Showing papers in "Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review in 2004"
TL;DR: The parameters of BPT (e.g., format and setting), parent factors, and child factors that may contribute to treatment outcomes for families of children with ADHD are reviewed here and recommendations for future BPT research in the area of ADHD are made.
Abstract: Behavioral parent training (BPT) is one of the empirically supported psychosocial treatments for ADHD Over many years and in many studies, BPT has been documented to improve both child ADHD behavior and maladaptive parenting behavior In some studies, BPT has also been found to result in benefits in additional domains, such as parenting stress and child classroom behavior However, the BPT literature on children selected as having ADHD lags behind research conducted on BPT for children selected as having oppositional defiant and conduct disorders (ODD and CD, respectively) with regard to examination of factors that may limit treatment attainment, compliance, and outcomes, such as single parenthood, parental psychopathology, and child comorbidity Because of the high degree of comorbidity between ADHD and ODD/CD, it is difficult to separate the two BPT literatures The parameters of BPT (eg format and setting), parent factors, and child factors that may contribute to treatment outcomes for families of children with ADHD are reviewed here and recommendations for future BPT research in the area of ADHD are made
433 citations
TL;DR: The proposed early childhood coercion model describes the processes by which coercive parent–child reciprocities emerge and influences the development of emotion regulation in children and disciplinary styles in parents.
Abstract: Consistent with existing theory, the quality of parent-child interactions during early childhood affects children's social relationships and behavioral adjustment during middle childhood and adolescence. Harsh parenting and a propensity toward emotional overarousal interact very early in life to affect risk for later conduct problems. Less empirical work has evaluated the emergence of early childhood coercive parent-child reciprocities. The proposed early childhood coercion model describes the processes by which coercive parent-child reciprocities emerge. Specifically, the interaction between parenting and infants' propensities toward reactivity influences the development of emotion regulation in children and disciplinary styles in parents. Highly reactive children are expected to experience more difficulty learning to regulate emotions and to evoke harsher parenting. Through a process of mutual reinforcement, harsh parenting, negative emotional reactivity, and poor emotion regulation become coercive parent-child reciprocities during early childhood. The emergence of coercive parent-child interactions further diminishes children's emotional regulatory capacities and affects the formation of peer relationships during kindergarten.
288 citations
TL;DR: It appears that there is a cost of marital conflict and disruption to children's health; however, more comprehensive investigations are needed to further elucidate this relationship.
Abstract: Do parental marital conflict and dissolution influence the risk trajectory of children's physical health risk? This paper reviews evidence addressing this question in the context of understanding how early environmental adversities may trigger a succession of risks that lead to poor health in childhood and greater risk for chronic health problems in adulthood. We first review existing evidence linking marital conflict and dissolution to offspring's physical health outcomes. Next, we provide evidence supporting biopsychosocial pathways that may link marital conflict and dissolution with accelerated health risk trajectories across the lifespan. Specifically, we posit that consequential to the stresses associated with marital conflict and disruption, parenting practices are compromised, leading to offspring deficits in affective, behavioral, and cognitive domains. These deficits, in turn, are hypothesized to increase health risk through poor health behaviors and by altering physiological stress-response systems, including neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and neurotransmitter functioning. On the basis of the available direct evidence and theoretically plausible pathways, it appears that there is a cost of marital conflict and disruption to children's health; however, more comprehensive investigations are needed to further elucidate this relationship. In the final section, we address limitations in the current literature and identify research that is needed to better evaluate the association between marital conflict and dissolution and children's physical health.
209 citations
TL;DR: A broad ecological–developmental perspective is proposed that recognizes that, although persons in these groups often lack resources and experience negative events that can amplify the risk for poor outcomes, they also have resources and adaptive potential.
Abstract: This paper reviews and evaluates the literatures on children in families that are homeless and on adolescents who are homeless on their own. After presenting several emerging theoretical approaches, we propose a broad ecological–developmental perspective that recognizes that, although persons in these groups often lack resources and experience negative events that can amplify the risk for poor outcomes, they also have resources and adaptive potential. The perspective also recognizes that homelessness may have different meanings and outcomes at different points in development and that we need to consider interactions between individual development and multiple levels of social organization in order to foster new solutions to homelessness. On the basis of this perspective, we discuss directions for treatment and preventive interventions as well as social policy.
182 citations
TL;DR: The paper starts with several conceptualizations of the association between gender, neighborhoods and juvenile delinquency, and addresses 4 key questions: is residing in a disadvantaged neighborhood associated with problem behavior in girls?
Abstract: Although a number of reviews of gender differences in conduct problems and delinquency exist, this paper fills a gap in reviewing neighborhood influences on gender differences in conduct problems and delinquency. These influences are known to be important for boys in childhood and adolescence, but cannot be assumed to be influential in the same manner for girls. The paper starts with several conceptualizations of the association between gender, neighborhoods and juvenile delinquency. It then addresses 4 key questions. Is residing in a disadvantaged neighborhood associated with problem behavior in girls? Are neighborhood effects independent of girls' age? Are girls in disadvantaged neighborhoods exposed to more risk factors than girls in advantaged neighborhoods? Can mediating risk factors explain gender differences in neighborhood effects on children's and adolescents' conduct problems and delinquent behavior? Answers to these questions are important to steer research and elucidate aspects of interventions that can be optimized for girls.
144 citations
TL;DR: A review of the theoretical and empirical literature on children’s coping with everyday stress and a description of several existing coping skills training programs for children, highlighting those that are school-based interventions are provided.
Abstract: Children are continuously confronted with everyday stressors in their daily routine, and their ability to deal with these stressors has been found to be significantly related to their psycho- logical adjustment. In fact, numerous studies have indicated that having a repertoire of coping skills at a young age can be a "buffer" or moderator" of the effects of negative life stress on the development of psychological maladjustment. Because of the importance of develop- ing adequate skills to navigate life's daily challenges, a number of school-based interventions have been designed with the goal of teaching children specific "problem-focused" skills that are presumed to enhance coping, yet fewer programs have taught children "emotion focused" skills such as cognitive restructuring or emotional regulation to deal with more uncontrollable stressors. This paper begins with a review of the theoretical and empirical literature on chil- dren's coping with everyday stress and then provides a description of several existing coping skills training programs for children, highlighting those that are school-based interventions. A description is provided of a brief, school based intervention that was recently implemented to determine the differential effects of teaching young children "problem-focused" skills and teaching "emotion-focused" skills on children's subsequent use of specific coping strategies. The study and its outcomes are reviewed. The final section of the paper focuses on issues related to conducting intervention research in the schools, and specific suggestions for re- searchers are delineated for every stage in the process of school based research, to best assure that the research program can be implemented in the schools efficiently and effectively.
126 citations
TL;DR: The value of utilizing an ecological and developmental perspective to after- school program evaluation are presented, including the need for improved research designs and more detailed analyses of program type and services as well as a more complete determination of which children benefit the most from after-school participation.
Abstract: Although there has been a rapid increase in funding and attention to after-school programs, there is little understanding of how after-school programs impact children's developmental trajectories. The heterogeneity of American children makes it very unlikely that all children need after-school programming or that there is but one brand of after-school programming suitable for all youth. We discuss the numerous developmental and contextual factors that may influence which children benefit most from after-school programs as well as the nature of the after-school programs most beneficial to children's needs. The value of utilizing an ecological and developmental perspective to after-school program evaluation are presented, including the need for improved research designs and more detailed analyses of program type and services as well as a more complete determination of which children benefit the most from after-school participation.
120 citations
TL;DR: It is completely counter to the spirit and practice of science to cease questioning the validity of ADHD as proposed by the consensus statement, and there is an ethical and moral responsibility to do so.
Abstract: Why did a group of eminent psychiatrists and psychologists produce a consensus statement that seeks to forestall debate on the merits of the widespread diagnosis and drug treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Barkley et al., 2002)? If the evidence is already that good then no statement is needed. However, the reality is that claims about ADHD being a genuine medical disorder and psychotropics being genuine correctives have been shaken by criticism. Not only is it completely counter to the spirit and practice of science to cease questioning the validity of ADHD as proposed by the consensus statement, there is an ethical and moral responsibility to
113 citations
TL;DR: The authors draw data from historical examples, related research, and personal experience to demonstrate the need to create a societal mandate for change and present specific implications for future areas of research and the type of public education and marketing campaign that will be needed.
Abstract: The research reported in this special issue addresses important areas for the continued development of empirically supported school-based treatments. Although advances in the development and evaluation of treatment services have occurred, there is little public demand for the widespread dissemination of these treatments. In this commentary, the authors draw data from historical examples, related research, and personal experience to demonstrate the need to create a societal mandate for change. They present specific implications for future areas of research and the type of public education and marketing campaign that will be needed to create a demand for empirically supported school-based treatments.
106 citations
TL;DR: Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS), a cognitive–behavioral, school-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder, is described and initial findings regarding the program’s effectiveness are presented.
Abstract: This paper describes Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS), a cognitive-behavioral, school-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder. Clinic-based treatment studies for socially anxious youth are reviewed, and a strong rationale for transporting empirically-based interventions into schools, such as SASS, is provided. The SASS program consists of 12, 40-min group sessions that emphasize social skills and in-vivo exposure. In addition to group sessions, students are seen individually at least twice and participate in 4 weekend social events with prosocial peers from their high schools. Meetings with teachers provide information about social anxiety and facilitate classroom exposures for socially anxious participants. Parents attend 2 psychoeducational meetings about social anxiety, its treatment, and approaches for managing their child's anxiety. Initial findings regarding the program's effectiveness are presented. We conclude by discussing the challenges involved in implementing treatment protocols in schools and provide suggestions to address these issues.
94 citations
TL;DR: A current review of literature pertaining to the psychosocial treatment of children with early-onset bipolar spectrum disorder (EOBPSD) and recommendations for future studies needed to move the field forward are provided.
Abstract: Once considered virtually nonexistent, bipolar disorder in children has recently received a great deal of attention from mental health professionals and the general public. This paper provides a current review of literature pertaining to the psychosocial treatment of children with early-onset bipolar spectrum disorder (EOBPSD). Commencing with evidence of the emerging interest in this topic, we then focus on terminology, the rationale for studying EOBPSD in children, current research and clinical progress, possible explanations for the recent increase in recognition, and essential issues that form the foundation of effective psychosocial treatment. Next we explore areas of research with direct implications for psychosocial treatment. These include biological and psychosocial risk factors associated with bipolar disorder; and the psychosocial treatment of adult-onset bipolar disorder, childhood-onset unipolar disorder, and anger management in children. Following this, we discuss treatments being developed and tested for children with EOBPSD. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for future studies needed to move the field forward.
TL;DR: This paper describes the process of modifying and transporting an evidence-based treatment, Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents, from a university setting to school-based health clinics.
Abstract: This paper describes the process of modifying and transporting an evidence-based treatment, Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A), from a university setting to school-based health clinics. It addresses conceptual issues involved in the shift from efficacy to effectiveness research as well as operational issues specific to the transport of IPT-A into school-based health clinics. Consideration is given to the rationale for an IPT-A effectiveness study, methodological concerns, and the timing of the move from the “lab” to the community. The authors identify challenges and barriers to initiating effectiveness and transportability research and provide suggestions for overcoming these barriers. Recommendations for conducting research in school-based practice settings are provided.
TL;DR: It is argued that schools represent an ideal real world setting in which to conduct effectiveness research and to encourage clinical researchers to engage in effectiveness research in this “location,” as there are benefits to children, pre-service professionals, communities, and researchers.
Abstract: There are many challenges to transporting evidence-based treatments from laboratories into real-world settings. However, if we hope to make our evidence-based treatments accessible and available to children and usable by community professionals, effectiveness research is imperative. We argue that schools represent an ideal real world setting in which to conduct such research. The goals of this paper are to present the advantages of conducting effectiveness research in the school setting and to encourage clinical researchers to engage in effectiveness research in this “location,” as there are benefits to children, pre-service professionals, communities, and researchers. We attempt to further advance the literature by discussing the challenges associated with this work and by providing a case example (The Youth Experiencing Success in School [Y.E.S.S.] Program) that demonstrates real world application of our recommendations.
TL;DR: The challenges faced when a popular model program, the Strengthening Families Program, moves to a larger, multiorganization endeavor are discussed, with the need for good communication among program partners, extensive community outreach, and the ability to secure additional resources highlighted.
Abstract: This article discusses the challenges faced when a popular model program, the Strengthening Families Program, which in the past has been implemented on a smaller scale in single organizations, moves to a larger, multiorganization endeavor. On the basis of 42 interviews conducted with program staff, the results highlight two main themes that address program and organizational characteristics. The themes relate to the cultural relevance of the program, the accessibility of program partners, the organization of program services, and the coordination of program activities. The article also offers a discussion of how to better prepare sites for program delivery. This discussion focuses explicitly on the need for good communication among program partners, extensive community outreach, and the ability to secure additional resources.
TL;DR: The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of a school-based trauma-specific mental health program in New York City following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of a school-based trauma-specific mental health program in New York City following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This program aimed to serve children most at risk for developing mental health problems as a result of physical proximity (e.g., evacuation from schools surrounding the World Trade Center) to the trauma. As we present the components of the program, we will review the literature that guided our decision making. The ongoing struggle between searching for answers from established science and immediate needs in a crisis is highlighted. Lastly, a discussion of the lessons learned and recommended next steps is presented.
TL;DR: The authors show that their critique is not a form of reasonable scientific debate with informed, constructive criticism, but merely a misrepresentation of the existing scientific literature on ADHD, designed to convince the scientifically uninformed of its nonexistence and of the misuse of medications for its management.
Abstract: In rebuttal to Timimi et al., we show that their critique is not a form of reasonable scientific debate with informed, constructive criticism, but merely a misrepresentation of the existing scientific literature on ADHD apparently designed to convince the scientifically uninformed of its nonexistence and of the misuse of medications for its management. We show their argument to be based on faulty logic, selective citation, misreprensentation of individual studies, ignorance of the vast literature on ADHD, and innuendo that maligns the integrity of scientists studying the disorder. Our original International Consensus Statement on ADHD remains untarnished by this faux critique – indeed it was intended to refute just such unsupported and unsupportable criticism that often appears in the popular media.