Psychological Development Of Children Research Articles

Fathers' Perceptions of Rough-and-Tumble Play: Implications for Early Childhood Services

FATHER–CHILD PLAY THAT is physical, vigorous and highly stimulating and that simulates fighting (rough-and-tumble play [RTP]) has been suggested as a key aspect of male parenting that is important for child development. Evidence from animal studies suggests that RTP can stimulate brain development in juveniles leading to improved cognitive performance. However, RTP in humans has only recently been investigated and fathers' views of RTP have not been identified. Following a weight-loss program involving fathers, their children and RTP, semi-structured interviews were held with 16 fathers. Most fathers identified the active, physical, competitive games within RTP as enhancing the father–child relationship and benefiting their child's development. Allowing the child to win, by the fathers' self-handicapping in the competitive bouts, was not only recognised as enjoyable, especially to the child, but as strengthening the bond between father and child. Fathers also felt that defeating the child occasionally was important and appropriate for the child's healthy social and psychological development. Similarly, risk was seen not only in terms of immediate injury but also as something for the child to learn in order to become competent as an adult. Implications of this research for early childhood professionals' encouragement of physical activity through their teaching role and while educating parents are discussed.

Introduction

Pediatric nephrology is a relatively recent medical speciality. The first French center opened in January 1969 at the Hospital des Enfants-Malades. In 2008, according to the Réseau Épidémiologie et Information en Néphrologie (REIN), the annual incidence of end stage renal disease (ESRD) was of 7,8 children/million children below the age of 20, which equals a prevalence of 49 pediatric ESRD patients/million inhabitants. The frequency of causative factors of ESRD varies according to the geographic and ethnic origin of the patients. Many challenges still lay ahead of ESRD management. The children's physical, psychological and social development has to be well taken care of until adulthood and the transition from pediatric to adult unit has to be handled with special care. The set up of pediatric nephrology departments helped to the access of patients to renal replacement therapy, in particular the pediatric priority for kidney donors below 30 years of age. In the 2000s period, the annual rate of pediatric renal transplantation was 70 to 75 grafts per year in France, half of which performed in the Paris area. This article presents the historical background of pediatric nephrology and pediatric renal transplantation in France.

Developing Reflective Function:The Advocacy Model as a way of developing a sense of meaning in young people

The psychological development of children and adolescents, however broadly or narrowly conceived, is central to the purpose and function of schools. However, insufficient attention may be paid to a key aspect of psychological development in adolescence ― the reflective function. This paper outlines the rationale for a specific systemic intervention in the schooling experience of adolescents. In a number of schools in Victoria the provision of one-to-one relationships between teacher-advocates and students is coupled with the use of a bank of electronic tools (the Student Achievement Inventory) designed to support the development of refective function and with it the capacity to construct a meaningful experience of learning within the school context. The Advocacy Model is discussed within the framework of developmental psychology and attachment theory.

Poisoning the mind: Arsenic contamination of drinking water wells and children's educational achievement in rural Bangladesh

Bangladesh has experienced the largest mass poisoning of a population in history owing to contamination of groundwater with naturally occurring inorganic arsenic. Prolonged drinking of such water risks development of diseases and therefore has implications for children's cognitive and psychological development. This study examines the effect of arsenic contamination of tubewells, the primary source of drinking water at home, on the learning outcome of school-going children in rural Bangladesh using recent nationally representative data on secondary school children. We unambiguously find a negative and statistically significant correlation between mathematics scores and arsenic-contaminated drinking tubewells at home, net of the child's socio-economic status, parental background and school specific unobserved correlates of learning. Similar correlations are found for an alternative measure of student achievement and subjective well-being (i.e. self-reported measure of life satisfaction), of the student. We conclude by discussing the policy implication of our findings in the context of the current debate over the adverse effect of arsenic poisoning on children.

Can we identify the neglected/emotional abused preschool child? A systematic review

AimsEarly neglect has far reaching consequences for a child's emotional, psychological and social development. Professionals lack confidence in identifying the thresholds for action in such cases, and our systematic review...

The Experiences and Feelings of Chinese Children Living With Leukemia

Leukemia is the most common pediatric malignancy. Many children with leukemia display behavioral and emotional problems. Promoting children's psychological development and quality of life during hospitalization is an important activity carried out by health professionals. The objective of this study was to describe the experiences and feelings of Chinese children with leukemia in the hospital. In-depth interviews were conducted with Chinese children with leukemia using a descriptive qualitative research method. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Twenty-nine children with leukemia were interviewed. Almost all children had negative experiences and feelings during the early stage of hospitalization, and there were 3 levels of adaptation that they displayed: inability to adapt to hospitalization, a sense of being compelled to accept hospitalization, and adaptation to hospitalization. Three factors are associated with children's psychological distress, including the duration of treatment, children's personality, and age. Children of a younger age, with more extrovert personalities and who were undergoing longer treatment courses, adapted to hospitalization more easily. The findings provide information for health professionals to understand children's psychological status during hospitalization and help nurses to plan individualized psychological care for children.

P01-464 - Children of homosexual parents

Like families headed by heterosexual parents, lesbian and gay parents and their children are a diverse group. Unlike heterosexual parents, however, lesbian and gay parents are often subject of discrimination because of their sexual orientation while facing adoption, custody or assisted reproductive technologies, based on stereotypes concerning children psychological development and wellbeing.This work reviews empirical evidence regarding children with gay and lesbian parents. The results of existing research comparing children of homosexual parents with children of heterosexual parents are quite clear: common stereotypes are not supported by the data.

Importance of Bringing Dogs in Contact with Children during Their Socialization Period for Better Behavior

Much attention has been given to the role that dogs play in the social, physical, and psychological development of children. Furthermore, dogs are now playing a new important role in animal-assisted education (AAE). However, some dogs have difficulty getting along with children. The aim of this study was to demonstrate how dogs' contact with children during and after their socialization period influenced their responses toward children. In total, 31 pet dogs were divided into three groups. Group 1 dogs had been in contact with children during the canine socialization period (between 3 and 12 weeks of age); Group 2 dogs had been in contact with children after this socialization period; Group 3 dogs seldom had contact with children. As soon as a child entered the room, the dog was presented three stimuli by the child over the course of several intervals. The dogs' responses were evaluated by analyzing behavior and heart rates. The dogs that had been in contact with children during their socialization period did not show aggressive behavior or excited behavior toward the child in our test. Moreover, their heart rates were significantly decreased even during the last stimulus, which involved the child running around the dog while calling its name. This study suggested that the dogs having contact with children during socialization period might not show inappropriate responses toward children and could be suitable for taking part in AAE.

Interim Restorative Approach for the Management of Congenitally Missing Permanent Mandibular Incisors: Presentation of Three Cases

Congenital missing of mandibular permanent incisors with retained primary incisors may jeopardize the esthetic appearance and psychological development of children, especially during the years of transition into adolescence. The retained primary teeth are necessary for the maintenance and normal development of alveolar bone, which in turn is essential for future definitive rehabilitation. In such situations, an interim restoration may be provided before any definitive treatment is given to comfort the young patient during this transition period. Interim restorations may include resin-modified additions to the existing teeth as well as more sophisticated restorations such as resin-retained bridge and removable partial dentures. However, this restoration differs for different clinical situations based on various factors such as age and patient compliance, and also consideration has to be given for the growth changes of the child. The aim of this present paper is to discuss the esthetic management of three cases with bilateral agenesis of permanent mandibular incisors and retained primary incisors with composite interim restoration.

The Impact of Childhood Maltreatment: A Review of Neurobiological and Genetic Factors

Childhood maltreatment represents a significant risk factor for psychopathology. Recent research has begun to examine both the functional and structural neurobiological correlates of adverse care-giving experiences, including maltreatment, and how these might impact on a child’s psychological and emotional development. The relationship between such experiences and risk for psychopathology has been shown to vary as a function of genetic factors. In this review we begin by providing a brief overview of neuroendocrine findings, which indicate an association between maltreatment and atypical development of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis stress response, which may predispose to psychiatric vulnerability in adulthood. We then selectively review the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies that have investigated possible structural and functional brain differences in children and adults who have experienced childhood maltreatment. Differences in the corpus callosum identified by structural MRI have now been reliably reported in children who have experienced abuse, while differences in the hippocampus have been reported in adults with childhood histories of maltreatment. In addition, there is preliminary evidence from functional MRI studies of adults who have experienced childhood maltreatment of amygdala hyperactivity and atypical activation of frontal regions. These functional differences can be partly understood in the context of the information biases observed in event-related potential and behavioral studies of physically abused children. Finally we consider research that has indicated that the effect of environmental adversity may be moderated by genotype, reviewing pertinent studies pointing to gene by environment interactions. We conclude by exploring the extent to which the growing evidence base in relation to neurobiological and genetic research may be relevant to clinical practice and intervention.

Reviews: Child Development, Culture and Psychological Development, Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (3rd ed.), Doing Qualitative Research in Psychology: A Practical Guide, Essential Psychology: A Concise Introduction, Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology (3rd ed.), Psychological Groupwork with Acute Psychiatric Patients, Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, Theories of Developmental Psychology, Your Psychology Project Handbook: Becoming a

Reviews: Child Development, Culture and Psychological Development, Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (3rd ed.), Doing Qualitative Research in Psychology: A Practical Guide, Essential Psychology: A Concise Introduction, Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology (3rd ed.), Psychological Groupwork with Acute Psychiatric Patients, Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, Theories of Developmental Psychology, Your Psychology Project Handbook: Becoming a

Growing up in the shadow of terrorism: Youth in America after 9/11.

Research conducted in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks (9/11) suggests that, except for those who directly witnessed or suffered loss from the attacks, for most children the emotional impact was relatively transitory. We review this literature as well as consider other ways in which the attacks may have played a role in the development of adolescents and young adults as they came of age in the shadow of 9/11 in the United States. Specifically, we discuss the potential impact of the collective trauma of 9/11 on children's coping and emotional regulation, their sociopolitical attitudes, and their general beliefs about the world. Developmental issues and the role of parents in shaping their children's responses to 9/11 are also addressed. Researchers interested in children's social, emotional, and psychological development have much to learn about children's reactions to events like 9/11 and factors that might mitigate the negative consequences of such events on children's development.

Growing up in foster families or institutions: Attachment representation and psychological adjustment of young adults

This study considers whether type of placement (foster care versus institutional care) is related to patterns of attachment representation and the quality of psychological adjustment in a sample of 48 young adults, who grew up either in foster care or in institutions. The subjects were interviewed using the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1996, [2001]) and their psychological adjustment was assessed by using the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 1993; German version by Franke, 2000). The results show significantly more positive effects of foster care when compared with institutional upbringing. These findings support the possibility of a beneficial effect of an alternative stable (foster) family relationship for children's psychological development. Implications for assessing placement options for children following severe traumatization are discussed.

Research Review: The neurobiology and genetics of maltreatment and adversity

The neurobiological mechanisms by which childhood maltreatment heightens vulnerability to psychopathology remain poorly understood. It is likely that a complex interaction between environmental experiences (including poor caregiving) and an individual's genetic make-up influence neurobiological development across infancy and childhood, which in turn sets the stage for a child's psychological and emotional development. This review provides a concise synopsis of those studies investigating the neurobiological and genetic factors associated with childhood maltreatment and adversity. We first provide an overview of the neuroendocrine findings, drawing from animal and human studies. These studies indicate an association between early adversity and atypical development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stress response, which can predispose to psychiatric vulnerability in adulthood. We then review the neuroimaging findings of structural and functional brain differences in children and adults who have experienced childhood maltreatment. These studies offer evidence of several structural differences associated with early stress, most notably in the corpus callosum in children and the hippocampus in adults; functional studies have reported atypical activation of several brain regions, including decreased activity of the prefrontal cortex. Next we consider studies that suggest that the effect of environmental adversity may be conditional on an individual's genotype. We also briefly consider the possible role that epigenetic mechanisms might play in mediating the impact of early adversity. Finally we consider several ways in which the neurobiological and genetic research may be relevant to clinical practice and intervention.

Associations of body composition with physical self-description among lower primary school boys

Physical self-description (PSD) plays an important role in physical education outcomes. Body composition is part of physical education component. The purpose of the present study is to determine the associations...

The involvement of Hong Kong parents in the education of their children: a validation of the Parents' Attributions and Perception Questionnaire

This study describes the validation and interpretation of the Parents' Attributions and Perception Questionnaire (PAPQ) using confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch modelling to report both the construct validity and category structure of the scales in the questionnaire. The PAPQ was developed to reflect the proposal that parents mediate the relationship between their children's social and psychological development, and their academic achievement, within the context of Hong Kong. The questionnaire consists of four subscales that reflect different interactions between parents and their children in relation to their children's academic‐related activities, including a Parental Attributions Scale, Parental Beliefs of Working Memory Scale, Parental Home and School Involvement Scale, and Parental Academic Expectations Scale. These subscales were supplemented by a fifth subscale that describes parents' socio‐economic background. The PAPQ was administered to 215 parents from four schools in Hong Kong. Results showed that the four subscales of the PAPQ are valid and reliable unidimensional measures of constructs related to parental role in the academic achievement of their children, thereby enabling future research to directly test Vygotsky's hypothesis.

The neurobiology of maltreatment and adolescent violence

Early adversity is associated with later psychopathology, including conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, anxiety, and depression.1 The neurobiological mechanisms by which childhood adversity heightens vulnerability to psychopathology remain poorly understood. A complex interaction between environmental experiences (such as maltreatment) and individual differences in risk versus protective genes probably influence neurobiological development across infancy, childhood, and adolescence,2 which in turn sets the stage for a child's psychological and emotional development.

Sensorimotor therapy: Physical and psychological regressions contribute to an improved kinesthetic and vestibular capacity in children and adolescents with motor difficulties and concentration problems

Our aim was to gain increased understanding of the effects of sensorimotor therapy on the physical and psychological development of children and young people when using the method Retraining for Balance. The records of 8 children who had completed the program were randomly selected from a cohort of 232 with sensorimotor difficulties and concentration problems. The participants, 7 boys and 1 girl, averaged 9 years of age. The Empirical Phenomenological Psychological method (the EPP-method, Gunmar Karlsson, 1995) was used for this analysis, which resulted in 29 categories which yielded 3 overarching themes: a) the introduction of sensorimotor exercises, b) regression to earlier sensorimotor and psychological behaviors, and c) transformations in which the sensorimotor and psychological skills of the children matured and developed. The themes formed the kinesthetic-vestibular developmental model illustrating how sensorimotor exercises push the therapy process forward while recurrent regressions are followed by positive developmental phases. The results of the study were generalized to the remaining 224 children in the cohort by comparing each individual's records to the kinesthetic-vestibular model.

Dealing with Psychiatric Disabilities in Schools: A Description of Symptoms and Coping Strategies for Dealing with Them

ABSTRACT Despite the large number of children that the Surgeon General of the United States estimated to be suffering from a mental disorder (Office of the Surgeon General, 2000), the majority of childhood disorders are undiagnosed and untreated. The negative effect of childhood disorders on a child's academic, social, and psychological development can be devastating. The child's teacher is often the 1st person to identify that there is a problem and the 1st person to suggest referrals. The teacher is also often able to make adjustments in the classroom that can enable the child to be successful academically, minimize the negative effects of the illness on the child's development, and manage the child's behaviors that can disrupt the classroom. The author describes the most common disorders that teachers have observed in the classroom, including major depressive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and conduct disorder. The author presents the effects of childhood disorders on a child's classroom performance and offers suggestions for coping with those effects. With these suggestions, teachers can contribute to better outcomes for children with childhood disorders.

Intervenção precoce na comunicação pais-bebê com deficiência visual

A deficiência visual congênita, que pode levar à cegueira, tem sido vista como risco para a interação mãe-bebê e para o desenvolvimento psicológico da criança. O bebê que nasce com uma deficiência visual acentuada tem uma relação diferenciada com o mundo, sendo que outras vias de comunicação e percepção terão de ser ativadas para que ele alcance o desenvolvimento. Os pais são de extrema importância para o desenvolvimento desse bebê, o qual, mais do que nunca, necessita deles para entrar em contato com seu ambiente. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste artigo é revisar a produção científica na área de intervenção precoce com pais e bebês que apresentam deficiência visual congênita. Para isto, identificam-se controvérsias teóricas acerca do desenvolvimento destes bebês, aspectos da intervenção que favorecem a interação pais-bebê e dificuldades metodológicas dos estudos nesta área.