Review of Treatment of childhood disorders, 3rd edition.

Reviews the book, Treatment of childhood disorders, 3rd edition edited by Eric J. Mash and Russell A. Barkley (see record 2006-05090-000). This is an impressive compilation of chapters by distinguished authors in their respective fields, covering the major domains related to common childhood psychopathology, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, fear and anxiety, depression, mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, physical abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, substance use, and eating disorders. This landmark book, now in its third edition, provides the current state of knowledge about treatment intervention within these domains. This pioneering book continues to represent a major (and highly successful) undertaking to synthesize the wide literature base of treatment for common childhood disorders. Its ability to parsimoniously convey extensive information in a manner that is easily accessible to readers facilitates the advancement of treatment for childhood psychopathology by transferring treatment knowledge from the research laboratory to the clinical office. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Childhood disorders: Behavioral-developmental approaches.

Reviews the book, Childhood disorders: Behavioral-developmental approaches edited by Robert J. McMahon and Ray Dev. Peters (1985). This volume includes 11 original chapters from the 1983 Banff International Conference on Behavioral Sciences. Together, these chapters provide an overview of a number of high-quality programmes of research in the area of childhood disorders. The editors state that the purpose of the current offering is to focus on recent advances in the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of childhood behaviour disorders, with particular attention being given to the role of developmental processes. The book contains two major sections. The first provides an overview of the conceptual foundations for a "behavioural-developmental" approach to childhood disorders. The second, which constitutes approximately 80% of the volume, illustrates programmes for the assessment and treatment of childhood disorders spanning the developmental spectrum from infancy to adolescence. Although this volume's attempt to bridge the gap between behavioural and developmental work may fall short, it is nevertheless a worthwhile contribution that nicely illustrates a range of outstanding programmes of clinical research for a variety of childhood disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Automatic prejudice in childhood and early adolescence.

Four cross-sectional studies are presented that investigated the automatic activation of prejudice in children and adolescents (aged 9 years to 15 years). Therefore, 4 different versions of the affective priming task were used, with pictures of ingroup and outgroup members being presented as prejudice-related prime stimuli. In all 4 studies, a pattern occurred that suggests a linear developmental increase of automatic prejudice with significant effects of outgroup negativity appearing only around the ages of 12 to 13 years. Results of younger children, on the contrary, did not indicate any effect of automatic prejudice activation. In contrast, prejudice effects in an Implicit Association Test (IAT) showed high levels of prejudice independent of age (Study 3). Results of Study 4 suggest that these age differences are due to age-related differences in spontaneous categorization processes. Introducing a forced-categorization into the affective priming procedure produced a pattern of results equivalent to that obtained with the IAT. These results suggest that although children are assumed to acquire prejudice at much younger ages, automatization of such attitudes might be related to developmental processes in early adolescence. We discuss possible theoretical implications of these results for a developmental theory of prejudice representation and automatization during childhood and adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Childhood mental health disorders: Evidence base and contextual factors for psychosocial, psychopharmacological, and combined interventions.

Reviews the book, Childhood mental health disorders: Evidence base and contextual factors for psychosocial, psychopharmacological, and combined interventions by Ronald T. Brown, David O. Antonuccio, George J. Dupaul, Mary A. Fristad, Cheryl A. King, Laurel K. Leslie, Gabriele S. McCormick, William E. Pelham Jr., John C. Piacentini, and Benedetto Vitiello (see record 2007-15067-000). This volume stands as a significant contribution to the current state of affairs in child and adolescent mental health. Unassuming in size (a total of 207 pages including references and author and subject indexes), this compilation is not only of value to researchers and clinicians within the professions of psychology and psychiatry but holds significance across other professions (e.g., social work, occupational therapy, nursing) that serve and support the mental health care of children. This book consists of 13 chapters, of which 11 address common child and adolescent mental health disorders. The authors offer readers a concise summary of the status of support for psychosocial, pharmacological, and combined interventions balanced in the context of safety and potential harm. Recommendations are offered on the most appropriate first-line treatment for a particular disorder (which predominantly favours psychosocial interventions over psychoactive medications). This is a book that will be a significant resource for those seeking evidence-based guideposts to intervention with children, adolescents, and their families. It is a timely, accessible, well-organised text, giving fair consideration to pharmaceutical, psychosocial, and combined interventions. As the authors allude, this compilation represents a "snapshot in time" but sets forth a strong foundation for practise and an agenda to further clinical and research attention to children's mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic investigation.

Research on the predictors of 3 bully status groups (bullies, victims, and bully victims) for school-age children and adolescents was synthesized using meta-analytic procedures. The primary purpose was to determine the relative strength of individual and contextual predictors to identify targets for prevention and intervention. Age and how bullying was measured were also considered as moderators. From an original pool of 1,622 studies conducted since 1970 (when research on bullying increased significantly), 153 studies were identified that met criteria for inclusion. A number of common and unique predictors were found for the bully status groups. The implications of the meta-analytic findings for future research on bullying and victimization prevention and intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The self-system during childhood and adolescence: Development, influences, and implications.

Research on the development of the self-system is briefly reviewed, with a special focus on major themes and issues related to childhood and adolescence. Important tasks and characteristics of the self-system that emerge during infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, and adolescence are described, helping to illustrate the numerous factors that influence changing perceptions of the self. Relationships between the self-system and social agents also are described, showing the influence of schooling and parental involvement on the development of the self. Examples from the authors' research on the relationships between gender and the development of self-beliefs are reviewed. They include examples of atypical development throughout the article, and conclude with a discussion regarding the implications of developmental research for clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders.

Reviews the book, Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders by Eric J. Mash and Leif G. Terdal (Eds.) (1981). Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders will be the standard against which any future volumes on behavioural assessment of children will be compared. Eric Mash and Lief Terdal have covered a broad range of childhood problems in 16 chapters by well-known psychologists. The major strengths of the volume are its broad scope and the clinical and research expertise of the individual contributors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Five types of personality continuity in childhood and adolescence.

This study examines 5 types of personality continuity--structural, mean-level, individual-level, differential, and ipsative--in a representative population (N=498) and a twin and sibling sample (N=548) of children and adolescents. Parents described their children on 2 successive occasions with a 36-month interval using the Hierarchical Personality Inventory for Children (I. Mervielde & F. De Fruyt, 1999). There was evidence for structural continuity in the 2 samples, and personality was shown to be largely differentially stable. A large percentage had a stable trait profile indicative of ipsative stability, and mean-level personality changes were generally small in magnitude. Continuity findings were explained mainly by genetic and nonshared environmental factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reward improves cancellation and restraint inhibition across childhood and adolescence.

Inhibitory control allows for the regulation of thought and action and interacts with motivational variables, such as reward, to modify behavior adaptively as environments change. The authors examined the effects of reward on two distinct forms of inhibitory control, cancellation and restraint. Typically developing children and adolescents completed 2 versions of the stop signal task (cancellation and restraint) under 3 reward conditions (neutral, low reward, and high reward), where rewards were earned for successful inhibitory control. Rewards improved both cancellation and restraint inhibition, with similar effects of reward on each form of inhibitory control. Rewards did not alter the speed of response execution in either task, suggesting that rewards specifically altered inhibition processes without influencing processes related to response execution. Adolescents were faster and less variable than children when executing and inhibiting their responses. There were similar developmental effects of reward on the speed of inhibitory control, but group differences were found in terms of accuracy of inhibition in the restraint task. These results clarify how reward modulates two different forms of regulatory behavior in children and adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Anxiety disorders in adults.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 43(4) of Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne (see record 2007-16947-001). In this review, it was incorrectly reported that the series in which this title appears, Guidebooks in Clinical Psychology, is published by Guilford. In fact, the publisher is Oxford University Press. We apologize to the authors and publishers concerned for this error.] Reviews the book, Anxiety disorders in adults by Peter D. McLean and Sheila R. Woody (see record 2001-00540-000). This recent volume by McLean and Woody, part of Guilford's new series of guidebooks in clinical psychology, is the best example of this new generation of psychotherapy books. The authors have a wealth of experience in conducting clinical research and in supervising clinicians and graduate students in providing treatments in clinical trials. This book is a gem. The scientist-practitioner model is the cornerstone of clinical psychology training in Canada, and it was a real pleasure to read a work that so fully embodies the spirit of the scientist-practitioner model. McLean and Woody's book belongs on the shelf of everyone who trains students to work with anxiety-disordered clients or who provides direct services to this astonishingly underserved segment of the population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychophysiological disorders: Research and clinical applications.

Reviews the book, Psychophysiological disorders: Research and clinical applications by Robert L. Gatchel and Edward B. Blanchard (see record 1994-97036-000). This text assumes the approach of the selective presentation of diseases and disorders with a high morbidity rate. Headache, irritable bowel syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis are discussed by contributing authors, and the reader is provided with concise overviews of salient literature and access to adequate reference sections for expanding clinical and empirical interest. The reader is immediately impressed not only with the expertise and efforts of editor and contributors but also, inevitably, with critical areas which are not covered in this text. This is a useful resource for any clinician treating medically ill patients, and some would justifiably argue that since the disorders and conditions are endemic to the human organism, no patient can be treated without an awareness of the incidence, prevalence, and presentation of the disease processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Anxiety and stress disorders: Cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment.

Reviews the book, Anxiety and stress disorders: Cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment by Larry Michelson and L. Michael Ascher (see record 1988-98155-000). In this book, Michelson and Ascher present an up-to-date cognitive-behavioral text with a focus on the theory, assessment, treatment, and research on anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Part I deals with theoretical issues in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety, and cognitive assessment and methodological issues in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Part II of the book will especially appeal to the clinician in that it specifically speaks to the treatment of simple phobias, panic disorders, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, sexual dysfunction, migraine and tension headaches, and hypertension. The range of the book will appeal to the treating clinician, the researcher, and the graduate student as well as the teaching professional. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective.

Reviews the book, Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective by Aaron T. Beck, Gary Emery, and Ruth L. Greenberg (see record 2006-01301-000). Aaron Beck and colleagues have done an excellent job in their attempt to present a comprehensive cognitive model for understanding and treating anxiety disorders and phobias. The authors set out to present a comprehensive cognitive model for the understanding and treating of anxiety disorders and phobias. What they covered is presented with scholarly thoroughness and depth. What seems to be lacking in their presentation is an attempt to address the impact of interpersonal context. Thus, while the cognitive model promises to be an extremely helpful component to the understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders and phobias, a comprehensive treatment regimen will often require attention to additional aspects. The book is well written and richly illustrated with case histories and examples. It provides important perspectives in the understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders and phobias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders: Science and practice.

Reviews the book, Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders: Science and practice edited by David A. Clark and Aaron T. Beck (2009). Drs. Clark and Beck’s book Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders: Science and practise is a comprehensive review of cognitive therapy for anxiety from its empirical theoretical foundation to its clinical application to disorders. Although the focus of the text is ultimately on the cognitive treatment of anxiety, the rich theoretical background that is interwoven throughout makes this book of interest to academics and graduate students as well as clinicians. The book is divided into three parts, each with several chapters: 1) cognitive theory and research on anxiety; 2) assessment and intervention techniques used in cognitive therapy for anxiety; and 3) the application of cognitive therapy to specific anxiety disorders (e.g., panic disorder, obsessive– compulsive disorder [OCD]). Overall, this book is an excellent resource for researchers and clinicians working in the field of anxiety disorders. The reference section alone makes it a valuable addition to one’s bookshelf, and the authors have done an excellent job of organising a vast, and at time disparate, body of research into a cohesive review of cognitive theory as it applies to anxiety. Although the treatment chapters may be a bit overly ambitious in attempting to review both the research and the application of the cognitive model to the treatment of specific disorders, the book in its entirety is clearly an essential text for those interested in obtaining a comprehensive understanding of cognitive therapy and anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Warmth with mothers and fathers from middle childhood to late adolescence: Within- and between-families comparisons.

The authors examined siblings' dyadic and differential experiences of parental warmth from 7 to 19 years of age. Participants were first- and second-borns from 201 families who reported on their warmth with each parent in 4 home interviews spaced over 5 years. Supporting an individual development hypothesis, multilevel model analyses revealed declines in parental warmth from early through midadolescence but no changes or increases in warmth in middle childhood and later adolescence. Consistent with a learning-from-experience hypothesis, declines in paternal warmth were less pronounced for second-borns than for firstborns. The results also suggest gender intensification in differential warmth for parents of mixed-gender sibling dyads. Within-family comparisons of youth provide unique insights about family relationship development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The link between childhood trauma and mental illness.

Reviews the book, The link between childhood trauma and mental illness by Barbara Everett and Ruth Gallop (see record 2000-16130-000). This is a very useful book, particularly for novice practitioners and front-line workers who may not have had a supervised experience dealing with abused individuals. The authors set out to provide a practical guide to the care of individuals who have experienced abuse (both sexual and physical) as children, and who present themselves as adults to mental health practitioners, in particular to those who are not practicing in specialized trauma clinics. I believe they have succeeded in their goal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of the evidence base for treatment of childhood psychopathology: Externalizing disorders.

This article reviews controlled research on treatments for childhood externalizing behavior disorders. The review is organized around 2 subsets of such disorders: disruptive behavior disorders (i.e., conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The review was based on a literature review of nonresidential treatments for youths ages 6-12. The pool of studies for this age group was limited, but results suggest positive outcomes for a variety of interventions (particularly parent training and community-based interventions for disruptive behavior disorders and medication for ADHD). The review also highlights the need for additional research examining effectiveness of treatments for this age range and strategies to enhance the implementation of effective practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood disorders.

Clinicians today face difficulties in appropriately assisting children with mood disorders, whose parents may challenge diagnostic and treatment decisions based on potentially faulty information obtained from unregulated sources (e.g., the Internet, commercial books, other media). In light of this problem, as well as the U.S. Surgeon General's recent call for increases in evidence-based diagnosis and treatment of childhood disorders, it is important that psychologists educate themselves and their clients about evidence-based practices. Evidence-based assessment and psychosocial and psychopharmacological treatment procedures for childhood unipolar and bipolar mood disorders are reviewed, and specific practice recommendations are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative risk of perinatal complications in common childhood disorders.

Perinatal complications have been associated with a myriad of later-developing behavioral, neurological, and psychological disorders. These have included school-related disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, mood and anxiety disorders, and learning disabilities. This article reviews the research that considers the relative risk relationship between prepregnancy, pregnancy, neonatal complications, and later childhood disorders. Specifically, research with the Maternal Perinatal Scale (MPS), which highlights the relative risk ratios of perinatal complications, and later childhood disorders will be reviewed. The MPS is a self-report measure that uses a standardized, structured format to identify perinatal complications. Research using the MPS has revealed that a combination of perinatal complications can increase the relative risk of educational difficulty by up to 6.35 times. Implications for psychological services in the school are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)