Child Psychology Commons^™

Facilitating Parental Scaffolding Of Joint Book Reading With Toddlers, Tiffany Pempek Rahl

Dissertations, 2020-current

Developmental research confirms the importance of early parental language input for building children’s vocabulary and language skills (Hart & Risley, 1995). While reading with a caregiver is a common way for language input to occur, the approaches parents utilize often fail to capitalize on techniques for improving language and pre-literacy skills (Huebner & Meltzoff, 2005). The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of embedding tips for scaffolding parent reading strategies into a children’s book. Thirty-eight parent-child dyads participated in a 2-week intervention. Families were randomly assigned to receive either a book with embedded tips (experimental condition) or …

Factors That Help And Hinder Experience Of Reflective Functioning In An Attachment-Based Intervention: An Enhanced Critical Incident Technique Analysis Of Parents’ Experiences, Shelly-Ann Peart James

Dissertations, 2020-current

This study explored parents’ experiences as it relates to their capacity to think about their child’s thinking and feeling, Parental Reflective Functioning (PRF), an attachment theory construct. PRF was explored in the context of an attachment-based intervention, the Secure Child Program (SCP), that focuses on children and their families. Parents’ voices were centered in this study through the employment of narrative research methodology, specifically, the Enhanced Critical Incident Technique. Participants consisted of seven parents within the SCP. A semi-structured interview developed for the study was informed by extant measures of PRF. Findings indicate helping and hindering categories with the vast …

Factors Impacting Treatment Decisions In Caregivers Of Autistic Children, Tiffany Harris

Dissertations

Caregivers of autistic children are not only tasked with deciding upon various treatment options for their children’s symptoms but must also navigate the initial crisis that is experienced after receiving a diagnosis of ASD for their children (Blancher, 1984; Ellis, 1989). Leventhal’s Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (the CSM; Leventhal et al., 1980) is a theoretical framework developed to understand the self-regulatory processes involved in adapting to and managing health threats and posits that cognitive and emotional illness perceptions influence illness outcomes through coping behaviors. This is the first study to examine all major components of the CSM (i.e., cognitive …

Understanding The Relations Between Parental Psychological Distress And Child Emotional And Behavioral Problems: A Path Analysis, Lauren S. Erp

Dissertations

Maternal psychological distress has consistently been linked to emotional and behavioral problems in school-aged children. Given the high prevalence and negative outcomes of child emotional and behavioral problems, parenting variables have been examined as mechanisms underlying this relation. Research has demonstrated that mothers who endorse high psychological distress report high parenting stress, which contributes to the use of more negative parenting practices. Moreover, parenting stress has been shown to relate to negative parenting practices through parenting inflexibility. Yet, no known study has examined parenting stress, negative parenting practices, and parenting inflexibility as pathways through which parental psychological distress relates to …

Self-Harm In Female Youth With Undiagnosed Adhd: Implementing American Academy Of Pediatrics Screening Guidelines, Roselie M. Woodard

Dissertations

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. If undiagnosed or untreated, ADHD can lead to severe psychosocial issues such as academic failure, substance abuse, unplanned pregnancy, and incarceration. The financial burden in the U.S. from diagnostic errors creates an immense, rising fiscal impact. Early diagnosis and management are crucial to prevent these complications.

Females with ADHD, particularly those with the inattentive subtype, often face diagnostic challenges due to symptom masking and over-compensation. This results in poorer cognitive functioning and self-esteem compared to males with ADHD. ADHD is linked to autonomic nervous …

The Role Of Positive Affect In Asthma Control And Symptom Severity In Adolescents, Brooke N. Jenkins, Logan T. Martin, Jill S. Halterman, Judith T. Moskowitz, Laura M. Glynn, Pornchai Tirakitsoontorn, Sunil Kamath, Zeev N. Kain

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction

We test the effects of positive affect and its arousal subscale components of calm, wellbeing, and vigor on asthma control and symptom severity in adolescents with moderate to severe asthma. Additionally, we test whether positive affect (and its arousal components) moderate how stress impacts asthma control and symptom severity.

Methods

Adolescents with asthma (N = 66, ages 12–17) completed brief surveys 4 times a day for 7 days reporting on their positive affect, stress, and asthma symptom severity and conducted a morning peak expiratory flow assessment each day. Asthma control and psychological asthma triggers were assessed at the …

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Psi-4-Sf In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Paige Weir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The factor structure of the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form (PSI-4-SF) was evaluated among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Two hypotheses were tested: (1) the original PSI-4-SF model would yield an unsatisfactory fit, and (2) a three-factor alternative model would improve fit compared to the original and other models. A sample of 205 parent-child dyads was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the lavaan package in R Studio. Preliminary analyses included descriptive statistics, normality checks, and assessments of skewness and kurtosis. Results supported the first hypothesis, showing poor fit indices for the original PSI-4-SF model. …

Examining Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety, And Major Depression’S Symptom Comorbidity In Children And Adolescents: A Longintudinal Test Of The Multiple Pathway Model, Paige Picou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent in and impairing for children and adolescents and are highly comorbid. Many theories have been proposed to explain this co- occurrence, with recent models postulating multiple pathways in which specific anxiety disorders and depression may co-occur both concurrently and over time. Unfortunately, little research has evaluated these pathways longitudinally across development in a community sample. The current study tested the multiple pathway model in a sample of 9 to 12-year-old youth (Mage = 9.48, SD= 0.51) at baseline and at two-year follow-up using a subsample of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development …

Bridging The Gap: Psychopharmacologic Education And Side Effect Screening For Non-Prescribing Mental Health Professionals, Elaine Fitzgerald

Dissertations

Abstract

Problem: The United States is experiencing a growing demand for pediatric mental health support. Surges in mental health diagnoses and psychotropic medication prescriptions have occurred, compounded by a shortage of psychiatric providers. Non-prescribing mental health professionals are well-positioned to recognize psychotropic medication side effects. However, psychologists and counselors lack formal pharmacology education.

Methods: The quality improvement (QI) initiative was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model. The evidence-based psychopharmacologic education for non-prescribers utilized a quasi-experimental pre- and post- test design. Data collected from clinicians included knowledge, confidence, and skill concerning psychotropic medications. The Psychotropic Medication Monitoring Checklist (PMMC) screen clients …

Psychological And Physical Care Of The Child In The Sunnah And The Un Convention On The Rights Of The Child, Muntaser Asmar, Jamal Alkelany

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

The study addressed the topic of "Psychological and physical care of the child" through collecting evidence from Sunnah represented by the proven and authentic Hadiths (Traditions) of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child issued by the United Nations in 1989 AD. The study concluded that the Convention on the Rights of the Child had referred to this topic in a number of its articles, but these references were general, especially in the aspect of the psychological care of the child. However, a large number of hadiths, more than 38, had more detailed focus on …

Reduction Of Elopement Using A Multicomponent Treatment In Young Children With Asd, Zina Eluri, Kimberly A. Zoder-Martell, Ivette Andrade, Noemi Trevino

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

Elopement, leaving a caregiver's side without permission or supervision, is a behavior that is more prevalent among children with autism as compared to their typically developing peers. With potentially fatal consequences (e.g., exposure to water, traffic, and strangers), it is reported to cause high levels of stress for caregivers. In the present study, we evaluated the assessment and treatment of elopement using a multicomponent treatment package to address the multiple functions of elopement. Treatment consisted of verbal instructions, blocking, and differential reinforcement of other behaviors with extinction (DRO w/ EXT). An ABAB reversal design was utilized to assess treatment effectiveness. …

Curbing The Campus Mental Health Crisis: The Role Of Extracurricular Activity Participation, Rosanne Villemaire-Krajden, Erin Barker

Journal of Youth Development

Rates of distress on post-secondary campuses are alarmingly high, calling for a shift towards learning environments that better address emerging adults’ holistic needs. This cross-sectional, mixed-method study examines the role that extracurricular activity participation can play in such approaches. Online survey data was collected from 302 undergraduate students (M_age = 21.3) to assess extracurricular activity participation prior to and during their university attendance, across quantitative indicators (i.e., type and number of activities). Students’ qualitative accounts of the influence of their extracurricular activity participation on their development and wellbeing was examined using thematic analysis. Results indicate that rates of …

Volunteer Training, Tenure, And Facilitation Of Essential Elements In 4-H: Examining Conditions That Promote Positive Youth Development Practices, Kimber Sarver, Kate Fogarty, Tracy Johns, Sarah Thomas Hensley, Dale W. Pracht

Journal of Youth Development

The 4-H program relies on trained volunteers to facilitate youths’ acquisition of life skills in relevant subject matter areas (STEM, Healthy Living). A large part of the 4-H professionals’ objective is to undergird their volunteers in program delivery. The content of volunteers’ training emphasizes the 4 essential elements for youth development programming, namely: 1. Creating an atmosphere of belonging for diverse youth; 2. Promoting generosity through service to their families and communities; 3. Supporting youth mastery of globally applicable life skills and specific skills within subject matter areas of expertise; and 4. Facilitating youths’ sense of independence by self-selecting topics …

A Comparative Evaluation Of Two Youth Mental Health Trainings For Volunteers, Monica M. Lobenstein, Shannon Sparks, Jennifer Park-Mroch, Danette Hopke, Jayna Hintz, Megan Suehring, Kea Norrell-Aitch, Karla Gearing, Michelle Gobert, Sheila Michels

Journal of Youth Development

Adolescence is a critical period for developing social and emotional habits important for mental well-being (Kessler et al., 2005). Half of all mental health conditions start by age 14, and the average delay between onset of symptoms and intervention is eight to ten years (Wang et al., 2007). Youth with mental health conditions are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma, educational difficulties, risk-taking behaviors, and worsening physical health. Youth often do not get the help they need due to ongoing stigma and barriers in accessing mental health treatment. For example, in Wisconsin, 30% of the population live in a …

Community Development Through Summer Camps, Edgar Iglesias Vidal, Narcís Turon Pèlach, Pere Soler Masó, Lara Morcillo Sanchez

Journal of Youth Development

Summer camps are widespread in many countries and have a long history. Their contribution to children’s and young people’s leisure and recreation is widely acknowledged, as is their usefulness as an educational resource. That large numbers of children and young people across Europe attend summer camps is well-known; according to Eurofound (2020), most of the twenty-seven countries analyzed record student attendance at camps, and in twelve countries (including Spain) over 50% of young people take part. However, another study carried out in the member countries of the European Union (Plantenga & Remery, 2017) stated that when the availability, use, and …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Organized Activity Participation On Emotional Distress For Adolescents With Disabilities, Adam Langenfeld, Rebekah Hudock, Rebecca J. Dosch Brown, Marla Eisenberg

Journal of Youth Development

Adolescents who have been diagnosed with disabilities constitute a significant portion of the school population in the United States. For example, the National Survey of Children’s Health identified one in four children ages 12 to 17 as having special healthcare needs in 2019 (Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, n.d.). These adolescents are often diagnosed with a wide range of conditions, ranging from specific learning difficulties to more global delays across developmental domains. In the school setting, adolescents with disabilities often have an individualized educational program (IEP). Mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) of 2004, …

Emotional Reactivity And Recognition Deficits In Individuals With Callous-Unemotional (Cu) Traits: A Multilevel Meta-Analysis, Emily C. Kemp

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Youth and adults with antisocial behavior present a significant mental health concern. Elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits, characterized by deficient empathy and remorse, distinguish clinically important subgroups of antisocial individuals who present with more severe behavior and distinct cognitive-affective characteristics that may help to explain the underlying causes of their antisocial behavior and inform more effective treatments. Specifically, two mechanisms theorized to underlie the development of elevated CU traits by way of atypical empathy development are deficient reactivity to and recognition of others’ emotions. Though a substantive literature base reports associations between CU traits and emotional processing deficits, significant inconsistencies remain. …

Conducting Culturally Responsive, Strengths-Based Assessment In Schools, Eileen Cullen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Special education assessment has a significant impact on the lives of children with disabilities and their families. However, traditional assessment practices have been critiqued as being deficit-based, overly focused on “labeling” students, and failing to provide a holistic understanding of the student. Assessment models such as strengths-based assessment (SBA) and culturally responsive assessment (CRA), have potential to addresses these critiques and be more appropriate for the growingly diverse school population. Despite this, these models of assessment are under studied and there is a lack of clear guidance for how practitioners should implement them.

In these manuscripts, CRA and SBA are …

Understanding The Relationship Between Perceived Childhood Experiences And Relationship With God, Remaz Bahaa

Theses and Dissertations

The present study explores the relationship between perceived childhood experiences and one’s current relationship with God in an Egyptian Muslim sample. While such relationship has been researched in Western contexts, there is a notable gap in understanding these dynamics within Muslim Middle Eastern cultures. In this study, 180 participants, brought up in Muslim households, were given the following questionnaires: both versions of the Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) referring to the father and mother, Attachment to God Inventory (AGI), and Images of God (LAMBI Scale). The results presented the internal consistency of both the AGI and LAMBI scales with the …