Parental Attributions And Discipline Of Child Behavior

Extant empirical evidence suggests that multiple risk and protective factors implicated in children\u27s development of behavior problems are intertwined. This study, therefore, investigated the relationships among parental depression and anger, attributions of control, discipline, parent-child relationship variables, and children\u27s behavior problems. Results were based on the responses of parents (55 mothers and 13 fathers) with children in Head Start and parents (52 mothers and 4 fathers) with children in Private School settings. All parents had children who ranged in age from 3- to 8-years. Compared to Private School parents, Head Start parents had lower levels of nonviolent discipline, involvement, and autonomy granting and endorsed greater internalizing behavior problems in their children. Significant correlations were found among parent-child relationship characteristics, parental discipline practices, and child behavior problems in both samples. Regression analyses suggested that Private School parents\u27 use of psychological aggression and autonomy granting interact in the prediction of children\u27s internalizing behavior problems. Although Head Start parents\u27 higher attributions of child control for failure predicted lower levels of nonviolent discipline, and Private School parents\u27 use of psychological aggression predicted greater levels of children\u27s externalizing behavior problems, there was no evidence of parental discipline mediating the relationship between parental attributions and children\u27s behavior problems. These findings emphasize the importance of research involving disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged community samples in order to provide a context for understanding how parental discipline and children\u27s behavior problems are related to parent traits and parent-child relationship characteristics

Family Conflict And Emerging Adults\u27 Attributions Of Conflict In Romantic Relationships

The impact of parents\u27 marital conflict and parent-child conflict on the adjustment of children is well documented. Given the theoretical and empirical data to support a relationship between experiencing interparental and parent-child conflict during childhood and later conflict in romantic relationships, it is important to investigate the potential mechanisms that operate in this relationship. Thus, the present study sought to investigate the extent to which attributions of conflict mediate the relationship between experiencing interparental and parent-child conflict and later conflict in a romantic relationship. Results were based on the responses of emerging adults (190 males and 473 females) enrolled in psychology courses at a large southeastern university. Compared to males, females reported experiencing lower levels of permissive parenting, as well as higher levels of interparental psychological aggression, maternal emotional availability, attachment with mothers and peers, and overt violence in their current romantic relationships. Consistent with extant research, significant correlations were found among interparental conflict, parent-child conflict, attributions of conflict, parenting style, emotional availability of parents, attachment, and conflict with current romantic partners. Regression analyses (for males and females separately) suggested that different types of interparental and parent-child conflict predict greater hostile attributions and greater levels of conflict with current romantic partners. Although attributions of conflict predicted conflict with current romantic partners, conflict attributions did not mediate the relationship between family conflict and conflict with current romantic partners. These findings emphasized the importance of research investigating the long-term cognitive and emotional effects of family conflict and violence in order to provide a context for understanding the development of risk and resilience factors for relationship violence

The Impact of Single vs. Poly Victimization by Maltreatment Type on Pre-Treatment PTSD Scores

Studies show that an estimated 21-50% of children who have experienced maltreatment will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within their lifetime (Schuck & Widom 2019). Research suggests that the type and number of exposures to trauma may influence symptom severity. Further, trauma symptom scores of children who experienced child sexual abuse (CSA) were higher among the children who endorsed poly-victimization, meaning when CSA was combined with another form of maltreatment (Racine et al 2022). This study seeks to examine the impact of poly-victimization and combined types of maltreatment on children’s PTSD scores in an archival dataset from a child advocacy center (CAC) serving children exposed to various forms of trauma. Participants from the overall child sample (N = 721) who have pre-treatment PTSD scores (n = 290) will be analyzed. The analyzed sample includes 83 minors exposed to poly-victimization, 175 exposed to single victimization, and 32 where the trauma type was missing from the dataset. Specifically, the following hypotheses will be tested: (1) victims of poly-victimization will have higher PTSD scores than victims of single victimization; (2) among participants with poly-victimization, those with a combination of sexual abuse and physical abuse will have the highest PTSD scores compared to other combinations. Results will be discussed in the context of current referral pathways for child advocacy centers

Childhood Trauma and PTSD symptoms: Disentangling the Roles of Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance

Background: Research documents that individuals with a history of childhood trauma experience greater emotion regulation difficulties (ED), as well as lower distress tolerance (DT), two constructs that independent lines of research implicate as transdiagnostic factors in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To help elucidate how such mechanisms may influence the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of PTSD, the current study investigates the distinct mediating roles of ED and DT and explores which accounts for more unique variance. Methods: Participants (N = 385, aged 18-48) with a childhood trauma history provided self-ratings of cumulative trauma exposure, and endorsed current ED, DT, and PTSD symptoms. Single and dual mediation analyses were conducted to assess the roles of ED and DT in the relation between childhood trauma exposure and current PTSD symptoms. Results: ED and DT were inversely related. Higher childhood trauma exposure predicted higher PTSD symptoms in adulthood. ED and DT each mediated/explained the association between childhood trauma exposure and current PTSD symptoms; ED accounted for a larger effect size. Limitations: Cross-sectional design precludes determining causality. Retrospective self-report in measurement is subject to bias and findings may not generalize to behavioral measures. Conclusions: The current study results provide preliminary evidence of ED and DT as distinct mechanisms. Of clinical relevance, current findings support post-trauma processing theories that contend individuals’ recovery requires accepting and learning to modulate trauma-related emotional states. Implications for potential pathways from childhood trauma to PTSD, as well as methods of treatment and prevention are discussed

The impact of social support and emotion dysregulation on COVID-19 depressive symptoms

IntroductionStress resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to psychological consequences, such as depressive symptoms, for individuals worldwide. Outbreaks and pandemics are known to accentuate stressors or generate new ones owing to health-related worries, reduced mobility, and social activity due to quarantine, and sudden life changes. Although post-lockdown U.S. research findings suggest a greater risk of depression among 18- to 25-year-olds, familiarity with technology and virtual socializing may offer college students some protective effect, warranting research with such groups.MethodsThe current study thus explored emotion dysregulation (ED) and perceived social support (PSS) as potential mechanisms for the relationship between COVID-19 stress and depressive symptoms among students at a southern university in the United States. Participants (N = 489) completed a cross-sectional survey assessing their current levels of COVID-19 stress, ED, PSS, and depressive symptoms.ResultsPath analysis showed that PSS buffered the effect of ED on depressive symptoms. The results support the explanatory role of ED in the relationship between COVID-19 stress and depressive symptoms.DiscussionThe perceived social connection may be an essential factor for psychological outcomes during periods of stress and isolation, particularly for those reporting high ED

Understanding family dynamics in a cross-cultural sample: a multi-national study

The Family Systems Circumplex Model posits that balanced levels of cohesion and adaptability are associated with positive familial outcomes, whereas extremely high or low levels of these factors are associated with deleterious outcomes. Despite the popularity and utility of this model in Western cultures, there is a dearth of empirical data supporting its use in more culturally diverse contexts. The current, preregistered study assessed the Family Circumplex Model, cultural factors, and emerging adult outcomes across seven countries (i.e., China, Iran, Nigeria, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States). Participants were N = 3,593 emerging adults, mostly self-identifying as women (71.3%). Collaborators were participants in Psi Chi’s Network for International Collaborative Exchange (NICE) and administered measures related to family dynamics and cultural orientation to participants in a random order. Results indicated that the Family Circumplex Model did not fit cross-culturally. As such, a new model was adapted, the Expanded Circumplex Model, which demonstrated invariance across samples and between women and men. The Expanded Circumplex Model retained 6 constructs with differences regarding the separation of disengagement into 2 variables and the combining of adaptive flexibility and cohesion. The current study suggests that the cultural context in which family dynamics occur should be taken into consideration when conceptualizing family dynamics theory and measurement. Future work should seek to replicate and further apply the Expanded Circumplex Model to familial outcomes

Assessment And Behavioral Treatment Of Selective Mutism

Children with selective mutism present with a complicated set of symptoms, as they not only refuse to speak in particular social situations but are often shy, socially isolative, anxious, and may present as oppositional and negativistic in their behavior. Limited research on treatments for selective mutism suggests a need for additional research examining intervention possibilities. The following case description presents a 10-year-old male with selective mutism and concurrent anxiety symptoms. Treatment included the use of a significantly modified version of Social Effectiveness Therapy for Children (SET-C), a manualized behavioral treatment for social anxiety. In addition to SET-C, treatment also included concurrent parent training in the management of child anxiety. The rationale for the treatment selection and a description of treatment course are provided. Further, a discussion is presented concerning challenges to treatment progress, including cultural differences between the primary clinician and the client. © 2006 Sage Publications

Childhood Discipline, Perceptions Of Parents, And Current Functioning In Female College Students

This study examined the relationships among the childhood discipline styles experienced by 116 female college students, their perceptions of their parents, and their current functioning. Results of this study indicated that female college students\u27 report of childhood discipline, their perceptions of their parents, and their outcomes were related uniquely when examining responses for mothers and fathers. Further, regression analyses suggested that negative perceptions of mothers may mediate the relationship between maternal psychologically assaultive discipline and female college students\u27 depression and self-esteem and mediate partially the relationship between maternal psychologically and physically assaultive discipline and female college students\u27 anxiety. In contrast, fathers\u27 use of psychologically assaultiv discipline and female college students\u27 positive and negative perceptions of their fathers predicted depression, whereas only their perceptions predicted anxiety and self-esteem. These results suggested the importance of examining discipline and perceptions of parents when examining the functioning of late adolescents and emerging adults. © 2005 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The Relationship Of Maternal Characteristics And Perceptions Of Children To Children\u27S Emotional And Behavioral Problems

This study examined the relationships among maternal depressive symptoms, parenting stress, perceptions of children, and ratings of children\u27s behavioral problems. Forty-six mothers (mean age = 31.07 years) provided ratings of these variables. Mothers were diverse in their cultural backgrounds and marital status but had a high level of educational achievement on average. Regression analyses supported the hypothesis that mothers\u27 negative perceptions of their children mediate the relationship between maternal characteristics and maternal ratings of children\u27s behavioral problems. Further, mothers\u27 positive perceptions served as a moderator in the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and maternal ratings of children\u27s externalizing behavioral problems. The results of this study suggest that mothers\u27 perceptions, rather than their characteristics, are related directly to ratings of children\u27s behavioral problems, Given these findings, interventions should target mothers\u27 perceptions of their children in addition to mothers\u27 psychological symptoms and children\u27s emotional and behavioral problems. © 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved