It is the purpose of this study to aid in determining to what extent Anglo and Latin-American school children on the preadolescent level accept one another in terms of mutual friendship choices, and to find evidence relating to the optimum racial proportion for the purpose of future classroom ethnic distributions.

Purpose: Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (MAE) has been shown to elicit improvements in cognition and subsequent academic performance among preadolescents. Aerobic exercise has also shown to increase cortisol release in response to increasing exercise intensity. However, it is unknown if increased cortisol levels following exercise are related to acute improvements in executive function following a bout of MAE in preadolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential effects of increased cortisol release after acute MAE on attention and working memory among preadolescents. Methods: Eleven preadolescents [6 males, 5 females] volunteered to participate in this study (age=9.45±1.03). Participants were randomized in a counterbalanced fashion to 30 minutes of rest or 30 minutes of treadmill MAE (60-70% HR max). Immediately pre-post each condition, participants completed a cognitive battery consisting of tests of attention (Flanker Test) and working memory (List Sorting Working Memory Test), as well as salivary samples for the analysis of cortisol. Linear Regression models were used to assess significance of covariates. Generalized linear models were used to assess significance of changes in each dependent variable against time, condition, time*condition and change in cortisol. Tukey’s HSD post-hoc tests for multiple comparisons were used to assess the effect of condition on working memory, attention, and salivary cortisol. Results: There was a significant effect of condition on working memory (F=3.16, p =0.04), with no change from pre-post rest (p=0.93) and improving from pre-post exercise (p=0.04). There was no effect of condition on attention or salivary cortisol, most likely due to a small sample size. Multiple linear regression models showed a significant effect of age (p=0.03) and change in cortisol (p=0.007) on working memory. Conclusion: Exercise had a positive effect on working memory, however, we were unable to relate this improvement to changes in salivary cortisol due to a lack of statistical power. This study could provide insight into the physiological effects of increased cortisol release on cognition, specifically in regard to working memory. However, more data are needed to achieve sufficient statistical power to detect these relationships.

Negative body image can cause serious psychological problems. In some Western societies, body image concerns can develop at a young age, with early preadolescents preferring thinner bodies and reporting body dissatisfaction. The aims here were to clarify the significant gaps in published research, and to challenge existing assumptions around weight, muscularity, and body satisfaction in children. In addition, this novel research focused on young children’s body dissatisfaction, particularly young boys (aged 4-11 years). Traditional measures of body satisfaction are limited and do not incorporate muscularity, assess individual body parts, or indicate the direction of dissatisfaction. Here, new visual measures were developed along with a prototype application for a touch-screen tablet to measure body satisfaction in children. Through 4 innovative experimental studies the current research explored factors influencing body image: including gender, age, ethnicity, BMI, perceived body size, and sociocultural factors (e.g. cultural ideals and body size stereotypes). Results consistently supported the findings of study 1 which showed gender differences in body satisfaction: boys were more dissatisfied with their bodies than girls, and their dissatisfaction varied over the different body parts (torso, arms and legs). Stereotypical idealised body perception was evident: boys wanted to be muscular and girls desired to be lean. In study 2, ideal body choices saw boys choosing more muscular figures and girls more lean figures for the self, than the ones they choose for another boy or girl. Boys desired more muscular ideal figures than what they perceived the opposite sex would choose. Study 3 revealed the pattern of assigning positive attributes was gendered. Boys viewed the hypermuscular figure the most positively and girls the normal weight and lean figures the most positively. However, both sexes did not want to look like the overweight figure as a child or adult. Study 4 showed parent’s body satisfaction and their perception of their child’s current body size predicted child’s body satisfaction, and exposure to media predicted the child’s ideal and future ideal adult figure choices. Overall, a combination of factors involved in the development of children’s body image were revealed, including sociocultural influences, age, ethnicity, and perceived body size. The research carried out within this thesis has extended our knowledge of pre-adolescent’s body dissatisfaction, has developed innovative measures for use with younger children, and revealed fascinating findings around young boys’ body image.

Submitted by SBI Biblioteca Digital (sbi.bibliotecadigital@puc-campinas.edu.br) on 2018-04-09T17:31:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RAFAEL ANDRADE RIBEIRO.pdf: 7064933 bytes, checksum: 20665417b336a29ce496816e9571ae9a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-09T17:31:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RAFAEL ANDRADE RIBEIRO.pdf: 7064933 bytes, checksum: 20665417b336a29ce496816e9571ae9a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-20 / Pontif?cia Universidade Cat?lica de Campinas - PUC - Campinas / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico - CNPq / The cleft lip and palate is a problem that requires medical care from birth until the end of adolescence, causing several stressful situations for the child and his family. This study analyzed the psychological processes involved in coping with adverse conditions related to the malformation and the treatment of cleft lip and palate, including temperament of preadolescents, stress of caregivers and family psychosocial risk. 22 dyads, composed of preadolescents with an average age of 11 years in specialized treatment and their caregivers, participated in the research. The following data were collected with their respective instruments: a) descriptive data of the sample, stress and coping of caregiver through the Characterization Form; b) family psychosocial risk through Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT 2.0); c) temperament of preadolescents through Early Adolescence Temperament Questionnaire ? Revised (EATQ-R); d) coping of preadolescents by Responses to Stress Questionnaire ? Cleft Lip and Palate (RSQ-CLP), adapted for this study. The most stressful situation pointed out by young people was having to wear orthodontic braces. They exhibited an average stress level (M = 19.27). The coping involving recognition of social support by the preadolescents was the most reported by the sample and the most expressive coping strategy for the group of preadolescents was Acceptance. The Secondary Control Coping was the most frequent. The families presented an average psychosocial risk (M = 1.19). Half of the caregivers reported not experiencing stressful situations related to the treatment, in data collection. Significant relationships were identified between the presence of self-perceived stress of the caregivers with a higher level of stress and aggressiveness of the preadolescents. The domain Affiliation temperament was the most frequent for the sample, being significantly higher for the boys. The extended treatment with various invasive procedures on the face region tends to stimulate the need for preadolescents to be associated with people who offer emotional support and assist them in solving problems resulting from deformity and / or treatment, such as parents and health professionals. These results indicate the necessity to offer an integrated and multiprofessional assistance to this population, including actions that minimize the harmful effects of the psychosocial risk factors experienced by the most vulnerable families. / A fissura labiopalatina ? um problema que exige cuidados m?dicos desde o nascimento at? o final da adolesc?ncia, acarretando v?rias situa??es estressantes para o portador e sua fam?lia. Este estudo analisou os processos psicol?gicos envolvidos no enfrentamento (coping) de situa??es adversas relacionadas ? doen?a e ao tratamento da fissura labiopalatina, incluindo o temperamento de pr?-adolescentes, estresse dos cuidadores e risco psicossocial familiar. Participaram 22 d?ades, compostas por pr?-adolescentes, com idade m?dia de 11 anos, e seus cuidadores, em tratamento especializado. Foram coletados os seguintes dados, com seus respectivos instrumentos: a) dados descritivos da amostra, estresse e coping dos cuidadores, pela Ficha de Caracteriza??o; b) risco psicossocial familiar, pelo Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT 2.0); c) temperamento dos pr?-adolescentes, pelo Early Adolescence Temperament Questionnaire ? Revised (EATQ-R); d) coping dos pr?-adolescentes, pelo Responses to Stress Questionnaire ? Cleft Lip and Palate (RSQ-CLP), adaptado para este estudo. A situa??o mais estressora pontuada pelos pr?-adolescentes foi ter de usar aparelho ortod?ntico. Eles apresentaram um n?vel de estresse m?dio (M = 19,27). O comportamento de coping que envolve reconhecimento de suporte social pelos pr?-adolescentes foi o mais relatado pela amostra e a estrat?gia de enfrentamento mais expressiva foi a Aceita??o. O Coping de Controle Secund?rio foi o mais frequente. As fam?lias apresentaram risco psicossocial m?dio (M = 1,19). Metade dos cuidadores referiu n?o vivenciar situa??o estressora relacionada ao tratamento, na coleta de dados. Foram identificadas rela??es significativas entre a presen?a de estresse autopercebido dos cuidadores com um maior n?vel de estresse e agressividade dos pr?-adolescentes. O dom?nio de temperamento Afilia??o foi o mais frequente para a amostra, sendo significativamente mais alto para os meninos. O tratamento longo e com diversos procedimentos invasivos na regi?o da face tende a estimular a necessidade de vincula??o dos pr?-adolescentes junto a pessoas que oferecem suporte emocional e que os ajude na resolu??o de problemas consequentes da deformidade e/ou do tratamento, como pais e profissionais da sa?de. Esses resultados indicam a necessidade de oferta de uma assist?ncia integrada e multiprofissional a essa popula??o, que incluam a??es que minimizem os efeitos danosos dos fatores de risco psicossocial vivenciados pelas fam?lias mais vulner?veis.

Older adopted children and their families often express high need for support for attachment and trauma related concerns. Post-adoption mental health intervention focused on enhancing the parent-child relationship among adoptive parents and adoptees is essential for fostering placement permanency among these families. This single group pilot study explored the effect of Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) for adoptive parents of preadolescents who reported attachment related concerns, stress in the parent-child relationship, and child behavior problems. Participants were 11 adoptive parents ages 25 to 64 (55% male; 91% couples; 100% married; 56% European American, 27% Asian, 9% Hispanic, and 9% Black American) with adoptees between the ages of 8 to 14 (56% male; 56% Hispanic, 33% European American, and 11% Black American). All child participants were adopted out of foster care. Data was collected at baseline, pretest, midtest, and posttest. Results from non-parametric Friedman test of differences across 4 points of measure indicated that CPRT demonstrated statistically significant improvement for the 3 outcome variables: parental empathy, child behavior, and parent child relationship stress. Specifically, results indicated that prior to receiving CPRT (baseline to pretest), parents demonstrated no change or worsening in functioning across all variables, whereas during the intervention phase findings showed a large treatment effect for parental empathy, a medium effect for parenting stress, and a small effect for child behavior problems. Findings from this pilot study support CPRT as a promising mental health intervention for adoptive parents and preadolescent children. Clinical implications and recommendations for working with adoptive parents of preadolescents are explored within the context of these findings.