girls whose parents reported more safety concerns on neighborhood environment were more likely to be sedentary. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / Huang, Ya Jun. / Adviser: Stephen H. S. Wong. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: 1972. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-175). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Although the importance of Attachment in the normal development of a child has repeatedly been shown (Bowlby, 1961; 1979) there is a limited amount of research into its relationships with the usage of defense mechanisms and emotions. This research, therefore, investigated the relationships between attachment type, defense mechanisms and emotions during middle childhood (8-12 years) in 64 children from 4 children’s homes and 1 hospital in the Gauteng area. The children completed the Deferential Emotions Scale IV (DES-IV), the Attachment Story Completion Test (ASCT) and the Attachment Security Scale (ASS). The legal guardians of the children completed the Comprehensive Assessment of Defense Scale (CADS). Significant correlations were found to exist between the usage defense mechanisms and emotions. The results obtained from the analyses therefore suggest a complex interplay of relationships between attachment, defense mechanisms and emotion during middle childhood for the children in these institutions. For example, the research found that certain defense mechanisms and emotions were found to be correlated in a complex and interrelated system of interactions. Similarly, although no significant associations were found between attachment, defense mechanisms and emotions were found, the frequency distributions provided detailed information suggesting that attachment does influence the defenses used and emotion during middle childhood. These finding suggest that further research needs to be conducted in this area to further this knowledge base and to inform the caregivers and staff at institutions such as those included in the study.

Carências nutricionais são ocorrências comuns em grande proporção de crianças do mundo e reconhecidamente um dos grandes problemas da saúde pública brasileira. Alguns estudos têm relatado que os escores mental e motor de crianças com carências nutricionais são mais baixos do que aqueles obtidos pelas crianças sem carências. As Escalas Bayley, publicadas pela primeira vez em 1969 e revisadas em 1993, constituem-se em instrumento adequado para a avaliação de crianças de um a quarenta e dois meses de idade, e são amplamente utilizadas em estudos que avaliam efeitos de carências nutricionais. Desta forma, o objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a aplicabilidade da Escala de Avaliação do Comportamento Infantil (BRS), uma das três escalas que constituem as Escalas Bayley, na avaliação de crianças de creche com carência nutricional. A amostra foi constituída por 50 crianças de ambos os sexos, com idades que variaram entre 7 e 41 meses, provenientes de duas creches filantrópicas do município de Ribeirão Preto – SP. Um grupo de 23 crianças com deficiência proteico-calórica ou de ferro, consideradas de leve a moderada, segundo o Z-score < +1, proposto pela OMS e níveis de hemoglobina acima de 8 mg/dL, foi comparado a outro de 27 crianças sem estas deficiências. Através da avaliação do comportamento foram obtidos índices referentes ao comportamento geral, o controle emocional, a atenção/exitabilidade, a orientação/engajamento e a qualidade motora das crianças. Tais índices são apresentados em forma de percentil, sendo possível, segundo Bayley (1993), a classificação em: comportamento dentro dos limites normais (índice ? percentil 26), ou seja, esperado para sua idade; comportamento questionável (índice entre o percentil 11 e o 25), que sugere possível prejuízo e merece maior investigação; e comportamento não-ótimo (índice ? percentil 10), que evidencia atraso ou prejuízo em uma ou mais áreas importantes. Os resultados obtidos revelaram que o grupo controle era de maior faixa etária (30 meses) que o grupo carente nutricional (23 meses), e que as crianças do grupo controle apresentavam um comportamento geral frente a situação de teste melhor que do que as crianças do grupo carente nutricional (p=0.03), principalmente no fator Orientação/Engajamento (p=0.01): Afeto positivo (p=0.03), Energia (p=0.005), Entusiasmo acerca das tarefas (p=0.04), Engajamento social (p=0.03); e nos itens Afeto negativo (p=0.04) e Movimento lento e atrasado (p=0.005). Estes resultados são consistentes com aqueles já apresentados na literatura, nos quais as crianças com carências nutricionais são descritas como menos ativas, mais inibidas e tímidas, menos responsivas, atentas, vocalizando e movimentando-se menos. Concluiu-se que os itens relacionados à avaliação comportamental, aplicados e cotados como proposto originalmente, foram sensíveis para diferenciar grupos com e sem alterações nutricionais leves ou moderadas, embora as Escalas Bayley do Desenvolvimento Infantil requeiram ainda adaptação às condições sociais e culturais brasileiras. Tais resultados sugerem ainda que esta escala pode ser útil em outras condições clínicas, assim como para a avaliação do desempenho de grupos pós procedimentos de recuperação nutricional. / Nutritional deficiencies are common occurrences among a large proportion of children all over the world and are recognized to be one of the great public health problems in Brazil. Some studies have reported that the mental and motor scores of children with nutritional deficiencies are lower than those of children with no deficiencies. The Bayley Scales, first published in 1969 and revised in 1993, are an appropriate instrument for the evaluation of children aged one to forty months and are widely used in studies that evaluate the effects of nutritional deficiencies. Thus, the objective of the present study was to determine the applicability of the Behavioral Rating Scale (BRS), one of the three scales forming the Bayley Scales, for the evaluation of day-care center children with nutritional deficiencies. The sample consisted of 50 children of both sexes aged 7 to 41 months, from two philanthropic day-care centers in the municipality of Ribeirão Preto – SP. A group of 23 children with protein-calorie or iron deficiency considered to be mild to moderate according to a Z-score < +1 proposed by the WHO and with hemoglobin levels above 8 mg/dL, was compared to a group of children without these deficiencies. Indices referring to general behavior, emotional control, attention/excitability, orientation/engagement, and motor quality of the children were obtained by behavioral evaluation. These indices are presented in percentile form and, according to Bayley (1993), it is possible to classify them as behavior within normal limits (index ? 26th percentile), i.e., expected for age, questionable behavior (index between the 11th and 25th percentile), suggesting possible impairment and requiring more investigation, and non-optimal behavior (index ? 10th percentile), which demonstrates delay or impairment in one or more important areas. The results obtained revealed that the control group was in an older age range (30 months) than the group with nutritional deficiency (23 months), and that the children in the control group presented a better general behavior in the test situation than the children in the group with nutritional deficiency (p=0.03), especially regarding the Orientation/Engagement factor (p=0.01): Positive affect (p=0.03), Energy (p=0.005), Enthusiasm about tasks (p=0.04), Social engagement (p=0.03); and in the items Negative affect (p=0.04) and Slow and delayed movement (p=0.005). These results are consistent with those reported in literature studies in which children with nutritional deficiencies are described as less active, more inhibited and shy, less responsive and attentive, and vocalizing and moving less. We conclude that the items related to behavioral evaluation, applied and scored as originally proposed, were sensitive in differentiating between groups with and without mild or moderate nutritional alterations, although the Bayley Scales for Childhood Development still require adaptation to the Brazilian social and cultural conditions. These results also suggest that this scale can be useful for other clinical conditions and for the evaluation of performance of groups submitted to procedures or nutritional recovery.

Thesis (M. A.( Clinical psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / Refer to document

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2007 / The study explored transitional object attachment at Eisleben Village, Limpopo –South Africa. The participants of the study were mothers of children who were between six months and two years of age. The instrument t used to explore transitional object attachment was obtained from a related study, while the instrument used to study the participants personality were the Adult Attachment Questionnaire and the Relationship Questionnaire. There was low prevalence of transitional object attachment at Eisleben Village. Several factors had an impact on whether or not the child becomes attached to an object, i.e. the socio economic status of the participants as well as the child rearing practices.

The high level of weight and shape concerns amongst preadolescent children has prompted interest in the development of prevention programs for this age group. In the 1990s weight and shape concerns were considered primarily an adolescent phenomenon. However, prevention programs which have been designed with adolescent and adult populations have been found to show limited success. Some researchers have argued that programs which target preadolescent children are more likely to be effective than programs that target adolescents, as by adolescence many attitudes and behaviours have become entrenched so they may be more difficult to modify. On the other hand, children's weight and shape concerns are believed to be more malleable and amenable to change. To date there have been limited controlled studies implementing prevention programs designed to reduce weight and shape concerns with preadolescent populations. The new study conducted as part of this thesis involves the development and implementation of the ‘Everybody’ s Different, Nobody Else Is Me’ preadolescent prevention program. The program was designed to address some of the methodological biases of past research and incorporate three risk factors, social comparisons, negative affect, and self-esteem, to reduce and/or prevent the development of weight and muscle concerns among children. These three risk factors have been found to be associated with weight and shape concerns of adolescents and adults, and there is also increasing evidence that they are important factors among children. Research also suggests that social comparisons, negative affect, and self-esteem are interrelated, which highlights the importance of targeting the variables in one program. The new five session prevention initiative was implemented with 156 grade four children. Both the treatment and control conditions consisted of 78 children. Preliminary evidence from the new prevention initiative indicated that the program reduced muscle bulk and exercise (ie. An over-emphasis on exercise to lose weight rather than health promotion), and negative affect in the long term as assessed by the six month follow-up. At the six month follow-up, children in both the treatment and control conditions reported reduced negative affect, dieting, and muscle bulk and exercise scores and increased positive affect. Consistent with short term follow-up results, boys reported greater muscle bulk and exercise scores than girls at the six month follow-up. Girls, in both conditions, were also found to report greater positive affect than boys. These findings are discussed in relation to past research, and suggestions for future prevention initiatives are highlighted.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1991.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1991.