Child Psychology Commons^™

Impact Of Treatment On Body Image In Obese Children, Danusia Nedilskyj

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Pediatric obesity is a national epidemic with serious medical implications. Currently, almost one-quarter of children in the United States are overweight. Without intervention, children typically are unable to outgrow obesity and the majority of overweight children become overweight adults. Further, childhood obesity results in numerous psychological consequences, including dissatisfaction with body image. Thus, prevention and treatment of childhood obesity are crucial to protect children from the resultant physical and psychological risk factors which will impact their future health. The Growing Fit Program is a pediatric clinic in the Department of Pediatrics at Loma Linda University, which seeks to serve the …

Addressing The Needs Of Children Of Offenders:The 4-H Life Model, Lynna J. Lawson, Robert C. Wilkerson, Tammy Gillespie, Elizabeth G. Dunn

Journal of Youth Development

4-H LIFE represents a promising approach to addressing the needs of children of offenders and their caregivers. The 4-H Living Interactive Family Education (LIFE) Program was established in 1999 at the Potosi Correctional Center, a maximum security prison. 4-H LIFE is an enhanced or therapeutic visitation program with three key components: 1. parent engagement 2. parent education 3. 4-H activities for children of offenders, led by the incarcerated parents. Since inception, 141 youths between the ages of 5 and 18 have participated; 59 incarcerated fathers and 106 caregivers have also been engaged at PCC. Program evaluations suggest that parent-child outcomes …

Addressing The Needs Of Children Of Offenders:The 4-H Life Model, Lynna J. Lawson, Robert C. Wilkerson, Tammy Gillespie, Elizabeth G. Dunn

Journal of Youth Development

4-H LIFE represents a promising approach to addressing the needs of children of offenders and their caregivers. The 4-H Living Interactive Family Education (LIFE) Program was established in 1999 at the Potosi Correctional Center, a maximum security prison. 4-H LIFE is an enhanced or therapeutic visitation program with three key components: 1. parent engagement 2. parent education 3. 4-H activities for children of offenders, led by the incarcerated parents. Since inception, 141 youths between the ages of 5 and 18 have participated; 59 incarcerated fathers and 106 caregivers have also been engaged at PCC. Program evaluations suggest that parent-child outcomes …

Just Turn The Darn Thing Off: Understanding Cyberbullying., Elizabeth K. Englander, Amy M. Muldowney

MARC Publications

The central role that the Internet now plays in the life of children has transformed everything about bullying between youth in the First World. Three features characterize cyberbullying: it evolves rapidly, adults differ fundamentally from children in their use of the Internet, and children are comfortable with technology but ignorant about the psychological impact of their online behaviors and the dangers to which they expose themselves and their families. This presentation will review the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center’s innovative and aggressive approach to researching and addressing both bullying and cyberbullying.

Which Sexual Abuse Victims Receive A Forensic Medical Examination? : The Impact Of Children's Advocacy Centers, Wendy A. Walsh, Theodore P. Cross, Lisa M. Jones, Monique Simone, David Kolko

Sociology

Abstract

Objective

This study examines the impact of Children's Advocacy Centers (CAC) and other factors, such as the child's age, alleged penetration, and injury on the use of forensic medical examinations as part of the response to reported child sexual abuse.

Methods

This analysis is part of a quasi-experimental study, the Multi-Site Evaluation of Children's Advocacy Centers, which evaluated four CACs relative to within-state non-CAC comparison communities. Case abstractors collected data on forensic medical exams in 1,220 child sexual abuse cases through review of case records.

Results

Suspected sexual abuse victims at CACs were two times more likely to have …

The Effectiveness Of Teacher-Child Interaction Training On Behaviorally At-Risk Preschool Children, Margaret T. Floress

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically validated treatment program shown to decrease children's disruptive behavior and increase compliance (Funderburk et al., 1998). Research conducted by Eisenstadt, Eyberg, McNeil, Newcomb, and Funderburk (1993) indicates PCIT is an effective treatment for improving child compliance and conduct problems in a clinical setting. In addition, McNeil, Eyberg, Eisenstadt, Newcomb, and Funderburk (1991) found that behavioral improvements due to PCIT also generalized to school settings. However, little research has examined the effects of implementing Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy (TCIT) directly in the classroom (McIntosh, Rizza & Bliss, 2000). This single-subject multiple-baseline study examined the effectiveness …

Behavioral Compliance And Verbal Intelligence In Children, Jared Jackson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Compliance with parental requests is an important developmental task necessary in the socialization of children. The majority of research has focused on the relationship between child compliance and variables related to age, parental interactions, and child temperament. While these variables account for almost half of the variance related to compliance in children, there is still a large amount of variance unaccounted for. An area that has not been fully explored is the role of verbal intelligence in behavioral compliance of children. This study explored the contributions that verbal intelligence may play in the behavioral compliance of children. Results from this …

Evaluation Of A School-Based Program Targeting Pediatric Asthma Self-Management Skills In An Urban Population, Dawn J. Dore-Stites

Dissertations

Asthma is the most commonly diagnosed chronic disorder in childhood and is linked with several problematic outcomes including frequent school absences, increased hospitalizations and decreased quality of life. Further, urban populations struggling with low socioeconomic status are disproportionately represented in prevalence statistics and suffer from increased functional morbidity relative to other children with asthma. These findings exist in the midst of largely effective pharmacological interventions.

Asthma self-management programs (SMPs) target several behaviors linked to improved outcomes and are often used as an adjunct to medication management. SMPs have been employed using a variety of techniques and treatment targets in a …

Effects Of Therapy Dogs On Anxiety In Children Participating In Sexual Abuse Forensic Interviews At Children's Advocacy Center, Andra K. Chamberlin

Graduate Theses

This study investigated the effect of therapy dogs on physiological and psychological measures of anxiety before and after a forensic interview in children who may have been sexually abused. A convenience sample consisted of 37 children ages 6 to 12 years who presented at a children’s advocacy center for sexual abuse forensic interviews. Twenty children had a therapy dog present during their time at the Center and 17 did not. Researchers measured systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) using a Zelwa WS-TS Touch Screen Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor. State- anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for …

Female Sexual-Offenders: Personality Pathology As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse History And Sexual Abuse Perpetration Against Others, Kelly Ann Christopher, Catherine J. Lutz-Zois, Amanda R. Reinhardt

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: The goal was to examine, in an all-female sample, possible mechanisms for the relationship between a history of childhood sexual abuse and the likelihood of perpetrating sexual abuse as an adult. It was hypothesized that Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorder tendencies would mediate the relationship between these two forms of abuse.

Method: One hundred forty two female participants (61 sex-offenders and 81 non-sex offenders) were recruited from a women’s prison in the Midwest. The participants completed measures that included a childhood history of sexual abuse, socially desirable responding, primary and secondary psychopathy, and Borderline Personality Disorder tendencies.

Results: Participants …

Family Functioning As A Risk Factor In The Development Of Juvenile Delinquency, Zeenat Ismail, Zaeema Riaz

Business Review

The purpose of the present research was to determine the difference between the family functioning of juvenile delinquents and non delinquents. After detailed literature review it was hypothesized that score on the variable of Communication, Rigidity in Value and Norms, Affective Expression and Parental Control among family members of juvenile delinquents will be high as compared to non delinquents. Sample of the present research consisted of 240 adolescents divided into two groups of 120 delinquents and 120 non-delinquents from lowsocioeconomic status. Family Assessment Measure-Ill was administered in order to measure level of Communication, Value and Norms, Affective Expression and Parental …

Non-Resident Father Involvement And Adolescent Well- Being: Father Effects Or Child Effects?, Daniel Hawkins, Paul R. Amato, Valarie King

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Is active fathering by nonresident fathers a cause or a consequence of adolescent well- being? Past studies of nonresident father involvement have assumed a father effects model in which active parenting by fathers improves adolescent adjustment. A child effects model, in which fathers respond to levels of well-being among their adolescent offspring by becoming more or less involved parents, could also account for the positive association between active fathering and adolescent adjustment. We utilize nationally representative data from the 1995 and 1996 waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to estimate the cross-lagged associations between nonresident …

The Role Of Automatic Reinforcement In Early Speech Acquisition, Barbara E. Esch

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Child Sexual Abuse And Posttraumatic Stress On Levels Of Self-Efficacy, Lary L. Anderson

Graduate Theses

Sexually abused children often develop posttraumatic stress disorder, a distressing and potentially debilitating condition that renders children to feelings of helplessness. Past studies have explored these effects in adults concerning sexual abuse, health issues, war, and natural disaster but not much research has been done for children. This study examined childhood sexual abuse, PTSD, and the relation that exists with self-efficacy. Thirty-nine children, 7 males and 32 females, participated in the study. The ages ranged from age eight through age eighteen, with a mean age of 12.5. Each participant was tested for levels of PTSD, using the Trauma Check list …

Students Sharing Feelings Of Grief: An Elementary Curriculum On Loss, Kristen Gloumakoff

Senior Honors Projects

“It is only natural that we and our children find many things that are hard to talk about. But anything human is mentionable and anything mentionable is manageable.The mentioning can be difficult, and the managing too, but both can be done if we’re surrounded by love and trust.” ~Fred Rogers This quote could be talking about many different things that parents find difficult to talk to their children about, such as smoking, drinking, drugs, divorce, and sex. I was introduced to this quote as a one about parents talking to their children about death. Death is a part of life, …

Recruitment And Retention Of Childhood Bereavement Center Facilitators, Katherine A. Guilfoyle

Senior Honors Projects

When I first visited FRIENDS Way (the only childhood bereavement center in Rhode Island) to fulfill a class requirement for Honors 119- Loss in the Lives of Children and Adolescents, I realized that I had come across an incredible group of individuals. The facilitators at the center were volunteers; people who gave their time and talent to help grieving children. Many of the children had lost a parent, sibling or grandparent and I thought about how important and special the work of the facilitators is. A number of questions ran through my mind: what makes people want to do this …

Child Sexual Abuse: Development Of Psychiatric Disorders And Interventions, Toshikazu Kuroda

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Child sexual abuse has become a serious social concern due to the recent report of its higher incidence rate than commonly believed. This form of child abuse has been proposed to bring about adverse effects on children's development since more than one century ago. However, research over past decades reveals that effects of sexual abuse are extremely complex and diverse. Particularly, there appear to be many unclear factors increasing the probability for the development of psychiatric disorders in sexually abused children. The present paper investigated how child sexual abuse creates diversity over the course of the victims' development from multiple …

Rhode Island Family Court And The Best Interests Of Children, Alexandra Arnold

Senior Honors Projects

With the continuous rise of the divorce rate in America, there is also an increase in the number of children and adolescents who must suffer through the divorce along with their parents. For some, the divorce is a relief and can be a positive change in their lives. For others, it is difficult and devastating, filled with conflict and tension. Whatever the circumstances, there are permanent effects that children experience as a result of their parents’ divorce. These effects of divorce on children are becoming better known as generations of children grow up in a single parent home. The court …

Perceived Desirability Of Given Names: Identifying A Relationship Between Given Names And Associated Personality Traits, Ellen D. Parks

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This study was designed to determine whether participants would have better recall for names with phonetic properties that matched a paired personality trait. In other words, phonetically attractive names paired with positive traits and phonetically unattractive names paired with negative traits should have higher rates of recall than names whose phonetic properties did not match a paired personality trait, such as phonetically attractive names paired with negative traits or phonetically unattractive names paired with positive traits. Given names were deemed to be phonetically attractive or unattractive based on the number of sonorants (soft consonant sounds such as l, m, n, …

The Theory Of Planned Behavior: Predicting Physical Activity In Mexican American Children, Jeffrey J. Martin, Kimberly L. Oliver, Nate Mccaughtry

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Theoretically grounded research on the determinants of Mexican American children's physical activity and related psychosocial variables is scarce. Thus, the purpose of our investigation was to evaluate the ability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict Mexican American children's self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Children (N = 475, ages 9–12) completed questionnaires assessing the TPB constructs and MVPA. Multiple regression analyses provided moderate support for the ability of the TPB variables to predict MVPA as we accounted for between 8–9% of the variance in MVPA. Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control accounted for 45% of the …

Influences Of The Family Environment And Parent-Child Relationships On The Executive Functioning Of Children With Adhd, Valarie M. Schroeder

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relationships between executive functions, family environment, and parent-child relationships in ADHD diagnosed children as compared to non-ADHD diagnosed children. Participants were parents (N = 134) of children diagnosed with ADHD and children not diagnosed with ADHD. As hypothesized, as compared to reports from parents of children not diagnosed with ADHD, parents of children diagnosed with ADHD reported their children as exhibiting greater problems with behavioral control and metacognitive abilities. Compared to control parents, parents of children with ADHD also reported their family environments as less organized and reported more conflict in their homes. In addition, …

Datos Normativos Del Cuestionario Sobre El Comportamiento De Niños Versión Para Padres (Cbcl) Y Versión Para Profesores (Trf) En Una Muestra De Niños Venezolanos [Normative Data Of The Child Behavior Checklist (Cbcl) And Teacher's Report Form In A Sample Of Venezuelan Children], Cecilia Montiel-Nava, Isabel Montiel-Barbero, Joaquín A. Peña

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

The aim of the study was to obtain normative data for a representative sample of Venezuelan children for the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Teacher's Report Form. The sample was constituted by 1141 children, boys and girls aged 5 to 12 (Mean= 8.79; SD=1.85), 49% female and 51% male. Socioeconomic status was significant in a way that low SES parents scored their children as having more problems. Gender has an effect on the scores; males were perceived with more behavior problems than girls for both parents and teachers. Parents and teachers did not show agreement in the assessment of the …

Temperamental And Joint Attentional Predictors Of Language Development, Brenda J. Salley, Wallace E. Dixon Jr.

ETSU Faculty Works

Individual differences in child temperament have been associated with individual differences in language development. Similarly, relationships have been reported between early nonverbal social communication (joint attention) and both temperament and language. The present study examined whether individual differences in joint attention might mediate temperament-language relationships. Temperament, language, and joint attention were assessed in 51 21-month-olds. Results indicated an inverse relationship between aspects of temperamental difficulty, including low executive control and high negative affect, and language development. Temperamental aspects of negative affect were also inversely predictive of joint attention. However, the utility of a model in which joint attention mediates the …

Kidnap Or Molest A Child, Go To Jail Forever; Kill A Child, Face Execution!, Gil Villagran

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Missouri kidnapping of Shawn Hornbeck, an eleven-year-old at the time of his abduction in 2002, and the subsequent kidnapping of Ben Ownby, age 13, one month ago by the same 41-year-old abductor must alert us all to the harsh reality of child abduction, child molest, and child murder.  While most children live safely in their homes with their loving families,  too many children do not reach adulthood without traumatic abuse and its lifelong consequences.  

When Should You Hesitate To Mediate?, Elizabeth K. Englander

MARC Publications

No abstract provided.

Abuse And Dissociation Disorder, Myrtle Godfrey

Graduate Research Papers

Child sexual abuse is widely regarded as a cause of mental problems in adult life. The damage inflicted by child sexual abuse.has an affect on the child's capacity to develop trust, intimacy and sexuality. Sexually abused children not only encounter assaults on their developing sense of sexual identity, but a blow to their interpretation of the world as a safe environment, and their developing sense of others as trustworthy. In addition, childhood sexual abuse is correlated with higher levels of dissociation. (Fleming, J. & Mullen, P. E., 1998). Of the victims that were abused by someone with whom he or …

Dealing With Grief And Depression Issues In Schools, Nykole L. Conrad

Graduate Research Papers

Grief is an obstacle that every child and adolescent experiences at some point. Grief can cause or worsen depressive states. The number of children and adolescents that experience grief related depression has been rising at an alarming rate for the past few decades. Studies show that the frequency of grief and associated depression increases progressively from preschool years through adolescence. Approximately 5% of all adolescents are affected by depression. Grief is not the only cause of depression; however, grief related depression is an issue that warrants notice. It is important that school staff members are aware of the signs and …

A Behavior Analytic Look At Contemporary Issues In The Assessment Of Child Sexual Abuse, W. Joseph Wyatt

Psychology Faculty Research

The assessment of child sexual abuse has largely been ignored by behavior analysts, although behavior analytic theory and methodology, if applied, likely would advance the field. Three classic cases demonstrate historic errors that might have been avoided, had a behaviorally based approach been employed. Functional analytic interpretations are provided for phenomena that have been explored in a representative sample of studies that, though empirical, do not appear in the behavioral literature. Specific recommendations for practice, and a call for greater involvement of behavior analysis, are presented.

Breaking Through To Teens, Lori L. Ellison

Counseling Faculty Research

Review of the book Breaking through to teens: A new psychotherapy for the new adolescence, by Ron Taffel

Book Review: Breaking Through To Teens, Lori L. Ellison

Counseling Faculty Research

Review of the book Breaking through to teens. (2005). Ron Taffel, New York: Guilford, 292 pp.