Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_01pmid: N/A

Farrell, Albert D.; Meyer, Aleta L.; White, Kamila S.

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_02pmid: 11708233

Evaluated Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways (RIPP)-a 6th-grade universal violence prevention program. Classes of 6th graders at 3 urban middle schools serving predominantly African American youth were randomized to intervention (N = 321) and control groups (N = 305). Intervention effects were found on a knowledge test but not on other mediating variables. RIPP participants had fewer disciplinary violations for violent offenses and in-school suspensions at posttest compared with the control group. The reduction in suspensions was maintained at 12-month follow-up for boys but not for girls. RIPP participants also reported more frequent use of peer mediation and reductions in fight-related injuries at posttest. Intervention effects on several measures approached significance at 6-month and 12-month follow-up. The program's impact on violent behavior was more evident among those with high pretest levels of problem behavior.

Perez-Smith, Alina M.; Albus, Kathleen E.; Weist, Mark D.

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_03pmid: 11708234

Examined the prediction of exposure to violence by neighborhood affiliation in a sample of 167 inner-city adolescents (107 girls, 60 boys) age 14 to 19 years. Measures of exposure to violence, emotional and behavioral problems, and demographic information as well as a new neighborhood affiliation measure developed specifically for adolescents were administered. Adolescents reported fairly high rates of exposure to violence, supporting other recent research. Boys reported experiencing and witnessing significantly more violence than girls. In multiple regression analyses, higher neighborhood affiliation predicted greater exposure to violence at a trend level (p = .06), even when age, sex, length of residence in one's neighborhood, and concurrent emotional and behavioral problems were controlled. These findings suggest that greater affiliation or attachment to one's neighborhood may be an important risk factor for inner-city youth that should be investigated in larger samples.

Wahler, Robert G.; Herring, Melissa; Edwards, Mair

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_04pmid: 11708235

Examined the free-field interaction of 32 mother-child dyads who volunteered to participate in a 1-hr home observation. Observers coded mother instructions, child compliance, and child prosocial approaches plus mothers' social attention as potential reinforcers for the children's compliance and social approaches. Herrnstein's matching law was used to analyze covariations between mothers' attention and the children's 2 responses. This analysis was followed by correlational and sequential probability analyses to determine linkages between these 2 child responses and the children's willingness to obey their mothers' instructions. Results showed consistent matching between mothers' social attention and the children's production of prosocial approaches and acts of compliance. An index of the proportions of these 2 responses also covaried with the children's compliance probabilities, and the prosocial approach component was the direct covariate. These findings are discussed within an interactional synchrony framework in which children's willingness to obey their mothers is influenced by opportunities for the dyad to engage each other in specific forms of social interaction.

Prinstein, Mitchell J.; Boergers, Julie; Vernberg, Eric M.

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_05pmid: 11708236

Examined the relative and combined associations among relational and overt forms of aggression and victimization and adolescents' concurrent depression symptoms, loneliness, self-esteem, and externalizing behavior. An ethnically diverse sample of 566 adolescents (55% girls) in Grades 9 to 12 participated. Results replicated prior work on relational aggression and victimization as distinct forms of peer behavior that are uniquely associated with concurrent social-psychological adjustment. Victimization was associated most closely with internalizing symptoms, and peer aggression was related to symptoms of disruptive behavior disorder. Findings also supported the hypothesis that victims of multiple forms of aggression are at greater risk for adjustment difficulties than victims of one or no form of aggression. Social support from close friends appeared to buffer the effects of victimization on adjustment.

Biederman, Joseph; Monuteaux, Michael C.; Greene, Ross W.; Braaten, Ellen; Doyle, Alysa E.; Faraone, Stephen V.

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_06pmid: 11708237

Evaluated the long-term stability of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in a longitudinal clinical sample of youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), testing the hypothesis that the CBCL scales will show stability over time. Participants were 105 Caucasian, non-Hispanic boys with ADHD between the ages of 6 and 17 assessed at baseline and at a 4-year follow-up. Stability of CBCL scales were computed for dimensional (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs], Pearson correlations) and dichotomized scale scores (kappa coefficients and odds ratios [ORs]). Evidence was found for stability of the categorical and dimensional types of scores, as demonstrated by statistically significant stability of the Pearson correlation coefficients, kappas, and ORs. The robust findings obtained from ICCs and kappa coefficients document substantial stability for CBCL scales over time within individuals with ADHD. These results support the informativeness of the CBCL as a useful measure of longitudinal course in clinical samples of youth with ADHD.

Podolski, Cheryl-Lynn; Nigg, Joel T.

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_07pmid: 11708238

Examined parent role distress and coping in relation to childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in mothers and fathers of 66 children age 7 to 11 (42 boys, 24 girls; mean age = 10.2). Parents of children with ADHD combined and inattentive subtypes expressed more role dissatisfaction than parents of control children. Parents of ADHD combined and inattentive type children did not differ significantly in levels of distress. For mothers, child inattention and oppositional-conduct problems but not hyperactivity contributed uniquely to role distress (dissatisfaction related to parenting or parenting performance). For fathers, parenting role distress was associated uniquely with child oppositional or aggressive behaviors but not with ADHD symptom severity. Parent coping by more use of positive reframing (thinking about problems as challenges that might be overcome) was associated with higher role satisfaction for both mothers and fathers. Community supports were associated with higher distress for mothers only.

Reitman, David; Currier, Rebecca O.; Hupp, Stephen D. A.; Rhode, Paula C.; Murphy, Molly A.; O'Callaghan, Patrick M.

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_08pmid: 11708239

Examined the reliability, construct, and concurrent validity of the Parenting Scale (PS), a brief instrument designed to measure dysfunctional parenting practices for parents of young children. In Study 1, 183 primarily African American mothers and their Head Start children completed the PS. The PS, which consists of 3 subscales-Laxness, Overreactivity, and Verbosity-was subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Neither the original 3-factor structure, nor a 2-factor structure consisting of the original Laxness and Overreactivity factors, fit the data. A subsequent exploratory factor analysis yielded a 2-factor solution that was generally consistent with the Overreactivity and Laxness subscales identified by Arnold, O'Leary, Wolff, and Acker (1993). The 2-factor CFA solution was replicated with a sample of 216 similar mothers, and the 5-item Overreactivity and Laxness subscales retained internal consistencies above .70. Analysis of the convergent validity of the modified PS and its 2 subscales revealed moderate associations with measures of permissiveness, authoritarianism, involvement, and limit setting. Scores on the PS were not correlated significantly with measures of social desirability, maternal education level, or parent report of internalizing behavior problems. Concurrent validity evidence was obtained by correlating the PS with measures of parenting satisfaction and support, parenting stress, maternal depression, and measures of externalizing child behavior problems.

Shortt, Alison L.; Barrett, Paula M.; Fox, Tara L.

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_09pmid: 11708240

Conducted the 1st randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of the FRIENDS program, a family-based group cognitive-behavioral treatment (FGCBT) for anxious children. Children (n = 71) ranging from 6 to 10 years of age who fulfilled diagnostic criteria for separation anxiety (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or social phobia (SOP) were randomly allocated to FRIENDS or to a 10-week wait-list control group. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated at posttreatment and 12-month follow-up. Results indicated that 69% of children who completed FGCBT were diagnosis-free, compared to 6% of children completing the wait-list condition. At 12-month follow-up, 68% of children were diagnosis-free. Beneficial treatment effects were also evident on the self-report measures completed by the children and their mothers. Parents and children reported high treatment satisfaction. Results suggest that FRIENDS is an effective treatment for clinically anxious children. Limitations of this study and directions for future research are discussed.

Rapport, Mark D.; Denney, Colin B.; Chung, Kyong-Mee; Hustace, Keli

doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_10pmid: 11708241

Examined a conceptual model in which dual developmental pathways (behavioral and cognitive) are hypothesized to account for the relation among internalizing behavior problems, intelligence, and later scholastic achievement using a cross-sectional sample of 325 children. Classroom behavior and select aspects of cognitive functioning (vigilance, short-term memory) were hypothesized to mediate the relations among internalizing problems, IQ, and long-term scholastic achievement. Hierarchical tests applied to a nested series of models demonstrated that (a) individual differences in measured intelligence among children are associated with variations in classroom performance and cognitive functioning, (b) classroom performance and cognitive functioning make unique contributions to prediction of later achievement over and above the influence of intelligence, (c) anxious/depressive features are correlated but separable constructs, and (d) anxiety/depression and withdrawal contribute to prediction of classroom performance and cognitive functioning over and above the effects of intelligence. Classroom performance and cognitive functioning thus appear to mediate the effects of internalizing behaviors as well as intelligence. Particular attention to the presence and potential impact of social withdrawal on children's functioning, both alone and concomitant with anxiety/depression, appears warranted during the course of clinical evaluations owing to the strong continuity among these variables.