Childhood maltreatment is an experience that is likely to have lasting effects on individuals' emotional and behavioral functioning throughout their lifetimes. In particular, childhood maltreatment often is implicated in the etiology of numerous unfavorable psychological outcomes. Other research also suggested that there is a relationship between child maltreatment and the style of attachment that individuals exhibit post-abuse. Lastly, an association exists between individuals' attachment styles and their emotional and behavioral functioning. Despite substantial documentation of these relationships, few studies examine childhood maltreatment, attachment, and emotional and behavioral functioning collectively. As a result, this study examined the relationships among childhood maltreatment, attachment relationships, and later emotional and behavioral functioning, including eating behaviors. In addition, this study examined the role that attachment serves in the relationship between child maltreatment and later functioning. One hundred participants completed five questionnaires assessing experiences of childhood maltreatment, attachment relationships, emotional and behavioral functioning, and eating behaviors. Results of this study indicated that those individuals who report childhood maltreatment are more likely to report unfavorable emotional and behavioral functioning, whereas those who report childhood maltreatment but who exhibit a secure attachment style to either a parent or a peer are less likely to exhibit unfavorable emotional and behavioral functioning. Further, both the experience of childhood maltreatment and attachment were significant predictors of individuals' emotional and behavioral functioning. Finally, attachment contributed unique significant variance to the relationship between childhood maltreatment and emotional and behavioral functioning, particularly participants' internalizing and total problems.; Such findings suggested that secure attachment may serve as a protective factor against problematic emotional and behavioral symptoms as children reach emerging adulthood, even when individuals have had childhood maltreatment experiences earlier in their lives. The importance of studying the relationships among these variables is discussed.

The literature indicates that, in comparison to children of other ethnic minority groups, Native American children may be at greater risk for a variety of emotional and behavioral Ill disorders and negative psychosocial conditions. Many may also struggle to resolve issues related to cultural identity. Understanding how Native American children and families relate to the cultures within which they live is a critical aspect of preventing and treating childhood mental disorders. Although Native children and families face persistent social pressure to adapt to a multicultural world, no systematic research exists examining the relationship between families' experience of acculturation and their children's social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. This study described features of acculturation among Native American children and families, and explored the relationship between these cultural features and children's functioning. The study relied primarily upon the perceptions of 186 children and parents from an American Indian tribe of the southwestern United States, each reporting on their own traditionalism, and their perceptions of the child's social-emotional competencies and problems. Child and parent perceptions were augmented by parent report of other family characteristics. Consistent with the literature, factor analytic and psychometric findings indicated that traditionalism is a multidimensional construct that can be measured reliably among children and adults. These findings are especially significant because few psychometrically adequate instruments exist to assess traditionalism or acculturation among Native American children. Few relationships were found between child emotional and behavioral problems and acculturation. A consistent pattern of relationships indicated an association of parent- and child-reported traditionalism with lower perceived levels of child social and behavioral competencies. Exceptions to this pattern included the tendency of children to see themselves as more socially competent if they were involved with traditional ceremonies. Parent reports indicated an association between biculturalism and positive perceptions of child competencies. These findings must be cautiously interpreted in conjunction with the specific cultural and historical context of these families. Characteristics of the data placed some limits on multivariate analyses, and most study findings should be viewed as exploratory. Recommendations are included for further research required to adequately understand relationships between family acculturation and child functioning.

Parents and professionals are concerned about the long-term effects of language problems on later academic, communicative and behavioral functioning of children. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of level of language impairment with type of class placement, reading achievement, and social emotional functioning. Subjects were 19 children, aged 4 years, 10 months through 10 years, 4 months, who had previously been enrolled in a preschool language development program. Statistical analyses were performed on data from the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA), and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBC). Results do not support a relationship between level of language impairment and academic or social/emotional functioning.

Chronic or prolonged stress has been shown to have deleterious impacts on mental health, physical health, and cognitive functioning. However, not all individuals show the negative effects of continued exposure to stress. Past research has identified personality as a contributor to resiliency, while also identifying it as an important predictor of negative outcomes, such as psychopathology. More recently, personality researchers have emphasized the importance of examining personality at the level of specific underlying facets, as it can provide a more refined and predictive picture than higher-order personality traits. The current study examined the predictive utility of personality facets in regard to risk and resiliency in high-achieving individuals exposed to transient and chronic stress. Results indicated personality facets provided strong prediction of mental health and behavioral functioning outcomes, and added to the understanding of the association among personality and functioning. In particular, hierarchical linear modeling analyses identified significant risk and protective facets prior to the inclusion of stress and also when interacting with stress. The implications of these analyses, such as identification of particular strategies for boosting protective facets and limiting harmful facets, is discussed.

Thesis advisor: Thomas M. Crea / Thesis advisor: Ruth E. Prado P. / Undocumented Mexican immigrants and their children make up a considerable proportion of the United States population at risk of mental health problems. Yet research to inform the mental health of undocumented Mexican immigrants and their children is very limited, and the majority of existing studies are qualitative; both types of studies are needed to understand better the relationship among different factors that may influence the mental health of immigrant parents and their children. This three-paper dissertation analyzed the implications of parents’ and children’s immigration status for the mothers' mental health and the children’s behavioral problems. It utilized subsamples from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A. FANS), a survey representative of Los Angeles County, which includes direct measures of respondent’s immigration status. Paper 1 used path analysis to examine the relationship between the mothers' immigration status and major depression, and whether self-efficacy served as a mediator. Surprisingly, undocumented mothers had fewer symptoms of major depression compared with Mexican American and documented mothers. However, when self-efficacy mediated the relationship, immigration status lowered self-efficacy, increasing symptoms of major depression. Paper 2 used hierarchical regression analysis to examine the associations of mother’s and children’s immigration status with children’s behavioral problems. Immigration status was significantly associated with internalizing problems, but not with externalizing problems. For children in mixed-status families, the influence of immigration status on internalizing problems was more severe for children in middle childhood compared to children in early childhood. The influence of immigration status on internalizing problems was more severe for adolescents compared to children in early childhood and middle childhood. Also, the mother’s self-efficacy ameliorated the negative influence of immigration status on children’s behavioral problems (internalizing and externalizing) for girls in undocumented and mixed-status families. Finally, marital conflict exacerbated the negative effects of immigration status on children’s behavioral problems (internalizing and externalizing) for girls in undocumented and mixed-status families. Paper 3 utilized path analysis to examine the mediating role of mother’s mental health (e.g., major depression and self-efficacy) and parenting stress in the relationship between immigration status and children’s behavioral problems. It was found that immigration status influences the mothers' mental health and parenting stress, which in turn influences the behavioral functioning of children in middle childhood and adolescents. Results of these three studies will help inform practice and policy by addressing critical gaps in the literature impacting a growing number of undocumented immigrant mothers and their children. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

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Research suggested that the economic and parenting stress experienced by mothers and fathers are important factors in predicting individually children's emotional and behavioral functioning. In a time of economic recession, understanding the mechanisms (e.g., mediators) that may be active in explaining this relationship may prove important. Therefore, this study examined the relationships among the economic and parenting stress experienced by mothers and fathers, their parenting behaviors, and their ratings of their young children's emotional and behavioral functioning. Thirty-three parents who have children ranging in age from 2- to 6-years and who are living in the greater Orlando area completed measures regarding the variables of interest for this study. Results of this study indicated that parenting stress predicts significantly young children's internalizing, externalizing, and total problems; however, economic variables do not predict significantly young children's internalizing, externalizing, and total problem behaviors. This study emphasized the importance of research examining the relationships among economic and parenting stress, parenting behaviors, and the emotional and behavioral functioning experienced by young children in order to ensure better outcomes for families in a time of economic recession.