The purpose of this study is to investigate the reliability of social schemas in children of different ages* There has been little work on reliability of schemas vri.th adults (Levinger, 196? is one exception) and none known with children*

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Intravenous needle insertion and blood draws are common experiences for pediatric patients. These experiences evoke a high level of distress. Providing preparation information is one intervention used to reduce procedure-related distress. Research as to why preparation information results in better outcomes is scant. The current study sought to better understand the mechanisms responsible for the relationship between preparation information and reduced distress. It is hypothesized that there would be an indirect effect between knowledge and distress via cognitive appraisals of threat and coping skills. One hundred and twenty-one children ages 8-13 receiving an IV or blood draw participated. None of the hypothesized relationships were supported. However, the more total knowledge children held, the less aversive they viewed the procedure. Additionally, cognitive appraisals were positively associated with distress. These findings extend existing research by examining both subtypes of cognitive appraisals and examining coping. Additionally, the study was successful in assessing study relationships with a racially diverse sample and found no difference between White and non-White individuals. The two significant relationships demonstrate the need to assess knowledge and cognitive appraisals prior to procedures and, when necessary, provide intervention to increase knowledge and decrease cognitive appraisals to improve procedure-related distress.

The study was a pioneering effort to research a mix of the combined principles from several different theoretical positions into one integrated model of learning, growth, and development. Sets of principles were based on Human Resource Development field theory of learning, Social Learning theory, Operant Conditioning theory, and Aversive Control Learning theory.

Those who are not directly in danger themselves can and do experience negative effects, sometimes at higher rates than those directly exposed. These individuals who experience indirect exposure are often those who work in "helping" professions. Helping professionals include psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, and first responders, among others. Joinson (1992) described a phenomenon unique to helping professionals, which was termed compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue describes these negative affects experienced by helping professionals as a cumulative process. These negative changes can be related to mood and/or a transformation in cognitions. Further, these changes are the result of the empathy and emotionally intense contact with people who experienced a traumatic event, which results in maladaptive psychological consequences that influence the ability to perform the role of a "helper" (Bride, Robinson, Yegidis, & Figley, 2004; Figley, 1995; McCann & Pearlman, 1990; McHolm, 2006; Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995; Stamm, 1995). To measure compassion fatigue, the Professional Quality of Life Scale (Stamm, 2005, 2010) has emerged as the most widely used assessment of compassion fatigue. However, not enough theoretical information and psychometric data on the ProQOL exist to support compassion fatigue as the construct to explain the experiences of those in helping professions. The present study examines the most widely used measure of compassion fatigue, the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5; Stamm, 2010). Specifically, the current study examines the factor validity of the ProQOL-5 using confirmatory factor analysis. In light of the lack of model fit, the construct of compassion fatigue offers a unique and worthy view of the negative consequences of helping others. As a result, the current study proposes a novel approach to clarify a method for measurement and clear-up conceptual overlaps between related constructs. This novel method uses the framework of the information processing model of Whiting (1969).

This research examines the discrepancy between attitudinal and behavioral familism and its relation to depressive symptoms. The overarching hypothesis was that discrepancy between family values and the actual experiences of those values influences psychological health. Previous research has primarily focused on self-report measures of familial attitudes, and not whether these values are actually experienced by the individual. To address this gap in the literature, this study developed a new behavioral familism scale. A total of 431 Latinos and non-Latino Whites from a large university in Florida participated in this study. Overall, the new behavioral familism scale demonstrated good psychometric properties. Test-retest reliability was established with a sample of 109 participants who completed the measures twice, two weeks apart. Test-retest reliability was high (r = .85) and excellent (ICC = .92) for the total composite score. The internal consistency was examined with a sample of 323 participants. Results showed good internal consistency for the total composite score (Cronbach Alpha = .85). The convergent validity was evaluated with another measure of familism, as well as measures of perceived social support and family environment. Correlation analyses indicated significant positive relationships with all related measures in the expected direction. The divergent validity was evaluated with measures of social desirability and acculturation. Correlation analyses indicated non-significant and low relationships with both measures as expected. Polynomial regression and response surface analyses demonstrated that discrepancy between attitudinal and behavioral familism scores predicted symptoms of depression in a sample of 118 Latinos. Specifically, this study found that depressive symptoms increased as the discrepancy between the total composite scores of attitudinal and behavioral familism increased in either direction. Furthermore, the discrepancy in the family interconnectedness subscale indicated that symptoms of depression increased when attitudinal family interconnectedness was higher than behavioral family interconnectedness, but not when the relationship was reversed. Discrepancies between attitudinal and behavioral familism total composite scores and subscales did not predict symptoms of anxiety. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the role that culturally specific variables, such as familism, play in the psychological health of Latinos.

Hypotheses concerning paradoxical, psychostimulant-related side effects experienced by ADHD children were examined in the context of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within subject (crossover) experimental design. Results revealed that behavioral and physical complaints were significantly higher under baseline relative to placebo and the four methylphenidate (MPH) conditions (5-mg, 10-mg, 15-mg, 20-mg) across three symptom categories: ADHD core/secondary symptoms, symptoms common to all children, and symptoms highly specific to MPH. No significant differences were found among active drug conditions. Implications of these findings for assessing and monitoring potential treatment emergent symptoms in children are discussed.

Investigated differences in attentional processes between children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their classroom peers. Models of attention gleaned from laboratory experiments provided a theoretical structure for hypothesizing between-group attentional differences. Seventy-five children with ADHD and 36 normal control children were observed in their regular classrooms over a 1-week time interval. Explication of between-group differences revealed that children with ADHD were approximately 21% less attentive on average. Both groups exhibited an accelerating-decelerating pattern of attention over time, however, children with ADHD cycled at a rate twice that of same-aged peers. Six variables derived from observed attention were examined for diagnostic utility using logistical regression, odds ratios, total predictive value, and receiver operating characteristics. Implications of these findings are discussed.