Substance-Abusing Parents' Attitudes Toward Allowing Their Custodial Children to Participate in Treatment: A Comparison of Mothers Versus Fathers.

Attitudes of substance-abusing fathers (N = 214) and mothers (N = 106) entering outpatient treatment toward allowing their custodial children to participate in individual- or family-based interventions were examined. Only 129 parents (40%) reported they would be willing to allow their children to participate in treatment. A significantly greater proportion of mothers reported they would assent to their children participating (N = 58 [55%]) compared with fathers (N = 71 [33%]). Factors associated with parents' attitudes toward their children participating included parents' (a) referral source into treatment, (b) level of psychiatric distress, and (c) substance use frequency in the previous year. Thus, parental reluctance to allow their children to participate appears to be a significant barrier in efforts to intervene with these at-risk children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religiosity and the Socioemotional Adjustment of Adolescent Mothers and Their Children.

This study assessed the impact of religiosity on the socioemotional and behavioral outcomes of 91 adolescent mothers and their offspring over 10 years. Religiosity was defined as involvement in church and contact with and dependence on church officials and members. Mothers classified as high in religious involvement had significantly higher self-esteem and lower depression scores, exhibited less child abuse potential, and had higher occupational and educational attainment than mothers classified as low in religious involvement; differences remained when multiple factors, such as stress and grandmother support, were held constant. Children with more religious mothers had fewer internalizing and externalizing problems at 10 years of age, with maternal adjustment mediating this relationship. Religiosity, through increased social support, served as a protective factor for teenaged mothers and their children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributional biases about the origins of attitudes: Externality, emotionality and rationality.

Pilot work and 3 studies investigated the ways people explain the origins of attitudes. Study 1 examined the use of 3 dimensions (externality, rationality, emotionality) to explain the origin of people's own, in-group, and out-group attitudes. Attributions for own attitudes were the least externally and emotionally based and the most rationally based. By comparison with the out-group, less externality, less emotionality, and more rationality also were attributed to in-group attitudes. Studies 2 and 3 examined the effects of intergroup threat on attributions for in- and out-group attitude positions. Under high threat, more externality and emotionality but less rationality were attributed to out-group attitudes than under low threat. Intergroup differentiation mediated the difference between out-group attributions under high and low threat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological Effects of Domestic Violence on Children and Their Mothers.

While domestic violence and child abuse are known to be highly correlated, several related areas of functioning of victim mothers and children are not well researched and have implications for the provision of services. Fifty mothers and children were referred by service agencies for independent structured interviews and psychological assessment. Assessment focused on evidence of posttraumatic reexperiencing, avoidance, physiological arousal, associated symptoms, and parenting skills. A complex pattern of results documented high levels of abuse and associated trauma disorders in both the children and their mothers. However, the presence of disorders was generally not correlated between children and mothers, and affected mothers were less likely to seek mental health services for their children (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations Between Children's Attachments to Their Mothers and to Security Blankets.

Are attachments to security objects and mothers related? Do children securely and insecurely attached to mothers use security blankets differently? Following the Strange Situation procedure (M. D. S. Ainsworth, M. C. Blehar, E. Waters, & S. Wall, 1978), 67 toddlers were left alone in a novel playroom with a stranger and their blanket. Although being blanket attached was unrelated to their security of attachment to mothers, avoidantly and securely attached children adjusted differently depending on their blanket attachments. Blanket-attached children also classified as avoidantly attached to mothers remained longer than did blanket-nonattached maternally avoidant, blanket-attached maternally secure, and blanket- blanketnonattached maternally secure children. Blanket-attached, maternally avoidant children may nonattached have relied on blankets as support to allay distress during separation. Availability of security blankets produces different adaptations to maternal separations among avoidantly and securely attached children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactions Between Mothers and Children: Impacts of Maternal and Child Anxiety.

This study, an expansion of an earlier study of parenting behaviors of anxious mothers, examined the relationship of both mother and child anxiety disorders to mother behavior in parent-child interactions. Participants were 68 mother-child dyads with children ranging in age from 7 to 15 years. Mothers and children completed diagnostic evaluations and engaged in conversational tasks; behaviors were rated by coders who were blind to diagnosis. Mothers of anxious children, regardless of their own anxiety, were less warm (p     

Enmeshed Lives: Adult Children With Developmental Disabilities and Their Aging Mothers.

This article uses equity theory to examine the ways in which aging mothers and their adult children with developmental disabilities support each other and the effects that this exchange has on the caregiving satisfaction and burden of the mothers. Data from 305 mothers revealed that exchange flows both from mother to child and from child to mother. Results indicate that caregiving satisfaction increased when affection from child to mother was greater. Caregiving burden was not affected by either functional support or affection from child to mother. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Incarcerated Mothers' Contact With Children, Perceived Family Relationships, and Depressive Symptoms.

Concurrent relations among contact with children, perceived family relationships, early experiences of relationship disconnection and trauma, and maternal depressive symptoms were examined in 94 incarcerated mothers with children between the ages of 2 and 7 years. Qualitative analysis revealed that most mothers experienced intense distress when initially separated from their children, although many women currently viewed the situation in a more balanced way. Quantitative findings indicated that fewer visits from children and early experiences of relationship disconnection and trauma were associated with elevated maternal depressive symptoms. Mother-child relationships were more positive when mothers had more frequent telephone contact with older children. Moreover, conflicted relationships with caregivers related to less contact between mothers and their children. Results highlight the need for mental health services for incarcerated women and suggest that interventions aimed at increasing contact between imprisoned mothers and their children should consider the quality of the mother-caregiver relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pathways to Violence in the Children of Mothers Who Were Depressed Postpartum.

The impact of postnatal depression on a child's risk for violent behavior was evaluated in an urban British community sample (N=122 families). Mothers were interviewed during pregnancy, at 3 months postpartum, and when the child was 1, 4, and 11 years of age. Mothers, teachers, and children reported on violent symptoms at age 11. Structural equation modeling revealed that the child's violence was predicted by the mother's postnatal depression even when her depression during pregnancy, her later history of depression, and family characteristics were taken into account. Violence was associated with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and problems with anger management. Children were most violent if mothers had been depressed at 3 months and at least once thereafter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concordance in Attachment States of Mind and Styles With Respect to Fathers and Mothers.

It is believed that by adulthood, independent attachments to the mother and the father coalesce into a single state of mind with respect to attachment. If true, states of mind with respect to mothers and fathers should be concordant. Fifty-six young adults were administered two versions of the Adult Attachment Interview, each of which asked about their relationship with one parent. State of mind with respect to the father was significantly related to state of mind with respect to the mother, as were attachment styles regarding the two parents. Perceptions of attachment styles were not very related to corresponding states of mind but were related to inferred loving from a parent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Familial correlates of aggression in nondelinquent male children.

An extension of the Sears' studies of lower class families based on a 5-year period of direct home observation of the family group. The aggressive children were more closely supervised by parents, had dominant mothers, were exposed to inconsistent methods of discipline, and had parents who were punitive but placed low demands on the children. From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:3FG79M. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Caregiving Representations of Mothers of Behaviorally Inhibited and Uninhibited Preschool Children.

This study examined differences in the caregiving representations of mothers of 3- to 4-year-old behaviorally inhibited and uninhibited children with secure or insecure attachments. Mothers of inhibited children perceived their children as more vulnerable than did mothers of uninhibited children, and they acknowledged difficulties associated with their children's inhibited temperament. However, mothers of insecure inhibited children were less likely than mothers of secure inhibited children to validate their children's emotional experiences and to be aware of their children's internal states and perspectives, and they showed higher levels of boundary violation and defense against negative affect. Implications of the more problematic caregiving representations of mothers of insecure inhibited children for parent-child relationships are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Observations of Aggressive Children During Peer Provocation and With a Best Friend.

Observational methods were used to examine aggressive children's peer relations in 2 contexts: when being teased by a peer and when interacting with a best friend. Because aggressive children may have more difficulty than nonaggressive children in both peer contexts, the authors also examined whether relations between behaviors across contexts varied as a function of aggression. Results indicated that aggression was related to children's behavior when provoked. Children's behavior when provoked was associated with fewer positive and more negative interactions with their best friend, particularly for aggressive children. Results are discussed with respect to social norms in middle childhood and informing interventions for aggressive children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Therapeutic Alliance in Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Children Referred for Oppositional, Aggressive, and Antisocial Behavior.

The authors examined the therapeutic alliance in evidence-based treatment for children (N = 185, 47 girls, 138 boys; ages 3-14 years) referred clinically for oppositional, aggressive, and antisocial behavior. Different alliances (child-therapist, parent-therapist) were assessed from each participant's perspective at 2 points over the course of treatment. As predicted, both child-therapist and parent-therapist alliances related to therapeutic change, family experience of barriers to participation in treatment, and treatment acceptability. Greater alliance was associated with greater therapeutic change, fewer perceived barriers, and greater treatment acceptability. The findings could not be attributed to the influence of socioeconomic disadvantage, parent psychopathology and stress, and child dysfunction or to rater effects (common rater variance in the predictors and criteria). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physically Abusive Mothers' Responses Following Episodes of Child Noncompliance and Compliance.

The authors used sequential analysis to examine specific interaction patterns between physically abusive mothers and their children following episodes of noncompliance and compliance. Fifteen abusive and 15 nonabusive, low-risk mother-child dyads were observed, and their behaviors were coded for specific interactions. The children in the study ranged in age from 2 to 6 years. Results indicated that after noncompliance occurred, physically abusive mothers were more likely than nonabusive mothers to respond negatively and give another command. When child compliance occurred, there were no group differences in the likelihood of praising their children's prosocial behavior, but physically abusive mothers were less likely than nonabusive mothers to engage in other forms of positive behavior (e.g., positive touch) after compliance. Clinical implications are discussed in the context of working with physically abusive families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adverse School Context Moderates the Outcomes of Selective Interventions for Aggressive Children.

Drawing on social ecological theory and empirical studies on the role of school context in aggression, the authors argue that school adversity is an important consideration in choosing selective interventions for aggressive children. The moderating role of school adversity on intervention effectiveness is illustrated with data from a randomized clinical trial study investigating 2 selective interventions administered to 86 aggressive 2nd and 3rd graders. The authors expected that PrimeTime, an intervention targeting child competencies, would be more effective in low-adversity schools, whereas Lunch Buddy, an intervention targeting peer ecology, would be more effective in high-adversity schools. Hierarchical linear regression analyses showed significant posttreatment effects on composite measures of aggression and achievement for the interaction between the level of school adversity and treatment condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aggressive marital conflict, maternal harsh punishment, and child aggressive-disruptive behavior: Evidence for direct and mediated relations.

Direct associations between aggressive marital conflict and child aggressive-disruptive behavior at home and school were explored in this cross-sectional study of 360 kindergarten children. In addition, mediated pathways linking aggressive marital conflict to maternal harsh punishment to child aggressive-disruptive behavior were examined. Moderation analyses explored how the overall frequency of marital disagreement might buffer or exacerbate the impact of aggressive marital conflict on maternal harsh punishment and child aggressive-disruptive behavior. Hierarchical regressions revealed direct pathways linking aggressive marital conflict to child aggressive-disruptive behavior at home and school and a partially mediated pathway linking aggressive marital conflict to child aggressive-disruptive behavior at home. Further analyses revealed that rates of marital disagreement moderated the association between aggressive marital conflict and child aggressive-disruptive behavior at home, with an attenuated association at high rates of marital disagreement as compared with low rates of marital disagreement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Information-Processing Biases in Young Adults From Bereaved and Divorced Families.

Parental loss or divorce is associated with increased risk for affective disorders, potentially because of dysfunctional information processing. This study evaluated attentional biases to threat or loss-related cues in young adults from divorced, parental-loss, or intact families. Participants from intact families showed avoidance of supraliminal threat and loss cues, whereas those from divorced families showed vigilance toward loss cues. Those from bereaved families showed no pattern of bias. Abuse and poor family relationships were associated independently with vigilance toward negative cues. After controlling for abuse, group differences in threat bias were no longer apparent. Results suggest that parental death or divorce may increase risk of affective disorder owing to the loss of a "protective bias" away from negative stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Overt Anger in Response to Victimization: Attributional Style and Organizational Norms as Moderators.

Prior theory and research suggests a positive relation between perceived victimization and overt anger. The authors proposed and tested a theoretical extension of this link by investigating possible moderating effects of individual and contextual variables. A sample of 158 employees of a municipality was used to test hypotheses that the relationship between perceived victimization and overt anger is moderated by hostile attributional style and perceptions of organizational norms. The results showed that the relation between perceptions of direct victimization and overt anger was stronger when the employee had a more rather than less hostile attributional style and when the employee perceived the organizational norms as more rather than less oppositional. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of the Rorschach in predicting movement in psychiatric casework.

50 women were administered psychological tests at the time their children were institutionalized for emotional disturbances. Utilizing objective Rorschach signs, psychologists predicted which women would show movement in psychiatric casework. Highly significant agreement was found between the predictions and the actual outcomes of casework based on Hunt-Kogan ratings of movement following at least 1 yr. of casework. It was concluded that this method of using Rorschach data possesses considerable research utility, and that further investigation with these procedures may eventually contribute to increased efficiency in use of clinical facilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)