Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1996.

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.

This study explored and described the relationship between early attachment to the father figure and self-esteem and current adult attachment style. Specifically, the present study explored and described the impact of the internal working model of early paternal attachment upon adult attachment styles and levels of self-esteem. The data for this study was obtained by utilizing the following four questionnaires: The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) Part 2 as a retrospective measure, the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) and Battle’s Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventory (CFSEI). An exploratory descriptive design using a non-probability, convenience sampling method was employed for the present study. A sample of 105 adult participants from a religious institution within Port Elizabeth was selected. Participants, including both males and females, representative of all cultures and socio-economic status, were interviewed using the above self-report measures. The data for this study was analyzed using descriptive and correlational and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that the majority of the sample had a preoccupied attachment style, with Intermediate self-esteem levels.

This study explored the relationship between child sexual abuse and its impact on foster children's social development as measured by attachment constructs. The study addressed issues relating to direct practice with children who have been sexually abused and are receiving services in the foster care system. The study used a positivist paradigm with a quasi-experimental approach and a qualitative component, and surveyed foster parents' perceptions of their foster child's attachment.

This research project will examine, from the social worker's perspective, parental substance abuse and its effects on attachment.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of attachment, secure or insecure, displayed by foster children after a minimal one-hour separation from their foster parent. The sample consisted of fifty foster parents (22 males and 28 females) who had foster children ranging in ages from 3-12. The foster children have lived in the current foster care placement for at least one month. To measure the foster child's level of attachment to the foster parent, the foster parent completed a demographic survey as well as the Parent/Child Reunion Inventory (Marcus 1988). Analysis was conducted using a variety of univariate (descriptive statistics, frequencies), bivariate (t-test, correlation), and mulivariate (multiple regression) analyses to describe the sample population and significant correlations among the various independent and dependent variables. As expected, foster parents reported secure attachment behaviors for foster children the longer the child has lived in their home. Two factors that appear to influence attachment are the length of time in the foster parents in the home. This information is valuable to the foster care arena for calculating secure attachment between foster children and their caregivers.

Previous research has shown that adult attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are associated with both coping strategy use and the parent-child relationship. Additionally, research has shown that coping strategy is associated with aspects of the parent-child relationship. The current study aimed to further examine associations between parental romantic attachment, coping strategy use, and the parent-child relationship. It was hypothesized that coping strategy use would mediate the relationship between parental romantic attachment and aspects of the parent-child relationship. Participants included 86 heterosexual couples (N = 176 parents) from the Family and Kid Connection project archival dataset. Instruments included a demographic questionnaire, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, a brief measure of coping, and the Attachment and Relational Frustration Subscales of the Parenting Relationship Questionnaire. An actor-partner independence model was proposed and tested via multilevel modeling. Higher levels of parental attachment anxiety predicted poorer parent-child relationships. Father's attachment avoidance also predicted poorer father-child relationships. Higher levels of both parental attachment dimensions predicted greater use of avoidant emotional coping. Finally, greater use of avoidant emotional coping predicted poorer parent-child relationships. Results partially supported proposed mediational hypotheses. Two mediational paths were supported by results: an actor-actor path in which fathers' avoidant emotional coping mediated the association between fathers' romantic attachment avoidance and father-child attachment, and an actor-actor path in which mothers' avoidant emotional coping mediated the association between mothers' romantic attachment anxiety and mother-child attachment.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The currents study investigated the relationship between attachment and behavioural problems in children in residential group homes (alternative care) in Polokwane, Limpopo. The sample consisted of children (n = 52) and their caregivers (n= 7) from the Samaritan Children’s Home. Both males (n = 30) and females (n = 22) were represented. All caregivers were female. A quantitative, cross-sectional design and simple random sampling were employed. Data was collected using the Relationship in Close Relationships Questionnaire (ECR-RC) and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Methods of analysing were correlational (Pearson’s r) to establish relationships and t-test and ANOVA to establish between- and within-group differences. Results revealed that there was a statistically significant positive correlation between poor attachment and behavioural problems. Male children were found to exhibit more internalising behaviour than externalising behaviour when compared to females on the CBCL. Older children, both male and female (aged 12-14 years) were found to exhibit more behavioural problems than their younger counterparts aged 9-11.

This study addresses young children's involvement with comfort objects, including why children have them, how they are used, when attachments to such objects are cause for concern and how teachers and parents can respond to promote the young child's development. The child's becoming and development is examined in this study. The researcher also reviews major transitional object theories in terms of origin, development and psychological meaning. This study aims to explore this phenomenon from a psychological - educational perspective and to formulate a set of guidelines for parents and professionals whose children use comfort behaviour. Information was collated from case studies, a questionnaire and a detailed study of literature. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work