Acceptance For Young Children Research Articles

Efficacité d'un programme de traitement pour enfants abusés sexuellement

Objective: An evaluation study was conducted in order to evaluate the impact of the treatment program for sexually abused children. Method: Forty-one (41) children (aged 6–17 years), victims of a sexual abuse by a family member, were assessed at pre-and post-treatment (16 months following the pre-test). The evolution of children's psychological well-being was measured by the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the Picturial Scale of Perceived Competence and Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCA), the Children's Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External control scale (CNS-IE), the Children's Action Tendency Scale (CATS), the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and the Pediatric Behavior Scale (PBS). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to assess the strength of the relationship between the level of participation in both individual (including dyadic and family therapy) and group therapy and the evolution of Ss' psychological well-being. Results: Results indicate that the child's mental health was generally positively related to the level of participation in individual therapy but not related or negatively related with the level of participation in group sessions except for the PBS. Conclusions: These results indicate the need: (a) to consider the adoption of a dose measurement in the appreciation of the therapeutic impact; (b) to have a better grasp of the nature and the effects of specific therapeutic activities included in a program; (c) to have a better understanding of the disparities observed between parents' and children's evaluation of the psychological status of the child.

Intellectually Gifted Preschoolers' Perceived Competence: Relations to Maternal Attitudes, Concerns, and Support

The relations of maternal attitudes, concerns, and support networks to intellectually gifted children's perceived competence, as measured by the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (Harter & Pike, 1984), were examined in a sample of 28 middle-class, Caucasian mothers and their gifted preschool children. Mothers' attitudes toward independence and strictness, their concerns, and support network variables (i.e., perceived helpfulness of the network, willingness to seek help from the network, and the amount of contact the child had with network members) were found to be significantly related to multiple dimensions of children's perceived competence. Implications for theory, research, and practice address understanding gifted children's perceived competence in relation to parental correlates.

Psychometric properties of a pictorial self-concept scale among young learning disabled pupils

The aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA) (Harter & Pike, 1983) among young learning disabled pupils. The sample consisted of 105 French Canadian learning disabled pupils in Grades 1–3. All subjects completed a French translation of the PSPCSA, while 58 were retested 2–4 weeks later. The reliability analysis indicates results similar to those found in Harter and Pike's (1983) study. However, the factor analysis reveals three separate factors. These results are discussed in terms of domains of self-concept that were assessed, procedures and subjects characteristics. The main conclusion reached is that the PSPCSA should be used with caution in assessing French speaking pupils with learning disabilities. More research is needed until the instrument as reached acceptable levels of technical adequacy. 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The Prevalence of Obesity Among Saudi Males in the Riyadh Region

Attendees of 15 health centers in urban and rural areas in the Riyadh region were screened for obesity during May and June 1994. Systemic selection yielded 1580 Saudi males for analysis. The mean age was 33.6 +/- 13.5 years and body mass index (BMI) was 26.9 +/- 5.7 kg/m(2). Only 36.6% of subjects were their ideal weight (BMI < 25 kg/m(2)), while 34.8% were overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2)), 26.9% were moderately obese (BMI 30-40 kg/m(2)) and 1.7% were morbidly obese (BMI > 40 kg/m(2)). Middle age, lower education and joblessness predicted a higher risk for obesity. Patients living in a rural areas had greater BMIs than those living in urban areas (P <0.01). Forty percent of overweight participants did not think they were so. The high prevalence of obesity and the lack of awareness among those afflicted emphasizes the need for community-based programs for preventing and reducing obesity, since weight control is effective in ameliorating most of the disorders associated with obesity, such as Type II non-insulin-depedent diabetis mellitus, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, sleep apnea syndrome and osteoarthritis of the knees. Young parents who are at risk of developing obesity and who play a central role in perpetuating it in their offspring should be the target of obesity-prevention programs.

Some effects of homelessness on the psychological functioning of preschoolers

The developmental consequences of homelessness have only recently begun to be investigated. This study examined the effects of homelessness on the self-concept, behavioral symptoms, and emotional development of preschoolers. Self-concept was examined using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Acceptance for Young Children and teachers rated behavioral symptoms using the Child Behavior Checklist. Emotional development was also examined. Results showed that homeless preschoolers have lower self-concepts and display more deviant behaviors on the Child Behavior Checklist than housed preschoolers of the same socioeconomic status. Recognition and understanding of emotion, however, were similar in both groups.

The importance of sensory context in young children's acceptance of salty tastes.

Acceptance of and expressed preference for varying levels of salt (NaCl) were assessed among children 3-6 years of age. 20 children received 0, 0.17, and 0.34 M NaCl in aqueous solution, and 20 received these same NaCl concentrations in a soup broth. In both groups, children were asked to ingest as much as they wanted to each stimulus during brief, sequential presentations and to indicate which stimulus they preferred in a series of paired-comparison presentations. A striking, context-specific reaction to the taste of salt was observed on both measures. Children in this age group strongly rejected even the moderate level of salt in water relative to unsalted water. In contrast, the most highly salted soup was well accepted and preferred to either unsalted or moderately salted soup by the majority of children.

The Importance of Sensory Context in Young Children's Acceptance of Salty Tastes

Acceptance of and expressed preference for varying levels of salt (NaCl) were assessed among children 3-6 years of age. 20 children received 0, 0.17, and 0.34 M NaCl in aqueous solution, and 20 received these same NaCl concentrations in a soup broth. In both groups, children were asked to ingest as much as they wanted to each stimulus during brief, sequential presentations and to indicate which stimulus they preferred in a series of paired-comparison presentations. A striking, context-specific reaction to the taste of salt was observed on both measures. Children in this age group strongly rejected even the moderate level of salt in water relative to unsalted water. In contrast, the most highly salted soup was well accepted and preferred to either unsalted or moderately salted soup by the majority of children.

The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children

A new pictorial scale of perceived competence and social acceptance for young children, a downward extension of the Perceived Competence Scale for Children, is described. There are 2 versions of this instrument, 1 for preschoolers and kindergartners and a second for first and second graders, each tapping 4 domains: cognitive competence, physical competence, peer acceptance, and maternal acceptance. Factor analyses reveal a 2-factor solution. The first factor, general competence, is defined by the cognitive and physical competence subscales. The second factor, social acceptance, comprises the peer and maternal acceptance subscales. The psychometric properties were found to be acceptable. Weak correlations between children's and teachers' judgments are discussed in terms of the young child's tendency to confuse the wish to be competent or accepted with reality. It is urged that this instrument not be viewed as a general self-concept scale but be treated as a measure of 2 separate constructs, perceived competence and social acceptance.

The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Acceptance for Young Children

The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Acceptance for Young Children

The effect of adults' eating on young children's acceptance of unfamiliar foods

Adults presented unfamiliar foods to 14- to 20- and 42- to 48-month-old children individually in their homes. More children put the food in their mouths when the adults also were eating than when the adults simply were offering the food. More children put food in their mouths when their mothers were the source than when the source was a friendly adult “visitor”. However, even when alone with a child, the visitor's eating elicited reliably more tasting. Analysis of requesting behavior indicated that the adults' eating aroused a desire to eat in the children. There were no consistent sex differences or interactions between sex of visitor and sex of child in children's food acceptance. There was a suggestion that younger children were more affected by repeated offerings than were older children. It is concluded that a relatively “low level” form of observational learning—“social facilitation”—can account for the data.