Introduction. A mother’s verbal and non-verbal behaviour towards her infant is known as maternal responsiveness (MR). Positive MR is associated with better child social and emotional development (SED). A mother’s ability to accurately recognise emotions is thought to enhance MR. Method. Data from 1,122 mother-infant interactions from a longitudinal birth cohort study, was used firstly to examine whether positive MR at 12 months was associated with better child and adolescent SED, and secondly to explore whether better maternal facial and vocal expression recognition at 151 months was associated with positive MR and child SED. MR was measured using the Thorpe Interaction Measure (TIM) from observed mother-infant interactions and SED from questionnaire data adjusting for potential confounding variables. A test of facial expression recognition was used with vocal expression recognition additionally used in mothers. Results. Logistic regression revealed that positive MR was associated with positive SED outcomes in childhood but there was little effect in adolescence. Positive MR was associated with mothers having better facial and vocal expression recognition at 151 months and these recognition skills were associated with children showing less emotional problems at 158 months independent of MR. Adjustments for confounding variables had no effect on these results. Conclusion: These findings support the benefit of positive MR on a child’s SED in middle childhood. Further, the findings suggest that a mother’s facial and vocal expression recognition skills are important to both MR and a child’s SED. Limitations include subjective reporting of SED.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the developmental outcomes of Chinese American children's social competence in their transition to elementary school. In this study, I used a mixed-methods research design. The first part of the study was a secondary analysis of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort. I examined cultural differences in the effects of parental warmth, parental SES, parent-child communication, and children's participation in peer-oriented structured extracurricular activities on the social development of European American and Chinese American children. For the second part of the study, I developed questions based on the findings of the quantitative analysis and conducted interviews to further explore how Chinese immigrant mothers' parenting beliefs and practices contributed to their children's development of social competence. The results showed that in Chinese immigrant families, parental SES influenced parent-child communication, which in turn promoted children's social competence. Parental SES, but not parental warmth, predicted their children's participation in peer-oriented structured extracurricular activities. Years of stay in the U.S. positively predicted children's participation in peer-oriented structured extracurricular activities, while it negatively predicted parent-child communication in Chinese immigrant families. The qualitative data suggested that Chinese immigrant mothers facilitated their children's social development by giving them verbal guidance for peer problems, encouraging conversations at home, and serving as role models for their children. Children's activity participation was restricted by the affordability of activities and parents' ability to provide transportation for their children. The Chinese immigrant mothers perceived taking on daily responsibilities and spending quality time together with their children as ways to express love toward them. These mothers' childrearing practices were influenced by the generational gap and acculturation. This study broadens our understanding of Chinese American children's development of social competence in their transition to formal schooling. It contributes new knowledge about 1) cultural differences in the effects of parental warmth and SES on parent-child communication; 2) the influences of parental SES on parent-child communication and Chinese American children's participation in peer-oriented structured extracurricular activities; and 3) the effect of years of stay in the U.S. on parent-child communication in Chinese immigrant families. / text

Externalizing behavior is stable as early as 2 years of age and is a precursor to many childhood and adult negative outcomes. Although global self report data show a relationship between parenting and children's externalizing, few studies have examined the proximal effect of observed mother's parenting on children's expression of aggression. A sample of 55 primarily African American, toddler-mother dyads were observed in their homes. Data was collected on the 2-year-old children's emotional reactivity, externalizing behavior, social competence and mother's harsh and supportive parenting. A second wave of data was collected one year later with a smaller sample, n=37.Children who were boys and more emotionally reactive had higher Externalizing scores on the CBCL, both at age 2 and 3. Mothers who used contingent harsh parenting in response to child noncompliance had children who were higher on Externalizing behavior concurrently, but not across time. Mother's contingent supportive parenting in response to child compliance at age 2 predicted children's Social Competence at age 3. Results lend support to a transactional model of parent-child interaction very early in development that can be linked variously to children's aggressive, acting out and prosocial behaviors.

In this study of preschool children and parents (N=64), we examined relations between two facets of parents' emotion socialization: direct and indirect socialization; three facets of children's emotional competence: emotion expression, regulation, and understanding; and their relations with children's social and emotional adjustment. Few associations were observed between indicators of parents' emotion socialization and among indicators of children's emotional competence, suggesting that these constructs are better understood as multi-faceted, rather than unitary processes. Additionally, aspects of children's emotional competence linked--both directly and indirectly--parents' emotion socialization behaviors and children's social and emotional adjustment. Results are discussed with regard to the role of parents' emotion socialization and children's emotional competence, especially emotion regulation, in children's adjustment during preschool.

Social competence during kindergarten has been linked to adaptive teacher-child and peer relationships. The quality of parents’ interaction with their children during the toddler years may promote better social development placing children on a trajectory towards social competence. Quite possibly, children vary in how responsive they are to parenting efforts. This study evaluated the extent to which positive parenting predicted change in social competence from child age 3 to 4 among 137 parent-child dyads. Observational measures of positive parenting and fearful temperament were analyzed when children were 3-years of age. Teacher reports of social competence in the classroom were collected during children’s 4-year old assessment. Positive parenting was positively associated with children’s level of social competence. No evidence emerged of fearful temperament as a moderator for the association between positive parenting and social competence. Regardless of children’s temperament, all children benefit from positive parenting during early childhood.

Thesis advisor: Anderson J. Franklin / The differential effects of the achievement gap on lower-income youth persist in this country (National Association of State Boards of Education, 2013). Recognition of the role of Out-of-School Time (OST) factors contributing to achievement differences has been growing (Gordon, Bridglall, & Meroe, 2005). As a result, OST programs have been gaining popularity; however, program efficacy varies. Socio-emotional climate represents one area of quality that likely influences student outcomes. Socio-emotional climate was assessed through a custom observation tool from a larger study. Social competence and resilience was the outcome variable as measured by the DESSA-RRE. Factor analysis empirically profiled the socio-emotional climates of 37 summer learning programs from five school districts across the country, resulting in four “GROW” dimensions of socio-emotional climate: (1) Growth-promoting Instruction, (2) Resolve and Focus, (3) Organization, and (4) Warmth. Given the randomized control design of the larger study, variability among the 37 climates was limited. Thus, hierarchical linear regression examined the influence of climate on students’ outcomes. HLR found that the socio-emotional climate explained a statistically significant (R2=0.12, p<0.001, f2=0.14) amount of variance in students’ social competence and resilience, above and beyond demographics alone (􏰀 R2=0.005, p=0.007, f2=0.01). Moderation results were non- significant. Limitations to the study centered on data collection and quantitative methodology. Implications for both counseling psychologists and OST providers were discussed at length, notably supporting programs towards Growth-promoting Instruction. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:37:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Jose Lima.pdf: 1029426 bytes, checksum: 671e5a5f5fad98547306aea3501aca11 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-18 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Aiming to develop an analysis of psychologists perception about their competence working in institutions that serve the population living in social vulnerability, this research has turned to this context, exploiting the developed resources, facilitating and complicating factors and the comprehension that these professionals have of their own action, considering the facets of psychotherapy and social. Qualitative research-level exploratory and descriptive, made use of a questionnaire of the participant and the Technical Focus Group. The participants were psychologists working in institutions that serve the population living in socially vulnerable in São José dos Campos / São Paulo. The analysis of material obtained in the group was based on some tools of qualitative method of content analysis. For the interpretation phase, we used the theoretical contributions of systems thinking new paradigm. The results point to the perception of a place under construction, the institutional psychologist in search of identity and enhancement, as well as the need of building skills to work in that context. Participants perceive their actions as nonclinical and seek their place in society, given the current demands for greater involvement in contexts of vulnerability / Com o objetivo de desenvolver uma análise sobre a percepção de psicólogos sobre sua competência para trabalhar em instituições, que atendem à população que vive em condição de risco, esta pesquisa voltou-se para esse contexto, explorando os recursos desenvolvidos, seus aspectos facilitadores e dificultadores, assim como a compreensão que esses profissionais têm de sua ação, considerando as facetas do psicoterapêutico e do social. Pesquisa qualitativa, de nível exploratório descritivo, fez uso de um questionário de caracterização do participante e da técnica do Grupo Focal. Os participantes foram psicólogos atuantes em instituições que atendem à população que vive em risco social, em São José dos Campos / São Paulo. A análise do material obtido no grupo baseou-se em algumas ferramentas qualitativas do método de análise de conteúdo. Para a fase de interpretação, foram utilizadas as contribuições teóricas do pensamento sistêmico novo paradigmático. Os resultados apontam para a percepção de um lugar em construção, o do psicólogo institucional, em busca de identidade e valorização, assim como da necessidade da criação de competências para o trabalho nesse contexto. Os participantes percebem suas ações como não clínicas e buscam seu lugar no social, dada as atuais demandas de maior comprometimento em contextos de maior vulnerabilidade

A relatively recent measure, the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS), has been developed to measure both problem behavior and social competence in young children. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the construct validity of the PKBS through the application of several validation procedures. Results of the study support construct validity of the PKBS. In a discriminant analysis, the PKBS classified correctly 89.36% of the 94 subjects. A secondary purpose of this study was to examine social-emotional behavior differences between kindergarten students who were divided into different behavioral status groups based on a teacher nomination procedure: a behaviorally at-risk group comprised of both internalizing and externalizing students and a comparison group of behaviorally typical students. Statistically significant differences were found between groups on most variables.

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children under 15 years of age. Despite a growing survival rate for childhood cancer, psychological research of this population has lagged behind medical advances in treatment. The research that does exist in the psycho-oncology literature is plagued with inconsistency in conclusions and methodological limitations. Focus has been given to measuring maladaptive symptoms with few firm conclusions. Conclusions in the area of social competence of children with cancer have been considerably more reliable than in other domains. Previous research suggests that children with cancer exhibit significant difficulties in the areas of social competence (peer relationships, social functioning) when compared with healthy peers. Although this phenomenon has been consistently demonstrated, it had not been investigated longitudinally or with a focus on pre- and postdiagnosis differences in functioning. This project investigated individual change in social competence in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (the most common form of childhood cancer) during their first 3 months of treatment compared to normally developing controls.

A nonequivalent control-group longitudinal design was used to examine the effects of a leadership and diversity awareness program on adolescents knowledge of discriminatory terms, acceptance of diversity, social competence, feelings of social responsibility, and community involvement. Adolescents who did and did not attend a leadership and diversity awareness program (Anytown) completed three analogous surveys in a 12-month period. Similarly, parents of adolescents who did and did not attend the program reported on their childs social competence and community involvement. Adolescents who attended the program reported greater increases in their social competence, acceptance of diversity, feelings of social responsibility, and community involvement when compared to the control group. A comparison of females and males who attended the program revealed females scored higher than males in the areas of social competence, diversity acceptance, and social responsibility. Differences also were observed between the race/ethnic groups of program participants. The Hispanic/Latino and Nonwhite/Other race/ethnic groups reported higher diversity acceptance scores than the adolescents in the Black race/ethnic group. Additionally, parents of Anytown participants reported higher community involvement than parents of adolescents who had yet to attend the program. Discussion centers around the results and implications of these findings as well as the need to incorporate effective prejudice reduction strategies into diversity awareness programs.