Childhood depression, stressors and parental depression

The relationship between depression and stressors and the relationship between depression in children and depression in their parents were investigated. Depressed children aged 7-11 years (n = 20) were compared with clinical non-depressed children (n = 88) and normal children (n = 55). Children, mothers and fathers in the three groups were tested. Measures included the Children's Depression Inventory, Recent Life Events Scale, Stressor Scale and Beck Depression Inventory. The findings showed that children and mothers in the depressed group reported more stressors than other children and other mothers while fathers of children in the depressed group did not report more stressors. The findings also showed that mothers of depressed children were more depressed than mothers of normal children while there were no differences between the scores of fathers in the three groups.     

Academic self-concept, achievement expectations, and locus of control in elementary learning disabled children.

Investigated affective development in 81 learning disabled (LD) and 81 normally achieving 3rd–6th graders. The Students' Perception of Ability Scale and the Projected Academic Performance Scale were used to assess academic self-concept and future achievement expectations, respectively. Academic locus of control was assessed by the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire. Strong differences were observed between LD and control Ss on the 3 affective variables. The importance of positive affective development in LD children is discussed. (French abstract) (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of depression, sociopathy, and locus of control to treatment outcome in alcoholics.

Studied depression, sociopathy, and results of the Levenson Tridimensional Locus of Control Scale in 4 groups of veteran male alcoholics (a total of 98 Ss, mean ages 43.5–50.8 yrs) who varied as to degree of benefit from therapeutic programs, and a group of 27 male controls (mean age 37 yrs). Higher depression scores were found in those groups that appeared to benefit less from treatment than those groups that had successful treatment outcomes. Neither sociopathy nor locus of control orientation were related directly to therapeutic benefit except for external control by chance, which predicted outcome in recidivists. Correlations between external control by powerful others vs depression in more successful groups and between external control by chance vs sociopathy in the less successful treatment groups suggest that these relationships might be productively pursued in future research. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive styles, spatial ability, and school achievement.

Studied the interrelationships of intelligence, field independence, analytic cognitive style, and spatial and perceptual abilities among 201 males, age 10-11 yrs. The contribution of cognitive style to the prediction of differences in attainment in English and mathematics was also investigated. Substantial overlap was confirmed between field independence and intelligence, but there were significant residual correlations between field independence and mathematics and haptic perception after intelligence was held constant. Analysis of covariance confirmed the significance of differences between field-independent, intermediate, and field-dependent males in mathematics and haptic perception. Principal components analysis indicated the separability of cognitive style from factors of general ability, spatial ability, and perceptual speed. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy, locus of control, self-assessment of memory ability, and study activities as predictors of college course achievement.

A stepwise multiple-regression analysis of the final grades of 184 students in an introductory psychology course revealed that scores on a self-assessment measure of memory ability (the Everyday Memory Questionnaire) were the best predictors of final course grades, followed by scores on a locus of control measure and scores on the Self-Concept of Academic Ability Test. Of the 14 subscales from the Study Activity Survey, only the cognitive scale of Focus on Test Relevance and the 2 self-management scales of Assiduous Resource Management and Means of Resource Management were significant predictors of course achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of goal orientation, ability, need for achievement, and locus of control in the self-efficacy and goal--setting process.

This study integrates ability, goal setting, self-efficacy, and multiple personality traits into a common framework that explains and predicts individual performance. A mediational model was tested using LISREL 8. Ability, learning goal orientation, and locus of control were positively related to self-efficacy, whereas performance goal orientation was negatively related to self-efficacy on an academic task. Self-efficacy and need for achievement were positively related to goal level, which was positively related to performance in combination with ability and self-efficacy. In addition to showing that personality traits can influence the motivational process at various stages, the results highlight the unique contributions of self-efficacy and goal level to the motivational process after the effects of ability and other individual differences have been identified. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Denial, anxiety, locus of control, and discrepancy between aspirations and achievements as components of depression.

Reformulated a number of clinical observations about depression to test them empirically, using multiple regression equations. Ss were 547 men in Army basic training. Psychological measures included the Depression subscale of the Cornell Medical Index, Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale, the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing Anxiety Scale, N. Hahn's denial measure, and the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Depression was negatively correlated with denial and positively correlated with anxiety, locus of control, and the discrepancy between aspirations and achievements (discontent). Locus of control was positively correlated with discontent and anxiety and negatively correlated with denial. There were interaction effects between locus of control and discontent, between locus of control and anxiety, and between anxiety and denial when these terms were regressed on depression. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional locus of control and drug use among high school students.

Examined the relationship between D. W. Reid and E. E. Ware's multidimensional measure of internal–external (I–E) locus of control and licit and illicit drug use among 920 high school students over a 2-yr period. Results based on 1-way ANOVAs indicate that dimensions of I–E control are differentially related to drug use. Greater externality on the dimension of fatalism was significantly related to the use of a number of drugs, while externality on the dimensions of self-control and sociopolitical control was not consistently related to drug use. Certain interpretations regarding the relationship between fatalism and drug use were tested. Since the I–E subscales appear to have a different validity, it is concluded that older unidimensional scales may obscure the relationship between I–E and drug use. The use of multidimensional measures is suggested since these offer more precise measurement of particular expectancy domains. (French summary) (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is there a relation between locus of control orientation and depression?

Meta-analytic techniques were used to review studies of the relation between locus of control and depression. Contrary to what some authors have claimed, we found that locus of control orientation and degree of depression were significantly related, that the relation was moderately strong, and that it was consistent across studies. Greater externality was associated with greater depression. Studies that included separate subscales for locus of control for positive and negative outcomes produced similar results. Seven potential mediators of the locus of control–depression relation were investigated, with only two producing significant results. Effect sizes varied as a function of the particular locus of control and depression scales used in studies. The implications of the findings are discussed, with special attention given to the "depressive paradox" hypothesis (Abraham & Sackeim, 1977) and to Lamont's (1972a, 1972b) methodological critique of the locus of control–depression relation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expectancies, values, and achievement in junior high school.

Many theorists have suggested that students' motivation to achieve in school depends on their expectancies for success and the value they attach to success. There are few data, however, on the relation between expectancies and values or their relative contribution to achievement. To examine these issues, we asked 153 seventh graders to complete multiple measures of academic expectancies and values. We used students' report card grades and academic track placements in English and math as indicators of their achievement. Covariance structure analyses showed that students' expectancies were more strongly related to their achievement than were their values. Nevertheless, both expectancies and values made significant, independent contributions to achievement. In addition, the constructs for expectancies and values were positively correlated. Boys and girls had similar expectancies, but boys appeared to value academic success less than did girls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood competence and depression.

Examined whether children with both academic and social skill deficiencies have higher levels of peer-nominated and self-ratings of depression than their more competent peers and whether depression levels can distinguish academically skilled children from socially skilled ones. Objective measures of academic and social competence classified 169 3rd–6th grade children as competent (above the median on both measures), incompetent (below on both), academically skilled (above only on academic competence), or socially skilled (above only on social competence). Children completed the Perceived Competence Scale for Children, Children's Depression Inventory, and a peer nomination inventory of depression. Results demonstrate information about academic and social competence best predicted Ss' depression. Peer-nominated and self-rated depression were highest among incompetent Ss and lowest among competent Ss. Peer-nominated happiness was higher among the socially skilled than among the academically skilled. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived parental characteristics, locus of control orientation, and behavioral correlates of locus of control.

Attempted to ascertain perceived parental behavior associated with locus of control orientation. 112 high school seniors (58 males and 54 females) completed the Nowicki-Strickland Personal Reaction Survey and the Parent-Child Interaction Rating Scale. Generally, perceived paternal nurturance was associated with female internality, and perceived maternal nurturance was associated with male internality. All Ss perceived parents as having a similar locus of control orientation. In Phase 2 of the study, behavior associated with Ss' locus of control and perceived parental locus of control orientation was investigated. Ss' expressed internality was associated with higher achievement for males and with greater social involvement for females. Perceived paternal internality was significantly associated with greater female achievement. Results are discussed in terms of social learning and cultural role-expectancy theory. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Field independence, impulsiveness, high school training, and academic achievement.

Studied the interrelationships of field independence, impulsiveness, and type of previous high school education in 15 female and 45 male undergraduates. Relationships between these variables and several measures of academic achievement were also investigated. Ss were given 7 cognitive-perceptual tests and asked to complete a questionnaire measuring emotionality and impulsiveness. Results indicate that paper-and-pencil tests of field independence might partially measure different abilities among math- and art-trained Ss. Math-trained students were relatively field independent and low impulsive. Although field dependence and impulsiveness were unrelated measures, it appeared that highly anxious impulsive Ss were relatively field dependent. A negative correlation between impulsiveness and grades in statistics was found. Results support the view of H. A. Witkin et al that cognitive styles might have relevance in predicting academic evolution. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Manifest anxiety and school achievement of adolescents.

Investigated the nature of relationships between manifest anxiety and school achievement of 700 Indian adolescents. An anxiety scale was administered under nonstress conditions about 4 mo. before the final examination. The achievement scores in the final examination included the scores obtained by the same Ss in a similar examination held a yr. earlier by the same university. The eta coefficients for the whole group and for the boys were significant beyond the .01 level, while the eta coefficient for the girls was significant at the .05 level. It is concluded that: (a) the relationship between these 2 variables is curvilinear, thus supporting the inverted U hypothesis, and (b) this relationship holds for both males and females. (28 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching triarchically improves school achievement.

Two studies were conducted among 3rd-grade (primary-school) and 8th-grade (middle-school) students to test the efficacy of the triarchic theory of human intelligence as applied to classroom learning and performance. Students at the 3rd-grade level were taught a social-studies unit and at the 8th-grade level were taught a psychology unit in 1 of 3 ways: traditional instruction (primarily memory-based), critical-thinking instruction (primarily analytically based), and triarchically based instruction (involving infusion of analytical, creative, and practical instruction). Performance at both levels was assessed through multiple-choice items measuring primarily memory and performance-based items measuring analytical, creative, and practical aspects of achievement. Third-grade students also provided self-report measures. In general, triarchic instruction was superior to the other modes of instruction, even on multiple-choice memory-based items. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior, motivation, and achievement in desegregated junior high school science classes.

To locate possible antecedents for racial differences in science achievement, measures of mathematics and reading achievement, causal attribution, attitude toward school success, and in-class behavior were acquired from 40 Black and 40 White junior high school students, both groups evenly divided between males and females. Significant group differences were limited to mean achievement test scores and science grades. Achievement scores were significantly related to grades, but classroom behaviors also accounted for a significant and unique portion of the variance. There were no significant relationships between behaviors and other student measures. Teacher ratings of effort, ability, course difficulty, and environment were also acquired. Teachers rated Whites as smarter and believed that Black females exerted the greatest effort and Black males the least. As a secondary interest, number and type of student interactions were recorded. Few hostile interracial encounters were observed, and interactions were predominately within race. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control, self-reported depression, and perceived causes of depression.

Administered Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, the Depressive Adjective Checklist, and a questionnaire on the internal vs external causes of depression to 81 undergraduates. Although no significant correlations between the measures of depression and the checklist of perceived causes were found, data indicate a trend for females to hold themselves more responsible for unhappy moods than males. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of health locus of control and parental health perceptions on follow-through with school nurse referral

This paper reviews articles published during 1970-1997 from 48 epidemiologic studies on occupational and environmental risk factors of ovarian cancer. Current evidence is characterized by poorly focused data for occupational and environmental agents, vulnerability to biases, and an almost complete lack of quantitative exposure-response data. The moderate amount of data on nurses, teachers, professionals, dry cleaning employees, women in agriculture, the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacists, waitresses, and cooks show very little, if any, evidence of excess risk. Hairdressers, beauticians, and women employed in the printing industry may be at increased risk, but the data are insufficient for strong conclusions. Some case-referent studies suggest a modest-to-moderate excess in association with genital talc application. Few high-quality studies have been carried out, and no chemical agents have been studied extensively, with the exception of exposure to talc. Ovarian cancer may have occupational and environmental etiologies intertwined with cultural, behavioral, and life-style factors and genetic susceptibility, but current knowledge is insufficient to quantify occupational and environmental etiologies reliably. Well-designed analytic epidemiologic studies with sufficient power are needed.     

Creativity tests and achievement in high school science.

This study investigated the relative validities of a battery of "creativity tests" and an IQ tests for predicting several indices of achievement in high school science. Criteria included grade-point average in science courses, percentile rank on the STEP Science Achievement Test, teacher rating of overall scientific potential, number of high school science courses taken, and a measure of involvement with science. Results indicated that the creativity tests did have considerable predictive validity against each criterion for each sex and that the criterion variance accounted for by the creativity tests is to a substantial degree independent of IQ. Contrary to findings of other investigators, teachers did not discriminate against highly creative pupils in their ratings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School choice, family characteristics, and home-school relations: Contributors to school achievement?

Urban low-income 5th-graders participated in a school-choice study. Families utilizing choice schools (N?=?73) were more likely to be African American, lower-income, and high-risk neighborhood residents than families whose children attended assigned schools (N?=?100). Firm-responsive parenting, family togetherness, and family supportiveness also were linked positively to utilization of choice. Parent involvement in children's schooling was higher in neighborhood schools. School choice positively predicted children's mathematics achievement and school orientation. Parents who chose schools rated the teachers as practicing more parent-involvement strategies than parents of assigned students, but teachers reported equal practices. Parent ratings of school quality did not differ between conditions, nor did teachers or parents report better relationships in either condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)