Adolescent Externalizing Symptoms and Parent Emotion Socialization: An Examination of Longitudinal Effects and Differences by Adolescent Sex

Adolescence is an important developmental context with several changes in social and emotional functioning. Though adolescents are gaining independence from their caregivers, they still engage in dynamic interactions with their caregivers who remain key figures in their lives. When adolescents express emotions, caregivers engage in various behaviors in response to these expressions, a process known as emotion socialization. This process has mostly been examined as a parent-driven construct in which parent emotion socialization impacts child-level outcomes, namely internalizing symptoms, with limited research on externalizing symptoms. However, available literature demonstrates that child-level characteristics (e.g., externalizing symptoms) are linked to differences in parent emotion socialization. Extending on Eisenberg and colleagues’ (1998) heuristic model of emotion socialization, the present study aims to examine externalizing behaviors as a child-level characteristic that may have impacts on parent emotion socialization strategies over time in a sample of adolescents. Participants were 87 adolescents (13-15 years old; 50 females) and their caregivers who completed self-report and other report measures across three time points. Change in adolescent externalizing symptoms did not predict change in parent emotion socialization over time. Supplementary analyses indicated that time 1 conduct problems did not predict change in parent emotion socialization. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed

Investigating Exoneration Patterns Among Juveniles

Exoneration from crime has been studied among adults, but exoneration of juveniles (i.e., persons under age 18) has not been analyzed as a separate entity, despite distinct legal systems and developmental considerations. Wrongful conviction, while not always indicative of innocence, devastates lives of convicted individuals and their families, while increasing public mistrust and sometimes failing to convict truly guilty individuals. This devastation, as well as vulnerability to wrongful conviction, is significantly increased for youth who miss out on crucial developmental years, milestones, and opportunities. In the current study, I examined differing and intersecting contributors (i.e., individual characteristics, crime characteristics, legal system processes) associated with juvenile exoneration. My sample, retrieved in August of 2023 from the National Registry of Exonerations (NRE, 2023b), included 293 juvenile exonerees. Interesting findings regarding sentence length emerged, with significant associations with age and race. Older exonerees and Black and other racially minoritized exonerees typically received lengthier sentences. Future research analyzing sentencing decisions is warranted to promote equitable treatment of all navigating legal systems. Similarly, Black exonerees were more likely to experience mistaken witness identification, which is in line with previous research. Contrary to prediction on false confessions, 17-year-old exonerees were more likely to falsely confess than younger counterparts, raising questions about what factors make youth more susceptible to falsely confess in real-world settings. Additionally, interesting findings emerged for time before exoneration, with violent crimes tending to endure longer periods before exoneration than sexual and other non-violent crimes. Considerations related to exoneration and crime type are discussed. Geographic location was also analyzed, and US regions were significantly associated with time before exoneration, official misconduct, and false confessions. Interestingly, the Northeast and Midwest regions tended to be associated with more negative outcomes (i.e., longer time before exoneration, more official misconduct, more false confessions). Official misconduct was further analyzed, with significant relationships between crime type and witness tampering, crime type and interrogation misconduct, age and interrogation misconduct, crime type and prosecutorial misconduct, and age and prosecutorial misconduct. Discussion on these relationships with official misconduct are included, as well as implications for future research

Perception of Parents and Teachers on Discipline Strategies for Preschoolers in Some Selected Schools in Nigeria and the United States of America

This study examined the perceptions of parents and teachers on discipline strategies used for preschoolers in Nigeria and the United States. It explored their choice(s) of discipline strategies, similarities and differences, and the perceived impacts on preschoolers\u27 development. The study aimed to identify effective and appropriate strategies. This qualitative study used semi-structured Zoom interviews with 6 teachers and 6 parents from both countries. Interview data were analyzed using Atlas.ti software to identify key themes and patterns. Findings revealed cross-cultural differences in discipline approaches, with Nigerian participants showing high acceptance of corporal punishment as a discipline strategy while the USA participants emphasized positive reinforcement. However, both groups recognized the need for individualized strategies. The perceived effectiveness also differed, with Nigerian participants focusing on obedience to rules and academic readiness while the USA participants focused mostly on preschoolers\u27 social-emotional development. Recommendations include increased teacher/parent education on positive discipline strategies and home-school collaboration

Pilot Implementation of Mom Power in the Appalachian Highlands: Acceptability and Effectiveness of a Parenting Group for Mothers with High Psychosocial Need

Children need safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with a caregiver for optimal development. Maternal childhood adversity, traumatic life experiences, and mental health challenges can adversely impact parenting beliefs and behaviors in ways that compromise a caregiver’s ability to create and sustain a healthy caregiving environment for their child(ren). In the professional world of infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH), policies, providers, and programs work together to promote optimal child and family wellbeing to reduce the intergenerational transmission of risk and to empower resilience in families and communities. The present study investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of the pilot implementation of an evidence-based IECMH program, Mom Power, in the Appalachian Highlands (northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia). Mom Power is a ten-session attachment-based parenting and self-care skills group for mothers with high psychosocial risk and their young children. Participants included 78 mothers from the Appalachian Highlands who were recruited from primary care settings and community agencies. Results indicated successful engagement of families with high psychosocial need. Attendance was positively correlated with social wellbeing and negatively correlated with parenting stress, and participants with high attendance had greater improvements in social wellbeing and decreases in postpartum bonding impairments than participants with low/moderate attendance. However, involvement with Mom Power overall appeared to result in the greatest improvements in maternal psychological wellbeing, parent-child relationship quality, and social connection; not necessarily the number of sessions attended. Further, content analysis of participant feedback revealed themes related to parenting skills as the most important and helpful concept taken from the group. Themes of increasing participant connection, program logistics, and making the program longer were mentioned as areas of improvement. The findings confirm the feasibility of conducting Mom Power in the Appalachian Highlands and offer insights that Mom Power is effective at strengthening protective factors and promoting resilience, even if participants do not have perfect attendance. Implications for future studies on Mom Power in this region are discussed

Designing HMI and SCADA Laboratory Work for Engineering Students

Human-machine interfaces are, essentially, the user interfaces used to monitor industrial facility machines and systems, which makes them a common industry tool in engineering. At East Tennessee State University, while human-machine interfaces are briefly covered in lecture and graduate students have set up some basic hands-on work, there exist no formal lab work for students on the topic. This thesis explores the literature surrounding the design of labs for a STEM or engineering-specific university class, and applies the recommendations and methods within that literature to design two laboratory guides on human-machine interfaces. These labs are intended to be implemented in either (or both) the ENTC 3350 Industrial Electronics class or the ENTC 4517/5517 Automation & Robotics class at East Tennessee State University. This work also details the collection of student feedback and the refinement of the labs according to those results. It also notes roadblocks to the creation of a lab on the topic of supervisory control and data acquisition systems. Finally, this thesis provides several future recommendations for adjustments to the class materials, future labs, and education on supervisory control and data acquistion systems

How I Learned to Love Peer Review

In this editorial, Editor-in-Chief Wendy Doucette reflects on academic peer review in general, outlines the peer review process used at the Journal of Graduate Librarianship (JGL), and offers tips to future authors for improving the peer review process. She concludes by thanking JGL’s existing roster of peer reviewers for their continued contributions