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Maternal stresses and depressive symptoms: correlates of behavior problems in young children.

In a sample of 115 mothers of 5- and 6-year-old children maternal everyday stressors, stressful life events, and maternal depressive symptoms were compared with mothers' reports of children's behavior problems. Maternal depressive symptoms did not mediate the relationship between either form of stress and child behavior problems. Maternal everyday stressors were more strongly associated with child behavior problems than were life events. Children of mothers indicating a high level of everyday stressors were 13 times more likely to be rated as having behavior problems than children of mothers reporting a low level of everyday stressors. The best prediction of mothers' reports of children's behavioral problems was provided by maternal everyday stressors and stressful life events considered simultaneously.

Adult

Practical approach to managing behavioral problems in dementia patients.

Common behavioral problems encountered in dementia patients include agitation, aggressiveness, hallucinations, and wandering. To minimize or prevent these behaviors, the primary care physician may employ pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments. Manipulation of the environment is effective in selected patients, but pharmacotherapy is still often needed. The role of both options in the effective management of elderly dementia patients is reviewed.

Aged

Contextual control of problem behavior in students with severe disabilities.

We investigated the impact of contextual variation on the effectiveness of two interventions. The problem behavior of 2 students with severe disabilities was analyzed across two contexts (task and leisure). Effects of differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and time-out procedures were examined in the two contexts. Results indicated that in the task context the DRO procedure effectively reduced the problem behavior and increased task performance, whereas the time-out procedure was ineffective. In addition, rate of correct task performance increased during DRO relative to baseline and time-out. In contrast, in the leisure context, the time-out procedure effectively reduced the same problem behavior and the DRO procedure was ineffective. The results are discussed in terms of contextual control of problem behavior and alternative strategies for the design of DRO procedures.

Adolescent

The association between hemoglobin and behavior problems in a sample of low-income Hispanic preschool children.

This cross-sectional study, conducted in 1988, examines the association between hemoglobin level and behavior problems in 236 Hispanic children, ages 2 to 5 years, residing in low-income census tracts in the Los Angeles area. Venous blood samples were analyzed for hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, and lead. Family and child data were obtained through a home interview with the child's mother or guardian. Behavior problems were assessed using questionnaires modeled after Child Behavior Checklists for children ages 2 to 3 and 4 to 5 years. A significant correlation between decreasing hemoglobin values and increasing total behavior problems scores was found for girls, 2 to 3 and 4 to 5 years old. These associations remained significant in both age groups after adjusting for maternal education and marital status. Statistically significant inverse correlations also were found between hemoglobin and social withdrawal, sleep problems, and depression (internalizing subscale behaviors) in 2- to 3-year-old girls, and between hemoglobin and aggression and hyperactivity (externalizing subscale behaviors) in 4- to 5-year-old girls. The potentially negative consequences of these anemia-related behavior problems on children's development, learning ability, and parent-child relationships warrant further investigation.

California

Reducing behavior problems through functional communication training.

It is generally agreed that serious misbehavior in children should be replaced with socially appropriate behaviors, but few guidelines exist with respect to choosing replacement behaviors. We address this issue in two experiments. In Experiment 1, we developed an assessment method for identifying situations in which behavior problems, including aggression, tantrums, and self-injury, were most likely to occur. Results demonstrated that both low level of adult attention and high level of task difficulty were discriminative for misbehavior. In Experiment 2, the assessment data were used to select replacements for misbehavior. Specifically, children were taught to solicit attention or assistance or both verbally from adults. This treatment, which involved the differential reinforcement of functional communication, produced replicable suppression of behavior problems across four developmentally disabled children. The results were consistent with an hypothesis stating that some child behavior problems may be viewed as a nonverbal means of communication. According to this hypothesis, behavior problems and verbal communicative acts, though differing in form, may be equivalent in function. Therefore, strengthening the latter should weaken the former.

Adolescent

Cat elimination behavior problems.

This article focuses on behavior problems for which pathophysiologic causes have been ruled out. General discussions of marking, urination, and defecation, the specific postures used for each behavior, and procedures for diagnosis and treatment are discussed briefly. New information is provided about cat's preferences for different types of litter materials.

Animals

Very low birth weight children: behavior problems and school difficulty in a national sample.

We addressed three questions concerning the behavioral and academic status of low and very low birth weight infants through a secondary analysis of the 1981 National Health Interview Survey--Child Health Supplement: (1) in children born with very low birth weight, what is the risk of behavior problems and school difficulty compared with that in heavier low birth weight and normal birth weight children? (2) What are the correlates of school difficulty? (3) Are behavior problems associated with school difficulty when variables are controlled for these correlates? The analysis revealed that 34% of very low birth weight children could be characterized as having school difficulty, compared with 20% and 14% of the other groups, respectively, and that they were more likely to have higher scores on the hyperactive subscale of the Behavior Problems Index. Although a broad array of sociodemographic factors correlated with school difficulty, very low birth weight and hyperactivity scores contributed independently to the risk of academic problems. We conclude that very low birth weight infants are at risk of having school problems that are in part associated with hyperactive behavior.

Adolescent

Interparental conflict and adolescent problem behavior: an examination of mechanisms.

The purpose of the present study was to examine several competing hypotheses which have been utilized to explain the negative relationship between interparental conflict and child/adolescent problems. These mechanisms of operation have included modelling, genetic transmission, disrupted parenting, the role of perceptual/appraisal processes of the conflict, and an inhibition hypothesis. One hundred and forty-two young adolescents and their mothers served as subjects. Eighty were from intact families and 62 from recently divorced families. Data were collected from the perspective of the adolescent, mother, behavioral observer, and social studies teacher. The results indicated that intact and divorced samples had to be considered separately as different pathways contributed to adolescent behavior problems in the two samples. For externalizing problems, a direct path between interparental conflict and problem behavior existed for the divorced sample whereas an indirect path through the adolescent's perceptions of the conflict existed for the intact sample. The different context in which the interparental conflict occurred for the two samples was offered as an explanation of this difference. For internalizing problems a significant direct path existed between conflict and problem behavior for both samples; however, the indirect paths through the adolescent's perceptions and through poor parenting skills contributed only for the divorced sample. The results suggest that various mechanisms appear to operate in influencing how interparental conflict influences behavior problems of young adolescents. Both the type of problem examined and the marital status of the parents appear important in determining the relative impact of the mechanisms. Implications for the behavior therapist are noted.

Adolescent

Ethnic differences in adolescents' identity status and associated behavior problems.

The relationships between ethnicity and identity status and between identity status and behavior problems, social competence, and self-esteem were examined among 330 White, Black, Puerto Rican and Filipino students in an integrated high school. Identity status (i.e., achieved, moratorium, foreclosed, or diffuse) was defined on the basis of a 24-item self-report inventory on which students rated their explorations of options and/or commitments to choices in their occupational, political, and religious domains. Ethnic status was also assessed in an 8-item questionnaire which assessed exploration and commitment to one's ethnic role. White students in the upper grades reported significantly higher moratorium scale scores and perceived themselves as more likely to have explored and be committed to their ethnic role than minority youth. There were no significant ethnic differences in the relationships of identity status to behavior problems, social competence or self-esteem. Adolescent boys were significantly more likely to be in moratorium regarding their ethnic role than girls. Grade and sex differences in identity status were consistent with those predicted by developmental researchers. Across all ethnic groups, ratings of moratorium status were associated with significantly more behavior problems, less social competence, and lower self-esteem.

Adolescent

Principal components analyses of behavior problems in Jamaican clinic-referred children: teacher reports for ages 6-17.

Factor analyses of child behavior problems have often yielded two broad-band syndromes, Overcontrolled (e.g., worrying, fearfulness, withdrawal) and Undercontrolled (e.g., restlessness, fighting, disobedience). We explored whether these two broad-band syndromes might be identified for youngsters in Jamaica. We obtained teacher reports for 320 clinic-referred Jamaican youngsters on a 24-item problem checklist designed by Jamaican clinicians for the assessment of child behavior problems and subjected these to principal components analyses. Regardless of whether the sample was split according to age or sex, the analyses revealed factors similar to the Over- and Undercontrolled syndromes most often found in other cultures. The analyses also revealed school absence factors in each age and sex group; school avoidance was correlated with crying in children (aged 6-11) but with conduct problems in adolescents (aged 12-17). The findings suggest important similarities and possible differences between the factor structures of child behavior problems in Jamaica and the United States.

Adolescent

Maternal smoking and behavior problems of children.

Numerous health consequences of children's exposure to maternal smoking have been demonstrated, including increased rates of low birth weight, infant mortality, respiratory infections, asthma, and modest impairments of cognitive development. There is little evidence, however, linking maternal smoking and increased rates of children's behavior problems. Data from the population-based National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were used to investigate the possible association of maternal smoking and behavior problems among 2256 children aged 4 through 11 years. In multiple regression analyses the authors controlled for child's race, age, sex, birth weight, and chronic asthma; family structure, income, and divorce or separation in the prior 2 years; mother's education, intelligence, self-esteem, employment status, chronic disabling health conditions, and use of alcohol during pregnancy; and the quality of the home environment as assessed by the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment-Short Form to investigate the relationship between maternal smoking and children's behavior problems. The measure of maternal smoking status reflected two levels of smoking intensity (less than a pack per day and a pack or more per day) for each of three different categories of children's exposure: prenatal only (mother smoked only during pregnancy), passive only (mother smoked only after pregnancy), and prenatal plus passive exposure (mother smoked both during and after pregnancy). Measures of children's behavior problems included the overall score on a 32-item parent-reported child Behavior Problem Index (PBI), scores on the BPI's subscales, and rates of extreme scores on the BPI.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Minor physical anomalies and problem behavior in elementary school children.

The present study replicated and extended earlier findings on the relationship between minor physical anomalies and several classes of problem behavior in an unselected group of elementary school children. Teachers and peers were the judges of problem behavior. The problem checklist and a teacher ranking of hyperactivity were related to the incidence of minor physical anomalies for boys. A negative peer factor was also consistently related to the incidence of minor physical anomalies for both boys and girls. The behavior of high-anomaly girls was not easily characterized in terms of any one type of problem behavior. Sex differences and their implications are discussed.

Child

[Clinical effects of theophylline in the therapy of intractable asthmatic children. II. Theophylline therapy and behavior problems in children with asthma].

This study examined the relationship between long-term theophylline therapy and behavior problems in 14 asthmatic children that includes 5 intractable cases and 24 non-asthmatic children. Asthmatic children have received theophylline therapy and cromolyn inhalation for 3.6 +/- 3.8 years. Subjects were tested on neuropsychologic batteries; behavior problems and personality of children questionnaire, child behavior checklist, caffeine-like side effects questionnaire, manifest anxiety scale, visual attention test, Uchida-Kraepelin test and soft neurological signs. These tests were repeated with an interval of 1 to 12 weeks. Parents noted caffeine-like side effects, stomach ache and difficulty in sleeping, in their child during the theophylline therapy. The caffeine-like side effects decreased after stopping theophylline therapy. The rate of mistake in Uchida-Kraepelin test for the asthmatic group and for the intractable cases was significantly higher than that of the control group. Time of the sequential finger thumb opposition of the soft neurological signs was significantly prolonged in asthmatic group. There was no significant change in the other tests between asthmatic and non-asthmatic children and before and after stopping theophylline therapy. It seems that behavior problems and learning disability observed in the asthmatic children are due to the pathogenesis or symptoms of asthma rather than the effect of long-term theophylline therapy.

Administration, Inhalation

Non-health professionals and the school-age child: early intervention for behavioral problems.

A methodology is described to utilize dormitory parents in direct care activities for the early intervention of behavioral problems of the school-age child. Specific information gathering, assessment, treatment, referral and follow-up tasks were defined and incorporated into a problem-solving protocol which served to guide the dormitory parents through the defined problem-solving process, to promote early identification of students with a behavioral problem, and to expedite referral to a professional for students with more severe problems. The methodology was pilot-tested in a large American Indian boarding school and demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of dormitory parents in a therapeutic role as one component of a team approach to the management of behavioral problems. The pilot study resulted in a significant reduction in the rates of alcohol abuse and school dropouts and deserves application in a variety of settings.

Adolescent

Agreement between parents' reports and adolescents' self-reports of problem behavior.

Parents' reports and adolescents' self-reports of problem behaviors in 883 11-19-year-olds from the general population were compared. Correlations between both informants' CBCL syndrome scores ranged from 0.27 to 0.56. Adolescents reported many more problems than their parents did about them. Discrepancies were larger for externalizing than for internalizing problems, were larger for girls than for boys and increased with age. The findings indicated that adolescents, especially as they grow older, are indispensable informants on their own problem behaviors.

Adolescent

Biosocial models of adolescent problem behaviors.

This paper develops a biosocial model of adolescent age-graded norm violations ("problem behaviors"), combining a traditional social control model with a biological model using steroid hormones. Subjects were 101 white boys drawn from the 8th-, 9th-, and 10th-grade rosters of selected public schools, and ranging in age from 13 to 16. Subjects completed self-administered questionnaires and provided blood samples which were assayed for the behaviorally relevant hormones. Boys' problem behavior shows strong hormone effects. Social and biological variables have both additive and indirect effects. Using a biosocial model leads to conclusions which are different from those which would have been drawn from the sociological model alone.

Adolescent

Correlates of behavior problems in children with epilepsy.

We report results from the first part of an ongoing longitudinal study aimed at identifying the relative contributions of demographic, seizure, and family variables in the prediction of behavior problems in children with epilepsy. We studied 127 children with epilepsy aged 8-12 years and their mothers. Self-report questionnaires, interviews, and medical records were data sources. Backward and forward stepwise elimination procedures using multiple regression indicated five variables that contributed significantly to prediction of behavior problems: female gender, family stress, family mastery, extended family social support, and seizure frequency. These factors accounted for 29% (p < 0.001) of the variation in behavioral problems. Findings suggest that family variables are important correlates of behavior problems and should be considered in clinical management of children with epilepsy.

Child

Structure of problem behaviors in preadolescence.

Earlier research suggests that diverse adolescent problem behaviors, such as substance use, school problems, early sexual intercourse, and delinquency, reflect a single underlying dimension of behavior. Data from an ongoing longitudinal study were used to examine this issue in a previously unexamined sample (N = 426) of preadolescent sixth-grade youth. Ss included boys and girls from diverse socioeconomic and racial/ethnic backgrounds, whose average ages were 11 and 12. By using confirmatory factor analyses to test competing models, multiple factor structures were detected, suggesting that earlier findings supporting a single factor conceptualization may not be generalizable to this age group. Implications of the finding that problem behaviors may be more differentiated in late childhood than in adolescence are discussed.

Antisocial Personality Disorder