The relationship amond self-, teachers\u27, and peers\u27 perceptions of competence for children with severe behavior disorders

This study investigated the feasibility of Harter\u27s multidomain perceived self-competence scales with children evidencing severe behavior disorders. Subjects were 46 children in a psychoeducational day treatment program. The younger group (n=29), ages 5--7 years, was administered Harter\u27s Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children. The older group (g=17), ages 8--9 years, was administered Harter\u27s Self-Perception Profile for Children. Additionally, the children rated their peers on a peer rating scale, and their teachers rated the children\u27s competence using Harter\u27s teacher rating scales. The resulting pattern of correlations among self-, teachers\u27, and peers\u27 ratings, and ttests comparing self- and; teachers\u27 ratings, were generally in accord with Harter\u27s findings with nonclinical populations. Implications for further research on behaviorally disordered youngsters\u27 competence are considered

Protective and exacerbating factors in children and adolescents with fibromyalgia

Objective: To investigate protective and exacerbating factors in the adjustment of youth with juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome (JPFS), we examined the relationship of stress, coping strategies, social support, and self-efficacy to quality of life, pain, and depression. Method: Participants were 57 youths (ages 10 to 18 years) and their parents from rheumatology clinics at 2 children\u27s hospitals. The youths self-reported daily hassles, coping strategies, social support, self-efficacy, quality of life, pain, and depression. Parents reported on the youths\u27 major life events and quality of life. Results: In regression analyses, daily hassles, catastrophizing (a coping strategies scale), and self-efficacy predicted child-rated quality of life; self-efficacy predicted pain; and daily hassles predicted depression. Self-efficacy and familial social support moderated the relationship between daily hassles and depression. Conclusions: Daily hassles may be associated with health outcomes for youth with JPFS more than major life events are, and catastrophic thinking and self-efficacy beliefs could be appropriate intervention targets

Stressful life events experienced by clinically referred foster care and nonfoster care children

Differences in the quantity and type of stressful life events experienced by foster children and nonfoster children, ages 2 through 6, were investigated. Forty-four foster children receiving services at a community mental health clinic were matched with 44 nonfoster children from the clinic based on age, gender, and ethnicity. The clinic files of the two groups then were examined with respect to the occurrence of various life events. The foster children experienced twice as many stressors as their nonfoster peers, including greater instability in their relationships with their siblings and primary caregiver, and, not unexpectedly, they had more risk factors involving maltreatment and parental substance use. Both groups experienced events related to medical/developmental and educational history at a high rate, suggesting that these are stressors relevant not only to foster care children but also to children of low socioeconomic status in general. Commonly used measures of stressful life events in young children do not include many of the items identified in this study as relevant to foster children and children living in poverty, indicating that the development of more appropriate measures is warranted

Effects of expressive writing on standardized graduate entrance exam performance and physical health functioning

A substantial body of literature has demonstrated that expressive writing about an individual\u27s deepest thoughts and feelings regarding a past or ongoing stressful experience results in a wide range of beneficial effects, including physical health and cognitive functioning. The authors examined the effects of writing about a future stressful experience--an impending graduate entrance exam--by comparing the exam performance and physical health functioning of participants who wrote about their deepest thoughts regarding the exam with those of participants who wrote about neutral and nonemotional topics. The experimental group reported a mean exam score that was significantly (19 percentile points) higher than that of the comparison group (i.e., the control group). The participants in the experimental group who wrote on 3--compared with fewer--occasions experienced the greatest benefits. The authors propose possible causal mechanisms for the results and suggest future research questions and applications

Sex Differences in the Representation of Visuospatial Functions in the Human Brain

Sex differences in the representation of visuospatial functions in the human brain were investigated in 20 subjects with right hemisphere stroke and 40 stroke-free control subjects with the Complex Figure Test, WAIS-R Block Design, and Judgment of Line Orientation. The WAIS-R Similarities subtest was administered as a measure of verbal reasoning. The stroke and contro] groups were composed of equal proportions of males and females, and the male and femalestroke groups were matched for location and volume of infarction. A multivariate analysis of covariance determined that the interaction between stroke status and sex (p<.05), as well as the main effects for stroke status (p<.001) and sex (p<.001), were significantly related to visuospatial performance. None of these variables was significantly related to WAIS-R Similarities performance. The results of this study suggest that females may be disproportionately impaired in visuospatial functioning relative to males following right hemisphere stroke. We propose that visuospatial functions are bilaterally represented in the brains of males, allowing them to rely upon left hemisphere visuospatial systems following right hemisphere stroke, and that these functions are represented in the right hemisphere of females, resulting in their disproportionate impairment despite comparable lesions

Patterns of consumer usage of homeless outreach services

Outreach programs are a vital part of the continuum of services for the home- less. To investigate the characteristics of consumers of such programs and the services they receive, a sample of 446 clients of a homeless outreach program in New York City was divided into those who visited only once, two to three times, and four or more times during a 1-month period. Chi-square analyses revealed that the groups differed significantly with regard to previous client status, clinical diagnosis, referrals provided, and service outcome. Corre- spondence analyses further specified relationships between visit frequency and select characteristics. Implications of the findings for service delivery are considered

An experientially and community-oriented graduate course in clinical geropsychology

This article describes a graduate course in clinical geropsychology that combines classroom, practicum, and field-visit components. The course provides clinical and applied developmental students with an overview of the major research and clinical topics of the field, as well as firsthand exposure to the setting of the nursing home, its residents, and staff