No description available.

Past studies from various cultures have reported that parents of children with special needs experience more distress. The present study aimed to explore the psychological states of local Chinese parents of children with special needs in Hong Kong with the construct of coping flexibility incorporated. Participants were 116 parents of children with special needs and 62 parents of children without special needs. Results indicated that Chinese parents of children with special needs had higher anxiety and lower life satisfaction than did parents of children without special needs. The former also had lower perceived social support, perceived controllability, and coping flexibility for childcare than did parents in the control group. Another aim of the current study was to identify factors for prediction of anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction. Status of having children with special needs predicted depression, but not anxiety and life satisfaction. Social support not only demonstrated a main effect on anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction, but also showed a buffering effect on coping flexibility for childcare in predicting anxiety and depression respectively. Social support moderated the relation between controllability and life satisfaction as well. The results in this study guide us in designing suitable services for parents. / published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

No description available.

There has been a tremendous increase in the study of school bullying over the past 20 years, where research findings have shown that bullying occurs in school settings regardless of particular country or culture. The vast majority of this research has addressed the behavior of the aggressor (i.e., the bully), whereas relatively few studies have focused on children who are the targets of peer aggression (i.e., the victim). Research findings specific to victims of bullying have shown certain characteristics that indicate increased risk of victimization, such as social isolation, insecurity, and physical weakness.Based on circumstances or manifestations associated with having a disability in a school setting, students with disabilities may have some of the characteristics identified as risk factors for victimization. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether Hispanic students who have disabilities report higher rates of victimization by bullies in comparison to their non-disabled peers, and whether having a particular disability, if any, resulted in more frequent victimization. Forty-three (43) students participated in the study and completed the Reynolds Bully Victimization Scale (BVS) and the Olweus' Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ). The data from these measures were evaluated using Analysis of Variance, Multivariate Analysis of Variance, and Fisher's Exact Test.The results showed that students identified as having a disability obtained significantly higher BVS scores for victimization, and their BVS T-scores reached clinical significance levels significantly more often than those of non-disabled students. However, results from the OBVQ did not yield significant difference between students with and without disabilities. With respect to having different disabilities (specific learning disability, speech language impairment, & mild mental retardation), the results showed no significant differences in victimization rates for the BVS or the OBVQ. Similarly, no significant differences emerged for victimization across grade/school level. Further research is needed in this area, since the present study appears to be the first research in the United States that has attempted to compare bully victimization rates across students having various different disabilities.

This study investigated the attitudes toward disability on the part of children with special needs, average-achieving children, and high-achieving children as well as the latter two groups' experiences in inclusive elementary school classes. According to the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Questionnaire (ATDP), attitudes toward disability did not differ according to achievement level (p = .099). However, females were significantly more accepting than males (p = .008). In classes where the most severe disability was a mental handicap, children held significantly more positive attitudes toward disability than those who had classmates with learning, behavioral, or severe developmental disorders (p = .026). Based on interview data, average- and high-achieving children shared similar perceptions about their experiences in inclusive classes. Both groups frequently noted that classmates with disabilities enjoyed similar activities as nondisabled classmates yet exhibited more frequent inappropriate behavior. Interviewees most often acknowledged as their first response that making new friends was a benefit for children with special needs and that dealing with their disability was difficult. Learning about disabilities was viewed as a benefit for nondisabled children while feeling comfortable with their classmate with disabilities was seen as challenging. When questioned about the ramifications of inclusion on their academics, high-achievers were significantly more likely to report that they learned less (p = .01). Results are discussed in light of sensitivity theories that would predict high-achievers to be more accepting of disability because they are attuned to their classmates with disabilities' needs, and theories suggesting that high-achieving children whose academic needs are unmet may develop negative attitudes toward children with disabilities.

No description available.

Graduate

Use of compatible behavioral activities and management techniques were taught to teachers and aides, and implemented within two preschool handicapped classes. The effectiveness of the procedures in meeting behavioral goals was evaluated with the use of behavior analytic techniques. Traditional group research techniques were used to determine if the implemented curriculum affected the short-term attainment that students in treatment classrooms on the average made of academic and developmental goals. Findings1. Behavior observation research techniques documented dramatic increases in engaged/study behaviors during work and independent time periods and decreasing trends in problem behaviors after the behavioral curriculum was begun.2. Four independent factorial analyses of variance showed higher pretest - posttest gains on various subtests of the Learning Accomplishment Profile than control classroom students.ConclusionA compatible set of behavioral techniques and activities can be taught to teachers and aides within inservice training and instituted within preschool handicapped classes in such a way as to achieve more gains in observed student behavior and to affect school achievement positively.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to identify and evaluate possible determinants of wellbeing and psychological adjustment in parents raising children with disabilities. Two studies drawing from the same sample of participants were conducted. Method: One-hundred and forty parents raising children with disabilities participated in this investigation. Participants completed a survey consisting of basic demographic characteristics of the parent, child-disability characteristics, parent problem solving ability, access to information and resources, environmental/social supports, appraisals of threat and growth, and measures of life satisfaction and physical/mental health. The purpose of study one was to evaluate possible determinants of parent wellbeing using a contextual model. The purpose of study two was to identify factors that predict depression risk status for parents raising children with disabilities. Results: Study one used structural equation modeling to test a hypothesized contextual model of parent wellbeing. Results of study one indicated strong model fit. In addition, after controlling for the contribution of parent demographic variables, the largest contributors to parent wellbeing were parent problem solving ability, access to resources, environmental/social supports, and parent appraisals of threat. Child functional impairment was not significantly associated with parent wellbeing. Study two found that 19 percent of participants were at risk for depression. Moreover, using tests of mean differences and hierarchical logistic regression, study two found that parents at-risk for depression were significantly more likely to report physical health problems, ineffective problem solving abilities, lower family satisfaction, and more appraisals of threat compared to parents not at-risk for depression. These factors combined to predict significantly depression risk status with the at-risk group being identified with 83.3 percent accuracy. Conclusion: Implications related to the importance of resources and environmental/social supports, appraisals of threat and growth, and problem solving abilities on the overall wellbeing and emotional health of parents raising children with disabilities are discussed.