Socially withdrawn children frequently refrain from social activities in the presence of peers. The lack of social interaction in childhood may result from a variety of causes, including social fear and anxiety or a preference for solitude. From early childhood through to adolescence, socially withdrawn children are concurrently and predictively at risk for a wide range of negative adjustment outcomes, including socio-emotional difficulties (e.g., anxiety, low self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and internalizing problems), peer difficulties (e.g., rejection, victimization, poor friendship quality), and school difficulties (e.g., poor-quality teacher-child relationships, academic difficulties, school avoidance). The goals of the current review are to (a) provide some definitional, theoretical, and methodological clarity to the complex array of terms and constructs previously employed in the study of social withdrawal; (b) examine the predictors, correlates, and consequences of child and early-adolescent soc...

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Social withdrawal in childhood

may make for difficulty and perhaps the work could be improved by better integration of the chapters. This is not an adverse criticism of the book. It is merely a constructive criticism for the future, for there is no doubt that this work is the most useful book on operative obstetrics today in the English language. It is also the most beautifully produced and one of the most worth-while books on obstetrics in the whole of modern medical literature. E.E.P.

The Doctor, His Patient and the Illness

Parent–child interactions and anxiety disorders: an observational study

Despite significant advances in the field of social neuroscience, much remains to be understood regarding the development and maintenance of social skills across the life span. Few comprehensive models exist that integrate multidisciplinary perspectives and explain the multitude of factors that influence the emergence and expression of social skills. Here, a developmental biopsychosocial model (SOCIAL) is offered that incorporates the biological underpinnings and socio-cognitive skills that underlie social function (attention/executive function, communication, socio-emotional skills), as well as the internal and external (environmental) factors that mediate these skills. The components of the model are discussed in the context of the social brain network and are supported by evidence from 3 conditions known to affect social functioning (autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and traumatic brain injury). This integrative model is intended to provide a theoretical structure for understanding the origins of social dysfunction and the factors that influence the emergence of social skills through childhood and adolescence in both healthy and clinical populations.

SOCIAL: an integrative framework for the development of social skills.

https://users.ugent.be/~wbeyers/scripties2012/artikels/black%20hawk%20down.pdf

Black hawk down?: Establishing helicopter parenting as a distinct construct from other forms of parental control during emerging adulthood

Dimensions of parental overprotection are clarified in a critical review of the research and clinical literature. An indulgent style of parenting is distinguished from an overprotective parent-child relationship. Differential antecedents and outcomes are proposed for each of these forms of parent-child interaction. Measures of protection are reviewed. A new conceptual model of parental overprotection is presented which takes into account child, parent, family, socio-cultural, environmental and resiliency factors. Directions for future research are suggested.

Parental overprotection revisited.

There is a spectrum of parental protective behaviors promoting child safety and security, ranging from neglect to overprotection. This paper describes the development and psychometric properties of a new measure of parental protective behaviors toward children age 2 to 10 years, the Parent Protection Scale (PPS). Items were selected to represent key dimensions of protective behaviors. Factor analyses suggested four subscales: Supervision, Separation Problems, Dependence, and Control. The PPS has acceptable internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and clinical validity. Norms by child age in the form of cutoff points corresponding to +1 SD were determined. Clinical and research uses for the PPS are noted.

Parent-child relationship disorders. Part I. Parental overprotection and the development of the Parent Protection Scale.

A study of 280 parents with a child age 5-10 years examined the relation between and correlates of parental overprotection (less education, younger child age, being an only child) and parental perception of increased child vulnerability (history of life-threatening illness, child medical condition, first child). One-third of parents who considered their child vulnerable were also considered overprotective.

Parental overprotection and its relation to perceived child vulnerability.

Dimensions of the vulnerable child syndrome are clarified in a critical review of the research and clinical literature. The central construct of the vulnerable child syndrome, an increased parental perception of child vulnerability to illness or injury, is examined in the context of separation and loss. Measures of perceived child vulnerability are reviewed. A new conceptual model of parental perception of child vulnerability is presented that takes into account child, parent, parent-child, parent-clinician, and family factors. Directions for future research are suggested.

The vulnerable child syndrome revisited.

Parents who are excessively concerned about their child's health are often characterized as being overprotective. We hypothesized that parental overprotection is independent of parental perception of child vulnerability to illness or injury despite their presumed interchangeability. A community-based sample of 892 parents (92% white, 84% married, 88% middle-upper socioeconomic status, 90% mothers) completed a three-part protocol (clinical background data, the Child Vulnerability Scale, and the Parent Protection Scale). Correlates of high parental perception of child vulnerability included a medical condition in the child, a history of life-threatening illness or injury, and the child being seen for a sick visit. Correlates of high parental overprotection included younger age of child and parent. Only 20% of those parents who considered their child vulnerable were also considered overprotective.

Michael Thomasgard

Papers

Parental overprotection revisited.

Parent-child relationship disorders. Part I. Parental overprotection and the development of the Parent Protection Scale.

Parental overprotection and its relation to perceived child vulnerability.

The vulnerable child syndrome revisited.

Parent-child relationship disorders. Part II. The vulnerable child syndrome and its relation to parental overprotection.