Psychological Development Of Children Research Articles

Organized youth sports and the psychological development of nine-year-old males

Two hundred thirty-two 9-year-old males were administered the Harter Self-Perception Profile before and after a season of participation in organized youth sports to assess changes in their self-perceptions of competence and self-worth. The children were participating in either soccer or baseball, and the levels of competition were either tryout or recreation. Harter's cognitive-developmental formulations suggested that soccer players and/or the recreation league players in both sports would show greater increases in self-perceptions than those involved in baseball and/or the tryout leagues. Additionally, parents and coaches rated the players on several dimensions hypothesized to be influenced by participation in youth sports. Across all groups, children's perceptions of their athletic and scholastic competence, physical appearance, and global self-worth increased from pre- to post-season. Although there were no differential changes by group, the results suggest that these activities at best promoted children's psychological development, and at worst, did not decrease their self-perceptions.

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF GROWTH HORMONE THERAPY IN CHILDREN WITH IDIOPATHIC SHORT STATURE

In order to assess the potential psychological impact of growth hormone (GH) therapy on non-GH deficient short stature children, 44 children were investigated in a milti-center, multi-national clinical trial. The children were randomly assigned to a treated or non-treated group. Inclusion criteria were: strictly non-pubertal, normal growth velocity for chronological age (CA), height ≤ −2 SD for CA. Psychological assessment was performed twice, before random assignment and after 18 months, It included the Wisc-R (IQ), the Comprehensive System Rorschach Test (personality), the Goodenough's Draw-A-Person test (development and body image), the Rey Figure (development, cognition and neurological functions). At intake, mean age was of 8.4 (42) with 23 males and 21 females, mean height of −2.9 SD (10.6). IQs were of average range, body image was consistent with age, but learning difficulties, affective disturbances and cognitive deficits more frequent than average. There were no differences between the treated and control groups. Retest results indicate that (1) psychological development of children in the treated and control groups is identical in every aspect; (2) the whole group is significantly less depressed and less cognitively impaired, (3) a direct relationship is found between children's perception of the benefits of treatment and their basic attitude towards being small, of which three types are described. It is concluded that no objective data support the notion of a psychological impact of treatment itself nor of the self-perceived change in growth velocity. The very specific cognitive ami affective disturbances of these children should be addressed with relevant psychological interventions. Supported by a grant from SERONO FRANCE.

LA FORTUNE DE L'ÉMILE ET LA RÉNOVATION PÉDAGOGIQUE AU SIÈCLE DES LUMIÈRES

Two educational methods–both influenced by Rousseau's “Emile”–were in vogue in France during the enlightenment period: the sensualist approach and a more traditional way of teaching. Both theories were child‐centred and were mainly concerned with the following questions: children's age and mental maturity, their speed of assimilation, and their own contribution to the learning process. The first approach was based solely on the use of the senses and intuition. Watching pictures and playing games were the main learning activities. Practically no intellectual effort had to be made by the pupils themselves, who to a large extent remained passive recipients. The active learning method on the other hand was based on children's psychological and mental development, their experience and Personal interests and the use of familiar objects from their close surroundings in the teaching process. Here games corresponded to what chiidren needed according to their age and were tools which contributed to the shaping of t...

The meshcheryakov experiment: Soviet work on the education of blind-deaf children

By its very nature, the predicament of the blind-deaf child invites debate about the course of human development and its contributing forces. From the time they are born, blind-deaf children are seen as grievously lacking in even the most basic of human characteristics. How and on what basis should training and intervention be undertaken? Alexander Meshcheryakov, one of Lev Vygotsky's successors within the Soviet tradition of sociohistorical psychology, embarked on an educational program for blind-deaf children which had at its core a theory of mind rooted in the concept of human activity. Meshcheryakov's theories and methods contrast with those in which the processing of sensory information is seen as the primary motor of the child's psychological development. After his death in 1974, Meshcheryakov's work was widely acclaimed by Soviet psychologists. However, it has recently been challenged within the Soviet Union, providing a window on academic and political debate in the era of glasnost.

Nuclear War: Fear of Children and Adolescents

ABSTRACTUsing an extended fear survey schedule, 72 per cent of a sample of 8 to 16 year old children and adolescents in Australia reported a lot of fear of nuclear war. Although a high proportion of respondents in all age groups expressed a lot of fear of nuclear war, significantly more respondents in the middle age group (11-13 years) were found to be afraid. Consistent with the findings on children's fears in general, significantly more females than males reported fear of nuclear war. Further research should be undertaken on the impact of the fear of nuclear war on the psychological development of children and adolescents.

Maternal interactional behavior with nonorganic failure-to-thrive infants: A case comparison study

Mothers of 47 6-month-old infants with early histories of nonorganic failure to thrive (NOFT) infants and a matched comparison group of physically healthy infants were observed in interactions with their infants in their homes one month following hospitalization. Mothers of NOFT infants were observed to have less adaptive social interactional behavior, less positive affective behavior, and demonstrated more arbitrary termination of feedings. No group differences were found in flexibility or sensitivity of maternal feeding, or in environmental circumstances such as number of persons present, noise level, or level of activity. These salient deficiencies in maternal interactional behavior may continue to disrupt the NOFT child's physical growth and psychological development following initial diagnosis and hospitalization. Additional studies are needed to identify patterns of maternal interactional behavior which influence psychological prognosis and to assess the responsiveness of maternal interactional behavior to intervention.

Use of art and play therapy in pediatric oncology.

Play enhances a child's physical growth and development and contributes to the mastery of language and social skills. It is essential for the child's psychological development and maturation. An overview of the field of play and art psychotherapy is presented with an outline of the function of play for the physically ill child. Techniques of play and art therapy that nurses can use for children with cancer, including therapeutic play, are described.

The psychological, educational and auditory sequelae of early, persistent secretory otitis media.

Previous studies have suggested an association between chronic middle ear disorders due to secretory otitis media and adverse effects on auditory, educational and psychological development in children. Experimental design of such studies has often been poor. In this study, attempts were made to control extraneous variables more rigorously, using matched pairs. A group of children (n = 10) without current hearing problems but with a history of recurrent early secretory otitis media, aged 7-11 yrs, were compared on auditory, educational and psychological measures with a matched group of children with no history of otitis media. The results indicated weak but distinct differences between the two groups on the educational and psychological measures in favour of the control group. The implications for medical and educational services are outlined.

Organization of joint actions as a factor of child psychological development

This paper deals with the problem of the organization of children's joint actions and their impact on the development of children's cognitive processes. Two forms of joint action organization and consequently, two directions of child development will be considered. In one form, development occurs without change in the form of child-child and child-adult interactions. In the other form, it is children's mastering of a new system of child-child and child-adult interactions and interrelations which promotes development. In the latter form, joint activity has a genetic function as an action form, mediating S-O relations and it has a sociocultural function as well as providing a cultural environment determining the genesis of culturally significant cognitive means (‘signs objects’) and their transfer from adult to child.

Helping children cope with frightening media presentations

Various researchers over the past fifty years have observed that mass media presentations can produce intense flight reactions in children (Blumer, 1933; Himmelweit, Oppenheim, & Vince, 1958; Preston, 1941; Schramm, Lyle, & Parker, 1961). Public concern with this phenomenon has been rekindled recently, in part because mass media content has become increasingly graphic and horror-filled, and because television has been confronting more disturbing and controversial issues. In addition, due to the proliferation of available television channels, the most upsetting and sophisticated types of content are becoming readily accessible to children of all ages in their own homes. Although a few psychoanalytically oriented observers feel that frightening presentations can serve a largely positive function in children's emotional development (e.g., Bettelheim, 1975; Smetak, 1986), it seems that the majority of investigators of frightening fare are concerned about potential negative effects on children. In the thirties, Blumer (1933) claimed that "emotional possession" by movies caused individuals to lose ordinary control over their feelings and perceptions. In the forties, Preston (1941) warned that "addiction" to media horrors could produce profound negative effects on children's physical and psychological health. More recently, Singer (1975) has argued that children may be haunted for years by night terrors and bizarre and weird fantasies if they are exposed to frightening movies that are beyond their capacity to comprehend. In a recently published book on children's fears, Sarafino (1986) has maintained that exposure to "scary portrayals of animals, violence, and monsters on TV and in the movies can impair children's psychological development" (p. 56). A recent review of research on the prevalence of media-induced fears (Cantor, in press) concluded that most people have experienced such fears, that a substantial proportion of viewers have undergone intense responses that have lasted beyond the time of viewing, and that a sizeable minority have suffered what might be classified as a "significant stress reaction" (see Johnson, 1980) with a duration of at least two days. Blumer (1933) described the range of observed flight reactions as follows:

Effects of family configuration variables on reported indices of parental power among Iranian adolescents.

Abstract This research investigated the degree to which birth order, number of siblings, and other family configuration variables such as parental education and material modernity affect Iranian adolescents’ reports pertaining to differential parental power. Reports of parental involvement or indices of such involvement in a number of interaction areas were collected from 732 senior high‐school students in Shiraz, Iran. An overall index of comparative parental power was constructed and used as the dependent variable, to be predicted by family configuration variables. Results indicated that both birth order and family size affected reported power. Perceived maternal power increased with birth order and decreased with the number of siblings. These effects remained when pertinent measures of SES, parental education, and modernity were included in the model. It is concluded that some of the effects of birth order and family size on social and psychological development of children are probably mediated by their effects on the intrafamily power structure and communication patterns.

Selective exposure of active and sociable children to schistosomiasis

Investigations into the impact of schistosomiasis on the physical and psychological development of children have yielded contradictory findings. This may be due to a failure to take account of transmission factors. In areas where Schistosoma haematobium is endemic, children who bathe regularly in contaminated water are more likely to contract the disease. The harmful effects of the disease may be masked in these more active and gregarious children, particularly when infections are mild and other parasitic infections and nutrional deficiencies are common. The social interaction of schoolchildren in an endemic area was monitored over a period of four months, and the principal finding was that infected children were more sociable than uninfected children in terms of their membership of the main playground groups. This paper discusses the evidence for selective exposure and the implications of the hypothesis for future research.

Use of art and play therapy in pediatric oncology.

Play enhances a child's physical growth and development and contributes to the mastery of language and social skills. It is essential for the child's psychological development and maturation. An overview of the field of play and art psychotherapy is presented with an outline of the function of play for the physically ill child. Techniques of play and art therapy that nurses can use for children with cancer, including therapeutic play, are described.

Family risk factors as predictors of psychological development in 10- and 11-year-olds - Family counselling in the prevention of mental disturbances

Aronen E. Family risk factors as predictors of psychological development in 10- and 11-year-olds - Family councelling in the prevention of mental disturbances.The purpose of this study was to determine whether the familiy risk diagnosis made during the first six months of a child's life accurately predicted the psychological development of a child at the age of 10-11 years, and whether family counselling provided for half of the families could prevent mental disturbances in children at this age. The study included 196+20 families and their children born between July 1, 1975 and June 30. 1976. Each family was visited 3-6 times during the child's first six months of life. Using data thus obtained the supervisory group divided the families into four risk groups which reflected the familie's circumstances with respect to the mental development of the child. There were 29 (17%) families in which the child's psychological development was considered to be at risk. After that the families were divided into counse...

URBAN TREES IN HONG KONG—BENEFITS AND CONSTRAINTS

Summary Much of Urban Hong Kong is poor in environmental quality and lacking in amenity vegetation. The quality of life in the city can be improved by providing for more trees as well as reducing atmospheric pollution. The many benefits and functions of greenery in an urban setting, including those on aesthetics, psychological development of children, mental health and amelioration of climatic extremes and air pollution, are discussed in the local context. The problems of tree planting, growth and care, particularly the grave shortage of growing space, the stressful subaerial and subterranean environment, the physical abuses due to man and the lack of arboricultural care are elaborated.

The effects of day care: A critical analysis

Maternal employment has increased over the last thirty years in the USA. The result of this increase means more families are in need of day‐care for their children. Examined in this paper are research findings on the effects of day‐care on pre‐school children and their families. The implications of these findings for policy development are critically discussed. Currently in the USA, over 50% of mothers work outside the home; this figure is expected to rise to 75% by 1990. The fastest growing segment of the working mother population is among those with children under two (Zigler and Gordon, 1982). This increasing rate of maternal employment over the last two decades has created the need for alternative arrangements for infants and young children. There is some concern among child developmental specialists that these alternative arrangements of caremay have detrimental effects on a child's social and psychological development. Much of the concern about substitute care is based on the theory and research rel...

Iatrogenic effects of general anesthesia in children: considerations in treating large congenital nevocytic nevi.

Dermatologists are often faced with the decision of when to operate on a child at risk for developing malignant melanoma in a large congenital nevocytic nevus. As a series of operations is usually required, an understanding of the lethal and nonlethal effects of the general anesthesia is necessary. This paper discusses these potential iatrogenic effects on the child's physical and psychological development. Suggestions are given for optimal times to operate, considering both psychological and physical factors, (i.e., 6-9 months or 8-12 years of age) and ways to minimize unwanted side effects.

Some theoretical considerations on confidential adoptions part III: The adopted child

In all cases of newborn adoption where placement is made directly into the permanent adoptive home, the adoptive parents become the psychological parents for that child. While adopted children do have separate psychological and genetic parents, the capacity for intimacy, identity, and a cohesive sense of self develops through the consistent empathic attachment between the adoptive parents and the child. We discuss the adopted child's psychological development through infancy, pre-oedipal, oedipal, latency, and adolescence and focus on the child's intrapsychic tasks at each developmental phase. We note how development is different for the adopted child and how this development would be diminished or enhanced by the direct or subtle indirect involvement in an open or confidential adoption. Open adoptions appear to have the risk of serious interference at each developmental phase. Confidential adoptions appear to provide the child with the psychological protection for the unfolding of development. There is a new trend in the field of child welfare toward “openness in adoption,” which purports to change traditional confidential adoptions. We discuss the crucial aspects of the intrapsychic difference for an adopted child experiencing an open or confidential adoption.

Infant bonding: mystique and reality.

Current formulations of the crucial significance of the mother-infant relationship in the neonatal period and the first year of life for the child's psychological development have important theoretical and practical implications. This review examines these formulations in their historical context and concludes that they are not supported by the research literature. An alternative approach is suggested.

Children's Psychological Development as a Function of the Inaccuracy of Their Mothers' Knowledge of Their Abilities

Abstract This study was suggested by Hunt's modification of Piaget's theory of “equilibration” to include the affective and motivational aspects of psychological reactions and to produce “the problem of the match.” Because mothers who know their infant's abilities and interests are less likely to confront them with environments posing either boring undermatches or distressing overmatches, a negative correlation was expected between the inaccuracy of mothers' knowledge of their 4-year-old children's abilities and degree of their development. The Ss were SO dyads of mothers and children in their fifth year. An interviewer asked each mother to predict the responses of her child to 96 test items taken from standardized tests to represent mental ages from 3 to 9 years. Simultaneously, an examiner administered these test items to each mother's child. The numbers of false maternal predictions showed a correlation of —.80 with the numbers of test-items their children passed. Nearly all of this “effect” is a matte...