Relations between Parents\u27 Expressive and Instrumental Traits and Expectations and Several Early Adolescent Outcomes

The purposes of this study were: (1) to determine the degree to which parents\u27 instrumental and expressive expectations are predicted by their instrumental and expressive personality characteristics, (2) to determine the degree to which these parental trait and expectation variables predict several selected early adolescent outcomes, and (3) to examine differences between the findings for sons and the findings for daughters. The subjects were 174 seventh-grade girls and 103 seventh-grade boys and their mothers and fathers. All members of these triads filled out questionnaires and participated in interaction sessions. Data from the parental and child expectations Q-Sort, parental responses to the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ), and child responses to questions concerning their self-esteem, self-consciousness, educational aspirations, and views of their parents were all employed in this study. The PAQ was viewed as measuring instrumental and expressive traits rather than the global constructs of masculinity and femininity. It was hypothesized that parental traits would be positively but moderately predictive of parental expectations. It was also predicted that parental traits (to a lesser degree) and parental expectations (to a greater degree) would be predictive of all child outcomes (the androgyny hypothesis). Differences between sons and daughters were predicted with respect to all of the child outcomes. Analyses were run separately for each parent-child dyad via hierarchical regressions (with forward selection procedures being applied at each step). Also, the median split technique was applied to the PAQ data and differences between the four resulting groups were assessed with ANOVAs. Differences between the son and daughter findings were assessed with t-tests. It was found that parental traits were predictive of parental expectations only for the father/daughter dyad. Fathers\u27 expectations were predictive of many of the male child outcomes and mothers’ traits were predictive of many of the female child outcomes. It was hypothesized, on the basis of the present findings, that same-sex parents are more influential with respect to their children than Opposite-sex parents. Other implications of these findings were discussed. Parental expressive traits were predictive of child self-esteem for same-sex dyads. The importance throughout early childhood of parental warmth and acceptance for resulting child outcomes may underlie such findings. These stable parenting behaviors may be tapped by parental report on the FAQ. Parental expectations were predictive of child self-expectations but only for sons. Also, the androgyny hypothesis was not supported by these data. The median split and regression analyses yielded similar findings, with regressions being the preferred method. It was found that girls experience lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of self-consciousness than boys. Such a finding was in line with the Gender Intensification Hypothesis (Hill & Lynch, 1983). It was also found that both instrumental and expressive expectations were seen as more important by parents of daughters than by parents of sons. To explain such results, additional analyses were run whereby pubertal status was taken into account. Directions for future research were discussed

The Role of Familial Conflict in the Adaptation to Menarche: Sequential Analysis of Family Interaction

Past research has suggested that temporary perturbations characterize parent-adolescent relations after the onset of pubertal change. The purpose of this study was to further delineate the characteristics of these disruptions in families with seventh-grade girls. Current operational definitions of family conflict in an observational context are inadequate and a potentially more useful definition was offered: conflict is believed to exist when there is the simultaneous occurrence of opposing interpersonal forces. Two studies were conducted. A validation study was done to determine the psychosocial correlates of the following conflict variables: frequencies and reciprocal dyadic sequences of interruptions and disagreements. The affective nature of these variables was also assessed. The sample consisted of 17 families with seventh-grade girls and 20 families with seventh-grade boys who filled out questionnaires and participated in the Structured Family Interaction Task (SFIT). 2-scores were computed to represent the sequential variables. Results revealed that interruptions and disagreements tap disruption and conflict in the family in certain contexts. Frequencies of interruptions tap power in the family, whereas frequencies and sequences of disagreements tap both conflict and power. When interruptions and positive affect co-occurred more frequently, there was less disruption and conflict within the family system. The second study (Study 2) was conducted on 111 families with seventh-grade girls who participated in the SFIT. Relations between the observational measures and menarcheal status were assessed. The results supported the notion that familial adaptation to menarche involves a temporary period of conflict and withdrawl of positive affect in family relationships, especially in the mother-daughter dyad. Although a number of researchers in this area have found similar results, explanations of the role of conflict in the process have not been forthcoming. It is argued here that conflict plays a role in the adaptation to pubertal change in the sense that it promotes adjustment to developmental change. There appear to be two processes--one intrapsychic and the other extrapsychic--that allow conflict to play this role and make moderate levels of conflict inevitable in healthy families

Family functioning guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida

Research supports a resilience-disruption model of family functioning in families with a child with spina bifida. Guidelines are warranted to both minimize disruption to the family system and maximize family resilience and adaptation to multiple spina bifida-related and normative stressors. This article discusses the spina bifida family functioning guidelines from the 2018 Spina Bifida Association’s Fourth Edition of the Guidelines for the Care of People with Spina Bifida, and reviews evidence-based directions with the intention of helping individuals with spina bifida achieve optimal mental health throughout their lifespan. Guidelines address clinical questions pertaining to the impact of having a child with spina bifida on family functioning, resilience and vulnerability factors, parenting behaviors that may facilitate adaptive child outcomes, and appropriate interventions or approaches to promote family functioning. Gaps in the research and future directions are discussed

Disorders of Sex Development: Lessons to be Learned from Studies of Spina Bifida and Craniofacial Conditions

The purpose of this review is to discuss research methods and clinical management strategies employed with other conditions (i. e., spina bifida and craniofacial conditions) and how these methods and strategies could be applied to youth with disorders of sex development (DSD). The review focuses specifically on the potential overlap between DSD and these other conditions across the following 3 areas: (1) developmentally- oriented theories that underlie the research base for chronic physical conditions; (2) research designs and methodological features that have proved fruitful in these areas; and (3) the potential applicability to DSD of clinical management practices for youth with craniofacial conditions

Profiles of Neuropsychological Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Spina Bifida: Associations with Biopsychosocial Predictors and Functional Outcomes

The current study examined neuropsychological performance among children with spina bifida (SB) to determine biological and functional correlates of distinct “profiles” of cognitive functioning. Methods: A total of 95 children with SB myelomeningocele (ages, 8–15 years) completed a neuropsychological assessment battery. Hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analyses were used to identify and confirm a cluster solution. Hypothesized predictors of cluster membership included lesion level, number of shunt surgeries, history of seizures, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and family stress. Outcomes included independence, academic success, expectations for the future, and quality of life. Results: Ward’s cluster method indicated a three-cluster solution, and was replicated with two other cluster analytic methods. The following labels were applied to the clusters: “average to low average” (n=39), “extremely low to borderline” (n=27), and “broadly average with verbal strength” (n=29). Socio-econimc status, lesion level, and seizure history significantly predicted group membership. Cluster membership significantly predicted independence, academic success, parent expectations for the future, and child reported physical quality of life. Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest qualitatively different cognitive profiles exist among children with SB, and the relevance of neuropsychological functioning for day-to-day adaptive functioning and quality of life. Clinical implications and future research are discussed. (JINS, 2016, 22, 804–815

Research Design and Statistical Applications

What is the role of research in the field of pediatric psychology? To answer this question, it is useful to imagine what clinical practice would be like if we had no research foundation for our work. Without such a foundation, practitioners would have no basis for suggesting specific interventions or understanding why some interventions are successful and why others fail. Similarly, without a research foundation, assessments conducted with children would be based on unstandardized assessment methods, and no normative data would be available. Clearly, most of us would agree that scientific research is the foundation of pediatric psychology, including all activities in which pediatric psychologists are engaged (Noll, 2002; Roberts & Ilardi, 2003). The purpose of this chapter is to review research designs and methods in the field of pediatric psychology. We begin with a focus on the importance of theory as a basis for conducting pediatric psychology research, and then move on to a discussion of research questions often posed by pediatric psychologists. Next, we provide an overview of research designs commonly used in pediatric psychology, including a review of challenges faced by pediatric psychologists who conduct research in pediatric settings. Moreover, we discuss several methodological and statistical issues that are important to consider in designing research and conducting data analyses. We conclude with a look to the future, discussing recommendations for research in the field of pediatric psychology

Socioeconomic Status and Parental Perceived Social Support in Relation to Health-Related Quality of Life in Youth with Spina Bifida

Spina bifida (SB) is a congenital birth defect causing a wide variance of physical and intellectual disabilities. The first objective of this study was to examine SES and parental perceived support as predictors of HRQoL among youth with SB. It was hypothesized that lower SES would predict lower youth HRQoL, and higher parental perceived support would predict higher youth HRQOL. The second objective of this study was to examine parental perceived support as a moderator of the association between SES and youth HRQoL. Parental perceived support was hypothesized to serve as a buffer of the negative impact that low SES has on HRQoL. Results indicated significant effects of SES on school, physical, and total HRQoL subscales when covariates were not included. In addition, parental perceptions of social support from family members were significantly associated with Emotional HRQoL in youth with SB. There was a significant interaction between SES and parental perceived support from friends predicting youth Social HRQoL. However, post-hoc simple slope analyses were not significant. This study works to expand the understanding of the roles of SES and parental perceived social support on the HRQoL in children with SB, a population susceptible to poor quality of life due to the physical and cognitive challenges commonly associated with this condition