Independence training practices and locus of control orientation in children and adolescents.

Gave 168 male and female 2nd and 7th graders the Preschool and Primary Locus of Control Scale or the Nowicki-Strickland Children's Locus of Control Scale and asked them to complete the Children's Report of Parental Behavior Inventory. 96 of their mothers filled out the Children's Independence Training, Independence-Allowing Questionnaire. Three 2?×?2?×?2 ANOVAs revealed that mothers of "internals" reported significantly earlier ages for independence training and for allowing independence. Seventh- but not 2nd-grade internals perceived their mothers as less firm in their control than did "externals." (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive attributes of depression in children and adolescents.

This study explores whether cognitive attributes differentiate depressed children from those with other psychiatric disorders. The subjects were 108 children from 7 to 17 years of age. Forty-seven children were diagnosed as currently depressed, 30 as having had an episode of major depression within the last year (depressed-resolved), and 31 with diagnoses other than depression (nondepressed). The subjects completed the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, the Children's Hopelessness Scale, the Nowicki-Strickland Children's Locus of Control Scale, the Children's Attributional Styles Questionnaire, and the Children's Depression Inventory. The depressed children endorsed significantly lower self-esteem, more hopelessness, a more externalized locus of control, and a more depressive attributional style than the depressed-resolved or the nondepressed children. Thus, a depressive cognitive style can be documented in clinically depressed young people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control, self-esteem, stimulus appraisal, and depressive symptoms in children.

Self-esteem, locus of control, stimulus appraisal, and depressive symptoms, which are related to depression in adults, were investigated in 225 5th and 6th graders. Ss completed the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, Children's Locus of Control Scale, and Moyal-Miezitis Stimulus Appraisal Scale. Grade and sex effects were not significant. All other intervariable correlations were significant and are consistent with research at the adult level. Results are discussed in terms of the helplessness model of depression and in terms of implications for studying childhood depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's self-control in relation to perceived social environment.

Examined relationships between perceptions of the class social environment and self-control in 755 4th and 5th graders. Children completed the Children's Perceived Self-Control Scale and were also rated on the Teacher's Self-Control Rating Scale. Perceived environment was measured by children's and teachers' responses to a modified short form of the Classroom Environment Scale. Results show that children's and teachers' perceptions of class environment were basically unrelated and that children's views of environment were more strongly linked to self-control outcomes. Children's perceptions of high class and organization, involvement, and rule clarity were significantly related to ratings and behavioral observations of children's self-control. Multiple regression analysis replicated the simple correlations and showed that children's views of class environment predicted their own ratings and teachers' ratings of self-control. Implications for optimizing the social environmental determinants of children's self-control are considered. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression and anxiety in children: A comparison of self-report questionnaires to clinical interview.

The validity of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and the Trait Scale of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) were examined. Scores on these measures were compared to diagnoses and symptom scores derived from the Child Assessment Schedule. Ss were 70 psychiatric inpatient children, with a mean age of 10 yrs. Evidence was found for the convergent and discriminant validity of both the CDI and the STAIC. Scores for both depressed and anxious children were elevated on the RCMAS. The sensitivity for all 3 measures was too low for diagnostic purposes. Generally, these results support the use of these self-report questionnaires as screening measures and symptom inventories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression in children and adolescents: A comparative analysis of the utility and construct validity of two assessment measures.

The utility and construct validity of the Children's Depression Inventory and the youth version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale were examined. No significant grade, sex or race effects were obtained for either measure. Examination of convergent and discriminate validity for these measures revealed high correspondence with self-report measures of related constructs. Children's self-reports corresponded poorly with ratings by teachers or parents. Finally, the utility of recommended cutoff scores for identifying extreme groups of depressed children and adolescents was evaluated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affective variables and school achievement: A study of possible causal influences.

Studied the predictive and causal relationship of affective variables and academic achievement (376 Ss in Grades 3–6), both concurrently and 1 yr later. Affective characteristics studied were general and academic self-concept, academic locus of control, and expectations for future academic achievement (Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, Student's Perception of Ability Scale, Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire, and the Projected Academic Performance Scale) whereas levels of achievement were ascertained by end-of-year grades. The findings indicate that affective variables, especially academic self-concept, made a small but significant contribution to school grades. The data suggest a possible reciprocal interaction between affective characteristics and school achievement. Implications for children experiencing learning difficulties are discussed. (French abstract) (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The validity of the DSM-III posttraumatic stress disorder classification as applied to children.

Tested three groups of children: The first group (n?=?231) presented with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the second group (n?=?32) presented with simple phobia (i.e., test phobia), and the third group (n?=?35) was made up of nonclinical controls. The subjects marked the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and their conduct was rated against the Conners Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS) criteria. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) evinced significant group and gender differences. No significant interaction effects were noted. Univariate F tests and Bonferroni posttests revealed that the PTSD cases evinced markedly higher RCMAS, CDI, and CTRS scores than their phobic and nonphobic peers. Analogously, the RCMAS and CDI scores of the phobia cases were appreciably greater than the control groups. On the other hand, the CTRS scores of the test phobia and control groups were not significantly different. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suppressor effects in coping research with African American adolescents from low-income communities.

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to demonstrate the replicable nature of statistical suppressor effects in coping research through 2 examples with African American adolescents from low-income communities. Method: Participants in the 1st example included 497 African American adolescents (mean age = 12.61 years, SD = 0.99; 57% female) reporting on dispositional coping, and participants in the 2nd example included 268 African American adolescents (mean age = 12.90 years, SD = 1.27; 56% female) reporting on situation-based coping. Participants in both samples completed self-report measures of coping strategies (Children's Coping Strategies Checklist and How I Coped Under Pressure Scale) and internalizing symptoms (Youth Self-Report, Children's Depression Inventory, and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale). Results: The results of structural equation modeling revealed significant suppressor effects, with active coping and support-seeking coping enhancing the association between avoidant coping and internalizing symptoms. Conclusions: The demonstration of replicable suppressor effects helps to advance coping research and intervention by providing evidence of the interdependence of coping strategies, thus increasing understanding of how coping strategies work together to predict outcomes. The current study offers recommendations for understanding associations among coping strategies within the context of suppression effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing coparenting in families of school-age children: Validation of the Coparenting and Family Rating System.

Studied (1) the psychometric properties of an observational co-parenting measure and (2) the relationship between co-parenting and the adjustment of school-age children. Ss were 67 couples in the US with a 1st-born, 7-11 yr old child. Family interactions during unstructured family play in a laboratory setting were coded with the Coparenting and Family Rating System (CFRS; J. P. McHale et al, 2000). Three self-report measures of marital adjustment, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale were administered. For boys, the CFRS measure Hostility-Competitiveness correlated with anxiety (Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale) and with mother-reported internalizing, externalizing, and overall problems (CBCL). For girls, the CFRS measure Parenting Discrepancy correlated with mother-reported internalizing (CBCL). The possibility of sex differences in co-parenting-adjustment links is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The course on individual mental assessment: A national survey of course instructors.

Information concerning coursework on individual mental assessment was obtained through a survey of 49 course instructors selected throughout the US. It was found that the course typically provides 3 credit hours at the graduate level and is taught by persons holding doctoral degrees, assisted by a teaching assistant. An average of 20 students take the course each year. Courses in tests and measurement and introductory statistics are common prerequisites. The assessment tests emphasized most heavily are the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R), the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Topics most strongly featured in the course include test administration, scoring, interpretation, and reporting. J. M. Sattler's (1982) Assessment of Children's Intelligence and Special Abilities is the most widely used textbook. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structural differences in parent and child reports of children's symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Two cohorts of public elementary school children and their parents (assessed 3 years apart) completed child and parent forms of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Assessments were conducted twice, once during the fall (N?=?562) and again during the spring (N?=?630) of the 6th grade. Factor analyses revealed 3 factors for each measure. Two of the 3 parent CDI factors manifested some degree of congruence with their counterparts from the child CDI. Similarly, 2 of the 3 RCMAS factors were somewhat congruent across informant types. Differences between parent and child factor structures suggest that parents' and children's reports focus on somewhat different aspects of child psychopathology, and they can make qualitatively different contributions to the multiaxial assessment of children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does age play a role in structure of anxiety and depression in children and youths? An investigation of the tripartite model in three age cohorts.

Although previous studies provide some support for a tripartite model of relations between anxiety and depression in children, there is evidence to suggest that anxiety and depression may be increasingly differentiated over development. Using a confirmatory factor analytic strategy with rationally selected item sets from the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Children's Depression Inventory, the current study sought to test unitary, dual. and tripartite models for anxiety and depression in a cross-sectional design using 3 narrow-band age cohorts of nonreferred children and youths. The results found little evidence of increasing differentiation. All models provided a moderate fit to the data, with some evidence that a correlated 3-factor model was the preferred model in all age cohorts. Further research is required to explore the discriminant validity and clinical utility of the tripartite dimensions in childhood populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Brief-term counseling with sexually abused girls: The impact of sex of counselor on clients' therapeutic involvement, self-concept, and depression.

Two overlapping studies were conducted with sexually abused girls referred to a university outpatient clinic for 6 sessions of psychoeducationally based individual counseling in which participants were alternately assigned to either male or female counselors. Ratings of videotaped segments of 21 girls' in-session behavior revealed no significant effect for sex of counselor, although a significant improvement was found in girls' participation in counseling across the 6 treatment sessions. Results for 30 girls who completed all aspects of the counseling program revealed significant pretreatment–posttreatment improvement in Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) scores, including responses to the CDI suicidal ideation item. Again, no significant effect was found for sex of counselors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression in British and American children and its relation to anxiety and fear.

The relations between the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children—Revised (FSSC-R) were examined in 327 British and 336 American children. Relations were similar for both samples of children, with depression more closely related to anxiety than to fear. In addition, the utility of M. Kovacs's (see record 1981-31663-001) recommended cutoff score (CDI?≥?19) for identifying extreme groups of depressed children was evaluated. Children who reported high levels of depression also reported high levels of anxiety and social evaluative fears. The findings are discussed in light of D. Watson and L. A. Clark's (see record 1985-12093-001) notion of negative affectivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's Perceived Illness Uncertainty as a Moderator in the Parent-Child Distress Relation in Juvenile Rheumatic Diseases.

Objective: Examine children's perceived illness uncertainty as a potential moderator in the parent-distress/child-depressive-symptom relation in youths with juvenile rheumatic disease (JRD). Participants and Study Design: 50 youths between the ages of 9 and 17 and their parents completed self-report measures. Main Outcome Measures: Parents completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (L. R. Derogatis & N. Melisaratos, 1983); youths completed the Children's Depression Inventory (M. Kovacs, 1992) and the Children's Uncertainty in Illness Scale (L. L. Mullins & V. L. Hartman, 1995). Results: Children's perceived illness uncertainty moderated the parent-distress/child-depressive-symptom relation. Parent distress was associated with child depressive symptoms only under conditions of high child-perceived uncertainty; under conditions of low illness uncertainty, parent distress was unrelated to child depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Results highlight the role of children's cognitive appraisals in parent-child adjustment relations in JRD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery—Children's Revision: Concurrent validity with three learning disability subtypes.

Concurrent validity of the Luria-Nebraska Psychological Battery—Children's Revision (LNNB—C) was studied in 82 learning disabled children who were divided into three groups according to Verbal and Performance IQ differences on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R). The three groups, comparable in age and on WISC—R Full-Scale IQ scores, were designated auditory-linguistic (Verbal IQ?     

Self-concept in obese and normal-weight children.

Compared self-concept (as measured by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale) for 716 White children in Grades 3–8, who were classified as obese or normal-weight after their ideal weight was calculated accounting for age, sex, and height. Ss 20% or more over ideal weight were characterized as obese. No significant differences were found in self-concept in the 2 groups. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental development: Concordance for same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins.

Administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence to 375 same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic (DZ) twins from 3 mo–6 yrs of age. With 1 exception (9 mo), there was no significant difference in concordance at any age for same-sex and opposite-sex twins. In both groups, the within-pair correlations increased during early childhood to a maximum value at 3 yrs, then gradually regressed at 6 yrs. Data provide no evidence of greater discordance among opposite-sex twins for mental development in the preschool years. It is concluded that sex differences may be set aside as a nonsignificant factor in the concordance estimates for DZ twins. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety and digit span performance in emotionally disturbed children.

Administered the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale and a digit span task to 38 emotionally disturbed children in residential treatment. Results support the multidimensionality of trait anxiety, at least with emotionally disturbed children. The study also demonstrates the utility of identifying factors within an instrument and the importance of evaluating factor-specific scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)