Change in caregiver depression in response to parent training: Genetic moderation of intervention effects.

A previous report in the Journal of Family Psychology (S. R. H. Beach et al., 2008) described the results of a randomized prevention trial contrasting families who participated in the Strong African American Families Program (SAAF, a preventive intervention for rural African American parents and their 11-year-olds) with control families. This brief report examines a novel contextual variable, child's genetic risk status for negative affect and poor self-control, as a moderator of treatment effects on caregiver's depression. Genetic data were obtained from (N = 109) youths' saliva samples. The primary study hypothesis of differential program impact on caregiver depression as a function of youth genetic risk was confirmed. Among caregivers with initially elevated scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies--Depression Scale (L. S. Radloff, 1977), SAAF participation was associated with greater impact on depressive symptoms among those whose children were at genetic risk, suggesting that effect size estimates based on full samples may underestimate the impact of prevention programs on at-risk subgroups, whose response is particularly important to understand and to target. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting parent and child outcomes of a filial therapy program.

The present study investigated parent and child factors that predict outcome in a filial therapy program for parents (N = 27) and young children (ages 2–10). Higher levels of parent distress and poorer child regulation of emotion at pretest were predictive of greater reductions in child behavior problems; poorer parent regulation of emotion at pretest was predictive of greater increases in parent acceptance; and less parent satisfaction with social support from family and friends at pretest was predictive of greater increases in parent communication of acceptance in parent–child play. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral intervention to reduce child and parent distress during venipuncture.

This study investigated a behavioral intervention incorporating parent coaching, attentional distraction, and positive reinforcement to control child distress during invasive cancer treatment. Children (N?=?23) requiring physical restraint to complete venipuncture were alternately assigned to either a behavioral intervention or an attention control condition. Child distress behaviors were recorded, and self-reports of parent, child, and nurse distress were obtained. Parent and nurse also rated child distress. Results of planned comparisons indicate that observed child distress, parent-rated child distress, and parent ratings of his/her own distress were significantly reduced by behavioral intervention and were maintained across the course of three intervention trials. The use of physical restraint to manage child behavior was also significantly reduced. Child self-reported pain and nurse ratings of child distress were not significantly affected. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling long-term parent outcomes of two universal family-focused preventive interventions: One-year follow-up results.

The present investigation extended prior work by R. Spoth, S. Redmond, and C. Shin (see record 1998-01101-018). These researchers reported findings that 2 universal family-focused preventive intervention programs each had direct effects on a proximal parenting outcome (intervention-targeted parenting behaviors) and indirect effects on 2 global and distal outcomes (parent–child affective quality and general child management) at posttesting. A replication of the previously tested parenting outcome model was conducted with 1-year follow-up data and procedures identical to those used in the earlier study. Results of the present study (N?=?404 families) indicate that statistically significant effects on parenting outcomes were sustained through a 1-year period following the posttest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mothers' and fathers' perceptions of child deviance: Roles of parent and child behaviors and parent adjustment.

The mothers (n?=?120) and fathers (n?=?85) of children with conduct problems (ages?=?3–8 years) completed two measures of child adjustment (Child Behavior Checklist, Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory), three personal adjustment measures (Beck Depression Inventory, Marital Adjustment Test, Parenting Stress Index), and a Life Experience Survey and were observed at home interacting with their children. In addition, teachers (n?=?107) completed the Behar Preschool Questionnaire. Fathers' perceptions of their children's behaviors were significantly correlated with teachers' ratings, but mothers' ratings were not. Correlations showed that mothers who were depressed or stressed due to marital problems perceived more child deviant behaviors and interacted with their children with more commands and criticisms. Fathers' perceptions and behaviors were relatively unaffected by personal adjustment measures. Differences in these perceptions and behaviors between mothers and fathers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital conflict, maternal and paternal parenting, and child adjustment: A test of mediation and moderation.

Parenting was examined as a mediator of associations between marital and child adjustment, and parent gender was examined as a moderator of associations among marital, parental, and child functioning in 226 families with a school-age child (146 boys). Parenting fully mediated associations between marital conflict and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Parent gender did not moderate associations when data from the full sample or families with girls only were evaluated. Parent gender did moderate associations when families with boys were evaluated, with the association between marital conflict and parenting stronger for fathers than mothers. A trend suggested fathers' parenting may be more strongly related to internalizing behavior and mothers' parenting may be more strongly related to externalizing behavior in boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal substance initiation outcomes for a universal preventive intervention combining family and school programs.

This study evaluated the substance initiation effects of an intervention combining family and school-based competency-training intervention components. Thirty-six rural schools were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: (a) the classroom-based Life Skills Training (LST) and the Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Children 10-14, (b) LST only, or (c) a control condition. Outcomes were examined 1 year after the intervention posttest, using a substance initiation index (SlI) measuring lifetime use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana and by rates of each individual substance. Planned intervention-control contrasts showed significant effects for both the combined and LST-only interventions on the SII and on marijuana initiation. Relative reduction rates for alcohol initiation were 30.0% for the combined intervention and 4.1% for LST only. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

HIV prevention with male prostitutes and patrons of hustler bars: replication of an HIV preventive intervention

The core objectives of this study were to document the process by which a community-based organization replicated and adapted an experimentally developed intervention to its own use and to explore the effectiveness of that HIV prevention program for male prostitutes and other patrons in New York City "hustler" bars. The intervention model employed was based on previous research with gay men (Kelly, St. Lawrence, Diaz, et al., 1991; Kelly, St. Lawrence, Stevenson, et al., 1992) and inspired by diffusion of innovation theory (Rogers, 1995). The effects of the current intervention were assessed on a sample of 1,741 male prostitutes and bar patrons. Analyses indicated significant reductions in paid, unprotected sexual intercourse and oral sex following the intervention. Analyses further indicated that the data were partially consistent with the program's model, which specified that norms were the putative mediator of behavior change in the intervention. Also, the intervention's effects varied by bar and by participants' race/ethnicity. Data support the utility of the intervention model for an urban sample of men at high risk for HIV infection. The importance of exploring the mechanisms that underlie the intervention is discussed.     

Models of cognitive mediation and moderation in child depression.

Negative cognitive errors, attributional style, positive and negative events, peer-nominated competence, and self-reported depression were assessed in 356 4th, 6th, and 8th graders. Data supported theoretical models in which attributional style and cognitive errors mediated the relation of competence to depression. Data did not support models in which attributional style moderated the relation between either life events or competence and depression; however, weak support emerged for a moderational model involving negative life events and cognitive errors. The viability of diathesis–stress models in childhood, especially in which cognitive style is the diathesis, is critically examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of an institutional AIDS prevention intervention: moderation by gender

AIDS risk reduction programs are being conducted in many institutional settings, but rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness are lacking. This is particularly unfortunate in that these programs are expensive, and tend to be of lower intensity than those that have been shown to be effective. Further, risk reduction is generally regarded as entailing greater difficulty for women, who do not use condoms themselves but must negotiate their use with male partners. We used a quasi-experimental design to evaluate an institutional AIDS prevention program on a New Jersey college campus. Sexual behavior was assessed via linked, anonymous mailed surveys at the beginning and end of an academic year among 1st-year students on the campus and others on a nearby control campus. Responses from the spring survey indicated that intervention campus students had been exposed significantly more than control students to intervention components. While MANCOVA analyses indicated no main effect of treatment group on outcome variable, we obtained a significant group by gender interaction, indicating a significant effect on number of risky encounters for men but not for women. In fact, relative to women on the control campus, women on the intervention campus displayed reduced self-efficacy to perform safe sex at the end of the year. These results may indicate that although men can be effectively reached by low-intensity risk reduction programs, women may not be. In fact, interventions without adequate intensity to provide substantial and individualized negotiation skill training may cause women to experience failure in these efforts.     

The interaction of parent and child gender in physical child maltreatment.

Assessed cross-generational patterns of physical child maltreatment taking the gender of both parents and child into consideration, and the experience of shame regarding one's own physically abusive behaviors. 1536 parents (mean age 47 yrs) and their 983 children (mean age 18 yrs) were administered the Conflict Tactics Scale (M. A. Straus, 1989) along with other questionnaires to gather information on aggressive behavior, shame experienced in abusing their children and demographic data. The parents were categorized as physically abusive or nonabusive if both parent and child ratings of the parents' behavior were in agreement. Results show that parents received more physical child maltreatment from their own same gender parent than from opposite gender parents. Among the abusive parents, the more maltreatment they received as children by the same gender parent, the less shame they felt for using such punishment on their own children. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child extrafamilial sexual abuse: predicting parent and child functioning

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the emotional and behavioral adjustment of parents and children within 3 months and 1 year after the discovery of child extrafamilial sexual abuse. METHOD: Ninety-two case parents (63 mothers, 29 fathers) and 56 children were compared to a nonclinical comparison group of 136 parents (74 mothers, 62 fathers) and 75 children. Parent adjustment was assessed using self-report measures while child functioning was assessed using a combination of child-, parent- and teacher-report measures. RESULTS: Mothers, fathers and sexually abused children experienced clinically significant effects both initially and at 12 months post-disclosure. Children's perceptions of self-blame and guilt for the abuse and the extent of traumatization predicted their self-reported symtomatology at 3 months and 1 year post-disclosure. Child age and gender also significantly contributed to the prediction of many of the child outcome measures. No abuse-related variable was related to any child self-report measure. Mothers' satisfaction in the parenting role, perceived support and intrusive symptoms predicted their initial emotional functioning. Avoidant symptoms, child's internalizing behavior and mothers' initial emotional functioning were significant predictors of longer-term emotional functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Results emphasize the need to address children's abuse-related attributions and underscore the need to expand our focus beyond the child victims to the traumatized families.     

Changes in parent consequences as a function of family intervention.

Systematic observations of parent-child interaction collected in the homes of 25 families who participated in a parent-mediated social reprograming treatment project for aggressive boys (mean age 8.8 yrs) were used to assess changes in parent consequences for child behavior. Analyses comparing baseline and termination consequence ratios revealed significant reductions in maternal aversive consequences that were provided for deviant and prosocial behavior and in paternal positive consequences that were provided for deviant behavior. Additional analyses revealed that reductions in inappropriate parent consequences were not the result of a general overall reduction in parent–child interaction. It is concluded that the treatment program was partially successful in producing changes in the ongoing pattern of consequences provided by the parents. These changes consisted of reductions in inappropriate consequences rather than increases in appropriate consequences. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability and change in patterns of participation in a parent–child program.

Investigated variations in participation in a neighborhood-based educational support program in 35 18–39 yr old low-income and working-class White mothers of young children who were involved in 6 different parent groups for 1 yr. 30 other Ss had dropped out of participation during this period. Interview data were collected every 6 mo, and staff members kept records of attendance and telephone interactions with Ss. Program participation indices were attendance, relations with program peers, and use of staff services during the 1st 12 mo of involvement. Results show that 8 Ss were peer oriented, 8 Ss were staff oriented, 9 Ss demonstrated increased staff use, and 10 Ss had low involvement. Ss in the 1st 2 groups moved quickly to establish relationships, while Ss in the last 2 groups took a longer time to use program resources. Findings suggest a need for longitudinal measurement of the treatment in evaluation research, a conceptualization of intensive interventions as multidimensional, and the potential usefulness of focusing on interpersonal ties in an intervention program when measuring the treatment. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of psychological flexibility on work redesign: Mediated moderation of a work reorganization intervention.

This quasi-experiment tested the extent to which an individual characteristic, psychological flexibility, moderated the effects of a control-enhancing work reorganization intervention in a call center. Results indicated that, compared with a control group, this intervention produced improvements in mental health and absence rates, particularly for individuals with higher levels of psychological flexibility. Findings also showed that these moderated intervention effects were mediated by job control. Specifically, the intervention enhanced perceptions of job control, and hence its outcomes, for the people who received it, especially for those who had greater psychological flexibility. Discussion highlights the benefits of understanding the processes (e.g., mediators, moderators, and mediated moderators) involved in work reorganization interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nurse coaching and cartoon distraction: an effective and practical intervention to reduce child, parent, and nurse distress during immunizations

Evaluated a low cost and practical intervention designed to decrease children's, parents', and nurses' distress during children's immunizations. The intervention consisted of children viewing a popular cartoon movie and being coached by nurses and parents to attend to the movie. Ninety-two children, 4-6 years of age, and their parents were alternatively assigned to either a nurse coach intervention, a nurse coach plus train parent and child intervention, or a standard medical care condition. Based on previous findings of generalization of adult behaviors during medical procedures, it was hypothesized that training only the nurses to coach the children would cost-effectively reduce all participants levels of distress. Observational measures and subjective ratings were used to assess the following dependent variables: children's coping, distress, pain, and need for restraint; nurses' and parents' coaching behavior; and parents' and nurses' distress. Results indicate that, in the two intervention conditions, children coped more and were less distressed, nurses and parents exhibited more coping promoting behavior and less distress promoting behavior, and parents and nurses were less distressed than in the control condition. Although neither intervention was superior on any of the variables assessed in the study, nurse coach was markedly more practical and cost-effective. Therefore, nurses' coaching of children to watch cartoon movies has great potential for dissemination in pediatric settings.     

Primary oligoarthritis in a parent of a child with meningococcal group B sepsis and meningitis

The formation of Maillard products is increased in the diabetes mellitus. These advanced glycated end products (AGEs) alter metabolic functions of macromolecules and increase free radical formation while decreasing free radical-scavenging enzyme activity. The elimination of AGEs is insured by the macrophage cells equipped with appropriate receptors (RAGE) and cleared by kidneys. The knowledge of these molecular mechanisms had allowed the emergence of biochemical analytes such as 3-deoxyglucosone, pentosidine, and carboxymethyl-lysine, as markers of the ris of micro- and macro-angiopathy, the main chronic complications of the diabetes mellitus.     

Adult outcomes of child conduct problems: a cohort study

The evolution of cooperation among unrelated individuals is studied in a lattice-structured habitat, where individuals interact locally only with their neighbors. The initial population includes Tit-for-Tat (abbreviated as TFT, indicating a cooperative strategy) and All Defect (AD, a selfish strategy) distributed randomly over the lattice points. Each individual plays the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game with its nearest neighbors, and its total pay-off determines its instantaneous mortality. After the death of an individual, the site is replaced immediately by a copy of a randomly chosen neighbor. Mathematical analyses based on mean-field approximation, pair approximation, and computer simulation are applied. Models on one and two-dimensional regular square lattices are examined and compared with the complete mixing model. Results are: (1) In the one-dimensional model, TFT players come to form tight clusters. As the probability of iteration w increases, TFTs become more likely to spread. The condition for TFT to increase is predicted accurately by pair approximation but not by mean-field approximation. (2) If w is sufficiently large, TFT can invade and spread in an AD population, which is impossible in the complete mixing model where AD is always ESS. This is also confirmed by the invasion probability analysis. (3) The two-dimensional lattice model behaves somewhat in between the one-dimensional model and the complete mixing model. (4) The spatial structure modifies the condition for the evolution of cooperation in two different ways: it facilitates the evolution of cooperation due to spontaneously formed positive correlation between neighbors, but it also inhibits cooperation because of the advantage of being spiteful by killing neighbors and then replacing them.     

Behavioral and emotional regulation and adolescent substance use problems: A test of moderation effects in a dual-process model.

In a structural model, we tested how relations of predictors to level of adolescent substance use (tobacco, alcohol, marijuana), and to substance-related impaired-control and behavior problems, are moderated by good self-control and poor regulation in behavioral and emotional domains. The participants were a sample of 1,116 public high-school students. In a multiple-group analysis for good self-control, the paths from negative life events to substance use level and from level to behavior problems were lower among persons scoring higher on good behavioral self-control. In a multiple-group analysis for poor regulation, the paths from negative life events and peer use to level of substance use were greater among persons scoring higher on poor behavioral (but not emotional) regulation; an inverse path from academic competence to level was greater among persons scoring higher on both aspects of poor regulation. Paths from level to impaired-control and behavior problems were greater among persons scoring higher on both poor behavioral and poor emotional regulation. Theoretical implications concerning the role of behavioral and emotional regulation in moderation effects are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)