Reading comprehension: Developmental processes, individual differences, and interventions.

Research on the typical development of reading comprehension, individual differences in comprehension, and reading comprehension interventions is less common than research on word reading. The authors present an overview of research on the development of reading comprehension skills and sources of individual differences in comprehension with reference to cognitive models of comprehension. Methodological issues particular to developmental and individual difference research on comprehension are also described. The article ends with a selective review of research programmes that illustrate effective comprehension interventions for typically developing children and for children who struggle to understand what they read. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: A commentary.

Do the authors provide us with convincing evidence that parent and family interventions change children's behavior and learning at school? The answer is not a simple or straightforward one. First off, there appears to be more support for interventions that are part of a multi-component program, that are highly focused in scope, and that entail active collaboration between parents, students, and the schools; hence, more support appears to be available for family/parent consultation and family-school collaboration/partnership programs than for the more unidirectional and limited parent education and parent involvement programs. Second, although 100 studies are examined, it is readily apparent that the studies reported on in the various reviews are characterized by numerous methodological shortcomings that compromise their scientific integrity and the conclusions we can safely draw from them. Third, it is evident that nearly all of the efficacious treatments are behavior or cognitive-behavioral ones. Fourth and finally, it will be important to begin to identify the students, families, and schools that are most likely to benefit from the various interventions and to examine the specific mechanisms of change in each of the proposed interventions. In sum, it seems safe to conclude that evidentiary support for the effectiveness of parent and family interventions in school psychology is mixed at best. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alliance-building interventions with adolescents in family therapy: A process study.

Identified, articulated, and measured therapist behaviors associated with improving initially poor therapist–adolescent alliances in multidimensional family therapy (MDFT). A list of preliminary alliance-building interventions was generated from MDFT theory and adolescent development research. This list was then refined through the observation of videotaped MDFT sessions. A sample of 5 improved and 5 unimproved alliance cases was then drawn from a larger treatment study. Ss (mean age 15 yrs) were primarily African American, male, adolescent substance abusers and their families. Coders rated the 1st 3 sessions of each case (30 sessions) to determine the extent to which each alliance-building intervention was employed. Measures of alliance features included the Vanderbilt Alliance Scale (D. E. Hartley and H. H. Strupp, 1983), the Alliance Building Behavior Scale (G. M. Diamond, et al, 1996), and the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (S. Harter, 1988). By session 3, therapists were attending to the adolescent's experience, formulating personally meaningful goals, and presenting as the adolescent's ally more extensively in the improved alliance cases than in the unimproved alliance cases. Using these data, proposed stages of alliance building with adolescents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescents and sexuality in family practice. A pilot study

It is well established that teenagers are generally dissatisfied with the sexual education they receive from school and parents. While several alternative sources of sex counselling have been suggested (i.e. an anonymous and semi-official telephone hot-line), the role of the general practitioner in sexual guidance of youngsters is only poorly evaluated. One hundred and sixty-eight teenage callers of "The Adolescent Sexuality Hot-line" were asked about their experience with sexual counselling by their family doctor. One third had actually discussed such topics with their g.p., and a total of 44.6% (significantly more girls than boys) regarded their g.p. as a desirable interlocutor on these issues. The reasons for having approached a g.p. for counselling differed according to gender, as did the causes for not wanting to involve a g.p. in sexual matters: boys tended to state shyness and lack of anonymity as main causes, whereas girls more often pointed to personal aspects of the doctor.     

Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: Overview and procedures.

This special issue, entitled "Evidence-Based Parent and Family Interventions in School Psychology," examines the data that support the use of interventions as methods for changing children's school-related behavior and learning problems. Taken together, the articles reflect the work of the Parent and Family Intervention domain of the Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology Task Force. Across the articles in this special issue, the categories of coding criteria in the Manual were used to organize the presentation of results. Six review articles on the evidence base for parent and family intervention appear next; these are followed by commentary from distinguished scholars and a brief reflective comment from the special issue editors. Parent intervention is the exclusive focus of the reviews of parent education and parent consultation. Two reviews focus on the home-school relationship including the articles on parent involvement and home-school collaboration. Two reviews include both parent and family treatments: early childhood family-focused interventions and parent training and family systems interventions. Commentary was sought from the current co-chairs of the Task Force, an expert in evidence-based practice in child clinical psychology, a researcher in family-school linkages and parent consultation, and a methodologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescents who assault their parents: A family systems approach to treatment.

Presents a conceptualization of the problem of adolescent parent abuse from a family systems perspective. Five patterns are common in these families: relationships become organized around the violence, family members neglect other aspects of their lives, the adolescent is labeled as the problem in the family, complementarity of biased perceptions, and conditional acceptance. Four key therapeutic strategies are suggested to help the family break free from symptomatic patterns, end the violence, repair broken relationships, and facilitate the development of each other's strengths and talents. These strategies involve support of parental authority, repair of dislocated relationships, containment of conflicts, and discovery and support of competence. Illustrations of these principles are provided from a case study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating process in child and family interventions: Aggression prevention as an example.

This article reports on 2 studies designed to develop and validate a set of measures for use in evaluating processes of child and family interventions. In Study 1 responses from 187 families attending an outpatient clinic for child behavior problems were factor analyzed to identify scales, consistent across sources: Alliance (Satisfactory Relationship with Interventionist and Program Satisfaction), Parenting Skill Attainment, Child Cooperation During Session, Child Prosocial Behavior, and Child Aggressive Behavior. Study 2 focused on patterns of scale scores among 78 families taking part in a 22-week preventive intervention designed to affect family relationships, parenting, and child antisocial and prosocial behaviors. The factor structure identified in Study 1 was replicated. Scale construct validity was demonstrated through across-source convergence, sensitivity to intervention change, and ability to discriminate individual differences. Path analysis validated the scales' utility in explaining key aspects of the intervention process. Implications for evaluating processes in family interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental family processes and interparental conflict: Patterns of microlevel influences.

Although there are frequent calls for the study of effects of children on families and mutual influence processes within families, little empirical progress has been made. We address these questions at the level of microprocesses during marital conflict, including children's influence on marital conflict and parents' influence on each other. Participants were 111 cohabiting couples with a child (55 male, 56 female) age 8–16 years. Data were drawn from parents' diary reports of interparental conflict over 15 days and were analyzed with dynamic systems modeling tools. Child emotions and behavior during conflicts were associated with interparental positivity, negativity, and resolution at the end of the same conflicts. For example, children's agentic behavior was associated with more marital conflict resolution, whereas child negativity was linked with more marital negativity. Regarding parents' influence on each other, among the findings, husbands' and wives' influence on themselves from one conflict to the next was indicated, and total number of conflicts predicted greater influence of wives' positivity on husbands' positivity. Contributions of these findings to the understanding of developmental family processes are discussed, including implications for advanced understanding of interrelations between child and adult functioning and development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postoperative pain in children: Developmental and family influences on spontaneous coping strategies.

Examined children's and parents' reactions to postoperative pain, including stress appraisal and cognitive-behavioral coping processes from a developmental perspective. 30 younger children (aged 7–9 yrs) and 30 older children (aged 10–16 yrs) and their parents provided interview and psychometric data about pain and coping on the day following surgery. Observational data also was provided by nurses. All children described a variety of self-control strategies found to be helpful in managing postoperative pain. Older children were more likely to report using cognitive coping strategies, yet they reported lower overall self-efficacy. Coping strategy use, perceived self-efficacy, and frequency of catastrophizing thoughts were significantly predictive of children's pain, affective distress, and physical recovery. Parental anxiety was positively related to child anxiety, and inversely related to child self-efficacy and frequency of cognitive coping. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: State of scientifically based practice.

The purpose of this special issue was to examine the scientific base that supports the use of parent and family interventions that are implemented in schools or coordinated with school settings, and to demonstrate a change in the school-related behaviors and learning problems of children and youth. Reviews have been conducted in the six sub-domains: parent education, parent involvement, parent consultation, family-school collaboration/partnership, family systems therapy and parent training, and early childhood family-focused interventions. To our knowledge this is the first time standard criteria have been applied across these subdomains to examine the empirical base for the broader family and parent intervention domain. From this review, it would be erroneous to conclude that there is no evidence for the use of parent and family interventions as methods for changing the school-related behavior and learning problems of children and youth. From this review, it is evident that parent and family interventions are multidimensional. In this review, we asked the question, "Do we find evidence that parent and family interventions change children's behavior and learning at school?" Our answer is "yes, but." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family-based interventions for pediatric obesity: Methodological and conceptual challenges from family psychology.

Family-based interventions for pediatric obesity are defined by active parent involvement in treatment. In the current review the authors examine 31 family-based interventions with published outcome data and distinguish 4 categories of family-based interventions: (a) Target a narrow range of parent behaviors related to eating/exercise and assess change only in terms of child eating, exercise, or weight; (b) target a similarly narrow range of parent behaviors but nevertheless assess program-related changes in general parenting skills or family functioning; (c) target a broad range of parent behaviors related to general parenting and family functioning but do not assess program-related changes in these areas; and (d) target general parenting or family functioning and also assess program-related changes in these areas. The authors highlight methodological and conceptual challenges facing researchers in this area and argue for an even broader family focus in family-based interventions for pediatric obesity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancement of social learning family interventions for childhood conduct disorder.

Identifies approaches for maximizing treatment gains for the conduct-disordered child. Relevant studies were organized into 3 approaches: enhancements and expansions (a) within a dyadic (parent–child) interaction model, (b) within a broad-based model that acknowledges a wider range of family influences, and (c) through a multisystems model. Social learning family intervention (SLFI) enhancements within the dyadic model have centered on either the strengthening of parental skills already included in the SLFI regimen or the adding of new interactional strategies. Some gains, but only partial success, have been achieved with the dyadic model supplements. SLFI expansions from a broad-based model have focused on parental adjustment, parental expectations during treatment, and social-environmental stressors. The multisystems adjuncts to SLFI include cognitive-behavioral interventions to affect peer relations and ecological approaches to sweep across domains. The broad-based and multisystems expansions have produced promising but undertested treatment regimens. Related areas of investigation included therapy process research, medication combined with SLFI, and the involvement of fathers in treatment. Recommendations are offered for improvement of SLFI research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent training and family interventions for school behavior change.

In this article the guidelines of the Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology Task Force were used to evaluate the efficacy of parent training and family intervention for changing children's school behavior. Nineteen parent training and five family intervention studies that were conducted in schools, had a school treatment component, or included measurement of school change were identified and coded. Results found one parent training program and one family intervention to be proven efficacious across two randomized clinical trials. Several family interventions were probably efficacious or promising. Despite the established link between the family environment and school behavior, parent training and family interventions are uncommon in schools, and clinic-based treatment studies infrequently measure generalization of parent and family interventions to the school setting. Future researchers are encouraged to address these limitations and to include samples representative of the diversity of the public schools in family-focused intervention studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations between parental control and warmth and child well-being in stepfamilies.

Examined type-of-stepfamily differences in child well-being and parenting behaviors and how child well-being in stepfamilies relates to parenting behaviors. Data were drawn from the National Survey of Families and Households (J. A. Sweet et al, 1988) and included fathers and mothers in 448 stepfather, 76 stepmother, and 41 complex stepfamilies. Biological parents in stepfamilies perceived themselves as having higher quality relationships with their children than stepparents reported having with their stepchildren. Although stepfathers reported behaving less positively toward their children than did other fathers, stepmothers reported responding as positively to their stepchildren as did biological mothers in stepfamilies. In general, child well-being was positively related to perceptions of parental warmth. The relations between parental control and child well-being varied for different dimensions of well-being and in different types of stepfamilies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family systems and alcohol misuse: Research on the effects of alcoholism on family functioning and effective family interventions.

This article reviews the most prominent research at the interface between studies of alcohol addiction and family systems psychology. The review addresses the general effects of alcohol misuse on family functioning as determined in empirical studies comparing healthy families, alcohol afflicted families, and otherwise troubled families. Three factors ("dry" vs "wet" families, family development and the progression of alcoholism, and family structure) are identified as particularly relevant to understanding the treatment needs of families affected by alcohol misuse. Research examining the general efficacy of family interventions in the treatment of alcoholism and specific treatment considerations unique to treating families coping with alcohol misuse are reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Challenges and opportunities in public health perspectives on family interventions: Introduction to the special section.

This introduction to the special section frames the idea of a public health approach to couple and family interventions as focusing upon the impact of interventions on outcomes at the population level. It notes the importance of looking at how evidence-based interventions can be used more effectively at the population level. It also stresses that the goals for population-level studies are different from randomized clinical trials. Public health interventions need evidence that the interventions can be used in widespread practice, that the interventions are cost effective when used as designed, and that monitoring and evaluation tools are available for adopting agencies. Finally, this introduction introduces the three articles of the series. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: Conceptual and methodological considerations in advancing best practices.

Major national, state, and local systems reform efforts are under way to close the gap between science and service through implementation of a range of evidence-based practices (EBPs). A set of rhetorical distinctions and ensuing debates about the relevance of science versus service and efficacy versus effectiveness threatens to widen rather than close the gap. However, methodological and conceptual approaches, drawing upon strong theory-driven models, offer considerable promise for an integrated science on implementation effectiveness. This paper outlines some of the major scientific and policy challenges in strengthening the link between science and service in school psychology within the context of the papers in this series. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some stable characteristics of family therapists' interventions in real and simulated therapy sessions.

Coded the interventions of 19 family therapy trainees with a videotaped simulated family and with families they were treating, and compared them at 3 points in time. The coding categories were drive, interpretation, average length of speech, number of speeches, and average silence. Spearman rhos revealed stability over time for all categories except drive and interpretation, within real and simulated situations. Drive was stable only in the real situation and interpretation only in the simulated one. Correlations between situations within categories were largely nonsignificant, suggesting that therapists differ in their responses to the absence of feedback from a family. Available evidence suggests that the frequency with which family therapists trained in the dynamic interactional approach use interpretation might predict their success with families otherwise likely to terminate treatment prematurely. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental, family, and ethnic in influences on adolescent alcohol usage: A growth curve approach.

The influence of the developmental process of individuation, family conflict and cohesion, and ethnicity on adolescent alcohol use was examined in a 3-year longitudinal study. Participants included non-Hispanic White, Mexican American, and African American adolescents (n?=?6,522) from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. They were surveyed annually for 3 years. Depending on which aspect of individuation was measured, hierarchical linear modeling indicated that changes in adolescent individuation were related to either increases or decreases in alcohol use over the 3-year period. Separation and family conflict were related to increases in alcohol use, and intergenerational individuation and family cohesion were related to decreases in alcohol use. White and Mexican American adolescents had a faster rate of increase in alcohol use than did African American youth. Separation and family process similarly influenced adolescent alcohol use from different ethnic groups. Implications for prevention and intervention programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)