abstract: Mood disorders are highly prevalent, especially in adolescent populations. One potential cause of the widespread nature of these disorders is the formation of stigma around emotionality. Emotion research, while extensive, has not expanded to capture how a parent’s emotion regulation and expression may lead to stigmatized behaviors in their child affecting that child’s mental health into adulthood. The current thesis aimed to investigate the relevance of this novel concept – emotionality stigma – in the relationship between parental emotionality and adult-child mental health. Using social learning theory, parental emotionality was predicted to influence a child’s emotionality into adulthood. Specifically, this thesis investigated if parental emotion over- and under-expression (dysregulation) would influence adult-children to perceive a stigma around emotionality leading to worse mental health, whereas well-regulated parental emotion expression would relate to adult-child emotional intelligence, leading to better mental health. Moreover, it was predicted that these relationships would differ depending on parent and child gender. To examine these ideas, data was collected from 1,136 college and community individuals through a university survey system and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Using a combination of linear regression, PROCESS, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) models, the results supported the proposed hypotheses. As predicted, parental dysregulation in childhood predicted impaired adult-child mental health, whereas parental regulation in childhood predicted lower levels of adult-child depression and anxiety. Additionally, emotionality stigma and emotional intelligence partially mediated the relationship between parental emotionality and adult-child mental health. Furthermore, results showed interesting gender differences; male participants were more impacted by both maternal and paternal emotionality as compared to female participants. These findings not only build on emotion research, but also have numerous applications in practice including improving parenting classes and family therapy interventions. This study is the first to explore the role of parental emotionality on adult-child mental health through stigma and emotional intelligence. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2019

The purpose of this evaluative study was to develop and implement a program evaluation design for a model of early mental health intervention to primary grade level classrooms .in a public elementary school. The design reflects a formative evaluation study, providing information for current and future programming and is manageable to implement, thus facilitating longitudinal data collection. This therapeutic model of classroom intervention stresses the integration of children’s social, emotional and intellectual development and proposes a collaborative approach between therapist and educator. Levels of intervention for collaborators include (1) children identified as requiring therapeutic approaches to social-emotional difficulties experienced in the classroom, (2) all children in the classroom and, (3) the classroom milieu. The overall goal is to promote optimal growth at all levels. The program evaluation design includes a format for monitoring the service delivery system of the model and to identify procedural and collaborative discrepancies. Information regarding collaborators' perceptions of identified children is collected from written intervention plans. Assessment of the frequency and nature of peer interactions was accomplished in this study through an observational technique in the classrooms. A teacher attitude questionnaire was administered at the end of the school year to obtain information about teacher receptivity of the program and suggestions for future restructuring of service delivery. Additional data was collected from the school's files regarding teachers' rating of children as to their current and anticipated social-emotional and learning difficulties. The results of the information collected reflect a general awareness, acceptance and support of the collaborative approach on the part of teachers participating in the program. As a direct result of the evaluation process, several issues of programming were raised and proposed for future decision-making.

The thesis provides a survey inquiring about recent life events in children to determine predictive behavior for first grade. It is based on the Social Readjustment Rating Scale.

This study began with the authors' interest in the Portland Public Schools' program for Emotionally Handicapped children. Originally, the researchers were interested in assessing behavioral characteristics and changes among children in that program and in relating these variables to the kind and extent of parental involvement. Such a study was particularly timely, it was felt, since some schools were considering eliminating the parent involvement component of the program and there was discussion of phasing out the entire program as it then existed in favor of "mainstreaming." The researchers soon discovered the paucity of research information relating to program effects on children after their termination and realized that program changes might well happen for political and subjective reasons in the absence of research data. Unfortunately, recent changes in Oregon Law relating to confidentiality, in addition to administrative arid funding difficulties in the schools forced an upper level decision to curtail outside research in the school system. In September of 1976 the authors were left with an interest and a partially formulated research design but no program within which to apply their design. At this point the researchers contacted the Childrens' Psychiatric Day Treatment Center in Portland (C.P.D.T.C.) and presented a preliminary plan for research to that agency's Administrative Committee. They received the agency's approval to pursue research relating to children who had been in that program and were able to begin the present study. in early October. The present study undertakes to measure behavior changes among the forty-one children who had left the Center during the previous two years and to relate the stability of these changes to subsequent events in the childrens' home lives and to the degree of their parents' involvement in their treatment.

No description available.

(1) Problem: Previous evidence showed that parenting programs effectively reduce externalizing problems and disorders in children living in high-income countries. However, there was less evidence about the effectiveness of parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In addition, there is a need for more studies that assess how parenting practices and family characteristics mediate the effects of parenting programs. The overall goal of this dissertation was to contribute to closing the gap in the evidence regarding the efficacy of parenting programs in and low- and middle-income countries. Also, this dissertation intended to increase the evidence regarding how parenting practice (i.e., supervision, parent child communication, and punishment) meditate the effects of parenting programs high-income and low- and middle-income countries. (2) Materials and methods: First, in chapter 2, I conducted a systematic review to synthesize the evidence regarding how parenting practices and family variables mediated the parenting programs effects. In chapter 3, I assessed the effect of Pilas program on child’s oppositional and conduct problems and aggressive behaviors. Also, I examined the mediating mechanism though parent-child communication, supervision, and punishment. Pilas was a multimodal program designed and implemented in Medellin Colombia. The program was evaluated through a cluster randomized control trial, including children aged 6-11 who were followed at baseline, 1-, and 3-year assessments. In chapter 4, I assessed how parent-child communication and supervision mediated the effect of Fast Track Project (FTP) on antisocial behaviors at grade 7 and 9, exploring the mediating mechanism of FTP in the early- and middle-adolescence. FTP is a multimodal intervention that aim to reduce conduct problem in childhood in four communities of the USA (Durham, NC, Nashville, TN, rural PA, and Seattle, WA.). (3) Results and conclusions: In the chapters 2, the systematic review showed that positive parenting and parental discipline had been the most studied mediators of parenting programs. However, there was limited evidence or methodological problems regarding other mechanisms (i.e., supervision, family functioning, parent-child relationships, harsh parenting, and ineffective discipline). In addition, few articles studied the medium (3-5 years follow-up) and long-term (more than 5 years) mediating mechanisms, and no articles assessed mediation mechanisms in low- and middle-income countries. Among, the most important methodological problems were the lack of control for confounding in the Mediator-Outcome pathway (M-Y pathway) and underreporting of the mediating results. In chapter 3, I presented the Pilas effects and mediated mechanisms. Children exposed to Pilas had 22% fewer conduct problems, 32% fewer oppositional problems, 36% less indirect aggression, 15% less total aggressive behaviors, and 22% less direct aggression. On the other hand, there were not program effects on child behaviors based on caregivers' reports. In addition, after three years of follow-up, Pilas reduced the number of psychological and psychical punishments reported by the children, but it did not have an effect on punishment as reported by caregivers. Pilas improved parent-restricted topics and role orienting reported by the caregivers. However, the Pilas effects were not mediated through the target mediators (supervision, parent-child communication, and punishment) so the mediation mechanisms remain unknown. Chapter 4 presented the medium- and long-term mediating mechanism of Fast-track project. I found that parent-child communication and supervision were not mediators of FTP effects on antisocial behaviors during early- and middle- adolescence. However, FTP improved antisocial behavior in early- and middle-adolescents and improve parenting practices such as parent-child communication and supervision. FTP reduced child antisocial behaviors in grades 7 and 9 and improved child communication and total communication and supervision variables, such as daily discussion of activities and curfew time. Finally, chapter 5 presented the most important dissertation findings and conclusions. There is evidence about the mediating mechanism of parenting programs. However, the evidence available is not conclusive and had multiple methodological weakness and underreporting. Pilas programs improved children’s conduct problems, oppositional problems and aggressive behavior and reduces punishment against the children. However, the program effect was not mediated through parenting practices. Regarding FTP, the program effects of antisocial behaviors were not mediated through parent-child communication and supervision during early- and middle- adolescence. Further studies should be conducted to enlarge the evidence about the effects of parenting programs on LMIC and research about how parent-child communication meditate the effects of parenting programs in both LMIC and HIC.

Black women face significant social and economic adversities throughout their life course as intersecting identities impact their experiences of double jeopardy (gender and racial discrimination) and result in various forms of inequity. Though researchers have examined the health inequalities experienced by Black women, Black women as caregivers of their children who have been diagnosed with mental illnesses have yet to be examined in research. Gaps in knowledge exist regarding how a child's diagnosis of a mental illness impacts the parenting practices of Black women and the family dynamics. Further, the barriers to health access experienced by Black women as they navigate mental health systems and the resiliency factors and coping mechanisms employed by Black women have yet to be examined. Utilizing a grounded theory method of qualitative inquiry, this study addresses the gaps in the literature, is a response to a direct call to research, and examines the lived experiences of Black women as caregivers for children diagnosed with mental illnesses.  Findings indicated that the mothers find and navigate resources and interventions independently; they utilize formal sources as a last resort and often find those supports ineffective, and they are in a constant state of learning and teaching others about the mental health needs of their children. Though the mothers sought support, they live in a state of isolation, meeting the mental health needs of their children and the needs of others in their families, with limited support from both formal and informal sources.

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship which the thought patterns of parents have upon the ideas of the children in the present national and world emergency. Attention is also given to the background study of the present conflict, the attitudes that should prevail, and the stress that should be placed upon democracy.

The purpose of this study is to analyze recommended programs for developing child security in wartime. Attention is given, also, to the opinions expressed by contemporary psychiatrists and educators, as to ill and possible good effects of the war on the mental hygiene of the elementary school child.

The purpose of this study was to identify to what degree specific factors influence the level of satisfaction experienced by foster parents whose foster children are recieving mental health services from agencies that they have been referred to by a Coming of Age Foster Family Agency.