Inhibitory control as a mediator of bidirectional effects between early oppositional behavior and maternal depression.

Maternal depression is an established risk factor for child conduct problems, but relatively few studies have tested whether children's behavioral problems exacerbate mothers' depression or whether other child behavioral characteristics (e.g., self-regulation) may mediate bidirectional effects between maternal depression and child disruptive behavior. This longitudinal study examined the parallel growth of maternal depressive symptoms and child oppositional behavior from ages 2 to 5; the magnitude and timing of their bidirectional effects; and whether child inhibitory control, a temperament-based self-regulatory mechanism, mediated effects between maternal depression and child oppositionality. A randomized control trial of 731 at-risk families assessed children annually from ages 2 to 5. Transactional models demonstrated positive and bidirectional associations between mothers' depressive symptoms and children's oppositional behavior from ages 2 to 3, with a less consistent pattern of reciprocal relations up to age 5. Mediation of indirect mother-child effects and child evocative effects depended on the rater of children's inhibitory control. Findings are discussed in regard to how child evocative effects and self-regulatory mechanisms may clarify the transmission of psychopathology within families

The Trajectories of Adolescents’ Perceptions of School Climate, Deviant Peer Affiliation, and Behavioral Problems During the Middle School Years

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90306/1/jora763.pd

La prévention des problèmes de comportement à l’adolescence : le Adolescent Transition Program

The Adolescent Transition Program (ATP) is a multi-component preventive intervention designed to reduce escalation in problem behaviors among high-risk young adolescents. A previous evaluation of this program showed that aggregating high-risk youths for intervention purposes led to an escalation in delinquency and smoking. The results of this study also suggested that an intervention targeting parenting practices was more beneficial. These findings led to the development of a new intervention program aimed at the modification of parenting practices. This school-based program proposes a multiple gating approach to parent intervention with each level of intervention building on the previous one to reduce the overall prevalence of risk. A pilot study designed to evaluate the implementation of this intervention program suggested that schools seem to be an appropriate setting for reaching parents of high-risk adolescents and delivering intervention services

A developmental cascade model for early adolescent onset substance use: The role of early childhood stress

Contains fulltext : 199688.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Backgrounds and aims: Despite the link between stress and addictive behavior in adulthood, little is known about how early life stress in families predicts the early emergence of substance use in adolescence. This study tested a developmental cascade model, proposing that early stressful life events and negative parent-child interaction covary, and both disrupt the refinement of inhibitory control, which evolves into problem behavior in middle/late childhood and subsequent substance use exploration in early adolescence. Methods: Data came from the Early Steps Multisite study, a community sample of at-risk families in the metropolitan US areas of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), Eugene (Oregon), and Charlottesville (Virginia) with children aged 2 at the start of the study and 14 at the last measurement (N = 364). Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model. Results: Early stressful life events and negative parent-child interaction assessed at ages 2 to 5 were negatively related to inhibitory control at ages 7 and 8. Low levels of inhibitory control were prognostic of childhood problem behavior at ages 9 and 10. Finally, late childhood problem behavior was associated with substance use at age 14. Parental drug use was directly related to substance use at age 14. Conclusions: Early life stress may disrupt child inhibitory control, which can cascade into behavioral and peer problem behavior in childhood and, in turn, heighten the risk for early adolescent substance use.9 p

A brief measure of peer affiliation and social acceptance (PASA): Validity in an ethnically diverse sample of early adolescents

Objective Conduct a multiagent–multimethod analysis of the validity of a brief measure of deviant peer affiliations and social acceptance (PASA) in young adolescents. Peer relationships are critical to child and adolescent social and emotional development, but currently available measures are tedious and time consuming. The PASA consists of a youth, parent, and teacher report that can be collected longitudinally to study development and intervention effectiveness. Method This longitudinal study included 998 middle school students and their families. We collected the PASA and peer sociometrics data in Grade 7 and a multiagent–multimethod construct of deviant peer clustering in Grade 8. Results Confirmatory factor analyses of the multiagent–multimethod data revealed that the constructs of deviant peer affiliations and social acceptance and rejection were distinguishable as unique but correlated constructs within the PASA. Convergent, discriminant, concurrent, and predictive validity of the PASA was satisfactory, although the acceptance and rejection constructs were highly correlated and showed similar patterns of concurrent validity. Factor invariance was established for mother and for father reports. Conclusions Results suggest that the PASA is a valid and reliable measure of peer affiliation and of social acceptance among peers during the middle school years and provides a comprehensive yet brief assessment of peer affiliations and social acceptance

Chemotaxis of Vibrio Cholerae

The purpose of this project is to study which methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs) are related to chemotaxis of Vibrio cholerae. 44 MCP mutant strains were tested in seven different chemoattractants and the resulting swarm circle size was compared to that of C6706 lac-Z wildtype. Several genes were identified that resulted in a significantly different phenotype compared to the wildtype, suggesting that these genes are involved in sensing and motility in response to these chemicals. Some of the genes, specifically ∆VC 1405, ∆VC 1406, and ∆VCA 1031, were involved in movement in several of the chemoattractants, suggesting that these genes may be related to general motility of V. cholerae

Early Parental Positive Behavior Support and Childhood Adjustment: Addressing Enduring Questions with New Methods

A large literature provides strong empirical support for the influence of parenting on child outcomes. The current study addresses enduring research questions testing the importance of early parenting behavior to children's adjustment. Specifically, we developed and tested a novel multi‐method observational measure of parental positive behavior support at age 2. Next, we tested whether early parental positive behavior support was related to child adjustment at school age, within a multi‐agent and multi‐method measurement approach and design. Observational and parent‐reported data from mother–child dyads (N = 731; 49 percent female) were collected from a high‐risk sample at age 2. Follow‐up data were collected via teacher report and child assessment at age 7.5. The results supported combining three different observational methods to assess positive behavior support at age 2 within a latent factor. Further, parents' observed positive behavior support at age 2 predicted multiple types of teacher‐reported and child‐assessed problem behavior and competencies at 7.5 years old. Results supported the validity and predictive capability of a multi‐method observational measure of parenting and the importance of a continued focus on the early years within preventive interventions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110827/1/sode12103.pd

The trajectory of fidelity in a multiyear trial of the Family Check-Up predicts change in child problem behavior

Therapist fidelity to evidence-based family interventions has consistently been linked to child and family outcomes. However, few studies evaluate the potential ebb and flow of fidelity of therapists over time. We examined therapist drift in fidelity over four years in the context of a Family Check-Up prevention services in early childhood (age 2–5). At age 2, families engaging in Women, Infants, and Children Nutritional Supplement Program (WIC) services were randomized and offered annual Family Check-Ups. Seventy-nine families with a child in the clinical range of problem behaviors at age 2 were included in this analysis. Latent growth modeling revealed a significant linear decline in fidelity over time (M = ?0.35, SD = 0.35) and steeper declines were related to less improvement in caregiver-reported problem behaviors assessed at ages 7.5/8.5 (b = ?.69, p = .003; ? = ?.95, CI: ?2.11 | ?0.22). These findings add to the literature concerning the need to continually monitor therapist fidelity to an evidence-based practice over time to optimize family benefits. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed

Long-Term Educational Sustainability: Educational Innovation in Social Vulnerability Contexts

This paper investigates the behavior of children from low socioeconomic status families and examines the effects of a socioemotional education program on aggression in children. The results of the program are compared according to the children's gender and age, the family structure, the parents' educational attainment, and social status. The results show that applying socioemotional education programs reduces children's aggression and encourages positive development during adolescence. This positive development fosters open, expressive behavior

The Validation of Macro and Micro Observations of Parent–Child Dynamics Using the Relationship Affect Coding System in Early Childhood

This study examined the validity of micro social observations and macro ratings of parent–child interaction in early to middle childhood. Seven hundred and thirty-one families representing multiple ethnic groups were recruited and screened as at risk in the context of Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Nutritional Supplement service settings. Families were randomly assigned to the Family Checkup (FCU) intervention or the control condition at age 2 and videotaped in structured interactions in the home at ages 2, 3, 4, and 5. Parent–child interaction videotapes were microcoded using the Relationship Affect Coding System (RACS) that captures the duration of two mutual dyadic states: positive engagement and coercion. Macro ratings of parenting skills were collected after coding the videotapes to assess parent use of positive behavior support and limit setting skills (or lack thereof). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the measurement model of macro ratings of limit setting and positive behavior support was not supported by the data, and thus, were excluded from further analyses. However, there was moderate stability in the families’ micro social dynamics across early childhood and it showed significant improvements as a function of random assignment to the FCU. Moreover, parent–child dynamics were predictive of chronic behavior problems as rated by parents in middle childhood, but not emotional problems. We conclude with a discussion of the validity of the RACS and on methodological advantages of micro social coding over the statistical limitations of macro rating observations. Future directions are discussed for observation research in prevention science