Conflict and dominance within families of disturbed children.

Compared 26 sets of clinic parents with sons referred for psychological treatment with 42 sets of nonclinic controls in a structured interaction situation from which conflict and dominance indices were derived. Crucial concerns were the internal consistency of the indices, whether they measured unitary constructs, and whether amount of verbal activity appreciably effected the frequency-type conflict measures. Split-half reliabilities of most indices were adequate; intercorrelations between dominance indices were lower than for conflict indices. But the latter were strongly related to amount of verbal activity. Interaction indices were subjected to 2 * 2 (clinic, nonclinic; child present, absent) analyses of covariance. Nonclinic parents exhibited somewhat more conflict than clinic families, but adjustment of scores for verbal activity considerably attenuated these differences. (24 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Providing psychological services to American Indian children and families.

Argues that psychologists must understand their clients' cultural values and backgrounds before they can offer appropriate mental health services. The present authors address issues that arise when non-Native American psychologists become involved in the delivery of psychological services to Native American children and families. The authors also review cultural differences, such as family structure, childrearing practices, and religion, in attitudes of and expectations for services, communication styles, and cultural values that may be relevant to service delivery. The focus is on helping the non-Native American psychologist understand and relate to his or her Native American clientele. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stimulation seeking in antisocial preadolescent children.

Determined whether antisocial preadolescent male children display more stimulation seeking than normals or neurotics in a situation intentionally designed to be boring. Ss were asked to view a monotonous sequence of photographic slides. They were allowed to control the rate of slide presentation, and viewing time was taken as an inverse measure of stimulation seeking. Results support the prediction that antisocial children would exceed normals and that normals would exceed neurotics in stimulation seeking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of child and maternal processes in the psychological adjustment of children with sickle cell disease.

In this study, 64% of children aged 7–12 yrs with sickle cell disease were found to have a parent-reported behavior problem, and 50% met the criteria for a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III-Revised (DSM-III-R) diagnosis based on a structured clinical interview of the child. Internalizing types of behavior problems and diagnoses were the most frequent. Support was provided for a transactional stress and coping model in delineating the processes associated with child adjustment. In particular, maternal anxiety accounted for 16–33% of the variance in mother-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, respectively, and child pain-coping strategies accounted for 21% of the variance in child-reported adjustment problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple prediction of adult psychological health from preadolescent and adolescent behavior.

Reanalyzed the data previously obtained in a longitudinal study on the childhood antecedents of adult mental health of 31 males and 33 females. Several significant relationships were found between adolescent (ages 14-16 yr.) behavior and adult psychological health when the effects of predictive preadolescent (ages 11-13 yr.) behaviors were held constant. For both sexes, all adolescent effects were reversals of significant preadolescent effects. Although more emphatic for females, these reversals indicate a change from a relatively tension- or conflict-free preadolescence to a reactive and stressful adolescence. The social responsiveness of adolescent males was also contributory if carried over from preadolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conflict negotiation in child abusing and nonabusing families.

Examined patterns of interaction exhibited by 8 child-abusing families (AFs) and 8 demographically matched non-AFs in response to a 10-min conflict resolution task developed by E. Bermann (1983). Videotape analyses show that, compared with non-AFs, AFs exhibited less verbal interaction during the task, less participation in the conflict negotiation required by the task, fewer sustained sequences of task-focused behavior, and less dyadic interaction. Children in AFs were less likely to initiate task behavior. A 2nd study with 6 AFs replicated these findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family and legal indicators of child adjustment to divorce among families with young children.

This research used structural equation modeling to examine relations among family dynamics, attorney involvement, and the adjustment of young children (0-6 years) at the time of parental separation. The article presents baseline data (N = 102 nonresidential fathers and N = 110 primary caretaking mothers) from a larger longitudinal study. Results showed that the effects of parental conflict on child outcomes were mediated by paternal involvement, the parent-child relationship, and attorney involvement. A scale assessing parental gatekeeping yielded two significant factors: Spouse's Influence on Parenting and Positive View of Spouse. Paternal involvement was related to children's adaptive behavior, whereas negative changes in parent-child relationships predicted behavior problems. Mothers who experienced greater psychological symptomatology were less likely to utilize an attorney, which in turn predicted greater internalizing problems in their children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal psychological functioning, family processes, and child adjustment in rural, single-parent, African American families.

A family process model was tested, linking adequacy of family financial resources to academic and psychosocial adjustment among 156 African American 6- to 9-year-old children with single mothers who lived in the rural South. Seventy five percent of the sample lived in poverty. Lack of adequate financial resources was associated with more depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem among mothers. Self-esteem was linked with family routines and mother–child relationship quality. The paths from mother–child relationship quality and family routines to child academic and psychosocial adjustment were mediated by the development of child self-regulation. An alternative partially mediated model improved the fit of the data for families with boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Openness arrangements and psychological adjustment in adolescent adoptees.

This is the 1st national study to examine whether the level of contact between adoptive and birth family members is associated with the behavioral and emotional adjustment of adolescents adopted in infancy (n = 92). Adoptive family members were interviewed twice, 8 years apart, to determine the level of contact taking place throughout adoptees' childhood and adolescence. The Child Behavior Checklist (T. M. Achenbach, 1991a) and Youth Self-Report (T. M. Achenbach, 1991b) were administered in adolescence. Adoptive parents' reports indicate no significant associations between openness and adolescent adjustment. Adoptees experiencing long-term direct contact reported significantly lower levels of externalizing than adoptees without contact. Adoption policies and legal procedures will best serve families by facilitating voluntary openness agreements that accommodate openness decisions on a case-by-case basis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decisiveness and psychological adjustment

Decisiveness, defined as the ability of the individual to engage in the decision-making process, was examined in relation to a number of parameters of psychological adjustment. Six decisiveness instruments, a series of adjustment measures, and peer rating assessments were obtained for 228 volunteer subjects. The pattern of relationships between the decisiveness measures suggested that decisiveness is not a monolithic trait, but rather is multidimensional. The relationship between the decisiveness and adjustment, with the impressionistic, global measures of decisiveness showing a stronger relationship to adjustment than the behavioral, objective ones. However, contamination of the data due to methods factors was observed, and sex was seen to be a factor in the interaction between decisiveness and adjustment. Methodological improvements and suggestions for further research are offered.     

Parenting and psychological adjustment of adolescent immigrants in Israel.

Parental and familial factors and their association with adolescents’ mental health were examined among former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrants and nonimmigrants in Israel. Questionnaires regarding parental control, inconsistency, and rejection, in addition to adolescent–family connectedness and psychological disorders, were administered to 83 FSU immigrants and 106 nonimmigrant adolescents. According to the results, FSU adolescents are less connected to their families, experience their parents as less warm and more inconsistent in their childrearing behavior, report that their mothers subject them to a higher level of control, and the psychological disorders among them are more widespread than among nonimmigrant adolescents. Maternal control, maternal temporal inconsistency, and maternal and paternal rejection were associated with psychological disorders only among nonimmigrant adolescents. No such association was found among FSU adolescents, suggesting that FSU mental health problems are associated with immigration and cultural and social factors, rather than parental and familial factors. A comprehensive intervention program is required to provide support and assistance to help immigrants overcome their psychological distresses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's adjustment in joint and sole physical custody families.

Examined patterns of custody and their relationship to the behavioral-emotional and social adjustment of 93 children, ages 3–14, in divorcing families. Assessed children and their parents within 1 year after parents filed for divorce, and again 1 and 2 years later. Children in joint physical custody (38%) had more access to both parents and made slightly more transitions between parental homes. However, custody arrangements were not significantly related to child adjustment. Factors associated with child adjustment included number of children in the family, child age and gender, parental depression/anxiety at baseline, and parental conflict at 1-year follow-up. Thus, no evidence was found that joint physical custody arrangements are different from sole physical custody arrangements with regard to child adjustment postdivorce. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood cancer: a two-year prospective study of the psychological adjustment of children and parents

OBJECTIVE: To follow prospectively the psychological adjustment of young children, parents, and families during the first 2 years after the children's diagnosis of cancer. METHOD: Children aged 2 to 5 years with cancer diagnoses and their parents and families (n = 38) were assessed immediately after diagnosis, 1 year after diagnosis, and 2 years after diagnosis. At each assessment, the psychological adjustment of the children and their families was compared with the adjustment of a cohort of children and families in the general community (n = 39). RESULTS: Children with cancer and their parents experienced significantly more emotional distress than children and parents in the community during the period immediately after diagnosis. However, the number of problems experienced by the children with cancer and their parents declined during the first year after the children's diagnosis and stabilized at a level comparable with that found among children and parents in the general community. CONCLUSION: Although the results are consistent with reports that suggest that in the longer term the prevalence of psychological problems among children with cancer is similar to that found among children in the general community, they also highlight the considerable distress experienced by children and parents during the period immediately after the children's diagnosis.     

Family relationships and children's adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families.

Investigated differences in marital and family process, children's behavioral adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families, and the relationship of family process to children's psychosocial adjustment. Nonclinical stepfamilies had better parent–child relations, better marital adjustment, and more marital individuation than clinical stepfamilies. Children in clinical stepfamilies had more behavior problems rated with fewer prosocial behaviors, and had more shy and withdrawn behavior than children in nonclinical stepfamilies. More negative and less positive child-to-parent interactions and less spousal individuation correlated with more behavior problems and less prosocial behavior of children. Implications for clinical interventions and future research on stepfamilies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimal psychological adjustment: A relativistic interpretation.

As a basis for interpreting the impressive findings by E. Siegelman, J. Block, J. Block, and A. von der Lippe (see PA, Vol. 45:Issue 3) relating optimal psychological adjustment in adults to observations made of their families when the Ss were children, it is postulated that mental health be defined relative to sex, generation, epoch, and culture. An analysis of items included in the criterion of optimal adjustment suggests that it is most pertinent to families whose breadwinners have managerial or professional jobs in bureaucratic organizations, and that it might be misleading if applied to top executives, employees of entrepreneurial organizations, or members of the working class. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptual sorting and personality adjustment in children.

24 relatively well adjusted and 24 relatively poorly adjusted children, selected from 150 normal 6th-grade children, were compared on the Gelb-Goldstein-Weigl-Scheerer Object Sorting Test. Poorly adjusted children made significantly more inadequate sortings than well adjusted children, confirming the prediction of this study. High and average intelligence children were more adequate in their object sortings than low intelligence children. Relatively poorly adjusted children, because of lack of appropriate categories, may not be as able to reduce environmental complexity and assign meaning to events as relatively well adjusted children. High and average intelligence, at this age level, contributes to the ability to abstract and use shared properties as a grouping principle. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological and academic adjustment in adopted children.

Evaluated psychological and academic adjustment of 130 6–11 yr old adopted children and 130 age-matched nonadopted children using the Hahnemann Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale and a child behavior profile. Results show that adopted Ss were rated higher in psychological and school-related behavior problems and lower in social competence and school achievement than were nonadopted Ss. It is suggested that although the results support the position that the risk is greater for adopted children to develop emotional and school-related problems, the data should not be overinterpreted because the majority of adopted Ss were within the normal range of behavior. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Siblings' differential experiences of marital conflict and differences in psychological adjustment.

The present study examined whether siblings experience marital conflict differently and whether such differences, if present, were associated with differences in their adjustment. Self-report data about marital conflict, children's depressed mood, behavioral conduct, and externalizing problems were obtained from 122 sibling pairs (mean ages = 10 and 12 years) and their parents. Results indicated that siblings were significantly different in exposure to and appraisals of marital conflict. Differences in siblings' exposure to marital conflict were significantly correlated with differences in their depressed mood, behavioral conduct, and externalizing problems. Differences in siblings' feelings of self-blame for marital conflict were significantly correlated with differences in their depressed mood and behavioral conduct. Children who experienced more marital conflict than their siblings had more adjustment problems than their siblings. These results highlight the importance of studying siblings' unique experiences of marital conflict to better understand its impact on children's adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Situational factors and the relationship between locus of control and psychological adjustment.

Tested a model of psychological adjustment in which increased internality for some college students occurs as a result of regaining control over stressful environmental events as opposed to learning a different generalized perception of their world. In the 1st of 2 experiments, 123 clients and 271 nonclients assessed their locus of control regarding both recent events and what they considered to be characteristic of themselves. Clients reported greater externality than nonclients for the recent condition but no difference in the characteristic condition. In addition, clients reported greater externality recently than characteristically; nonclients reported no difference. Exp II measured the locus of control and manifest anxiety (Bendig's short form of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale) of 23 clients and 24 nonclients at pretreatment and posttreatment under the same 2 conditions as in Exp I. A measure of recent life stress (Holmes Social Readjustment Rating Scale) was also completed. Results support the proposed model. Moreover, stress appeared to act as an interface between characteristic internality and situational externality, with the ability to handle stress, and not the amount of stress experienced, being a possible mediating factor. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)