Parental divorce during early adolescence in Caucasian families: The role of family process variables in predicting the long-term consequences for early adult psychosocial adjustment.

The relationship between parental divorce occurring during adolescence and young adult psychosocial adjustment was examined, as was the role of family process variables in clarifying this relationship. Participants were young Caucasian adults from divorced (n?=?119) and married (n?=?123) families. Assessments were conducted during adolescence and 6 years later during early adulthood. Young adults from married families reported more secure romantic attachments than those from divorced families; however, differences were not evident in other domains of psychosocial adjustment after demographic variables were controlled. Three family process variables (parent–adolescent relationship, interparental conflict, and maternal depressive symptoms) were examined as potential mediators and moderators of the association between parental divorce and young adult adjustment. No evidence supporting mediation or moderation was found; however, the parent–adolescent and parent–young adult relationships, particularly when the identified parent was the father, emerged as significant predictors of young adult psychosocial adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between maternal problem-solving style and adolescent social adjustment.

Examined the relationship between social functioning in adolescents and their mothers' conflict-handling style, categorized according to 5 conflict-handling styles identified by M. A. Rahim (see record 1983-27060-001). 89 adolescents (aged 11–17 yrs) and their mothers participated. Mothers completed a measure assessing their style of handling conflict, mothers and fathers completed measures of the adolescents' social functioning, and behavioral observations of the mothers and adolescents were conducted. Results indicate that mothers who scored high on the integrating style (a style using exchange of information and examination of differences to come to a mutually acceptable, often creative, solution) measure had adolescents who were better socially adjusted according to mother, father, and behavioral observation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time-out with children. Effects of an explanation and brief parent training on child and parent behaviors

The purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to determine the effect of an explanation prior to or after time-out on child compliance and on child disruptive behavior during time-out and (b) to determine the effect of brief parent training in time-out on child and parent behaviors. Thirty-two mother-child pairs served as subjects and were assigned to one of the following four groups: control, time-out only, explanation prior to time-out, or explanation following time-out. Each mother-child pair was observed for one session under pretraining, training, and posttraining conditions. The results indicated that time-out significantly increased compliance but the addition of an explanation did not further alter the effectiveness of time-out. Training in the use of time-out decreased the incidence of maternal interruptions but did affect maternal responses that were not trained. Finally, following brief time-out training for noncompliance, the mothers used the procedure only 50% of the time following noncompliance.     

Introduction to special section: The role of longitudinal data with child psychopathology and treatment: Preliminary comments and issues.

Longitudinal data can play an important role in child psychopathology and treatment. This article introduces a review of some of the research questions that longitudinal designs can answer and how longitudinal studies have been used in evaluating traditional syndromes in child clinical psychology. The articles in this special section are then introduced. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Continued high or reduced interparental conflict following divorce: Relation to young adolescent adjustment.

Three groups of young adolescent subjects were compared on several measures of adjustment in the school setting. The three groups of subjects included (a) a group from recently divorced families in which high levels of interparental conflict prior to parental separation and after the divorce had been reported, (b) a group from recently divorced families in which high levels of interparental conflict prior to parental separation but low levels after the divorce had been reported, and (c) a comparison group from intact families. Adolescents from the first group were found to be functioning at a lower level than those from the other two groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental psychologists in industry: Perspectives of employers, employees, and educators.

The Task Force on the Employment of Experimental Psychologists in Industry, formed in 1982, conducted 3 surveys to assess the roles of traditionally trained psychologists in nonacademic research settings. The surveyed groups were 209 psychology department chairs, 46 recent recipients of PhDs who had taken nonacademic jobs, and approximately 60 industrial employers at managerial levels. Findings indicate the need for (1) changes in attitude and style in graduate training, (2) course work to relate to industry, (3) increases in internships and practica offered, and (4) strong positive relations between industry and academic psychology. Objectives and recommendations related to needs are offered. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of predictors of maternal perceptions of maladjustment in clinic-referred children.

Investigated whether parental depression or child behavior was the best predictor of maternal perceptions of maladjustment in clinic-referred children. 22 mothers and their children served as Ss. The sample children (mean age 64 mo) were referred for treatment of noncompliant behavior problems; none of the Ss were severely retarded, brain-damaged, or autistic. Maternal perceptions of child maladjustment were measured by 3 scales of the Parent Attitude Test. Maternal depression was determined by the Beck Depression Inventory, while child compliance and child deviant behavior (other than noncompliance) were obtained in home observations collected by independent observers. Results indicate that maternal depression was the best predictor of maternal perception of children. Child behavior did not contribute significantly to the multiple regression analyses. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Side effects of parent counseling on marital satisfaction.

In a study with 27 mothers and their clinic-referred children, mothers were divided into 3 groups based on their pretreatment level of marital satisfaction (Locke Marital Adjustment Test). Child compliance and deviant behavior as measured by independent observers, parent perceptions of child adjustment, and parent marital satisfaction were assessed before treatment, after treatment, and at a 2-mo follow-up. Parent counseling consisted of teaching mothers to reward appropriate behavior and use a time-out procedure for deviant behavior. All groups changed significantly from pre- to posttreatment on the child behavior measures and on parent perceptions of child adjustment. These changes were maintained at follow-up for child compliance and parent perceptions of child adjustment. The group of mothers with low marital satisfaction reported an increase in marital adjustment from pretreatment to posttreatment, but this effect was not maintained at the 2-mo follow-up. Groups with medium or high marital satisfaction reported no change in marital adjustment. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Environmental variation in studies of organizational behavior.

The desirability of incorporating environmental variation into research designs has often been pointed out, but few procedures for doing so have been developed. Attempts to operationalize the concept of "organizational climate" in studies of organizational behavior provide a number of methods for assessing environmental variation, and yield data relevant to hypotheses regarding the interaction of persons and environments. Methods for observing climate variation include field studies, assessments of participant's perceptions, observations of objective indices, and experimental control of organizational variables. Conditions may affect behavior by determining stimuli, by restraining freedom of response, and by rewarding and punishing behavior. Illustrative of the organizational properties meriting further study are size, structure, systems complexity, leadership pattern, and goal directions. Selected bibliography of 104 titles indicates how studies of organizations make possible the variation of both person and climate variables. (3-p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)