Intensive filial therapy with child witnesses of domestic violence: A comparison with individual and sibling group play therapy.

The rationale for utilizing filial therapy as a treatment intervention with child witnesses of domestic violence while residing with their mothers in a shelter facility is explored and the effectiveness of an intensive 12-session filial therapy parent training group, conducted within 2-3 weeks, is described (n=11; aged 4-10 yrs). Results of analysis of covariance revealed that child witnesses in the experimental group significantly reduced behavior problems prevalent in child witnesses and significantly increased their self-concept as compared to child witnesses in the non-treatment comparison group. In addition, t-test results showed that mothers who facilitated treatment of the experimental group scored significantly higher after training on both their attitudes of acceptance and their empathic behavior. Comparative analysis revealed that intensive filial therapy as facilitated by the children's mothers was as effective in reducing behavior problems as was intensive individual play therapy and intensive sibling group play therapy as facilitated by professionally trained therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intensive child-centered play therapy with child witnesses of domestic violence.

Examined the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy sessions every day for 2 wks as an intervention for child witnesses of domestic violence. 22 children (aged 4–10 yrs) participated. The analyses of covariance indicated that children in the experimental group experience a significant increase in self-concept, a significant decrease in external and total behavior problems, a significant increase in the play behavior of physical proximity to the therapist, and a significant increase in the play behavior of nurturing and creative play themes. The results support utilizing intensive play therapy to treat child witnesses of domestic violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The efficacy of intensive individual play therapy for chronically ill children.

Examined the effectiveness of play therapy for children (aged 7-11 yrs) diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Specifically, the intent of the study was to determine the effectiveness of an intensive play therapy intervention in (a) reducing symptoms of anxiety in children with IDDM, (b) reducing the overall behavior difficulties in children with IDDM, (c) increasing healthy adjustment in children with IDDM, (d) increasing diabetic's children's adherence to their diabetic regime, and (e) having an impact on these emotional and behavioral symptoms over time. The experimental group comprised 9 boys and 6 girls. Analysis of covariance revealed that the children in the experimental group significantly improved their adaptation to their diabetes following intensive play therapy. Results indicate that intensive play therapy may be an effective intervention for children diagnosed with IDDM. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of child teacher relationship training on the children of focus: A pilot study.

Head Start teachers (n = 24) were assigned to either the experimental group or the active control group in this pilot study to determine the effects of child–teacher relationship training (CTRT) on 22 disadvantaged preschool children identified with behavioral problems. CTRT is based on the principles and procedures of child–parent relationship therapy (CPRT; Landreth & Bratton, 2006), a structured, time-limited approach that trains young children's caregivers to be active participants in an early mental health delivery system. Results indicate that children whose teachers participated in CTRT made statistically significant improvements in both externalizing behavior problems and total problems when compared with the active control group. Children in the CTRT group demonstrated a large treatment effect on their internalizing behavior problems compared with those in the active control group. The statistical, practical, and clinically significant results of this pilot study indicate that CTRT is a promising option for preschool children with clinically significant behavior problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Siblings in Domestically Violent Families: Experiences of Interparent Conflict and Adjustment Problems.

This research examines whether siblings in domestically violent families differ in experiences of interparent conflict and whether such differences are associated with differences in children's adjustment. Participants included 112 sibling pairs and their mothers temporarily residing in domestic violence shelters. Children completed measures of their experiences of interparent conflict, and children and mothers reported on children's adjustment problems. Cross-sibling correlations for experiences of interparent conflict were low to moderate. Sibling differences in threat appraisals of interparent conflict were associated with sibling differences in internalizing problems. Differences in self-blame appraisals were associated with differences in internalizing and externalizing problems. The direction of the relations indicated that the sibling who felt more threatened by or more at fault for interparent conflict experienced more adjustment problems. These findings suggest the potential utility of individually assessing sibling experiences of interparent conflict and tailoring interventions individually. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Targeting children's behavior problems in preschool classrooms: A cluster-randomized controlled trial.

The present study evaluated the efficacy of a multicomponent, classroom-based intervention in reducing preschoolers' behavior problems. The Chicago School Readiness Project model was implemented in 35 Head Start classrooms using a clustered-randomized controlled trial design. Results indicate significant treatment effects (ds = 0.53–0.89) for teacher-reported and independent observations of children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Moreover, there was some evidence for the moderating role of child gender, race/ethnic group membership, and exposure to poverty-related risk, with stronger effects of intervention for some groups of children than for others. Findings contribute to a growing area of research on poverty and preventive intervention in early childhood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community-based intervention for children exposed to intimate partner violence: An efficacy trial.

A community-based intervention program was tested with 181 children ages 6-12 and their mothers exposed to intimate partner violence during the past year. A sequential assignment procedure allocated participants to 3 conditions: child-only intervention, child-plus-mother intervention (CM), and a wait-list comparison. A 2-level hierarchical linear model consisting of repeated observations within individuals and individuals assigned to conditions was used to evaluate the effects of time from baseline to postintervention comparing the 3 conditions and from postintervention to 8-month follow-up for both intervention conditions. Outcomes were individual children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems and attitudes about violence. Of the 3 conditions, CM children showed the greatest improvement over time in externalizing problems and attitudes about violence. There were 79% fewer children with clinical range externalizing scores and 77% fewer children with clinical range internalizing scores from baseline to follow-up for CM children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachement et problèmes de comportements intériorisés et extériori?s auto-rapportés à la période scolaire.

The association between attachment and self-reported externalizing and internalizing behavior problems was examined for a diverse SES French-Canadian sample of 108 children. Attachment classifications were assigned on the basis of reunion behavior with mother when the children were approximately 6 years old. Child problem behavior was assessed two and a half years later using the Dominic test. Results indicated that boys with disorganized attachment and children with ambivalent attachment reported a higher level of externalizing problems then did secure children. Moreover, disorganized children also reported a higher level of internalizing problems than secure children. Child assessments using the Dominic in conjunction with a measure of separation-reunion behavior at age 5 to 7 can play an important role in the identification of school-aged children at risk for aggressive or anxious-depressive adaptive problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Randomized trial of treatment for children with sexual behavior problems: Ten-year follow-up.

This study prospectively follows 135 children 5-12 years of age with sexual behavior problems from a randomized trial comparing a 12-session group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with group play therapy and follows 156 general clinic children with nonsexual behavior problems. Ten-year follow-up data on future juvenile and adult arrests and child welfare perpetration reports were collected. The CBT group had significantly fewer future sex offenses than the play therapy group (2% vs. 10%) and did not differ from the general clinic comparison (3%), supporting the use of short-term CBT. There were no group differences in nonsexual offenses (21%). The findings do not support assumptions about persistent or difficult to modify risk and raise questions about policies and practices founded on this assumption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School-Based Child-Centered Play Therapy with Hispanic Children: Outcomes and Cultural Consideration.

Hispanic children are the fastest growing segment of the population. Numerous factors place them at-risk for school success. This study examined the effects of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) compared to a curriculum-based small group intervention with 29 Hispanic children referred for school counseling due to behavior problems. Children were assigned to treatment groups by random drawing within grade levels. Treatment was provided by Hispanic bilingual counselors. Statistical analysis revealed that, according to parent report, children receiving CCPT showed statistically significant decreases in externalizing behavior problems, compared to the curriculum-based treatment group. Effect size calculations revealed that CCPT demonstrated a large treatment effect on externalizing behavior problems and a moderate treatment effect on internalizing behavior problems. Cultural considerations and recommendations for practice and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When girls versus boys play alone: Nonsocial play and adjustment in kindergarten.

The goal of the present study was to examine the relations between different forms of children's nonsocial play behaviors and adjustment in kindergarten. The participants in this study were 77 kindergarten children (38 boys, 39 girls; mean age?=?66.16 months, SD?=?4.11 months). Mothers completed ratings of child shyness and emotion dysregulation. Children's nonsocial play behaviors (reticent, solitary-passive, solitary-active) were observed during free play. In addition, teachers rated child behavior problems (internalizing and externalizing) and social competence; academic achievement was assessed through child interviews. Results from regression analyses revealed that different types of nonsocial play were differentially associated with child characteristics and indices of adjustment. For some forms of nonsocial play, the nature of these associations differed significantly for boys and girls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parents' hostility in dyadic marital and triadic family settings and children's behavior problems.

The authors examined the relation between parents' hostility during conflict-focused discussions and child behavior problems. Parents engaged in 3 discussions: a dyadic marital discussion of marital disagreements, a dyadic marital discussion of child-related disagreements, and a triadic family discussion with the child about the child-related disagreements. Eighty-nine 2-parent community families with a child aged 9–13 years participated. A significant 3-way interaction between interparental hostility, parent-to-child hostility, and child sex accounted for variance in children's behavior problems. Among boys, higher levels of parent-to-child hostility during family discussions exacerbated the effects of interparental hostility on boys' adjustment. Thus, exposure to higher levels of both interparental and parent-to-child hostility may put boys at risk for developing internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discovering the moments of movement in filial therapy: A single case qualitative study.

This study examines the process of change in filial therapy, a type of play therapy, which engages parents as therapeutic agents in working with troubled children. Outcome studies have supported the efficacy of this approach in building parent-child relationships, reducing parenting stress, and reducing child behavior problems. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the process in order to understand how these changes occur. The researchers compare the viewpoints of the therapist, the parents, and an independent observer, noting the points in therapy which are deemed facilitative or inhibitive of change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent psychopathology, parenting, and child internalizing problems in substance-abusing families.

A structural model accounting for child internalizing problems in substance-abusing families was tested. Parents receiving substance abuse treatment (N = 242) completed forms about children between the ages of 6 and 18 who resided in their home. The effects of parent gender, child gender, and child age were controlled. Negative parenting was examined as a mediator between parent internalizing and externalizing problems and child anxiety and affective problems using path analysis. Negative parenting mediated relations only between parent internalizing problems and child affective problems. High-positive involvement moderated relations between parent externalizing problems and child internalizing problems. Relations between parent externalizing problems and child anxiety and affective problems were significant only among families in which high-positive involvement was present. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Theraplay in the Chinese world: An intervention program for Hong Kong children with internalizing problems.

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Theraplay on reducing internalizing problems among young children. Described as at-risk for developing internalizing disorders, 46 children were randomly allocated to either the Theraplay condition or the wait-list control condition. A standardized measure of internalizing symptoms was completed before and after an 8-week period. Results showed that children from the Theraplay condition showed significantly fewer internalizing symptoms when compared to the waitlist group. Qualitative feedback from mothers and children were gathered to further understand the experience of Theraplay activities on the participants. Limitations and suggestions for future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child Personality and Parental Behavior as Moderators of Problem Behavior: Variable- and Person-Centered Approaches.

Parenting × Child Personality interactions in predicting child externalizing and internalizing behavior were investigated in a variable-centered study and a person-centered study. The variable-centered study used data from a 3-year longitudinal study of 600 children 7 to 15 years old at Time 1 and 512 children 10 to 18 years old at Time 2. Parents rated child personality (five factor model), negative control, positive parenting, and child problem behavior, whereas children rated parental behavior. Hierarchical moderated regression analyses showed significant Parenting × Child Personality (benevolence and conscientiousness) interactions, principally for externalizing behavior. The interactions were largely replicable across informants and across time. The person-centered study, which classified participants into 3 types, showed that negative parental control was more related to externalizing behavior for undercontrollers than for resilients. Negative parental control enhanced internalizing behavior for overcontrollers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of domestic violence on children's behavior problems and depression.

The Children's Depression Inventory, Child Behavior Checklist, and Youth Self-Report were completed by mothers, fathers, and their 8–12 yr old children to assess the effects of various types of domestic violence on children's behavior problems and depression. 110 Israeli children from lower-class families were identified through social service records. 33 of the children had been physically abused by their parents within the last 6 mo, 16 had witnessed spouse abuse, 30 had been both victims and witnesses of domestic violence, and 31 had experienced no known domestic violence. Overall, domestic violence had effects on child development that varied in magnitude and nature depending on the type of domestic violence and who reported the information about the child's adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physical violence and other forms of marital aggression: Links with children's behavior problems.

Two studies examined whether physical marital violence and other forms of marital aggression (e.g., threats, throwing objects) correlate with children's behavior problems in families marked by recent spousal violence. Study 1 included 55 families seeking marital therapy. Study 2 included 199 families at battered women's shelters. In the marital therapy sample, both physical marital violence and other forms of marital aggression correlated positively with children's externalizing problems. In the women's shelter sample, physical violence and other forms of marital aggression correlated positively with children's externalizing and internalizing problems. After accounting for the frequency of physical marital violence, forms of marital aggression other than physical violence still related to children's externalizing problems in the marital therapy sample and to children's internalizing problems in the women's shelter sample. (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)     

Longitudinal associations between parents' hostility and siblings' externalizing behavior in the context of marital discord.

This study examined longitudinal associations between parents' hostility and siblings' externalizing behavior in the context of interparental discord. The sample included 116 families (mothers, fathers, 2 siblings) assessed in middle childhood, when siblings were, on average, 8 and 10 years old, and in adolescence, at average ages of 14 and 16 years. Parents reported on their hostility toward each child and on each child's externalizing problems. Raters observed interparental hostility, and parents rated their marital quality. Results indicated both within-family and between-families effects. Specifically, the child who received more parental hostility than his or her sibling showed greater increases in externalizing problems than his or her sibling; this association was moderated by marital discord. In addition, the child who exhibited more behavioral problems than his or her sibling received greater increases in hostile mothering than did his or her sibling. Between-families effects were evident, in that children's externalizing problems were associated with increases in mothers' hostility toward both children in the family. Results support transactional models of development and family systems theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)