Review of Parenting Stress Index, 2nd ed..

Reviews the 120-item parent-report checklist, Parenting Stress Index, 2nd ed by Richard R. Abidin (1986). The Parenting Stress Index (PSI) is a checklist that assesses the degree of stress parents are experiencing in their childcare role. It has been described by Abidin (1987) as part of a trend away from omnibus diagnostic instruments and towards assessment strategies that are specific in their intent. The intent of the PSI is to identify parent-child pairs whose dysfunctional relationship places the child at risk for emotional disturbance. The scale yields a total parenting stress score and three separate domain scores that represent the portion of parent stress attributable to child characteristics, the portion attributable to parent characteristics, and the portion attributable to situational life events. Thus, the PSI is not a child diagnostic scale, but is intended to assess the parent-child relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent and child reports of sleep problems associated with early-onset bipolar spectrum disorders.

Despite sleep problems being part of the diagnostic criteria for mood disorders, research on sleep difficulties related to early-onset bipolar spectrum disorders (EBSDs) is sparse. The authors examined the parent and child agreement, frequency, and severity of EBSD-related manic, depressive, and comorbid sleep problems. A sample of one hundred thirty-three 8- to 11-year-olds with EBSDs was assessed with parental and self-report measures of EBSD-related sleep problems. Dimensional and categorical measures indicated low agreement and high discrepancy between parent and child reports of EBSD sleep problems. Subsequent combination of parent-child data revealed the majority (96.2%) of children had moderate-to-severe sleep problems related to manic, depressive, or comorbid symptoms, either currently or during their worst mood period. More depression-related sleep problems than mania-related sleep problems were reported, especially initial insomnia. Over half the sample had sleep problems associated with current comorbidity, particularly separation anxiety disorder. These findings, their implications, and study limitations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The sucking reflex: The effects of long feeding vs. short feeding on the behavior of a human infant.

"In order to investigate the effects of long feeding time and short feeding time on non-nutritive sucking and other behavioral variables in the newborn infant, a three-week-old child was given a series of long feedings and short feedings over a period of approximately 30 days… . It was found that more non-nutritive sucking occurred during the long feeding sessions. In addition, more crying, more general restlessness, and more difficulty in sleeping occurred during the long feeding periods… . The hypothesis that nonnutritive sucking results from inadequate use of the sucking response was not supported by the data in this study." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of sleep disorders in children

Sleep disorders in children are very common and their impact on emotional and cognitive functions is considerable. Clinical work necessitates an interdisciplinary access to the subject because the scope of sleep medicine is related to various medical disciplines (e.g. paediatric neurology, pulmology and child psychiatry). Although many sleep problems are seen in both children and adults diagnoses, symptoms and pathogenetic factors are quite different in the two groups. In childhood especially parent-child interactional factors and developmental aspects of the sleep architecture and the sleep-wake cycle have to be taken into account leading to different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In this article we focus on important developmental aspects of childrens' sleep problems. Their relationship to neurologic, paediatric and psychiatric diseases is demonstrated and finally clear indications to diagnostic procedures, especially polysomnography, are given.     

"If you want me to treat you like an adult, start acting like one!" Comparing the criteria that emerging adults and their parents have for adulthood.

The purpose of this study was (a) to identify the criteria parents of emerging adults consider necessary and important for their children to achieve adulthood, (b) to compare parents' criteria for adulthood with the criteria espoused by emerging adults, and (c) to examine how these criteria might differ on the basis of gender of the parent and gender of the child. Participants included 392 unmarried college students, ages 18-25, and at least 1 of their parents (271 fathers, 319 mothers). Results revealed that (a) as did their children, most parents did not yet view their children as adults, (b) there was disagreement between children and their parents in the emphasis they placed on various criteria for adulthood, (c) mothers and fathers did not always agree on the importance of various criteria, and (d) the gender of both the parent and the child played a role in the criteria parents deemed important for adulthood. Taken together, the findings suggest that parents and children view the transition to adulthood differently, which might have implications for the parent-child relationship during this period of development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feeding disorders in infancy: feeding interaction concept in diagnosis and treatment

In infancy clinical manifestations of psychological distress are mainly somatic. Feeding disorders are one of the most common and nonspecific manifestations of different kinds of disturbed parent-child relationships. These disturbances may have their origins in the baby's constitution and physical status, in the parent's personality structure, or both, as has been conceptualized in the transactional model of normal and abnormal development. Among the daily interactions a baby has with parents, feeding has special inherent impact on the early parent-child relationship because of its psychological meanings. Therefore, feeding disorders, with or without failure to thrive, often reflect various disorders of infancy, still not well recognized in the medical community, such as regulatory disorders, attachment disorders, depression of infancy, disorders of separation-individuation, and post-traumatic eating disorder. 3 clinical cases are brought to increase awareness of psychological distress in the infant, and of feeding disorders as 1 of its manifestations. Each illustrates a different kind of feeding disorder in terms of etiology and pathogenesis. Through these cases we emphasize the need for a multi-disciplinary, integrative approach in diagnosis and treatment. Our conceptual background is based both on the transactional model of development (infant and parental factors impact on each other) in a very dynamic paradigm, and on psychodynamic premises. Intrapsychic conflicts and past representations impact heavily on the parenting characteristics. We emphasize the psychological significance of disturbed feeding interactions, with or without failure to thrive.     

Children with persistent feeding difficulties: An observational analysis of the feeding interactions of problem and non-problem eaters.

Examined the relationship between parent's feeding practices and the feeding behavior of toddlers and preschool-age children with (n?=?19) and without (n?=?26) persistent feeding difficulties. Specifically, patterns of parent–child interaction were assessed during standardized family mealtime observations in the clinic. Parents also kept observational records of their children's mealtime behavior at home and rated the degree of difficulty they experienced in feeding their child during each meal on a daily basis. Observational results showed that feeding-disordered children engaged in higher levels of disruptive mealtime behavior (food refusal, noncompliance, complaining, oppositional behavior, and playing with food) and lower levels of chewing during mealtime. There were several significant age effects, with younger children (under age 3) engaging in more vomiting and less aversive demanding and verbalizations. Parents of feeding-disordered children were more negative and coercive in their feeding practices and engaged in higher levels of aversive instruction giving, aversive prompting, and negative eating-related comments.… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bridging the acculturation gap: Parent-child relationship quality as a moderator in Mexican American families.

The authors examined the degree to which disparities in parent and child acculturation are linked to both family and child adjustment. With a sample of 1st- and 2nd-generation Mexican American children, acculturation and parent-child relationship quality at 5th grade, and parent-child conflict, child internalizing, and child externalizing at 7th grade were measured. Acculturation gaps with fathers were found to be related to later father-child conflict as well as internalizing and externalizing outcomes. Many of the associations between father-child acculturation gaps and outcomes were moderated by the child's report of the relationship quality between the child and his or her father. Father-child acculturation gaps were associated with negative outcomes only when children reported a poor relationship with their fathers. Mother-child acculturation gaps were not associated with mother-child conflict or adjustment indices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Helping the Noncompliant Child: A Clinician's Guide to Parent Training.

Reviews the book, Helping the Noncompliant Child: A Clinician's Guide to Parent Training by Rex L. Forehand and Robert J. McMahon (1981). Clinicians working with families will find Helping the noncompliant child an invaluable book. The six chapters and four appendices provide a comprehensive program for training parents to engage in behaviours that will improve parent-child relationships. The treatment program consists of two phases. In the first phase parents are taught to increase their child's appropriate behaviours through the use of differential attention and rewards. This phase has two main purposes: teaching appropriate behaviours and increasing the "quality" time between parents and their children. These effects should increase the positiveness of the parent-child relationship, and help prevent a return to a coercive relationship. The second phase teaches parents to reduce the frequency of inappropriate behaviours through the use of appropriate commands and the use of time-out. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Qualitative Case Study of the Process and Impact of Filial Therapy with an African American Parent.

This qualitative case study examined an African American parent's perceptions of the process and impact of filial therapy. Findings included adequate treatment acceptability with regard to the structure of filial therapy training; however, the parent evidenced difficulty fully accepting the content of the filial therapy training. Particular difficulty was self-reported in maintaining a permissive and nondirective manner during the play sessions. This finding, as it relates to cultural factors, is discussed. Positive changes in the parent, child, and parent-child relationship were reported by the parent and observed by the researcher as a result of participation in filial therapy. (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     

Effects of family foundations on parents and children: 3.5 years after baseline.

This study investigated the ability of a psychosocial prevention program implemented through childbirth education programs to enhance the coparental and couple relationship, parental mental health, the parent-child relationship, and child outcomes. A sample of 169 heterosexual, adult couples expecting their first child was randomized to intervention and control conditions. The intervention families participated in Family Foundations, a series of eight classes delivered before and after birth, which was designed as a universal prevention program (i.e., applicable to all couples, not just those at high risk). Intent-to-treat analyses utilizing data collected from child age 6 months through 3 years indicated significant program effects on parental stress and self-efficacy, coparenting, harsh parenting, and children's emotional adjustment among all families, and maternal depression among cohabiting couples. Among families of boys, program effects were found for child behavior problems and couple relationship quality. These results indicate that a universal prevention approach at the transition to parenthood focused on enhancing family relationships can have a significant and substantial positive impact on parent and child well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diagnosing infantile anorexia: the observation of mother-infant interactions

OBJECTIVE: This study has three objectives: (1) to delineate the diagnostic criteria for infantile anorexia, including the onset of persistent food refusal during the infant's transition to spoon- and self-feeding, acute and/or chronic malnutrition, parental concern about the infant's poor food intake, and mother-infant conflict, talk, and distraction during feeding; (2) to determine the interrater agreement of child psychiatrists when diagnosing infantile anorexia based on these criteria; and (3) to describe the use of the Feeding Scale as a diagnostic tool. METHOD: One hundred two toddlers, ranging in age from 12 to 37 months, were assessed by two child psychiatrists and assigned the diagnosis of infantile anorexia, picky eater, or good eater. In addition, observers who were masked to the toddler's diagnosis rated mother-infant interactions with the Feeding Scale to permit objective evaluation of those interactions. RESULTS: Two child psychiatrists were able to assign toddlers to infantile anorexia, picky eating, and healthy, good eating groups with a high level of agreement. The objective scale for rating mother-infant interactions showed a high level of agreement between two masked raters and a good level of agreement between masked raters and the child psychiatrists' diagnostic assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Infantile anorexia can be diagnosed with high reliability by child psychiatrists. Evaluation of mother-infant interactions is a useful diagnostic tool.     

Review of Essentials of abnormal child psychology.

Reviews the book, "Essentials of abnormal child psychology," by Ernest Harms (see record 1954-06156-000). This is one of the most unorthodox books in the field of psychology the reviewer has seen in a long time. From the title one would expect a systematic treatment of the psychopathology of childhood; what one actually finds is a series of independent articles. Much of the material presented is intriguing because of its novelty. Harms' first major contribution to an original look at this field is the concept of paternus and materna as a substitute for Freud's infant sexuality and Oedipus. They represent the aboriginal relationship of a human child to his parents. The author also discusses childhood schizophrenia and hysteria, the burden of which is that these conditions are frequently misdiagnosed. Another "new concept" presented by Harms is that of ego inflation and ego deflation. "The most important contribution this volume makes to the field," says Harms, is the chapter on the Mignon Neurosis (a one-sided developmental pattern in which the child wants to grow up faster than he can). The work is divided into two parts, and Part II deals with Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures. After detailed discussion of child art as diagnostic means, we find presentations of original therapeutic approaches such as Transitional Therapy, Autogentic Therapy, and Substitution Therapy. There also are chapters on the incorrect diagnosis of feeblemindedness, education of the mentally retarded, and brief child guidance treatment. The book is original, provocative, and provoking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing a tool for analyzing medical care utilization of adult asthma patients in indemnity and managed care plans: can an episodes of care framework be used?

Current diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Related Dementia (ARD) are based almost exclusively on clinical judgment. Moreover, there are no guidelines available to assist the clinician or the researcher in distinguishing Alcohol Related Dementia from other causes of dementia such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, this distinction may have implications for the prognosis and treatment of patients. In this article, provisional diagnostic criteria for establishing a diagnosis of Alcohol Related Dementia are proposed for further study. The criteria are based on the available literature on the relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia and were modeled after existing diagnostic criteria for AD and Vascular Dementia. Validity of these criteria for distinguishing AD from ARD will require further study.     

The dynamics of the tissue oxygen regimen in patients with circulatory encephalopathy under the influence of oxygen baths]

AIM: To compare the proposed diagnostic criteria of subacute infectious endocarditis (SIE) to criteria developed by von Reyn et al. and by Duke Endocarditis Service. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 69 SIE cases and suspected recurrences have been analysed for patients observed in the Therapeutic Clinic of the Moscow medical University in 1990-1997. RESULTS: According to the authors' criteria accurate and tentative SIE diagnosis were made in 82 and 18% of patients, respectively. The other two diagnostic approaches in this situation increase the percentage of presumptive diagnosis and decrease that of the definite one. CONCLUSION: The criteria proposed by the authors are more sensitive in diagnosis of definite SIE, are less dependent on echocardiography quality and bacteriological diagnosis.     

韶钢3450炉卷轧机喂料辊的使用状况及改进措施

介绍韶钢炉卷轧机喂料辊的使用状况及存在问题,分析了问题原因,提出并实施了改进措施.     

Self-regulation as a mediator between sibling relationship quality and early adolescents' positive and negative outcomes.

The current study examined the role of adolescents' self-regulation as a mediator between sibling relationship quality and adolescent outcomes, after controlling for the quality of the parent-child relationship. Participants were 395 families (282 two parent; 113 single parent) with an adolescent child (M age of child at Time 1 = 11.15, SD = .96, 49% female) who took part in [project name masked for blind review] at both Time 1 and Time 2. Path analysis via structural equation modeling suggested that sibling affection was longitudinally and positively related to self-regulation and prosocial behaviors, and negatively related to externalizing behaviors; while sibling hostility was positively, and having a sister was negatively related to internalizing behaviors (in general, paths were stronger for adolescents from two- vs. single-parent families). There was also evidence that adolescents' self-regulation partially mediated the relation between sibling affection and positive and negative adolescent outcomes. The discussion focuses on the importance of continued research examining the mechanisms through which the sibling relationship influences development during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Contributions of Ineffective Discipline and Parental Hostile Attributions of Child Misbehavior to the Development of Conduct Problems at Home and School.

Data were collected in a longitudinal study of 134 boys and 132 girls and their families during kindergarten and first grade. Four hours of parent-child interaction were coded to ascertain parent discipline practices. A structured interview assessed maternal attributions about child behavior. Maternal ratings of child conduct problems at kindergarten entry reliably predicted the mother's subsequent hostile attributions concerning child misbehavior and use of ineffective discipline tactics. Ineffective maternal discipline and the interaction of ineffective discipline and hostile attribution predicted growth in child conduct problems at home during kindergarten and first grade. Changes in teacher-reported and observed child conduct problems at school during kindergarten and first grade were predicted by growth in conduct problems at home and by the interaction of ineffective discipline and hostile attribution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)