No description available.

Studies examining neighborhood effects on adolescent outcomes have indicated that adolescents growing up in low-income neighborhoods are at higher risk of developing internalizing and externalizing behaviors. However, knowledge of the long-term effects of neighborhood disadvantages on internalizing and externalizing behaviors and the involved mechanisms across adolescence is limited. Using family life course theory and the cumulative advantage/disadvantage perspective, this study examined how community disadvantages in early adolescence accumulate over time to influence later internalizing and externalizing behaviors and the protective effects of subjective appraisals of social support by adolescents and their primary caregivers. I estimated a two-level growth curve model using three waves of data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). Results indicated subjective appraisals of social support by both adolescents and caregivers played a protective role to buffer the negative effects of community disadvantages on internalizing and externalizing behaviors across adolescence. These results provide insight for the development of intervention programs at both family and government levels to improve adolescent outcomes. / Ph. D.

Play therapists use children’s natural symbolic play as a method of mental health treatment (Landreth, 2012). Meta-analysis research has demonstrated the effectiveness of treating children with play therapy (Bratton, Ray, Rhine, & Jones, 2005), and child-centered play therapy (CCPT) has proven to be an effective treatment for children with externalizing behaviors such as aggression and other disruptive behavior (Bratton & Ray, 2000; Bratton et al., 2005). Some studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of brief and short-term CCPT, such as twice weekly within two to three months (Blanco & Ray, 2011; Shen, 2002) and when delivered in an intensive format, conducting 12 sessions within three weeks (Jones & Landreth, 2002). In this current study, I sought to determine the effectiveness of intensive CCPT with children identified as having externalizing problem behaviors. Participants were recruited from public schools in the urban area of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia area. A total of 24 participants completed the study: 18 boys and 6 girls aged 6 to 9 years old (M = 7); 17 Australian Caucasians, 1 English (UK) Caucasian, 1 Asian, 3 Hispanic/Latino, and 2 Biracial. Participants were randomly assigned: 12 to the experimental group and 12 to the wait-list control group. Children in the experimental group received 20 intensive CCPT sessions: twice daily for 10 days. For each child participant, a parent completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and a teacher completed the CBCL Teacher’s Report Form (TRF) three times: at pretest, posttest, and one-week follow-up. Mixed between-within ANOVAs were conducted applying an alpha level of .05 to interpret statistical significant and η2 calculation to assess practical significance. Follow-up results indicated a statistically significant interaction effect on CBCL Externalizing score, F (2, 44) = 14.747, p < .001, with a large effect size of η2 = .277. Results also indicated a statistically significant interaction effect on the TRF Externalizing score, F (2, 44) = 4.042, p = .024, with a large effect size of η2 = .135. Therefore, both parents and teachers indicated that children with externalizing behaviors who received intensive CCPT showed a significant decrease in those behaviors. The results of this study indicate that when time and financial resources call for short-term, intensive CCPT for children with problematic externalizing behaviors, practitioners may use it with confidence that its effectiveness has been demonstrated through this research.

This study investigated the effects of lesion presence within larger brain networks (e.g., default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and mentalizing network (MN)) in the chronic phase of a pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the effect on social function. We compared children with a TBI to children with an orthopedic injury (OI) with three different aims. The first aim was to determine whether network volume differed by group (e.g., TBI vs. OI). Second, investigate if lesion presence in a sub component region of the network resulted in total network volume loss for that network. Finally, learn whether network volume would predict outcome on the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2). Approximately 184 participants (65% male; 70% Caucasian) between the ages of 6-17 years completed testing and a structural MRI scan in the chronic stage (at least one-year post-injury) of the injury. Injury severity included complicated mild, moderate, and severe TBI. Radiological findings were analyzed using recommendations from the Common Data Elements' core (presence or absence of a lesion) and supplementary (lesion type and location) recommendations. Volumetrics for all participants were obtained with FreeSurfer to quantify total network volumes for the DMN, SN, and MN. The parent of each participant completed a behavioral measure for externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Three sets of statistical analyses were completed, including multivariate analysis of covariance, analysis of covariance, and multiple regression, for each of the three aims of the study, respectively. There were significant differences in total DMN volume between the two groups and participants with lesions solely in the MN had lower total MN volume. Moreover, lower total MN volume was associated with worse functioning on measures of externalizing and internalizing behaviors. The larger implications, including developmental and social implications, of these findings are discussed.

No description available.

Universal screening is an emerging practice in the field of education to provide at-risk students with early intervention services. Currently there is not a universal screener specifically designed for the middle school population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to obtain junior high and middle school teachers' perspectives on behaviors exhibited by students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders in order to develop preliminary test items. Several themes were identified from the teachers' perspectives. Teacher perspectives noted that at-risk students displayed a variety of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. These issues included difficulty maintaining peer and teacher relationships, difficulty with hygiene and sleep, challenging home and school relationships, and noncompliant behaviors. From these themes, the researcher created an initial item pool of 24 items, which can be used for future development of a screening instrument.

Relations between preschool-aged children’s expressive language ability and externalizing behaviors remain poorly understood and may be moderated by other influences, including child sex, temperamental anger/frustration, receptive language, and adaptive communication skill (i.e., “real-world” usage of language). The present study used person- and variable-centered approaches to (a) identify meaningful classes of children based on these attributes, and (b) test for class-specific differences in the relation between expressive language and later externalizing behaviors. Participants were 144 preschool-aged children (M = 47.43 months; 51% male) who were recruited from semirural Head Start centers and assessed at two time points, approximately five months apart. Latent class analysis identified three classes of children: (a) the Typical Language/Higher Anger class (average language/communication abilities and higher anger/frustration), (b) the High Communication/Average Anger class (only female children with high adaptive communication and otherwise average attributes), and (c) the Verbally Competent/Lower Anger class (high language/communication abilities and lower anger/frustration). Expressive language negatively predicted Time 2 externalizing behaviors more strongly among the High Communication/Average Anger class, compared to the Typical Language/Higher Anger class. Across the entire sample, there was a negative predictive relation between expressive language and Time 2 externalizing behaviors, which was moderated by anger/frustration and adaptive communication. Overall, among children with competent skills in expressive language and at least one additional domain (e.g., higher adaptive communication, lower anger/frustration), higher expressive language more strongly predicted lower levels of Time 2 externalizing behaviors, relative to children with fewer concurrent competencies. Higher levels of expressive language were not related—or were less strongly related—to later externalizing behaviors among children with fewer concurrent competencies. Results underscore the proximal role of temperamental and adaptive communicative attributes in supporting expressive language usage and suggest different intervention strategies for children with different configurations of attributes. / Psychology

Ce travail avait pour objectif de répondre à trois questions de recherche relatives au bullying en milieu scolaire. Dans un premier temps, la validité d’un questionnaire d’évaluation du bullying scolaire a été explorée. En second lieu, il s’agissait d’identifier si le cyber-bullying présente les mêmes caractéristiques que le bullying scolaire. Enfin, l’importance de la relation entre le bullying scolaire et le sommeil a été analysée.Des entretiens individuels ont été menés auprès de 1422 collégiens et lycéens (Filles = 47%, Garçons = 53%, âge moyen = 14,3±2,7 ans). Notre première étude montre que l’adaptation française du Bully/Victim Questionnaire révisé d’Olweus (1996) est un outil valide pour évaluer le bullying auprès d’adolescents (α= 0,75 ; χ²/ddl= 7 ; RMSEA=0,064 ; GFI=0,95 ; AGFI=0,93 ; validité de construit satisfaisante). Plus d’un adolescent sur quatre est concerné par le bullying : 18% des élèves ont un profil « victime », 9% sont « agresseurs » et 3% sont « agresseurs/victimes ». Les résultats de notre deuxième étude invitent à distinguer le cyber-bullying du bullying scolaire : les élèves impliqués dans l’une et l’autre de ces formes de bullying ne sont pas les mêmes et ils ne présentent pas les mêmes difficultés psychosociales. Notre troisième étude montre que le sommeil est associé aux profils du bullying scolaire. Les victimes se plaignent davantage de problèmes relatifs à la qualité subjective de leur sommeil ; les agresseurs ont un rythme veille/sommeil plus irrégulier que leurs camarades et présentent une quantité de sommeil plus faible. Enfin, le sommeil a un effet modérateur sur les problèmes psychosociaux rencontrés par les élèves impliqués dans le bullying scolaire.Ces résultats amènent à considérer que le bullying constitue tant une réalité scolaire qu’un problème de santé publique. Il est important de continuer d’explorer ce phénomène pour nourrir les réflexions sur les modes de prévention à mettre en place dans les établissements scolaires. / The aim of this study was to investigate bullying in schools. At first, we assessed the validity of a widespread questionnaire devoted to evaluate school-bullying. Second, we investigated the overlap between school-bullying and cyber-bullying. At least, we examined the relation between school-bullying and sleep. Individual interviews were conducted with 1422 middle- and high-school students (Girls = 47%, Boys=53%, Mean age=14.3±2.7 y.o).Results of our first study show that the French adaptation of the revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (1996) is a valid instrument for measuring bullying in adolescents (α= 0.75 ; χ²/ddl= 7 ; RMSEA=0.064 ; GFI=0.95 ; AGFI=0.93 ; construct validity). More than one adolescent in four is involved in bullying: 18% as “victim”, 9% as “bully” and 3% as “bully/victim”. Results of our second study show that cyber-bullying and bullying do not overlap: students involved in each of these forms of Bullying are not the same and they do not experienced the same psychosocial problems.Our third study shows that sleep is associated with profiles in school-bullying. Victims have higher complains related to subjective sleep quality. Bullies’ sleep/wake patterns are more irregular and their sleep duration is lower than their schoolmates. Then, there is a moderator effect of sleep on psychosocial problems related to bullying.Given the sizable proportion of adolescents involved in bullying and its significant relationship with health criterion, the issue warrants serious school and public health attention. More studies should be conducted in order to implement relevant school-based intervention programs.