Children's Behavioral Responses Research Articles

The response of young, non-sexually abused children to anatomically correct dolls.

Ninety-one children aged 3-6 yrs were observed and video-recorded playing with the anatomically correct dolls in unstructured play settings. Parental permission had been obtained. The children's emotional, behavioural and overall play responses were rated. Whilst the dolls' difference from other dolls was clearly noticed, they did not traumatise the children, most of whom incorporated the dolls in imaginative play. Only five children's play with the dolls showed any sexualized quality, in three the source of sexual knowledge becoming apparent. Whereas the absence of sexualized play does not reliably exclude abuse, we suggest that explicit sexual play with the dolls may well arise from previous exposure to explicit sexual information or activity.

A comparison of sexually abused and nonsexually abused children's behavioral responses to anatomically correct dolls.

Groups of 16 girls referred for evaluation and treatment of sexual abuse and 16 nonreferred girls between the ages of 5 and 8 years were compared on aggression, avoidance, private parts reference, and freeplay over two conditions: playing alone with anatomically correct dolls and telling a story about the dolls to an adult. Results indicated that sexually abused children displayed more sexually oriented behavior when alone but more avoidance of the dolls when interacting with an adult.

Approach--Avoidance and Distress in Children Undergoing Preparation for Painful Medical Procedures

We report the development of an observational scale of children's behavioral responses to preparation for diagnostic bone marrow aspiration procedures, the Behavioral Approach – Avoidance and Distress Scale (BAADS). This scale measures the dimensional constructs of approach–avoidance and behavioral distress. Data obtained on 43 pediatric cancer patients indicated moderate to high internal consistency. Significant correlations were obtained between observers' data and independent global ratings provided by the activity specialist preparing the child. Behavioral distress during preparation predicted both distress during the bone marrow procedure and distress during early hospitalization. High approach during preparation was related to low distress during the aspiration procedure as well as during early hospitalization.

Parent and nurse perceptions of parent stressors in the pediatric intensive care unit.

This study examined parent and nurse perceptions of parent stressors in a pediatric intensive care unit using the Parental Stressor Scale: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PSS:PICU) and standardized interviews of parents. A total of 41 parents and 34 nurses participated. Nurses expected parents to be more stressed by every dimension of the PSS:PICU than parents rated their own stress. Parents felt most stressed by the dimension relating to their child's behavioral and emotional responses, although nurses expected parents to be most concerned about staff communication and parental role alteration issues. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Children's Responses to Separation from Mother during the Birth of Another Child

Preschool children's behavioral and physiological responses to separation were monitored before, during, and after their mothers' hospitalization for the birth of a sibling. During these 3 periods, play sessions were videotaped simultaneous with activity level and heart rate monitoring, nighttime sleep was time-lapse videotaped, and the parents were administered questionnaires on changes in their child's behaviors. Increases in fantasy play across these periods were interpreted as active coping both with the stress of separation and the altered interactions following the arrival of a new sibling. Increases in negative affect, activity level, heart rate, night wakings, and crying characterized the hospital period as one of agitation. Longer periods of deep sleep at this stage were interpreted as conservation withdrawal. Following the mother's return, decreases were noted in positive affect, activity level, heart rate, and active sleep suggestive of depression. These changes are discussed in the context of parallel data on agitation/depression during young primate separations.

The Sensory History of Developmentally Delayed Children With and Without Tactile Defensiveness

This study investigated whether sensory history questionnaires differentiated between developmentally delayed children with and without tactile defensiveness and, in addition, which individual items were most discriminative. Interviews were conducted with 20 mothers of developmentally delayed children regarding their children's past and present behavioral responses to tactile and other sensory stimuli. The group of mothers with tactually defensive children reported a significantly greater number of positive responses to items previously determined to be indicative of tactile defensiveness than did the mothers of children without tactile defensiveness. An individual item analysis identified 11 items as discriminating most clearly between a group of children with tactile defensiveness and a group without tactile defensiveness. Some preliminary behavioral trends and implications for the use of sensory history questionnaires in parent counseling and in planning appropriate treatment programs are presented.

Interparental conflict and the children of discord and divorce.

Data on the relation between marital turmoil (i.e., discord and divorce) and behavior problems in children are reviewed. It is concluded that a relation between the two domains docs exist. Several parameters of this relation are outlined, including type of marital turmoil, form of the child's behavioral response, sex differences, age effects, parental buffering, and effects of parental psychopathology. Conclusions drawn from this review are used to evaluate several broad etiological hypotheses about the effect of marital turmoil on children, and implications for the treatment of behavior problems in children from these families are discussed. Finally, interpretative and methodological refinements are suggested for future research.

A sensible approach to working with children

Abstract— This article summarizes current literature on the behavioural responses of children in the dental situation, and advocates mutual participation between child and dentist whereby the child takes responsibility for his own oral care.

Management of acute psychologic problems in pediatric oncology

Several psychologic issues in pediatric oncology are addressed and case illustrations of psychologic intervention for selected problems are offered. Psychologic intervention must take into account the patient's perception of his illness, the patient's developmental level, the parents' coping mechanisms, the dynamics of the child's emotional and behavioral responses, the staff's perception of the problems, and the community's capacity for reintegration of the patient. Each of these issues is addressed by use of case examples to demonstrate important aspects of psychosocial intervention.

Characteristics of the individual child's behavioral responses to the environment.

Characteristics of the individual child's behavioral responses to the environment.