Child's Problematic Behavior Research Articles

Effect of maternal eating behaviors and attitudes towards the feeding process on feeding problems of pre-school age children

Background & AimsFeeding problems in pre-school children are common and negative maternal feeding practices may even worsen the child's problematic eating behaviour. Therefore, investigating the effects of maternal eating behaviors and attitudes towards the feeding process on pre-school children’s feeding problems may be helpful for preventing feeding problems. This study sought to investigate the effects of maternal eating behaviors and attitudes towards the feeding process on feeding problems of pre-school children. MethodsMothers of 373 children aged 3-6 were included in this cross-sectional study and data was collected by an online questionnaire including the scales of three factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ), mother’s attitudes towards the feeding process (MATFPS) and behavioral pediatric feeding assessment (BPFAS), as well as demographics and anthropometric measures (height and weight). Spearman’s rho test was used to calculate correlation coefficients between the, TFEQ, MATFP and BPFA scales. In order to identify independent predictors of child feeding behaviors, a multiple linear regression model was used. ResultsResults showed that uncontrolled eating subscale was positively (r=0.160, p<0.001) and cognitive restriction subscale negatively (r=-0.126, p<0.05) correlated with MATFP. MATFP was also positively correlated with BPFA (r=0.368, p<0.001). Regression analysis indicated that BPFA was significantly predicted by MATFP which was the most important contributor of child feeding problems (β=0.24 t=4.88, p<0.001). ConclusionsThis study indicated that maternal eating behaviors were related to maternal attitudes towards the feeding process and, mothers’ attitudes were associated with feeding problems of their pre-school children.

Coping with Stressful Behaviour of Autism: Voices of Lusaka Parents, Zambia

This was a hermeneutical phenomenological qualitative study of the coping strategies parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) use to cope with the demanding behaviours of their children in the Lusaka district – in Zambia. Parents, as key caregivers of children with disabilities, are likelier to develop unhappiness and worry than parents of classically developing children. Parental stress is usually associated with the severity of the ASD disorder. It was imperative to study how parents in Lusaka District coped with children with ASD daily. Interviews were used to collect data. Ten (10) parents of children with ASD were purposively selected to participate in the study. Data analysis was done in themes that revealed extra worries for parents, caused mainly by a lack of information about ASD, especially before diagnosis. Parents adopted specific strategies to cope with their children's problematic behaviour in areas of social interaction. Further, parents require much assistance developing interaction between them and specialists to acquire support services regarding coping strategies for their children's behaviour

Does asset poverty moderate how food insecurity is associated with adolescent problematic behavior? An application of the family stress model using multi-group path analyses

The Family Stress Model framework suggests that food insecurity could be associated with adolescent problematic behaviors through caregiver psychological distress. While assets such as savings could buffer the impacts of income on food insecurity, it remains unclear whether such moderating effects can be applied to other associations in the Family Stress Model framework. Using the 2017 and 2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics and 2019 and 2020 Child Development Supplement data including 643 children (Mage = 13.7, SD = 2.6), multi-group path analyses found that the family stress process manifests differently in asset poor families and non-asset poor families. More specifically, the direct and indirect associations embedded by income, food insecurity, caregiver psychological distress, and child problematic behaviors are statistically stronger in the asset poor families than the non-asset poor families. These findings suggest the necessity to offer more comprehensive interventions to address economic needs (i.e., low income, food insecurity) and non-economic needs (i.e., caregiver mental health, child development) for the economically vulnerable.

Problem gaming-related harm experienced by partners and parents of individuals with gaming problems and their help-seeking experiences.

Limited research has investigated how individuals' problem gaming affects significant others. The present study investigated the extent to which partners and parents were personally affected by their partner or child's problematic gaming behavior and what steps, if any, were taken in relation to treatment and other help-seeking by the gamers and the respondents themselves. Two targeted samples (parents, n = 104; partners, n = 264) in Australia were recruited and administered an online survey. The survey assessed gaming-related harm across multiple domains, including financial, relationship, emotional wellbeing, physical health and work/study. Treatment and help-seeking questions referred to seeking psychological assistance, self-help, and community support. Non-parametric tests compared groups on harm measures based on GD status. Parents and partners of individuals rated in the 'problem gaming' range reported significantly greater harms compared to those in the at-risk and non-problem categories. The most frequently endorsed harms were in the relationship domain, including neglected household responsibilities, withdrawal from social events, and relationship conflict. Some parents consult with friends and family (15%) to resolve their child's gaming-related problems. Partners reported to seek outside support and assistance for themselves, including 30% who sought a psychologist. No partners reported having consulted a psychologist for their gaming partner. Problem gaming affects significant others across multiple life areas, but few seek outside help or support, suggesting there may be significant unmet needs. Further research should examine factors that influence acceptance and engagement with problem gaming help options. Harm indicators may be useful for evaluating targeted interventions and other measures to reduce problem gaming.

High Depressive Symptoms, Low Family Functioning, and Low Self-Efficacy in Mothers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Two Control Groups.

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face unique challenges in raising their children, and they are at higher risk for depression compared to parents of children with typical development (TD) and other disabilities. (1) To compare prevalence of depressive symptoms among mothers of children with ASD (n = 101), Down syndrome (DS, n = 101), and TD (n = 43) and (2) to describe the relationships among depression, self-efficacy, and family functioning, and describe the mediating role of maternal child care self-efficacy between depressive symptoms and child behavior. In this cross-sectional study, mothers completed the Social Communication Questionnaire, Aberrant Behavior Checklist, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Family Assessment Device General Functioning Scale, and Maternal Self-Efficacy Scale. Mothers of children with ASD had significantly higher mean PHQ-9 scores (p < .001), higher proportion of positive depression screening (p < .001), and lower family functioning (p < .001). Better family functioning is associated with less depression, better self-efficacy, and less severe ASD symptoms and behaviors. Self-efficacy mediated the relationship between depression and child ASD symptoms, and problematic behavior. The rates of reported history of depression and low family functioning in mothers of children with ASD are twice the rate in mothers of children with DS and TD. Maternal child care self-efficacy is protective against maternal depression, even in the presence of severe child problematic behaviors and ASD symptoms. Interventions that increase child care self-efficacy and family functioning may be helpful in addressing depression in mothers of children with ASD.

Problem Behaviors of Children from Multicultural and Mono-cultural Families in Korea: Differences in Behavior Evaluations between Parents and Teachers

In recent years, multicultural families are increasing in Korea. In such multicultural families, there may be language and interpersonal difficulties that affect the children. Given the possibility of real problems affecting academics and the potential for bias, the perceptions of parents and teachers is of vital importance. In this study, parents' and teachers’evaluations of problem behaviors of 405 elementary school students were collected on the Korean Child Behavior Checklist and the Korean Teacher's Report Form. Studies have shown that parents in multicultural families tend to rate their children's problems more seriously than in mono cultural families in the areas of Withdrawal/Depressed, Attention Problems, and Rule-Breaking Behaviors.Teachers rated boys from multicultural families as more problematic with Withdrawal/Depressed, Attention Problems, Rule-Breaking Behaviors, and overall scores than boys from monocultural families. Parents tended to take their child's problematic behaviors more seriously than teachers.In general, younger students were found to be more vulnerable to behavioral problems. This may indicate that an intervention is needed to help the children acculturate.

The buffering role of paternal parenting stress in the relationship between maternal parenting stress and children's problematic behaviour.

The present study aimed at exploring the relationship between parenting stress and children's problematic behaviour in the families of 99 children aged 8–11 years. Parenting stress was assessed by parents, using the Parenting Stress Index, and children's problematic behaviour was assessed by teachers, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. A moderation regression analysis showed a conditioning effect of paternal parenting stress in the relationship between maternal parenting stress and children's problematic behaviour. In the presence of high levels of paternal parenting stress, the relationship between maternal parenting stress and children's problematic behaviour was significant and strong (p = .01). When paternal parenting stress levels were low, the relationship between maternal parenting stress and children's problematic behaviour was not significant (p = .49). The results underlined that paternal parenting stress may buffer the relationship between maternal parenting stress and children's problematic behaviour. Clinical implications are discussed.

Influences of Father's Involvement in Parenting on Child's Problematic Behaviors and Mother's Psychological Well-being: Focused on Latent Classes Growth Analysis

Influences of Father's Involvement in Parenting on Child's Problematic Behaviors and Mother's Psychological Well-being: Focused on Latent Classes Growth Analysis

Preschoolers' sharing expectations towards friends relate to their kindergarten peer status.

Recent research has provided evidence for a substantial impact of children's peer status on positive and adaptive development. The current study investigated how 3- to 7-year-old preschoolers' (N=118) sharing behaviour and sharing expectations towards a friend and a non-friend relate to their popularity among their peers. Children distributed resources between themselves and a friend as well as themselves and a non-friend and predicted another protagonist's behaviour in the same situation. In addition, teachers rated children's problematic behaviour and peers rated children's peer status. Multilevel analysis revealed that preschoolers' sharing expectations towards their friends but not sharing behaviour predicted their peer status above and beyond the impact of problematic behaviour. Age did not emerge as an independent predictor. These findings suggest that knowledge about prosociality in the form of sharing expectations is an important aspect in children's adaptive social development and stress the relevance of children's knowledge about the social world for their social life. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Prosocial behaviour in general relates positively to peer status. Problem behaviour relates negatively to peer status. Sharing behaviour and sharing expectations become more selective over the preschool years. What does this study add? Sharing expectations and to a lesser extent sharing behaviour relate to peer status. Sharing expectations predict peer status above and beyond the impact of problem behaviour. Differential sharing expectations predict peer status as well as simple sharing expectations.

Children's Early Disruptive Behavior Predicts Later Coercive Behavior and Binge Drinking by Mothers

PurposeWe examined the prospective influence of early child problematic behavior on later coercive interactions and binge drinking by mothers. Design and methodsCanadian participants are from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, born between spring 1997 and 1998, which allowed a longitudinal birth cohort design. At the 41months, 628 parents reported on children's oppositional, aggressive, turbulent, and inattentive/hyperactive behavior. Mothers then reported on their own coercive and binge drinking behavior at the 60month follow-up. ResultsWe estimated a series of ordinary least-squares regressions to examine the relationship between early child behavior problems and later parental coercion and binge drinking, above and beyond many key pre-existing/concurrent confounding factors including prior parenting stress and binge alcohol use. Oppositional, aggressive, and turbulent child behaviors at 41months predicted harsh, negative parenting at 60months. Early inattentive/hyperactive child behavior also forecasted later binge alcohol use by mothers within the same time frame. ConclusionNegative preschool behavior predicted harsh, negative maternal behavior kindergarten entry. Early inattentive/hyperactive behavior also forecasted later binge alcohol use by mothers. Coercive parenting and alcohol use are clinically signs of adult distress. Such parents might use alcohol excessively because of its perceived stress-dampening effects and mental evasion from their life difficulties and frustration experiences. Practice implicationsProblematic preschool behavior can lead to less effective child-rearing and unhealthy parental behavior. Such at-risk mothers would benefit from professional caring practices. Practitioners can inspire change, especially using interaction interventions which encourage positive parent-child relations that, in turn, diminish parental distress.

Managing common feeding difficulties in toddlers and pre-school children

Abstract Feeding problems in young children are common and although they are a cause of significant worry to many parents, most will resolve without intervention by health professionals. Some of the most frequently reported problems are picky eating, neophobia (refusal to eat new foods), dislike of certain food textures or food groups (usually vegetables!) and simply not eating enough. This review will describe the common features of these difficulties and provide some evidence-based techniques for minimising their effect. We will also discuss the management of parental anxiety around child feeding which not only impacts negatively on family relationships and interactions at mealtimes, but may even exacerbate the child's problematic eating behaviour.

유아문제행동 코칭프로그램이 어머니의 양육스트레스와 유아의 문제행동에 미치는 영향

유아문제행동 코칭프로그램이 어머니의 양육스트레스와 유아의 문제행동에 미치는 영향

The Effect of Maternal Attitude Toward Child's Emotional Expressiveness, Young Child's Attachment Stability, and Emotional Regulation Ability on Young Child's Problematic Behaviors

Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the influences of maternal attitude toward child emotional expressiveness, young child attachment stability, and emotion regulation ability on problematic behaviors. The participants of this study consisted of 279 children (age 5), and their mothers, and 48 teachers. Methods The data was analyzed by means of t-test, Pearson correlation, confirmatory factor analysis, and SEM analyses. Results and Conclusion The major findings were as follows. First, higher maternal attitude toward child emotional expressiveness was associated with better child attachment stability. Second, higher child attachment stability was associated with better child emotion regulation at home and lower problematic behavior. Third, higher child emotion regulation at home and in the classroom was associated with lower problematic behavior. Fourth, maternal attitudes toward child emotional expressiveness directly impacted levels of problematic behavior. Fifth, child emotional regulation fully mediated the effect of attachment stability on problematic behavior. Keywords: maternal attitude toward child emotional expressiveness, attachment stability, emotion regulation, problematic behavior

Quality of teacher–child relationship and preschoolers’ pro-social behaviour in German kindergartens

ABSTRACTTeacher–child relationships in early childhood are a crucial prerequisite for children's emotional, social and academic development. Therefore, it is important to be able to measure accurately the quality of interactions among them. The Student–Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) is a widely accepted instrument in measuring the quality of teacher–child relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine the adapted STRS in the German early childhood education settings and to investigate it's associations with children's pro-social and problematic behaviour. Seventy-eight preschool teachers rated the quality of their relationships with 153 children aged 2–7 years and their pro-social and problematic behaviour. An explorative factor analysis revealed three consistent factors: closeness, conflict and dependency. The former inconsistent dependency scale showed good internal consistency. The item constellation was the same as of the adapted STRS. As expected preschool teachers rated girls closer compared to boys. Closeness was positive associated with pro-social behaviour and conflict and dependency was positive correlated with externalising behaviour. The results of this study support the reliability and validity of the adapted STRS in the German kindergarten context.

Attributions of Stability, Control and Responsibility: How Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities View their Child's Problematic Behaviour and Its Causes.

Children with intellectual disabilities have high rates of behaviour problems. This study explored parents' causal beliefs and attributions for general problematic child behaviour in children with different aetiologies of intellectual disabilities. Ten parents of children with intellectual disabilities participated in interviews about their child's problematic behaviour. Thematic analysis using NVivo revealed that parents viewed their child's problematic behaviour not only as caused by the child's intellectual disabilities but also by other causes unrelated to the intellectual disabilities, as well as by aspects of the social environmental context. Some causes were viewed as stable and uncontrollable and others as unstable and controllable. In addition, parents showed a strong sense of responsibility for child behaviour. Parents of children with intellectual disabilities do not solely interpret their child's problematic behaviour through the intellectual disabilities but incorporate the environment and causes and attributions that are not related to the intellectual disabilities, which may help to promote more effective parenting.

Fears among children and overcoming them

The article examines the fears of children, which are divided into three following groups: the “instinctive” fears (fear of death, death of relatives, fear of doctors, injections, etc.), fears of “interpersonal relations” (fear of being late, did not catch, fear of inability to cope with feelings, fear of disapproval from peers, etc.) and “technological” fears (fear of fire, fly a plane, explosions, etc.). According to the research of 2008- 2011, almost all children revealed a fear of losing their parents. Change is observed in the content side: children 4-6 years were afraid of losing their parents because parents provide their lives. The perception of parents is changing at the age of 7-9 years and children realize love for them, in 10-11 years signs of the partnership and its value appear. Also the fear of school can be attributed like one of the most frequent fears in children and adolescents. The results of our study showed that almost every third child in the preschool group does not want to go to school and / or nega-tively assesses its educational opportunities. Number of school fears decreases with age and in early adolescence 11-12 years is about 20 %. The article contains a description of such ways to overcome fears as: creation of conditions to transfer interactions and feelings on the toy to defuse a tension; drawing as a way of expressing positive and negative emotions; a variety of fairy tales including in the form metaphors of the life path; parent’s ability to control the amount of crisis situations in children using the Diary of a gradual change of the child problematic behaviour and etc. The study examined the phenomenon of “no fear” in children, which has been found in almost every tenth child. Discusses its possible causes and negative sides.

Interpersonal engagement mediates the relation between maternal affect and externalising behaviour in young children with type 1 diabetes.

Mother-child interactions around a shared activity have been shown to play a key role in the development of young children’s capacity to interact cooperatively with others. This evidence is particularly germane to type 1 diabetes (T1D) management in younger children where cooperation with parental treatment efforts is crucial for treatment success and where maternal distress and child behavioural problems are risk factors for treatment management, biomedical and psychological outcomes. In 49 4-to-8 year old children with T1D, we investigated whether the association between maternal affect and child problematic behaviour is mediated by mother-child interactions in the context of a T1D-relevant collaborative problem-solving activity. Mothers completed standardised measures of maternal and child psychological adjustment and interacted with their children in the problem-solving activity, analysed for quality of interpersonal engagement based on evaluations of maternal (sensitivity and cognitive stimulation) and dyadic (joint attention and warmth) behaviours. Mediation analyses confirmed the hypothesis that interpersonal engagement mediates the relation between maternal affective state and child behavioural problems. Specifically, more negative maternal affect is associated with lower levels of interpersonal engagement; these less engaged interactions in turn are associated with more behavioural problems in children. These findings are consistent with research involving typically developing children. The implications of our findings are twofold. First, in the context of psychological adjustment to T1D, maternal affect and mother-child interactions are 2 potential targets for interventions which promote cooperative interactions. Second, understanding and caring for children at biological risk requires attention to developmental psychology theory and method; in particular, research addressing parent-child cooperation carries both conceptual and clinical relevance.

Using a Blocking and Fading Procedure to Reduce Inappropriate Vocalizations and Occurrence of Off-mat Behavior in a Preschool Child with Trisomy 4 and Partial Deletion on Chromosome 2

A three-year-old girl enrolled in a special school for children with developmental disabilities was displaying problematic behavior during nap time. The target behaviors for this intervention included the number of times off-mat as well as inappropriate vocalizations. An intervention that incorporated blocking and a fading technique was utilized to decrease her problem behavior during nap time. The intervention was evaluated using measures of clinical, statistical, and therapeutic significance and was found to have such significance. Additionally, treatment acceptability was assessed. The intervention was determined to be a practical and effective solution to the child's problematic nap time behavior.

Problematic Eating Behaviour in Turkish Children Aged 12-72 Months: Characteristics of Mothers and Children

The aim of this study was to determine prevalence of problematic eating behaviour (PEB), associated risk factors, feeding practices including place of meal, variety of diet, and habits of consuming junk food, the mothers' perception of the child growth status in comparison to his/ her peers, and the effects on anthropometric measurements. This study was carried out among children aged 12-72 months who attended the outpatient clinic in the Ihsan Dogramaci Children's Hospital between February-June 2007. Three hundred and thirty-one mothers of children were asked to complete an extensive questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics and their child's general eating behaviour and feeding practices at mealtimes. Children with PEB were identified based on their mothers' statements. Three hundred and thirty-one cases were 3.32 +/- 1.39 years old. One hundred thirty-five mothers reported having a child with PEB. The mothers described the children's problematic behaviour as: need to walk around with the child during mealtime (45.6%), watching TV during meals (41.9%), picky or fussy eating (39%), vomiting and/or retching (25.7%), retaining food in the mouth for a long time (20.6%), and not eating solid foods (11.8%). In children who had ate neither meat nor vegetables and fruits, took cod-liver oil-containing supplement during the course of the study, and had taken iron supplements in the first year of life, PEB was more frequent than in others. The mean z scores of weight for age (WAZ) were significantly lower in cases with PEB than without PEB. Counselling and supporting of the mother/caregiver could alleviate the effect of inappropriate solutions taken by families. Insistence on composing of the diet variety including especially vegetables, fruits and meat may be promoted by provision of alternative cooking/presentation samples to mothers of children who refuse some foods. Pediatricians should be alerted that lower WAZ values may be a warning indicating a problem which may cause stagnated growth in children with PEB.

Maternal Differential Treatment and Child Adjustment: A Multi‐informant Approach

AbstractThe study aimed to replicate previous links with children's adjustment as well as using children's reports of maternal differential treatment (MDT) to test whether difference scores or favouritism scores demonstrate stronger links with child outcome. Finally, it tested for a unique prediction of children's adjustment from distinct aspects and informants of MDT. The sample consisted of 173 working‐ and middle‐class English families with two children aged four to eight years. Mothers provided reports of the mother–child relationship, and both mothers and fathers provided reports of the children's problematic behaviour. The children also provided reports of parent–child relationships and perceived favouritism via a puppet interview. Results confirmed moderate links between MDT and children's adjustment and showed that difference scores provided a better prediction of adjustment than did the favouritism scores. Finally, the results showed that mothers' reports of differential positive feelings were the most salient aspect of MDT for older siblings whereas mothers' reports of negative feelings and positive discipline were the most salient aspects of MDT for younger siblings.