Tiene como objetivo general, comparar los resultados entre la presencia de la sintomatología depresiva en niños de 8 a 10 años con leucemia, discapacidad física y ausencia de problemas físicos. La muestra estuvo conformada por 27 niños de 8 a 10 años, de los cuales 6 fueron diagnosticados con leucemia, 6 con discapacidad física y 15 sin problemas de de salud física. Para ello se utilizó el Cuestionario de Depresión para niños (CDS), donde los participantes debían señalar aquellas imágenes cuyos rostros representaban mejor su respuesta al enunciado presentado. Los resultados indicaron que el 50% de los niños con leucemia presentaban niveles muy bajos o ausencia de sintomatología depresiva; mientras que los niños con discapacidad física y sin problemas de salud, presentaba el 33.3% y el 13.33% respectivamente, que según lo establecido en el instrumento, indica la presencia de un transtorno depresivo. No obstante, no se presenta una diferencia significativa en cuanto a una mayor presencia de sintomatología depresiva entre las muestras. Por tanto, de los resultados obtenidos se puede apreciar, que el padecimiento de una enfermdedad no es determinante para la aparición de sintomas depresivos pudiendo existir otros factores implicados; sin embargo, es importante señalar que, la discapacidad física puede tener un impacto negativo en los niños que la presentan considerando las limitaciones y su condición de permanencia en su desarrollo. / This research aims to compare the results between depressive symptomatology in children aged 8 to 10 years with leukemia, physical disability and absence of physical health problems. The sample consisted of 27 children aged 8-10 years, of which 6 have leukemia, 6 are physical disabled and 15 do not have any physical health problem. Children responded to the “Children’s Depresion Scale”, in which they had to point out pictures of faces that indicated their response. The results showed that 50% of children with leukemia had very low levels or absence of depressive symptomatology, whereas 33.3% of physically handicapped children and 13.3% of the children without health problems presented a depressive disorder. However, the results did not evidence a significative difference between the samples. Therefore, having a disease does not necessarily mean that a child will develop depression, since there are many factors involved in this diagnosis; however, these have not been addressed in this study. In addition, it is important to mention that a physical disability can have a negative impact on the children who have it, because of the limitations it implies and the permanency of the condition in their development. / Tesis

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Although gifted underachievers have been the subject of many studies, the possible connection between depression and underachievement had not been previously investigated. Effective counseling programs for high school student.s were lacking. A technique from family counseling literature, reframing, was recommended for use in the school setting. Sixty underachieving gifted students from local high schools were randomly selected and assigned to treatment/no treatment groups. A randomized pretest/posttest design was used to examine the effect of a brief intervention strategy in a single counseling session on Beck Hopelessness Scale scores, progress reported by teachers, and grade point averages. Various attribute variables were also considered. Results from a stepwise multiple regression support the effectiveness of the intervention in improving grade point averages. One of the significant factors on higher Hopelessness Scale scores was higher mothers' income. However, many mothers were not working outside the home making results difficult to interpret. On the other hand, the lower fathers' income contributed significantly to explaining· variance in higher Hopelessness Scale scores. Females and lower pre-GPA were also significant factors in explaining higher Hopelessness Scale scores. Family status (having an intact family) and higher pre-teachers reports accounted for higher post teachers' reports. The pre teachers' report, second quarter of the study, the intervention, and pre-GPA were significant factors in improved postGPA. Indications are that the underachievers group have higher rates of hopelessness than achievers. Some of the recommendations include reframing as a tool of the school counselor, (1) use of (2) use of the Beck Hopelessness Scale as a screening tool for identifying depression in the high school gifted, and (3) examination of depression in gifted underachievers in further studies. / Ed. D.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Psychology / Master / Master of Philosophy

This study examined symptoms of anxiety and depression in 99 children and adolescents following a residential fire. Children and their parents completed self-administered questionnaires regarding the fire and their current functioning. The most commonly experienced symptoms were worry/ oversensitivity, anhedonia, negative mood, and fear of failure and criticism. There were no significant ethnic differences across symptomology. Exposure was directly related to parental report of child internalizing behaviors, whereas loss was unrelated to symptoms. Level of support (general and fire related) and active coping were directly associated with positive child adjustment. The impact of negative life events was related to poorer functioning. Overall, a child's environment and coping strategy appear to be the best predictors of adjustment following a residential fire.

This study was design to determine the efficacy of intensive individual play therapy as a method of intervention for children diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study was designed to study the effectiveness of an intensive play therapy intervention in: a) reducing symptoms of childhood depression in children with IDDM; b) reducing symptoms of anxiety in children with IDDM; c) reducing the overall behavior difficulties in children with IDDM; d) increasing healthy adjustment in children with IDDM; e) increasing diabetic's children's adherence to their diabetic regime; and f) impacting these emotional and behavioral symptoms over time. The 15 children in the experimental group received 12, daily play therapy sessions while attending a summer camp for children with diabetes. The control group, consisting of 15 children who attended the diabetic summer camp, received no play therapy. Children and parents in both groups completed pretest, post-test and three-month follow-up data, consisting of: the Children's Depression Inventory, the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Filial Problems Checklist and the Diabetes Adaptation Scale. Analysis of covariance revealed that the children in the experimental group significantly improved their adaptation to their diabetes following intensive play therapy as reflected by the Diabetes Adaptation Scale. No other hypothesis were retained, although statistical trends noted increased improvement in the experimental group in the areas of behavior difficulties and adherence behavior. Possible explanations for these results include a lack of symptoms reported at the time of pretesting and the validity of these instruments for a chronically ill population. The results of this study indicate that intensive play therapy may be an effective intervention for children diagnosed with IDDM. Qualitative observations and progress noted in therapy reveal that young children with IDDM have the capability to address and resolve issues of anxiety, depression and other emotional issues related to their diabetes in play therapy. Preventative approaches such as play therapy for children with IDDM are particularly important for this population as current behavior patterns and treatment adherence are highly correlated with long-term medical and psychological health.

This study compared the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) scores of traumatized youth with or without PTSD to the scores of a nonclinical comparison group. Diagnostic interviews identified children with PTSD (28), traumatized PTSD negatives (64), and a nonclinical comparison group (41). In the absence of major comorbid disorders, the CDI scores of children and adolescents with PTSD significantly exceeded the CDI scores of traumatized PTSD negatives and controls on the CDI Total, Negative Mood, Ineffectiveness, and Anehdonia scales. The PTSD group also had significantly higher scores than the traumatized PTSD negatives on the Negative Self Esteem scale. Furthermore, as hypothesized, the CDI scores of the traumatized PTSD negatives and controls were not significantly different on any of the six subscales measured. On the other hand, there were three unexpected nonsignificant findings. First, the PTSD group mean CDI Interpersonal Problems score did not significantly differ from the traumatized PTSD negative group. Second, the PTSD group mean CDI Interpersonal Problems score also did not significantly differ from the control group. Finally, the PTSD group mean CDI Negative Self Esteem score did not significantly differ from the control group. Overall, PTSD was associated with increased depression across the majority of the CDI scales and trauma exposure without PTSD was not. Implications for research and practice are considered.

Depressed mood is one of the most common of all psychiatric symptoms occurring in children and adolescents. Population studies suggest a point prevalence of between 10 to 15% of children and adolescents having symptoms of depression. Further, depressed adolescents are also significantly more apt to demonstrate suicidal ideation accompanied by a concomitant sense of helplessness and hopelessness. The overall aim of the study was to identify and characterize profiles of depression and suicidal behavior within the adolescents of the USA in the past 10 years. This study utilized epidemiological, cross-sectional, data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a biennial census that monitors six types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth. Latent classes of the indicators were generated utilizing latent class regression modeling. Predictors were then regressed on class membership in a multinomial logistic regression simultaneously to assess significance. Finally, a juxtaposition of the profiles and significant predictors followed to allow for observation of differences in number of profiles and other qualities (i.e., proportions of sample in each class, etc.) as well as to visualize and note “carryover” predictors across the past 10 years. Findings revealed a relatively stable pattern of profiles and predictors over the years with the exception of 2015. In the analysis of demographic variables, membership of the “low- risk non-depressed” class was consistently or more frequently associated with being male, older, not of an ethnic minority, and non-ethnically bi-or multiracial, across all time points. Three clusters of behaviors and factors emerged as significant predictors of depressed mood and suicidality. The first cluster consisted of typical adolescent risk behaviors that includes delinquent behaviors (i.e., fight, weapon carrying, or use of over-the-counter drugs), smoking, alcohol use, as well as consensual (non-violent) sexual activity. The second cluster of predictors that was significant consisted of experiences of traumatic events such as bullying, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. Finally, a third cluster that showed significance consisted of self destructive behavior such as the use of illicit or hard drugs and maladaptive dieting, restricting or purging behavior. Several protective factors such as having sufficient physical activity and getting at least 8 hours of sleep daily also emerged as significant. Limitations to the YRBS and this study were discussed, and recommendations that tie to the implications of the findings were proposed. Future directions for research were also presented in light of the limitations of the study.

A model of social behaviours, peer rejection, social cognitions and psychosocial outcomes in children aged 9 to 12 was investigated. Two studies, including one pilot study (Study 1) and a longitudinal study with two waves and a 6-month lag between assessments (Study 2A and Study 2B), were conducted to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships pertaining to the antecedents and consequences of peer rejection as children approach adolescence. In Study 1, perceptions of relationships, peer-related attributions, and depressive symptoms were examined as consequences of peer rejection among 208 Grade 5 and 6 children aged 9 to 11 from one primary school. The findings from this study indicated that social cognitions play a partial mediating role linking peer rejection to depressive symptoms. The interaction between peer rejection and social cognitions did not contribute to the prediction of depressive symptoms, therefore a diathesis-stress model of depression was not supported. Study 2A and 2B were cross-sectional and longitudinal examinations of Study 1. A model of social behaviours, peer rejection, social cognitions and children's functioning was proposed and tested. In these studies, perceptions of relationships and perceived social acceptance were indicators of social cognitions. Participants were 334 Grade 5 to 7 children mostly aged 9 to 12, with 308 participants completing both assessments of the longitudinal study. Results of Study 2A provided further support for the mediating role of social cognitions between peer rejection and depressive symptoms. Positive associations between peer rejection, relational aggression and withdrawal, and a negative association between peer rejection and prosocial behaviour were also found. Significant associations of externalising behaviour with physical aggression and peer rejection were also found, suggesting separate pathways to depression and externalising behaviour via children's behaviours and peer rejection. In the longitudinal study, earlier relational aggression and withdrawal were associated with later peer rejection. No support for a longitudinal mediation effect for social cognitions in the peer rejection-depression relationship was observed, although a bidirectional association between social cognitions and depressive symptoms over time was found. Gender differences and moderation were also tested, but few effects were found. It was concluded that children's cognitions regarding peer relationships and perceived social acceptance are important factors in understanding the pathways from peer difficulties to depression during late childhood. Furthermore, evidence was found for specific pathways linking children's social behaviours to depression and externalising behaviour. Implications for theory, research and practice are discussed, including the importance of considering the child's perceptions of their peer functioning as well as actual peer status, and the need for future research to examine social cognitive factors relevant to aggression as well as withdrawal. Possible directions for targeted interventions are also described.