Behavioral Adjustment Problems Research Articles

Parental Stress and Chinese American Preschoolers' Adjustment: The Mediating Role of Parenting.

Family contexts, such as parental stress and parenting practices, play critical roles in preschoolers' adjustment. However, these processes have been understudied in Chinese American families. The present study examined the associations between Chinese American mothers' experiences of two types of stress (i.e., general/contextual stress and parenting stress) and their preschoolers' socio-emotional and behavioral adjustment problems; in addition, the mediating roles of maternal psychologically controlling parenting and maternal warmth in these associations were assessed. Participants included 207 first-generation Chinese American mothers (Mage = 37.78 years, SDage = 4.36) and their 3- to 6-year-old children (Mage = 4.50 years, SDage = 0.90; 52% boys). Mothers reported on their levels of stress, psychologically controlling parenting, and warmth practices; teachers reported on child adjustment in the school setting. The results revealed that higher levels of general/contextual stress and parenting stress were each uniquely associated with more maternal psychologically controlling parenting practices, which in turn was associated with fewer socio-emotional and behavioral adjustment problems in children. Our findings can inform parenting intervention programs designed to improve Chinese American preschoolers' adjustment.

Psychology Professionals in Educational Contexts: An Unavoidable Necessity

Mental health problems and psychological adjustment difficulties among young people are emerging as a personal, family, educational, social, and health challenge. It is necessary to address this emerging social defiance by studying and implementing strategies to promote emotional well-being and prevent psychological problems in educational contexts. The aim of this work is to highlight, based on the epidemiological data derived from the PSICE (Evidence-based Psychology in Educational Contexts) project, the importance of addressing mental health in school settings. First, an introduction to the study of human behavior and psychological adjustment problems is given. Secondly, the importance of educational centers as the natural place to promote the psychological well-being and child and adolescent mental health is discussed. Thirdly, the prevalence results derived from the PSICE study are mentioned. To conclude, a summary section highlights the imperative need to promote, protect, and care for mental health during childhood and adolescence in educational settings. The promotion of psychological well-being and the prevention of mental health problems in educational contexts are the best investments on the part of societies, governments, and institutions.

Holding both truths: Early dynamics of ethnic‐racial socialization and children's behavior adjustment in African American and Latinx families

AbstractEthnic‐racial socialization is at the core of ethnic minority families’ adaptive response to a racialized social climate. Protective links between ethnic‐racial socialization and children's adjustment are well documented in the adolescent years; however, very few studies have considered the ethnic‐racial socialization of young children altogether and fewer still have examined the links to adjustment using longitudinal designs. Leveraging unique, longitudinal data, the present study modeled African American and Latinx caregivers’ emergent use of multiple ethnic‐racial socialization strategies across the critical period when children first enter school, testing how their strategies dynamically interplay with children's early behavior adjustment. Results indicated an early pathway in which a child's behavior adjustment problems at 2.5 years may cascade to caregivers’ use of preparation for bias strategies at 3.5 years which in turn may modestly spillover in children's behavior adjustment in kindergarten. There was also modest evidence that cultural socialization strategies used in kindergarten may serve a protective function for future behavior adjustment. The potential to develop and extend interventions around both systemic issues and the direct needs of families is discussed.

Relationship between Maternal Attachment and Behavioral Adjustment Problems among Children in Selangor, Malaysia

Relationship between Maternal Attachment and Behavioral Adjustment Problems among Children in Selangor, Malaysia

Student subjective wellbeing, school functioning, and psychological adjustment in high school adolescents: A latent variable analysis

Well-being is a multi-faceted construct that encompasses all aspects of healthy and successful human functioning across multiple domains. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the predictive power of student subjective wellbeing on several specific adolescent school and psychological adjustment indicators: school achievement, academic satisfaction, prosocial behavior, and internalizing and externalizing problems. Participants included 223 adolescents, comprising of 54.9% girls, ranging in age from 13 to 18 years (M= 15.67, SD= 1.21). Findings from the LVPA indicated that student subjective wellbeing was significantly associated with youth school functioning and adjustment outcomes, ranging from small-to-large effect size (R2 range = .05 to .42). Student subjective wellbeing had the strongest predictive effect on prosocial behavior, followed by academic satisfaction, psychological health problems, and school achievement. With regard to the first-order models, school connectedness and joy of learning significantly predicted student academic satisfaction, prosocial behavior, and psychological adjustment problems. However, the predictive effect of these variables on student school achievement was non–significant. Educational purpose and academic efficacy were significant predictors of all adolescent outcomes. Taken together, these results suggest that student subjective wellbeing is an essential resource for improving youth academic functioning and psychological health.

A-254 A Pediatric Case Study of Mild Intellectual Disability in the Context of Complex Chiari Malformation, Hydrocephalus, Cleft Palette, and Complex Psychosocial Environment

Abstract Objective Chiari malformation is a congenital condition involving structural skull defects, causing brain tissue herniation and likely resulting in hydrocephalus. People with these medical conditions are at risk for varied cognitive impairments. Recently, emerging evidence has suggested the co-occurrence of Chiari malformation and cleft palette contributing to increased cognitive challenges, highlighting the importance of introducing interventions in a timely manner. Method This case study presents on the neuropsychological profile of an 11-year-old girl with a medical history of complex Chiari malformation with accompanying hydrocephalus and syringomyelia, and lymphangioma born with cleft palette. Relevant social history includes recent parent separation and unstable home life. Presenting concerns included intermittent hand weakness and headaches status post 5 surgeries related to Chiari malformation and hydrocephalus, inattention/impulsivity, learning difficulties, and increased emotional and behavioral dysregulation. Results Neuropsychological testing revealed impairments in intellectual functioning (WISC-V FSIQ = 64), adaptive skills, attention/executive functioning, language, visuomotor skills, memory, and academic skills. Significant emotional and behavior adjustment problems were indicated, secondary to medical treatment, resulting physical limitations, and psychosocial stressors. Finally, staring spells episodes were observed that were concerning for possible seizure activity. Conclusions Recommendations were given to aid in treatment planning for her referring neurosurgeon alongside clinical interventions (e.g., psychotherapy, social work, speech/language, and occupational therapy). Recommendations related to continued intensive special education services were also provided. This case study demonstrates the need for further understanding cognitive impairment in the context of Chiari malformation with co-occurring hydrocephalus and cleft palette. Multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to facilitate the prompt introduction of appropriate clinical interventions.

What Do We Know About the Preterm Behavioral Phenotype? A Narrative Review.

Preterm birth is associated with a significantly increased risk for childhood and adolescent psychopathology relative to full-term birth, with an inverse relationship between gestational age at birth and later risk for psychopathology. The manifestation of symptomatology and comorbidity profiles of emotional and behavioral adjustment problems in this high-risk group have been shown to be distinct from the broader pediatric population. Acknowledging these differences, a preterm behavioral phenotype has been proposed and increasingly recognized, highlighting the unique, frequent co-occurrence of symptomatology associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and anxiety disorders. The current state-of-the-art review provides a comprehensive characterization of this phenotype to date and further highlights key knowledge gaps primarily regarding the evolution of symptoms, co-occurrence of disorders and/or symptomatology within the phenotype, and associations of the phenotype with chronological age and degree of prematurity.

An analysis of language and speech disorders in preschool children in Turkey: The case of Beypazarı

The children with early language and speech delay have the risk to face with learning disabilities as well as psychological and behavioral adjustment problems in the preschool period. The aim of this study to analyse the language and speech disoders in the children aged between 3 and 6 years who attend kindergarden. 503 children who attend the kindergarden were determined in Beypazarı. However, 101 children were out of study for various reasons (N:402). The implementation of the study consists of two stages. In the first stage, the language and speech development of the children was questioned. The Turkish Preschool Language Scale-5 (TPLS-5) test was administered to the risky children in the second stage. A moderate (0,30<|r=0,49|<0,70), positive (r>0) and a significant correlation (p<0,05) was found between their chronological age and their receptive language age. A high level (0,70<|r=0,88|), positive (r>0) and significant correlation (p<0,01) was found between the chronological and expressive language of the children. The language and speech disorder has an important potential negative effect on families and societies both in the short and the long term. For this reason, it is quite important to follow the language and speech development of children closely in the preschool period.

Boys' and girls' latent profiles of behavior and social adjustment in school: Longitudinal links with later student behavioral engagement and academic achievement?

Using a person-centered approach, this study identified profiles of students exhibiting behavior and social adjustment problems in school. We conducted Latent Profile Analysis to identify these subgroups in a sample of 582 fifth and sixth graders. We found four profiles among girls—well-adjusted girls (66.10%); girls displaying externalizing behaviors and student–teacher conflict (4.75%); girls exhibiting internalizing behaviors and isolation from peers (10.17%); and girls with student–teacher nonclose interactions and nonprosocial behaviors toward peers (18.98%). We found three profiles among boys—well-adjusted boys (78.05%); boys displaying externalizing behaviors and student–teacher conflict (10.10%); and boys with externalizing, internalizing, and social problems with peers and teachers (11.85%). Next, we investigated longitudinal associations between these profiles and student behavioral engagement and academic achievement. Path analysis revealed that, compared to students with a well-adjusted profile, having a non-adjusted profile was associated with negative changes in teacher-reported behavioral engagement. Girls with an Externalizing Problem/Student–teacher Conflict profile or an Internalizing Problems/Peer Isolation profile also showed negative changes throughout the school year in their self-reported behavioral engagement and in academic achievement. We discussed these results and their practical implications in light of existing literature.

Substance Misuse and Behavioral Adjustment Problems in Irish Adolescents: Examining Contextual Risk and Social Proximal Factors

ABSTRACTBackground: Using an ecological perspective to examine the roles of contextual factors and proximal social processes, the current study examined problem behavior among adolescents. Objective: The study examined how family, peer, and school processes mediate the relationship between cumulative contextual risk and problem behavior, and whether these mediating relationships are moderated by gender. Method: Data were obtained from the My World Survey Second Level, a cross-sectional national survey assessing risk and protective factors of mental health among 6062 adolescents aged 12–19 years (M = 14.93, SD = 1.62). Using risk factors from socioeconomic, community, and family levels, a cumulative contextual risk index (CCRI) was created to identify adolescents at increased risk of problem behavior in Ireland. Conditional process analysis examined whether gender moderated the relationship between the CCRI and problem behaviors (alcohol behavior, poorer behavioral adjustment, and problematic substance use) as mediated by five proximal social variables, family cohesion, mother criticism, father criticism, peer connectedness, and school connectedness. Results: Using Hayes’ (2013) SPSS macro for conditional process analyses, with age as a covariate, gender was shown to moderate the mediated relationships between CCRI and problem behaviors, via mother criticism and peer connectedness. Of note, a positive association was observed between high peer connectedness and alcohol risk behavior, highlighting the need to examine additional aspects of peer context including group norms and peer pressure. Conclusion: The study provides valuable and practical implications for informing research, interventions, and social policy at family, peer, and school levels.

Predicting trajectories of behavioral adjustment in children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

PurposePrevious research showed that children with cancer are at risk for developing behavioral adjustment problems after successful treatment; however, the course of adjustment remains unclear. This study focuses on adjustment trajectories of children during treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and aims to distinguish subgroups of patients showing different trajectories during active treatment, and to identify sociodemographic, medical, and psychosocial predictors of the distinct adjustment trajectories.MethodsIn a multicenter longitudinal study, 108 parents of a child (response rate 80 %) diagnosed with ALL were assessed during induction treatment (T0), after induction/consolidation treatment (T1), and after end of treatment (T2). Trajectories of child behavioral adjustment (Child Behavior Checklist; CBCL) were tested with latent class growth modeling (LCGM) analyses.ResultsFor internalizing behavior, a three-trajectory model was found: a group that experienced no problems (60 %), a group that experienced only initial problems (30 %), and a group that experienced chronic problems (10 %). For externalizing behavior, a three-trajectory model was also found: a group that experienced no problems (83 %), a group that experienced chronic problems (12 %), and a group that experienced increasing problems (5 %). Only parenting stress and baseline QoL (cancer related) were found to contribute uniquely to adjustment trajectories.ConclusionsThe majority of the children (77 %) showed no or transient behavioral problems during the entire treatment as reported by parents. A substantial group (23 %) shows maladaptive trajectories of internalizing behavioral problems and/or externalizing behavioral problems. Screening for risk factors for developing problems might be helpful in early identification of these children.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00520-016-3289-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Problem Situations Experienced By Urban Middle School Students With High Incidence Disabilities That Impact Emotional and Behavioral Adjustment

A mixed methods approach was used to identify problem situations in peer and school contexts experienced by urban middle school students with high incidence disabilities that may impact their emotional and behavioral adjustment. A survey and semi-structured interview were conducted with a predominantly African American sample (95%) of 74 adolescents (61% boys) with high incidence disabilities (71% with learning disabilities, 15% with intellectual disabilities, and 14% with emotional or behavioral disorders). Focus groups were conducted with 35 school staff members. Based on the survey data, 14 peer and school problem situations were rated as frequently occurring and difficult to cope with. Data from the student interviews and focus groups revealed five themes of problem situations, including three in peer (i.e., peer influence, provocation, and teasing) and two in school (i.e., academic challenges and student–teacher relationships) contexts. These findings have important implications for school-based interventions focused on reducing risk for emotional and behavioral adjustment problems.

Multivariate comparison of male and female adolescent substance abusers with accompanying legal problems

Purpose The factors that distinguish adolescent male and female substance abusers with and without legal problems were investigated. Method Youths (N = 4,071) admitted for substance abuse treatment were administered the revised Drug Use Screening Inventory (DUSI-R) to measure severity of health, behavior, and social adjustment problems. Results Legal problems were more frequent among boys; however, severity of disturbance was greater in girls on 9 of 10 scales. Substance abusing girls and boys with legal problems reported more severe behavior, substance abuse, family adjustment, and peer relationship problems than substance abusing peers without legal problems. Quality of peer relationship mediated the association of family dysfunction, substance abuse and behavior problems with legal problems in boys only. Conclusions Gender and legal status both need to be taken into account to potentiate treatment prognosis of substance abusing youths.

Association Between a High-Risk Autism Locus on 5p14 and Social Communication Spectrum Phenotypes in the General Population

Recent genome-wide analysis identified a genetic variant on 5p14.1 (rs4307059), which is associated with risk for autism spectrum disorder. This study investigated whether rs4307059 also operates as a quantitative trait locus underlying a broader autism phenotype in the general population, focusing specifically on the social communication aspect of the spectrum. Study participants were 7,313 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Single-trait and joint-trait genotype associations were investigated for 29 measures related to language and communication, verbal intelligence, social interaction, and behavioral adjustment, assessed between ages 3 and 12 years. Analyses were performed in one-sided or directed mode and adjusted for multiple testing, trait interrelatedness, and random genotype dropout. Single phenotype analyses showed that an increased load of rs4307059 risk allele is associated with stereotyped conversation and lower pragmatic communication skills, as measured by the Children's Communication Checklist (at a mean age of 9.7 years). In addition a trend toward a higher frequency of identification of special educational needs (at a mean age of 11.8 years) was observed. Variation at rs4307059 was also associated with the phenotypic profile of studied traits. This joint signal was fully explained neither by single-trait associations nor by overall behavioral adjustment problems but suggested a combined effect, which manifested through multiple sub-threshold social, communicative, and cognitive impairments. Our results suggest that common variation at 5p14.1 is associated with social communication spectrum phenotypes in the general population and support the role of rs4307059 as a quantitative trait locus for autism spectrum disorder.

Children's Language Ability and Psychosocial Development: A 29-Year Follow-up Study

Little is known on the psychosocial adult outcomes of children's early language skills or intervening circumstances. The aim of this study was to assess the longitudinal trajectory linking childhood receptive language skills to psychosocial outcomes in later life. The study comprised 6941 men and women who participated in a nationally representative Birth Cohort Study. Direct assessment of language skills were made at age 5. The sample was studied again at age 34 to assess psychosocial outcomes and levels of adult mental health. Characteristics of the family environment, individual adjustment, and social adaptation in the transition to adulthood were assessed as potential moderating factors linking early language skills to adult mental health. In early childhood, cohort members with poor receptive language experienced more disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances than cohort members with normal language skills and showed more behavior and psychosocial adjustment problems in the transition to adulthood. At age 34, cohort members with poor early language skills reported lower levels of mental health than cohort members with normal language. After adjustment for family background and experiences of social adaptation, early language skills maintained a significant and independent impact in predicting adult mental health. Early receptive language skills are significantly associated with adult mental health as well as psychosocial adjustment during early childhood and in later life. The needs of children with language problems are complex and call for early and continuing provision of educational support and services.

Is Disclosure Therapeutic for Children Following Exposure to Traumatic Violence?

Trauma theory suggests that to recover from exposure to traumatic events, such as exposure to violence, therapeutic interventions should include opportunities to disclose and to process the fearful and stressful events. Yet little is known about the circumstances that foster disclosure of such information in therapeutic environments by children and related mental health outcomes for those children. In this study, the process of disclosure was examined among children ages 6 to 12 years (N = 121) in a community-based intervention program for children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV). Therapists documented children's spontaneous disclosure in their group. Mothers and children completed demographic and standardized attitudinal and mental health questionnaires. Fifty-two percent of children spontaneously disclosed during therapy. Child ethnicity, harm to the child, internalizing behavioral adjustment problems, and engagement in therapy predicted disclosure. Disclosure within the group was associated with gains for individual children in internalizing behavioral adjustment problems and improvement in attitudes and beliefs concerning the acceptability of violence.

The Long War and Parental Combat Deployment: Effects on Military Children and At-Home Spouses

Given the growing number of military service members with families and the multiple combat deployments characterizing current war time duties, the impact of deployments on military children requires clarification. Behavioral and emotional adjustment problems were examined in children (aged 6 through 12) of an active duty Army or Marine Corps parent currently deployed (CD) or recently returned (RR) from Afghanistan or Iraq. Children (N = 272) and their at-home civilian (AHC) (N = 163) and/or recently returned active duty (AD) parent (N = 65) were interviewed. Child adjustment outcomes were examined in relation to parental psychological distress and months of combat deployment (of the AD) using mixed effects linear models. Parental distress (AHC and AD) and cumulative length of parental combat-related deployments during the child's lifetime independently predicted increased child depression and externalizing symptoms. Although behavioral adjustment and depression levels were comparable to community norms, anxiety was significantly elevated in children in both deployment groups. In contrast, AHC parental distress was greater in those with a CD (vs. RR) spouse. Findings indicate that parental combat deployment has a cumulative effect on children that remains even after the deployed parent returns home, and that is predicted by psychological distress of both the AD and AHC parent. Such data may be informative for screening, prevention, and intervention strategies.

Brief report: Associations between emotional competence and adolescent risky behavior

The current study examines associations between emotional competence (i.e., awareness, regulation, comfort with expression) and adolescent risky behavior. Children from a longitudinal study participated at age 9 and 16 ( N = 88). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with children about their emotional experiences and coded for areas of emotional competence. Associations were examined for the emotions of sadness and anger concurrently during adolescence, and longitudinally from middle childhood to adolescence. Results suggested that children with poor emotional awareness and regulation had a higher likelihood of using hard drugs. Difficulty regulating emotions was associated with having more sexual partners, and both emotion regulation and expression difficulties were associated with greater behavioral adjustment problems. Results were consistent across the concurrent and longitudinal findings and pointed to anger as an important emotion. Findings suggest that children's emotional competence may serve as a useful point of intervention to decrease risky behavior in adolescence.

Racial and emotional factors predicting teachers' perceptions of classroom behavioral maladjustment for urban African American male youth

AbstractThe present study investigated the predictive influence of students' reactive emotional coping and racial socialization experiences on teachers' perceptions of classroom behavior adjustment problems. Participants were 148 African American male youth attending a secondary school in a large northeastern city. Behavioral outcomes included teacher ratings of student behavioral overactivity in different classroom situations. Results using hierarchical regression analyses show that measures of social rejection sensitivity, anger expression, and racial socialization predict teacher‐observed behavioral overactivity, with overt anger expression being the most powerful predictor. Findings suggest that racial socialization and particular styles of emotional coping are important determinants for teachers' impressions of classroom behavior for some African American adolescent males. Implications for future research and interventions with African American male youth in urban secondary schools are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Double Jeopardy: Child and School Characteristics That Predict Aggressive-Disruptive Behavior in First Grade

.High rates of aggressive-disruptive behavior exhibited by children during their initial years of elementary school increase their risk for significant behavioral adjustment problems with teachers and peers. The purpose of the present study was to examine the unique and combined contributions of child vulnerabilities and school context to the development of aggressive-disruptive student behavior during first grade. Parent ratings and child interviews assessed three child characteristics associated with risk for the development of aggressive behavior problems in elementary school (aggressive-disruptive behaviors at home, attention problems, and social cognitions) in a sample of 755 first-grade children in four demographically diverse American communities. Two school characteristics associated with student aggressive-disruptive behavior problems (low-quality classroom context, school poverty levels) were also assessed. Linear and multilevel analyses showed that both child and school characteristics made independent and cumulative contributions to the development of student aggressive-disruptive behavior at school. Although rates of student aggressive-disruptive behavior varied by gender and race, the predictive model generalized across all groups of children in the study.