ADHD is a common behavioral problem among children and adolescents and has been studied extensively. However, this disorder is still understudied in ethnic, immigrant minorities in the U.S. such as Arab families. Thus, this descriptive, qualitative study was important and needed because a gap exists in the literature concerning Arab immigrant mothers' perceptions of the children's behavioral problems such as ADHD and the implications of such child behavioral problems within the Arab immigrant family. The available literature has focused on other minorities in the United States and not Arab minorities. Accordingly, this study focused on and took a qualitative approach in order to gain an in-depth understanding of how Arab immigrant mothers perceive, describe and respond to children behavioral problems. The main purpose of this study was to elicit mothers' perceptions of and responses to behavioral problems in children, especially those behaviors associated with ADHD, in a purposeful sample comprised of Arab immigrant Muslim mothers. The findings of this study indicate that generally, mothers used several terms to describe problematic behaviors in children, words like "active", "overactive", "spoiled", "concentration problems,"...etc. Also, mothers reported several strategies for how they would respond to a child's behaviors if the child exhibited behavioral problems as well as the use of many resources available for handling a child with behavioral problems. Mothers reported various issues they considered to be triggers that would cause them to seek help for a child's behaviors. Moreover, mothers emphasized the issues of social stigma, lack of knowledge, and lack of resources as problems that would hinder them from seeking professional mental health assistance for treating behavioral problems for children in the mothers' country of birth. The results indicated that the mothers' unfavorable attitudes toward seeking formal mental health services are most likely to be affected by cultural and traditional beliefs about mental health problem. Interestingly, mothers reported that their attitudes toward children's behavioral problems differ when in the U.S. than the generally accepted attitudes held in their home countries. This study added new knowledge and also provided information to social scientists, health care providers, mental health professionals, educators, and policy makers to better understand the needs of Arab immigrant families with children who may suffer from behavioral problems/ADHD. Finally, this study provided information for future researchers who wish to study child behavioral problems/ADHD with immigrant families other than Arabs.

Parenting behaviors and a variety of behavioral problems in children covary. The current study first aimed to examine how and why parenting and child behavioral problems are linked in middle childhood. In particular, a longitudinal design (1364 children assessed from 54 months to 5th grade) was used to examine whether the developmental link between parenting and child behavioral problems were reciprocal. A twin design (131 pairs of monozygotic and 173 pairs of dizygotic twins assessed from 6 to 8 years of age on average) was used to examine the underlying genetic and nongenetic etiology of this link. In addition, using these two samples, the current study also aimed to examine whether parental attributes, including negative affect, executive function, and social cognitive factors, modulate the link between parenting and child behavioral problems. Results across these two studies suggested that parenting and child behavioral problems mutually influenced the development of each other over time, potentially through both evocative and passive gene-environment correlation processes and environmental transmissions. In addition, maternal dispositional anger modulated the effects of child behavioral problems on changes in maternal parenting quality over time. Finally, implications of the current study were also discussed. / Ph. D.

This study aims to examine teachers' views on special adaptation againt behavioral problems with pupils in the elementary schools' lower grades. In addition, there is and interest in how teachers motivate their didactic choices in the classroom with theese students. A qualitative study was done by using semi-structured interviews which were customized according to the aim. The respondents' answers were then analyzed based on the research found in this study. In order to present the results we have created three themes, each one based on the issues raised in our study. The result shows that there are different perspectives in understanding behavioral problems. Furthermore, the results present that there is a difference in teachers' way of describing these problem situations depending on which perspective teachers adopt.

The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of Koppitz's method of scoring the Bender Gestalt (BG) Test for the prediction of behavioral problems in retarded children. The problem behaviors with which this study was concerned were those most often associated with the hyperactive child.

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of play therapy as a method of intervention for children with a variety of emotional and behavioral problems. Specifically, the study was aimed at determining the effectiveness of play therapy in: (a) improving self-concepts of children with adjustment difficulties; (b) reducing internalizing behavior problems, such as withdrawal, somatic complaints, anxiety, and depression; (c) reducing externalizing behavioral problems such as aggression and delinquent behaviors; (d) reducing overall behavior problems, social problems, thought problems, and attention problems of children with adjustment difficulties; and (e) reducing parenting stress of parents of children who were experiencing adjustment difficulties.The experimental group consisted of 15 children who were experiencing a variety of adjustment difficulties and received play therapy once per week for 7 to 10 weeks. The control group consisted of 14 children who were experiencing a variety of adjustment difficulties and who were on a waiting list to receive intervention, and therefore, did not receive any treatment during the time of data collection. Experimental and control group children were administered the Joseph Pre-School and Primary Self-Concept Screening Test and parents of all participants completed the Child Behavior Checklist and the Parenting Stress Index at pretest and posttest data collection times. A gain scores analysis revealed that children in the experimental group demonstrated a significant improvement on internalizing behavior problems. Also, a reduction in externalizing behavior problems and parenting stress was observed. No improvement in self-concept was demonstrated. This study provides evidence that play therapy is a viable intervention for treating a variety of emotional and behavioral difficulties in young children, particularly children who are experiencing internalizing behavior problems.

This study examined whether the Symbol Language and Communication Battery (SLCB), a measure of learning disabilities (Lds), could identify children with Lds. In addition, possible behavioral differences were examined between unidentified and identified children. Eighty-five students (26 with school identified Lds; 59 unidentified) in the 4th and 5th grade participated in the study. Results indicated that the SLCB has good potential as a supplemental/screening measure of Lds. The SLCB was most effective in identifying children when SLCB diagnoses were restricted to the areas of reading, math, and writing. This study also found that teachers reported more behavioral problems in children with an SLCB diagnosis than children without a diagnosis, whereas unidentified children with SCLB diagnoses reported more behavioral problems than identified children.

The Achenbach Inventory of Behavioral Problems (test/retest reliability = 92) was administered to 908 adolescents in Lima, aged from 11 to 18 years, 621 coming from the control group (normal) and 287 from the experimental group (clinical group with divorced parents). Results showed that the experimental group exhibited significantly higher scores (T ≥ 70) than the control group (T < 60), the former reaching pathology level indicators. Moreover, a non-significant tendency to obtain higher T scores is more observed in females than in males. From the study results we can state that the Achenbach Inventory is a valid instrument for a screening process of children exhibiting behavioral problems that require psychological or psychiactric intervention in Peru. / El Inventario de Problemas Conductuales de Achenbach (confiabilidad tes/retest = 92) fue  administrado a 908 adolescentes de Lima, cuyas edades estaban entre los 11 y 18 años. El grupo control (normal) estuvo conformado por 621 adolescentes y el grupo experimental (muestra clínica con padres divorciados) estuvo conformado por 287. Los resultados indican que el grupo experimental presentó puntajes significativamente superiores (T ≥ 70) frente al grupo control (T<60), presentando el primer grupo de indicadores de patología. Más aún, en las mujeres se observó una tendencia no significativa a obtener puntajes T superiores a los varones. Se concluye que el Inventario de Achenbach es un instrumento válido para la detecci6n rápida de niños que presentan problemas de conducta y que requieren de una intervención psicológica o psiquiátrica, en el Perú.

Depression in mothers is an important risk factor for behavioral and emotional problems in their children (Elgar, McGrath, Waschbusch, Stewart, & Curtis 2004), and disrupted parenting is thought to mediate the influences of maternal depression on children. This 4-year longitudinal study examined whether mothers’ depression predicted parenting of children with behavioral problems across the preschool years. This study attempted to tease apart the correlates of enduring, chronic maternal depressive symptoms from those of transient depressive symptoms on parenting during the preschool years. In particular, it sought to predict both changes in parenting across the preschool years as well as to predict parenting practices as parents and children emerge from the preschool years. Participants were 199 mothers of 3-year-old children, with behavior problems who completed measures of depression and parenting yearly until children were 6 years old. Mothers with higher average depressive symptoms across the preschool years reported more overreactivity and laxness, and showed less warmth when their children were 6 years old. These mothers were also more likely to increase their self-reported overreactivity over time. Increases in depression were associated with increases in overreactivity and laxness, but not in warmth. These results provide stronger evidence than previous cross-sectional studies for a causal relation between depression and parenting, and point to the importance of providing adequate treatment and support to depressed mothers of preschool children.

Many children experience symptoms of mental health problems and a significant proportion reach clinical thresholds of psychological disorder. It has been argued that the rising incidence of these problems and widespread failure to scale effective treatments for those in need means that prevention and early intervention in the development of emotional and behavioural problems is a public health priority. Child development is shaped by many forces, including for example parenting and peer relationships, this PhD is very specifically interested in the consequences of stress for children’s emotions and behaviour. Although the effects of stress are largely deemed negative, striking individual differences are almost universally observed. In the context of equivalent stressors, some children experience poorer outcomes, some remain relatively unaffected and others appear to experience better outcomes. Understanding what causes these differences is important for advancing our knowledge of the stress process, and is also key to designing services to improve children’s emotions and behaviour. This PhD has four aims. Firstly, it examines the relationship between two routine, school- based stressors and children’s emotional and behavioural outcomes. Secondly, it investigates the role of the cognitive appraisal process in accounting for individual differences in those outcomes. Thirdly, it examines the conditions under which cognitive appraisal operates, both in terms of its role as an organiser of coping efforts and cortisol (a stress hormone) as well as the extent to which children display consistency in their appraisals across contexts. Fourthly, it outlines the implications of the study for policy and practice efforts to improve children’s emotions and behaviour. The empirical study was designed as a prospective longitudinal study, following 66 children over the course of one year in which they experienced two routine, school-based stressors (KS2 exams and transition). Participants were recruited via opportunity sampling methods, and a combination of psychological and physiological data were collected at four time points.

Antipsychotic medications remain the first line of treatment for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia (SCZ). However, antipsychotic treatment is often not compliant due to dysregulation of both the central (CNS) and autonomic (ANS) nervous systems, resulting in debilitating dose-dependent side effects. Recent work suggests a new approach for treatment of SCZ that could potentially lower treatment doses and reduce side effects. Increased neuroinflammation has been shown in patients diagnosed with SCZ, particularly within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampal (HPC) regions of the brain. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa) is one of the key pro-inflammatory cytokines observed to be secreted during the inflammatory response. When TNFa is chronically secreted, resident CNS microglia become pro-inflammatory and toxic to the local environment. Microglial activation alongside of dopamine dysregulation thereby results in both the behavioral and neuroinflammatory aspects of SCZ. In this study, we hypothesized dietary administration of two different novel TNFamodulators (PD2024 – Experiment 1 and PD340 – Experiment 2) developed by our collaborators from P2D Bioscience, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH) would alleviate auditory sensorimotor gating deficits and reduce microglial cell activation caused by neonatal polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) treatment in rats, which is a validated rodent model of SCZ. Four groups (Experiment 1: Poly IC/PD2024, Poly IC/Control, Saline/PD2024, Saline/Control and Experiment 2: Poly IC/PD340, Poly IC/Control, Saline/PD340, Saline/Control) were intraperitoneally administered either Poly I:C (2 mg/kg) or saline (0.9% NaCl) from postnatal days 5-7. From P30-67, animals were placed on the experimental diet containing either low (10 mg/kg) or high (30 mg/kg) doses of either PD2024 or PD340, whereas the control animals remained on a normal diet. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) was used to test for auditory sensorimotor gating (behavioral abnormalities) in both adolescence (P44-46) and in adulthood (P60-66). At P67, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and confocal microscopy were used to evaluate and examine microglial cell activation using the Iba1-GFP antibody (neuroinflammatory abnormalities) in the PFC and HPC. Results revealed auditory sensorimotor gating deficits in Poly IC/Controls were alleviated in both adolescence and adulthood with either PD2024 or PD340. It was also found that both TNFa modulators significantly reduced microglial activation in the HPC, but not the PFC. The data supports our hypothesis that dietary administration of PD2024 or PD340 alleviates behavioral deficits and decreases neuroinflammation generated from the Poly I:C rodent model of SCZ. Therefore, an approach with a TNFa modulator alongside of current antipsychotic medications could treat both the behavioral and neuroinflammatory aspects of SCZ.