Child Problem Behavior Research Articles

Paternal Activation as a Protective Factor against Problem Behaviors in Early Childhood.

Activation parenting includes behaviors that challenge children to approach novel situations, explore their environments, and take physical and socioemotional risks through a balance of encouragement and limit-setting. Although components of activation parenting have been linked to lower levels of children's problem behaviors, comprehensive measures of activation parenting and longitudinal research on families from low socioeconomic backgrounds are lacking. The goal of the present study was to test associations between paternal activation parenting at age 3 and children's externalizing and internalizing problems at age 5 in a sample of low-income, ethnically diverse fathers. Participating fathers (N = 171; 9% Black, 47% white, 8% Latinx; mean household income = $25,145) and their children (51% female) were drawn from the Early Steps Multisite Study. Activation parenting during a teaching task at child age 3 was associated with lower levels of internalizing problems at age 5 and decreases in externalizing problems from baseline (age 2). Implications of the current findings are presented for future research on associations between activation parenting and child problem behaviors, including the potential for the development of prevention and intervention programs.

Sex-specific associations between placental corticotropin releasing hormone and problem behaviors in childhood

Placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH) is a neuroactive peptide produced in high concentrations in mid-late pregnancy, during key periods of fetal brain development. Some evidence suggests that higher pCRH exposure during gestation is associated with adverse neurodevelopment, particularly in female offspring. In 858 mother-child dyads from the sociodemographically diverse CANDLE cohort (Memphis, TN), we examined: (1) the slope of pCRH rise in mid-late pregnancy and (2) estimated pCRH at delivery as a measure of cumulative prenatal exposure. When children were 4 years-old, mothers reported on problem behaviors using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and cognitive performance was assessed by trained psychologists using the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales. We fitted linear regression models examining pCRH in relation to behavioral and cognitive performance measures, adjusting for covariates. Using interaction models, we evaluated whether associations differed by fetal sex, breastfeeding, and postnatal neighborhood opportunity. In the full cohort, log-transformed pCRH measures were not associated with outcomes; however, we observed sex differences in some models (interaction p-values≤0.01). In male offspring, an interquartile (IQR) increase in pCRH slope (but not estimated pCRH at delivery), was positively associated with raw Total (β=3.06, 95%CI: 0.40, 5.72), Internalizing (β=0.89, 95%CI: 0.03, 1.76), and Externalizing (β=1.25, 95%CI: 0.27, 2.22) Problem scores, whereas, in females, all associations were negative (Total Problems: β=−1.99, 95%CI: −3.89, −0.09; Internalizing: β=−0.82, 95%CI: −1.42, −0.23; Externalizing: β=−0.56, 95%CI: −1.34, 0.22). No associations with cognitive performance were observed nor did we observe moderation by breastfeeding or postnatal neighborhood opportunity. Our results provide further evidence that prenatal pCRH exposure may impact subsequent child behavior in sex-specific ways, however in contrast to prior studies suggesting adverse impacts in females, steeper mid-gestation pCRH rise was associated with more problem behaviors in males, but fewer in females.

Association between auditory processing and problem behaviors in preschool children: the mediating role of executive function

To investigate the association between auditory processing and problem behaviors in preschool children, as well as the mediating role of executive function. A total of 2 342 preschool children were selected from 7 kindergartens in Nanjing, China from June to August 2021. They were evaluated using Preschool Auditory Processing Assessment Scale, Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire, and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool version. Children with different demographic features were compared in the scores and the abnormality rates of auditory processing, problem behaviors, and executive function. The influencing factors of the total scores of auditory processing, problem behaviors, and executive function were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. Whether executive function was a mediating factor between auditory processing and executive function was examined. Sex and grade were the main influencing factors for the total score of auditory processing (P<0.05), and sex, grade, parental education level, and family economic status were the main influencing factors for the total scores of problem behaviors and executive function (P<0.05). The auditory processing score (rs=0.458, P<0.05) and problem behavior score (rs=0.185, P<0.05) were significantly positively correlated with the executive function score, and the auditory processing score was significantly positively correlated with the problem behavior score (rs=0.423, P<0.05). Executive function played a partial mediating role between auditory processing and problem behaviors, and the mediating effect accounted for 33.44% of the total effect. Auditory processing can directly affect the problem behaviors of preschool children and indirectly affect problem behaviors through executive function.

Effect of Yoga Intervention on Problem Behavior and Motor Coordination in Children with Autism.

Children with autism exhibit more pronounced symptoms of both problem behaviors and motor coordination difficulties. Yoga, recognized as an effective intervention modality, can be valuable after assessing its efficacy in addressing problem behaviors and motor coordination challenges, ultimately contributing to symptom alleviation in autism. The randomized controlled trial (RCT) was used to divide 17 children with autism into an intervention group (n = 9) and a control group (n = 8). The intervention group participated in an 8-week yoga intervention training (three sessions/week, 45-50 min/session), and the control group did not participate in yoga training but only in daily program activities. Pre-test, mid-test, post-test, and after delayed test, teachers assessed the effect of yoga intervention on problem behaviors of children with autism through the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) and the effect of yoga intervention on motor coordination through the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC2). Results show that the yoga intervention is effective in reducing problem behaviors and improving motor coordination in children with autism. Yoga intervention significantly reduces irritability and social withdrawal in children with autism. Yoga intervention had the most significant improvement in ball skills and static and dynamic balance.

Novel Insights into Obesity in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Obesity is present in 8-32% of the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, most studies are performed in school-aged children from the USA. The current study compares obesity rates of Dutch preschoolers with ASD with children from the Dutch general population and explores which child- and parental factors are related to obesity in children with ASD. This cross-sectional study is part of the ongoing Tandem Study (Dutch Trial register: NL7534). Seventy-eight children with ASD aged 3-7 years and their parents (77 mothers, 67 fathers) participated. Child factors are: Body Mass Index (by physical measurement), child eating behavior (Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire), child problem behavior (Child Behavior Checklist), and ASD severity (Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale 2). Parental factors are: BMI (by physical measurement), parental eating behavior (Dutch Eating Behavior Inventory), parenting stress (The Parenting Stress Questionnaire) and highest completed educational level (SES). Children with ASD were 8 times more often obese (16.8%) than children from the general population (2.0%). Child BMI correlated positively with child food approach behavior and maternal BMI, and correlated negatively with child 'Slowness in eating'. There was no correlation between child BMI and ASD severity, problem behavior, parental eating behavior, parental stress and SES. Thus, Dutch, preschool children with ASD have 8 times higher obesity rates than children from the general population. More attention to obesity risk in research and clinical care could contribute to the quality of life of individuals with ASD and their families. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Dutch Trial register, NL7534, https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=NL7534 .

학령기 경계선 지적 기능을 가진 자녀의 문제행동에 대한 부모 인식과 지원 요구

This study sought to examine the characteristics and forms of problem behavior in children with borderline intelligence and explore how parents can learn to recognize and deal with it. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with mothers of children with borderline intelligence, and the results were finally organized into 4 major categories and 10 subcategories as follows: 1) Characteristics and difficulties of the child, 2) Problem behavior Coping and reaction of parents and people around them, 3) Parents' concerns and difficulties, 4) Requests and suggestions. Through this study, the difficulties faced by parents of children with borderline intelligence as well as challenges and solutions for education and support for children with borderline intelligence were discussed, and the need for related follow-up research was confirmed.

Effectiveness of Online Parent Training for Parents of Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities: A Retrospective Observational Study Comparing Clinical- and Community-Based Online Parent Training.

Parent training (PT) is an effective program for improving the parenting skills and mental health of parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) and for improving children's behavioral problems. However, studies must substantiate the effectiveness of PT for the parents of adolescents with DD in improving parental mental health and children's problem behaviors with ample scientific evidence. This study is a retrospective observational study and has two objectives. The first is to examine the effectiveness of online adolescent PT (ON-APT), in which lectures on counseling skills are incorporated for the parents of adolescents with DD. The second aim is to examine the effects of different delivery conditions on community- and clinical-based ON-APT. Data from seven parents and children who participated in community-based ON-APT and 14 parents and 12 children who participated in clinical-based ON-APT were included in the analysis. Prior to the intervention (pre-test) and after the intervention (post-test), paired t-tests were conducted using the CBCL, BDI-II, and PATS scores to demonstrate the effectiveness of the ON-APT program. Second, a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance with aligned rank transform was conducted to assess the impact of varying ON-APT delivery conditions (clinical- versus community-based ON-APT) and time (pre- and post-tests) on the outcome variables. ON-APT resulted in significant improvements in some children's problem behaviors (withdrawal). Community-based ON-APT resulted in improvements in some children's problem behaviors (total score, withdrawal, and social problems scales) compared with clinical-based ON-APT. This study shows the potential effectiveness of ON-APT, in which lectures on counseling skills are incorporated for parents of adolescents with DD. Further, a comparison between clinical-based and community-based ON-APT showed that integrating face-to-face consultations into ON-APT may improve children's problem behaviors. However, this study provides preliminary evidence for its potential efficacy, and future studies should demonstrate this efficacy through a validation design.

The Effect of Paternal Co-Parenting on Preschool Children's Problem Behaviors: The Chain-Mediating Role of Maternal Parenting Burnout and Psychological Aggression.

With the social changes, a growing number of women have joined the workforce, leading to a shift in the traditional roles of child-rearing. There has been a growing focus on the significance of fathers' roles in child development, particularly the influence of fathers on children's problematic behaviors, making it an increasingly prominent issue. However, there is limited understanding regarding the potential mechanisms through which fathers may exert influence on children's problem behaviors. To address this gap, this study sought to investigate the link between paternal co-parenting and preschool children's problem behaviors, and the mediating effects of maternal parenting burnout and psychological aggression. This study used the Personal Information Form and four scales to administer questionnaires to 1164 mothers of preschool children (Mage = 4.26 ± 0.85) in Guangdong Province, China. The collected data underwent processing and analysis using SPSS 22.0. Paternal co-parenting demonstrated a significantly positive correlation with problem behaviors among preschool children. The impact of paternal co-parenting on children's problem behaviors was mediated by maternal parenting burnout, maternal psychological aggression, and the combined effect of maternal parenting burnout and psychological aggression. Maternal parenting burnout and maternal psychological aggression play a sequential mediating role between paternal co-parenting and problem behaviors among preschool children. This study revealed the internal mechanism through which paternal co-parenting influenced problem behaviors exhibited by children. It provides some evidence to support the important role of fathers in child development, and provides a reference for policymakers and educators to develop interventions for children's problem behaviors.

어머니의 양육태도와 유아의 정서조절능력이 유아의 문제행동에 미치는 영향

Objectives In this study, we aimed to examine how maternal parenting attitudes and young children's emotion regulation abilities influence problem behaviors in young children.&#x0D; Methods For the study, 291 young children aged 3-5 years old and 291 mothers enrolled in a daycare center located in G city were surveyed from December 12, 2022 to January 8, 2023. A questionnaire survey was conducted on attitude, emotional regulation ability of young children, and problem behaviors of young children. For the collected data, Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to analyze the correlation between each variable using the SPSS 21.0 program, and multiple regression analysis was performed to analyze the effect relationship of the variables.&#x0D; Results The analysis results are as follows. Firstly, it was found that the mother's parenting attitude and the young children's emotional regulation ability were correlated with the young children's problem behavior. Secondly, in the relative explanatory power of independent variables that affect young children's intrinsic problem behaviors, negative emotional expression, affectionate, controlling, and rejecting influences in the order shown. In the relative explanatory power of independent variables that affect extrinsic problem behaviors of young children, affectionate, negative emotional expression, controlling, and positive emotional expression were found to have an effect in the order.&#x0D; Conclusions This study provides valuable information on the variables affecting young children's problem behaviors, such as maternal parenting attitudes and young children's emotion regulation abilities. It can serve as foundational data to enhance maternal parenting attitudes and young children's emotion regulation abilities, which, in turn, may help improve young children's problem behaviors.&#x0D;

보육교사의 사회적 지지와 회복탄력성이 영유아 문제행동 지도전략에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social support and resilience of childcare teachers on the guidance strategies for children's problem behaviors. Data from 164 childcare teachers who working in daycare centers in Gyeonggi and Chungnam. The research tools were the Social Support Scale, the Resilience Scale (KRQ-53), and the Children Problem Behavior Guidance Strategy Scale, and the data were analyzed using correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis with SPSS 23.0. The results were as follows. First, the social support and resilience of childcare teachers were higher than average, and among the guidance strategies for children's problem behaviors, the positive guidance strategies were high and the negative guidance strategies were low. Second, among the guidance strategies for problem behavior of children, positive guidance strategies showed a significant positive correlation with social support and resilience, and negative guidance strategies showed negative correlations with social support, but no significant correlation with resilience was shown. Third, the effect of social support and resilience of childcare teachers on the guidance strategy of problem behavior of children were confirmed as a predictor variable of positive guidance strategies, and negative guidance strategies did not appear as significant predictors of both social support and resilience. Based on the results of this study, institutional support is required for the development and field application of teacher education programs to restore teachers' resilience so that they can strengthen positive guidance strategies for problem behaviors of children.

잠재프로파일분석을 통한 고위험군 남․여 청소년의 문제행동 유형분류 및 영향요인 탐색: 부모자녀관계를 중심으로

Objective: This study aims to classify the types of problem behavior among high-risk adolescents and explore how the parent-child relationship influences the types of adolescents’ problem behavior depending on the gender of students.&#x0D; Methods: The samples included 322 high-risk adolescents (169 male and 153 female students) attending middle and high school. The SDQ-Kr, Ego Resilience, and Parent-Adolescents Relationship were measured. &#x0D; Results: First, the types of high-risk adolescents’ problem behavior were classified into three groups: “Hyperactivity/inattention-Emotional control problems”, “Peer conformity-Conduct problems”, and “Anxiety/depression-Delinquency coexistence”. Second, more high-risk male adolescents belonged to the “Peer conformity-Conduct Problems” and “Anxiety/depression-Delinquency coexistence” groups than female adolescents. More female adolescents belonged to the “Hyperactivity/inattention-Emotion regulation” group than male adolescents. Third, for both high-risk male and female students, the less their parents failed to provide consistent and appropriate discipline, the more likely they were to belong to the “Anxiety/depression-Delinquency coexistence” group.&#x0D; Conclusions: To provide effective intervention for high-risk adolescents, customized intervention programs differentiated according to gender and customized parent education programs differentiated according to their children's problem behavior types should be developed.

부모의 양육방식이 아동의 학교 부적응에 미치는 영향

This study is a case study in which a mother requested counseling for her child who was struggling with school maladjustment and intervened. The families who participated in this study were parents and children, and counseling was conducted 20 times from August to December 2022. In this study, the matrix method was used to analyze the notes recorded during counseling and the contents of 20 counseling sessions. As a result of the analysis, the factor affecting difficulties in school maladjustment was found to be parents' negative parenting style. The counselor intervened to improve family relationships by suggesting new child-rearing methods to the parents. Based on these counselor intervention methods, practical implications and suggestions for follow-up research were made to alleviate children's school maladaptive problem behavior and lead to changes in family relationships.

Language-assisted deep learning for autistic behaviors recognition

Correctly recognizing the behaviors of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is of vital importance for the diagnosis of Autism and timely early intervention. However, the observation and recording during the treatment from the parents of autistic children may not be accurate and objective. In such cases, automatic recognition systems based on computer vision and machine learning (in particular deep learning) technology can alleviate this issue to a large extent. Existing human action recognition models can now achieve impressive performance on challenging activity datasets, e.g., daily activity, and sports activity. However, problem behaviors in children with ASD are very different from these general activities, and recognizing these problem behaviors via computer vision is less studied. In this paper, we first evaluate a strong baseline for action recognition, i.e., Video Swin Transformer, on two autism behaviors datasets (SSBD and ESBD) and show that it can achieve high accuracy and outperform the previous methods by a large margin, demonstrating the feasibility of vision-based problem behaviors recognition. Moreover, we propose language-assisted training to further enhance the action recognition performance. Specifically, we develop a two-branch multimodal deep learning framework by incorporating the ”freely available” language description for each type of problem behavior. Experimental results demonstrate that incorporating additional language supervision can bring an obvious performance boost for the autism problem behaviors recognition task as compared to using the video information only (i.e., 3.49% improvement on ESBD and 1.46% on SSBD). Our code and model will be publicly available for reproducing the results.

Evaluating functional communication training without extinction in public school settings

AbstractFunctional communication training (FCT) in the treatment of escape‐maintained problem behavior for children with disabilities often includes extinction for problem behavior, which is difficult for educators to implement in classroom settings. This study evaluated the effects of FCT with concurrent schedules, as an alternative to extinction, for two children with disabilities and multiply maintained problem behavior including escape functions. FCT with concurrent schedules reduced problem behavior for one participant and increased mands for both participants. The mixed effects across participants and behaviors may inform boundary conditions for FCT with concurrent schedules.

부부갈등, 어머니 우울, 유아 사회적유능감, 유아 외현화 문제행동 간의 구조분석

Objectives This study examined the structural analysis between marital conflict, maternal depression, young children’s social competence, young children’s externalizing problem behavior: It also determined the mediating effect of young children’s social competence in the effect of marital conflict and maternal depression on young children’s externalizing problem behavior.&#x0D; Methods For this, this study used data from the 7th year of the Panel Study on Korean Children. This study ana-lyzed the structural equation model through the AMOS 26.0 program to verify the structural relationship between variables, and used the bootstrap method to examine the mediating effect.&#x0D; Results First, it has been confirmed that marital conflict has a direct negative effect on social competence. Second, marital conflict and depression had a direct positive effect on externalizing problem behavior. Third, social competence had a direct negative effect on externalizing problem behavior. Fourth, social competence had a me-diating effect in the effect of marital conflict on externalizing problem behavior.&#x0D; Conclusions Through the results of this study, we would like to present educational implications for preventing and reducing externalizing problem behavior in young children.

A follow-up study of the "Lighthouse" mentalization-based parenting program: Mentalization as a mediator of change.

This paper reports follow-up findings for an Mentalization based treatment (MBT) parenting intervention delivered to a community mental health sample. Parents completed the 12-week version of the Lighthouse Parenting Program (LPP) and were evaluated on parenting practices, parent-child relationships, parental mental health indicators, and child problem behaviour levels. We evaluated the extent to which improvements in mentalizing at follow-up mediated changes in parenting, parental adjustment, mental health, and child outcomes. Results included a reduction in parental coercive behaviours and child problems, improved parent-child relationship, and better parental psychological adjustment and mental health. Improvement in self-focused mentalizing were observed. Self-focused mentalizing mediated the changes in most outcomes from baseline to 3-month follow-up. These results provide strong preliminary evidence that the LPP improves parent and child outcomes.

Preliminary Investigation of the Influence of Treatment Regimen on Outcomes in Behavioral Parent Training

Caregiver engagement and implementation of behavioral strategies are essential to effective interventions targeting childhood behavior problems. The aim of this preliminary investigation was to better understand caregiver decision-making when selecting different treatment regimens in an open trial format. Treatment packages included: (1) an intensive treatment program (ITP), involving a compressed 20-hour intervention occurring 2 hours per day for 10 days; and (2) a standard dosage treatment as usual (TAU) behavioral treatment program, involving weekly 50-minute appointments. Sixty-seven families with a child between 4–11 years old (M age = 5.82) with clinically significant problem behaviors self-referred to a hospital-based outpatient behavior therapy program. Results suggest that while caregivers chose a standard treatment regimen at a ratio of 2:1, compressed treatment (ITP) was associated with increased caregiver engagement and more significant reductions in child target behavior using both direct and indirect measures. Findings provide preliminary support for the use of high dosage treatment regimens as a means of increasing caregiver engagement and in the reduction of problem behavior in young children.

Types and Predictors of Young Children’s Problem Behaviors Following the Birth of a Sibling

Objectives: To verify the predictors that affect problem behavior trajectories, this study examines how the problem behavior patterns of young children change over time before and the birth of their younger sibling, and the types of trajectories they are classifien into.Methods: The participants were 202 pregnant mothers who had a child over 18 months old. Questionnaires on the child’s problem behaviors were conducted one month before, one month after, and the three months after childbirth. A growth mixture model and logistic regression analyses were performed for classification and predictive analytics.Results: A total of three latent groups of children’s internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors were identified: group at low risk for problem behaviors, group at potential risk for problem behaviors and group at high risk for rising problem behaviors. Logistic regression analyses revealed that children’s temperamental emotionality and sociality, mother’s warm and encouraging behaviors, and depression were significantly associated with trajectory classes of problem behaviors.Conclusion: Our results suggest that to mediate problem behaviors in young children when a younger sibling is born, a variety of supports that consider their individual characteristics and provide affectionate parenting behavior are needed.

Internalizing and Externalizing problem behaviors in children and adolescents migrating through Mexico

Internalizing and Externalizing problem behaviors in children and adolescents migrating through Mexico

Bimbingan Konseling Pada Anak Usia Dini

Guidance and counseling for early childhood is an assistance effort carried out by teachers/supporters for early childhood so that children can grow and develop optimally and be able to overcome the problems they face. The research was carried out in a qualitative manner using a literature study approach. Research results: Through counseling, children are taught skills that enable them to become independent individuals, able to make decisions, and be responsible for their own actions. The main objective of providing guidance and counseling is to anticipate or take preventive action against the emergence of problematic behavior. Of course, prevention will be much easier than cure. This principle will also be applied in counseling guidance in the Early Childhood Education environment. In other words, preventing problem behavior in children is much easier than treating problem behavior in adults.