Measuring Informant Discrepancies in Clinical Child Research.

Discrepancies among informants' ratings of child psychopathology have important implications for diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. Typically, parents and children complete measures (e.g., self-report checklists, diagnostic instruments) to assess child dysfunction. Ratings gathered from these sources reveal relatively little agreement on the nature and extent of the child's social, emotional, and behavioral problems. This article reviews and illustrates the most frequently used methods of measuring informant discrepancies in the clinical child literature (i.e., raw difference, standardized difference, and residual difference scores) and outlines key considerations to influence their selection. The authors conclude that frequently used methods of measuring informant discrepancies are not interchangeable and recommend that future investigations examining informant discrepancies in clinical child research use the standardized difference score as their measure of informant discrepancies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Involvement of fathers in therapy: A survey of clinicians.

Clinicians providing treatment for children and families often question which family members to include in therapy. Historically, mothers were included in child-oriented therapy to a greater degree than were fathers. To determine actual rates of including fathers in therapy, 219 clinicians with specialization in clinical child psychology and family therapy were surveyed . In addition, personal and professional characteristics of clinicians were examined to establish the association between these characteristics and inclusion of fathers in treatment. Ways to help clinicians include fathers in child-oriented therapy are discussed in light of the findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Fathers who fail: Shame and psychopathology in the family system.

Reviews the book, Fathers who fail: Shame and psychopathology in the family system by Melvin R. Lansky (see record 1992-98607-000). Melvin Lansky's riveting book is about fathers who cannot find their way in the world of either love or work, but are driven to self-destructive bonds with others by problems with their "paternal imago." This book addresses the central role of the affect of shame, and the defenses against experiencing it, leading to varieties of "impulsive" symptom formation, disturbing the capacity for sustaining work or love relationships and constantly threatening breakdown of fragile self-esteem. Symptoms are viewed as failed efforts to escape shame through rage and to rigidly regulate optimal distance in family relationships. The attempt throughout is to meld a variety of psychoanalytic perspectives with family systems perspectives. The book is organized into several sections, beginning with an overview entitled Symptom, System and Personality in Fathers Who Fail, followed by The Paternal Imago. Next comes Defenses Against Shame: Narcissistic Equilibrium in the Family System, and then a section on shame and symptom formation. A section entitled Treatment Difficulties completes the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Rochester Symposium on Developmental Psychopathology, Volume 3: Models and integrations.

Reviews the book, Rochester Symposium on Developmental Psychopathology, Volume 3: Models and integrations by Dante Cicchetti and Sheree L. Toth (1991). Cicchetti and Toth's Models and integrations is the third of five volumes issuing from the annual "Rochester Symposium on Developmental Psychopathology," a series of publications which has served to define the discipline. The current volume plays a pivotal role in the evolution of developmental psychopathology because it raises important theoretical questions about the discipline, not the least of which are what is it and what might it be? In challenging the conceptual strength and clarity of the field, the book addresses salient developmental issues that will need to be resolved if the discipline is to advance. This is a thought-provoking and intellectually challenging book. It contains 11 weighty chapters organized into three relatively distinct but overlapping sections: (1) theoretical issues, (2) models for understanding specific forms of child psychopathology, and (3) developmentally-grounded intervention strategies. Each chapter in this book demonstrates an extraordinarily high level of theoretical and methodological sophistication. Collectively, the chapters in this volume constitute one of the most informative and sophisticated discussions of theory and methodology in the field of developmental psychopathology that is currently available. This volume is an outstanding contribution to the field and is highly recommended reading for advanced students and researchers in the areas of developmental and child psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child health psychology.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 9(6) of Health Psychology (see record 2008-09119-001). The name of the author, Sharon Millstein, should be Susan Millstein.] The term child health psychology refers to the field of research on the behavioral aspects of children's health and illness. At this time we need to continue the work of the child health psychology special interest group and to draw into the Division of Health Psychology a much larger number of developmental psychologists, who need to be informed about the relevance of their scientific training to child health issues. We call the Division's attention and that of granting agencies such as the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the following high-priority child health research issues: adherence to pediatric medical regimens; child health promotion; family influences on child and adolescent health and disease; and stress and coping in childhood illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Child health psychology": Erratum.

Reports an error in "Child health psychology" by Dennis Drotar, Suzanne Bennett Johnson, Ron Iannotti, Norman Krasnegor, Karen A. Matthews, Barbara G. Melamed, Sharon Millstein, Rolf A. Peterson, Debbie Popiel and Donald K. Routh (Health Psychology, 1989, Vol 8[6], 781-784). The name of the author, Sharon Millstein, should be Susan Millstein. It appears correctly in this record. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-09118-001.) The term child health psychology refers to the field of research on the behavioral aspects of children's health and illness. At this time we need to continue the work of the child health psychology special interest group and to draw into the Division of Health Psychology a much larger number of developmental psychologists, who need to be informed about the relevance of their scientific training to child health issues. We call the Division's attention and that of granting agencies such as the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the following high-priority child health research issues: adherence to pediatric medical regimens; child health promotion; family influences on child and adolescent health and disease; and stress and coping in childhood illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fathering in family context and child adjustment: A longitudinal analysis.

This study focuses on relations between fathers’ behavior in family context and children’s adjustment, including the roles of paternal depressive symptoms, paternal marital conflict behaviors, paternal parenting, and children’s emotional security. Participants included 235 families with a six-year-old child, with families followed longitudinally each year for three years. In terms of fathers’ adjustment, paternal problem drinking was related to paternal negative marital conflict behaviors and decreased positive parenting, which was associated with children’s externalizing and internalizing problems. Fathers’ depressive symptoms were directly related with children’s internalizing problems. Children’s emotional security was an intervening variable in relations between father’s behavior in family context and children’s development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A developmental psychopathology perspective on adolescence.

Developmental psychopathology offers an integrative framework for conceptualizing the course of development during adolescence, with particular relevance for understanding continuity and the emergence of psychopathology during this and subsequent developmental periods. In this article, the utility of a developmental psychopathology perspective for informing the design of research, prevention, and intervention is highlighted. Interdisciplinary, organizational models of development, emphasizing the dynamic relations between the developing individual and internal and external contexts, are discussed. Examination of boundaries between abnormal and normal development during adolescence offers important vantage points for articulating diversity in the developmental course during this period. Conceptualizing divergence and convergence in developmental pathways, continuity and discontinuity in development, and the transactions of risk and protective processes leading to maladaptation, psychopathology, and resilience are highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Fathers who fail: Shame and psychopathology in the family system.

Reviews the book, Fathers who fail: Shame and psychopathology in the family system by Melvin R. Lansky (see record 1992-98607-000). This book is composed of a collection of the author's essays which attempt to understand "the psychiatrically impaired father in a truly dynamic way." Drawing on contemporary psychoanalysis, family systems theory, and the sociology of conflict, Lansky sketches a richly textured portrait of fathers who fail. The reviewer believes that Lansky's probing discussion of narcissistic equilibrium in the family system enables him to chart the likely history of the more intimidating modes of distancing involving impulsive actions of impaired fathers. After summarizing the information presented in each chapter, the reviewer then concludes that the book largely succeeds in its task because it provides a deeper, more integrated clinical understanding of fathers who fail. It is highly recommended for selective reading for therapists and researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section on clinical adolescent psychology: Developmental psychopathology and treatment.

This article addresses implications of the interface between developmental psychology and clinical psychology for research on adolescence and describes the importance of considering developmental level when designing treatments for adolescent patients. In addition, the articles that constitute the special section, "Clinical Adolescent Psychology: Developmental Psychopathology and Treatment," are introduced. (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)     

The association between psychopathology in fathers versus mothers and children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems: A meta-analysis.

In light of the selective focus on maternal (vs. paternal) psychopathology as a risk factor for child development, this meta-analysis examines the relative strength of the association between psychopathology in mothers versus fathers and the presence of internalizing and externalizing disorders in children. Associations were stronger between maternal than paternal psychopathology and the presence of internalizing (but not externalizing) problems in children, with all average effect sizes being small in magnitude. Relations were moderated by variables that highlight theoretically relevant differences between psychopathology in mothers versus fathers (e.g., age of children studied, type of parental psychopathology) and by variables related to methodological differences across studies (e.g., method of assessing psychopathology in parents and children, type of sample recruited, familial composition). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fathers' participation in family research: Is there a self-selection bias?

The representativeness of fathers who participate in family research was examined among 661 families. Approximately two thirds of eligible fathers participated. Mothers' and observers' reports on families of participating and nonparticipating fathers were compared. Participating fathers underrepresented fathers with less education, later-born children, more ambivalent marriages, partners with more traditional child-rearing beliefs, families with less optimal parenting environments, and infants who were unplanned, had more difficult temperaments, and were less healthy. Also underrepresented were ethnic minority families and working-class fathers. However, no differences were found in regard to child gender, family income, mothers' psychosocial functioning, either parent's employment experiences, or child-care arrangements. Implications for the generalizability of findings and the recruitment of fathers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A biosocial developmental model of borderline personality: Elaborating and extending linehan’s theory.

Over the past several decades, research has focused increasingly on developmental precursors to psychological disorders that were previously assumed to emerge only in adulthood. This change in focus follows from the recognition that complex transactions between biological vulnerabilities and psychosocial risk factors shape emotional and behavioral development beginning at conception. To date, however, empirical research on the development of borderline personality is extremely limited. Indeed, in the decade since M. M. Linehan initially proposed a biosocial model of the development of borderline personality disorder, there have been few attempts to test the model among at-risk youth. In this review, diverse literatures are reviewed that can inform understanding of the ontogenesis of borderline pathology, and testable hypotheses are proposed to guide future research with at-risk children and adolescents. One probable pathway is identified that leads to borderline personality disorder; it begins with early vulnerability, expressed initially as impulsivity and followed by heightened emotional sensitivity. These vulnerabilities are potentiated across development by environmental risk factors that give rise to more extreme emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dysregulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Researching disturbed family systems: State of the art.

Reviews the book, Family interaction and psychopathology: Theories, methods, and findings edited by T. Jacob (see record 1987-97733-000). Prior to this work, the literature on family interaction and psychopathology was scattered across many disciplines, making it difficult for scholars to take full advantage of the progress and pitfalls in family interaction research. This volume goes a long way toward remedying that situation. As the title suggests, the book is subdivided into three major sections: (a) Conceptual Foundations, (b) Methodological Issues and Strategies, and (c) Family Research on Specific Psychopathologies. Each of these sections can stand on its own as a comprehensive and current contribution to its respective area of concern. The book as a whole provides many guidelines and insights for study preparation and, consequently, may become a major resource for the prospective researcher. The reviewer strongly recommends this book to family psychologists to serve as a handbook on family psychopathology. Researchers informed by the theories, methods, and findings presented in Jacob's book, and who take advantage of powerful research techniques, will clearly be at an advantage in making significant contributions to this field in the years to come. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A genetically informed study of associations between family functioning and child psychosocial adjustment.

Research has documented associations between family functioning and offspring psychosocial adjustment, but questions remain regarding whether these associations are partly due to confounding genetic factors and other environmental factors. The current study used a genetically informed approach, the Children of Twins design, to explore the associations between family functioning (family conflict, marital quality, and agreement about parenting) and offspring psychopathology. Participants were 867 twin pairs (388 monozygotic; 479 dizygotic) from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden, their spouses, and children (51.7% female; M = 15.75 years). The results suggested associations between exposure to family conflict (assessed by the mother, father, and child) and child adjustment were independent of genetic factors and other environmental factors. However, when family conflict was assessed using only children's reports, the results indicated that genetic factors also influenced these associations. In addition, the analyses indicated that exposure to low marital quality and agreement about parenting was associated with children's internalizing and externalizing problems and that genetic factors also contributed to the associations of marital quality and agreement about parenting with offspring externalizing problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Charles Wenar (1922–2008).

Charles Wenar, psychology professor emeritus at Ohio State University (OSU), died of complications from pneumonia on June 19, 2008, in Columbus, Ohio. Well-known for his methodological and substantive contributions to an understanding of normal development in infants, toddlers, and children, he was also among the pioneers in the field of developmental psychopathology. He proposed a conceptualization of psychopathology in children and adolescents as normal development gone awry and advocated for a clinical child psychology training program that was well-grounded in both developmental science and clinical child psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to special section: Parental depression and distress: Implications for development in infancy, childhood, and adolescence.

Five years ago, a special section on "Developmental Psychopathology in Children of Depressed Mothers" was published in this journal (see Vol. 26, pp. 3-67). The present special section deals also with this topic and includes seven empirical articles. It is the product of several successful journal submissions that occurred in relatively close succession. The articles were not specifically targeted beforehand to be broadly representative of research in this domain. Work from some other excellent research programs is not included. Thus, although the content of this special section cannot be viewed as a comprehensive cross-section of current research directions, it does provide an occasion for readers to begin to assess continuities and changes in this research domain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measures of Child and Adolescent Psychopathology in Asia.

This article reviews measures of child and adolescent psychopathology used in Asian cultures. Sixteen imported measures from the West are identified and their psychometric equivalence across cultures is reviewed; 2 new measures are briefly introduced. Although initial evidence is generally promising, more studies are needed to support their use in Asia. One recently developed Singapore measure cannot be considered genuinely indigenous. Culture-specific items proposed for imported measures could be grouped into existing diagnostic constructs. There is, as yet, no strong theoretical support for culture-bound diagnostic constructs in Asian cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)