Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Developmental psychology Differentiation (Developmental psychology) Child psychology'

Wilderness therapy camps have been found to be effective for treating a number of youth issues and for generally improving youth functioning. In addition, wilderness therapy camps appear to address current treatment needs of reducing stigma in treatment and providing other benefits, such as physical and social health benefits. However, currently wilderness therapy camps lack systematic training for staff that has been deemed efficacious, utilizing evidence-based techniques. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based therapy (EBT) for use with children with a variety of issues and backgrounds and in diverse settings, useful for reducing child problematic behaviors. Efforts have been made to expand the use of PCIT in a variety of settings, with promising results.

This dissertation proposes to describe how PCIT might be adapted to train wilderness therapy camp staff in evidence-based methods for working with youth, especially those with mental health needs, such as behavioral issues. The literature concerning PCIT and wilderness therapy camps is reviewed. A needs assessment was conducted, consisting of interviews with key informants, experts in the field of wilderness therapy, PCIT, and training methods. Based on information obtained, a full program for training camp staff, called Counselor-Camper Interaction Training (CCIT) is proposed. Finally a proposal to evaluate the efficacy of this program is put forth. As part of the proposed evaluation, a financial assessment was conducted on the program, with the results presented.

The current study investigated the relationships between mother-child, father-child, parent-cohesion, and children’s self-concept. Participants included 30 early adolescents (ages 10 to 15 years) from intact family arrangements. Children completed a modified version of the Family System Test (FAST) to assess levels of parent-child cohesion. The Piers-Harris 2 was used to evaluate dimensions of self-concept. A series of sequential multiple regressions were performed to determine the relationships parent-child cohesion variables had with self-concept constructs, after controlling for the children’s sex and typical grades. Only father-child cohesion scores significantly related to adolescents’ ratings on specific facets of self-concept (i.e., Behavioral Adjustment, Intellectual and School Status), suggesting that children who report feeling closer to their fathers also endorsed items reflecting less problematic behavior and more intellectual/academic competence. Findings suggest mothers and fathers contribute differentially to adolescents’ self-concept. Implications for parental education and ensuring children have a caring, male role model are discussed. Limitations to the study included issues with sample size, generalizability, and data collection.

Although the deleterious social and emotional effects of trauma exposure on adults and older children are well documented, less is known about the effects of trauma on young children. Preliminary studies have indicated that young children (a) are exposed to traumatic events (e.g. Perry et al., 1995; Mongillo et al., 2009) (b) experience social and emotional problems (e.g. Scheeringa et al., 2006; Bogat et al., 2006) and (c) are affected by the caregiver-child relationship (e.g. Osfosky, 2000). However, no known study has compared social and emotional problems among trauma-exposed young children to a comparison group of non trauma-exposed young children connected to mental health services. This study aimed to strengthen the research and clinical literature by examining unique social-emotional and trauma-specific symptoms of 47 trauma-exposed service-involved young children (18 to 69 months of age) compared to 25 non trauma-exposed, service-connected young children. Additionally, this study examined the predictive nature of child temperament and the caregiver-child relationship (i.e. caregiver affect, responsiveness and intrusiveness) on the severity of the child's internalizing symptoms. Seventy-two young children and their primary caregivers, mostly mothers (82%) participated in the current study. Trauma exposure, social/emotional problems, and trauma-specific symptoms were measured by a variety of caregiver reports and interviews. Further, the caregiver-child relationship was examined using the Crowell Modified Parent-Child Relationship Scale. Regarding trauma exposure, 65.2% of the sample was exposed to a traumatic event, with many children (54%) being exposed to multiple traumatic events. Among trauma-exposed children, approximately 10% were exhibiting trauma-related reactions. Among MANCOVA and ANCOVAs, no statistically significant differences emerged among trauma-exposed and non trauma-exposed young children for social and emotional problems, trauma-specific symptoms, or observed distress in the caregiver-child relationship. Child temperament and caregiver depressive symptoms statistically significantly predicted child outcomes. In a hierarchical multiple regression examining the predictive nature of the caregiver-child relationship, only child temperament emerged as a statistically significant predictor.

Despite null findings, this study served as a pilot study examining unique social/emotional problems among service-involved trauma-exposed and non trauma-exposed young children allowing future studies to determine recommended sample sizes (200 and above is needed). Issues related to assessment of trauma symptoms in young children are discussed. Recommendations are provided for clinicians. For example, both child temperament and caregiver distress should be a focus of assessment and intervention in trauma-exposed young children. Detailed recommendations are provided to improve the reliability and validity of the Modified Parent-Child Relationship Scale. Recruitment recommendations and future directions are offered.

Play therapy is a growing form of counseling that allows children to express themselves in the most natural way possible. Virginia Axline (1969) applied Roger's person centered theory and core conditions (empathic, genuineness and honesty, unconditional positive regard) to working with children in a therapeutic setting calling it Child Centered Play Therapy. Landreth (2002) further explored and developed child-centered play therapy concepts and techniques and emphasized the art of the relationship between the child and the counselor. Extant research on the effects of CCPT with children with different diagnoses, age groups, and settings is well-documented. However, there is a dearth of information concerning using CCPT in a school setting with children of ages 3-6 who were identified by the teachers as experiencing behavioral difficulties. Thus, the purpose of the study was to see if CCPT would help change behaviors with students that were identified as having behavior difficulties in the classroom. Three teachers observed and identified 12 students in grades pre-kinder 3, 4, and Kindergarten with behavioral difficulties in the classroom. Each of the 12 students was selected to receive an intervention using CCPT. For each of the 12 students, one parent/guardian completed the Child Behavior Check List forms each week, and the respective classroom teacher completed the Caregiver-Teacher Report form each week for the 12-week duration of the study. A single case research design was used, which included three weeks of baseline observation, followed by six weeks of CCPT with treatment twice per week, and three weeks of post baseline observation. Findings revealed that play therapy was a highly effective treatment for reducing negative behaviors in most students. Parents' ratings of behaviors indicated an 88.30% improvement in behaviors, and 50% of teachers' ratings indicated improved behavior change after receiving CCPT. In summary, 71% of all scores indicated change in behavior. Under further evaluation during the post baseline stage of the study, 90% of parents and 80% of teachers rated the student's behavior as improved. The results are indicative of CCPT being a very efficacious treatment intervention for students in grades pre-kinder 3, 4, and Kindergarten.

Past studies examining child care and externalizing behaviors have produced conflicting results. This study examined whether an association exists between type of child care that a child attended the year before kindergarten and externalizing problem behaviors as rated by the child’s kindergarten teacher. Ordinary least-squares regression was used to examine variables that impact ratings of externalizing behavior by evaluating data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (ECLS-K:2011). The ECLS-K:2011 has up-to-date data that includes a nationally representative sample of children in the United States. Participants were 13,544 children. Additionally, SES and the total number of hours of weekly care were analyzed to see if they moderated the relationship between type of care and externalizing behaviors. Findings indicated that children who attended center care only exhibited more externalizing behaviors than children who attended other types or combinations of care. Children from lower SES families had significantly more externalizing behaviors than children from higher SES families. Findings also indicated that SES had less of an effect on externalizing behavior among children who attended relative and center care than children who attended center care only. The more hours a child spent in care each week, the greater their ratings of externalizing problem behaviors. Additionally, the effects of total hours on externalizing behaviors were lower for children who attended relative care only and relative and center care than those who attended center care only. Study implications for policymakers, parents, and researchers are discussed in depth. For instance, if parents wish to send their children to center care, they may want to incorporate an additional type of weekly care, which may act as a buffer to externalizing problem behaviors. Additionally, policymakers may want to facilitate greater access for child care other than center care only.

The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between stress and executive function (EF) in adolescence and to determine the extent to which the adolescent-caregiver attachment moderated the effects of stress on EF. EF are a set of meta-cognitive processes, including planning, that require coordinated neural activation in the prefrontal cortex and a number of other brain regions. Deficits in EF are associated with many mental health disorders. Large-scale, federally funded efforts are ongoing to understand more about EF and the brain.

Current adolescent brain research calls for further investigation of how regions coordinate in task-specific activities (Spear, 2010). The stress, or hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA), and attachment systems share underlying neural substrates that overlap with regions activated to perform EF. Adolescence is a sensitive period for changes in EF skills (Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006), the HPA axis (Romeo, 2011), and attachment (Allen, 2008). Therefore, this research was aimed at exploring how stress and attachment predict performance on an EF task in adolescence. Specifically, the researcher examined the extent to which attachment styles moderated the relationship between cortisol, a measure of HPA axis functioning, and performance on the Tower of London (TOL), a test of planning skills. The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) data were used to examine this overarching research question in a social neuroscience model.

While the TOL is one of the most frequently used measures of EF, its scoring methods vary across studies (Etnier & Change, 2009). Study 1 consisted of an exploratory factor analysis with data from 932 youth, and results supported a single factor model that best represented planning skills, which was consistent with the hypothesized structure based on an exploratory study with a small sample of college students (Berg, Byrd, McNamara, & Case, 2010). The factor score was then used as the criterion variable in Study 2, which included three moderated regression models that explored secure, preoccupied, and dismissing attachment styles. Though results suggested that cortisol and attachment were not predictive of planning in this sample, potential explanations for the lack of findings are proposed and recommendations for future research are included.