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Results for “Behavioral problems”

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PubMed1989

The relationship between parent-sibling communication and coping of siblings with death experience.

Past studies have suggested that parents who can effectively communicate about subjects such as death and dying are most likely to help their child cope with illness and death. Most studies have focused on communication with the ill child and less attention has been paid to the sibling. As part of a larger study to investigate the effects of two types of terminal care on families of a child dying of cancer, this portion of the study focused on parent-sibling communication. It was hypothesized that increased communication would increase coping as manifested by fewer behavioral problems and more social competence in siblings. The tools used included the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) and the Parent-Sibling Communication instrument. Measurements were taken before and at 2 weeks, 4 months, and 12 months after the death of the ill child. One positive and four negative correlations were found. Parent-sibling communication was positively related to Social Competence before the ill child's death, and was inversely related to Total Behavior Problems following the death. Parent-sibling communication was also inversely related to External Behavior Problems after the ill child's death, to Internal Behavior Problems after the ill child's death, and to Internal Behavior Problems at the 4-month point after the death. The positive relationship between parent-sibling communication and Social Competence scores may reflect the sensitivity of parents to siblings' needs.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

Behavioral issues involving children and adolescents with epilepsy and the impact of their families: recent research data.

OBJECTIVE: Using data from a larger study on new-onset seizures, we reported preliminary findings concerning relationships between family factors and child behavioral problems at baseline and 24 months. We also explored which baseline and changes in family factors were associated with changes in child behavioral problems over the 24-month period. METHODS: Subjects were 224 children and their primary caregivers. Data were collected using structured telephone interviews and analyzed using multiple regression. RESULTS: Deficient family mastery and parent confidence in managing their child's discipline were associated with behavior problems at baseline and at 24 months; they also predicted child behavior problems over time. Decreasing parent confidence in disciplining their child was associated with increasing child behavior problems. Decreases in parent emotional support of the child were associated with increases in child internalizing problems. CONCLUSION: Child behavior problems, family environment, and parenting behaviors should be assessed when children present to the clinical setting with new-onset seizures.

Child↗

PubMed2002

Identification of environmental determinants of behavior disorders through functional analysis of precursor behaviors.

Experimental analysis procedures have been shown to be effective means for identifying the environmental determinants of problem behaviors. A potential limitation of these procedures is that it is necessary to produce and document patterns in the occurrence of the problem behavior during the assessment. In the case of severe behavior disorders, this may place the participant or therapist at such risk as to preclude the analysis. The current study arranged experimental analysis contingencies for precursor behaviors that had been observed to reliably precede the occurrence of problem behaviors targeted for reduction. For each of the 4 participants, it was possible to infer the maintaining variables for problem behaviors based on the outcomes of precursor analysis. These results suggest that the current procedures represent a promising alternative method for reducing risk during functional analysis of problem behaviors.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

Information needs and problem solving behavior of parents of infants.

Two approaches were used to investigate the problems or issues that parents of infants encounter: the study of circumstances that are naturally recognized by the parent as an issue, and the study of simulated problems concerning commonly occurring infant care issues. A paradigm of problem solving behavior was used to formulate the component of a descriptive study for the purpose of examining the problem solving behavior of mothers during their infants' first 3 months. Mothers who participated in both studies were married or living with a partner, were 17 years or older, and had healthy infants. The objective of the first study was to capture in the mothers' own terms their specification and description of the issues on which they were working and the nature of the infant care task, including the types of help mothers used and the stressors and supports they experienced. Logs were used by 62 mothers (38 primiparae and 24 multiparae) for 90 days after their infants' births to record these issues, types of help, stressors, and supports. Predetermined categories were used to code the data. The type of help used varied significantly by category of issue. Books were used most frequently for issues of growth and development and baby care, and they were used more often than all types of clinicians combined for these types of issues. For over one-third of issues, no help of any type was used. Multiparae and primiparae did not differ significantly in the total number of issues reported, nor in the frequency with which help was used. The objective of the second study was to examine the types of goals and decision making rules that mothers applied to two simulated infant care problems: one concerning the amount of the feeding, and the second concerning noncontingent crying. Four simulated problem exercises were presented to 22 mothers (14 primiparae and 8 multiparae), using a telephone interview in the infants' first 3 months. The results of the study revealed that mothers gave a variety of names to the same problem. The types of goals that mothers identified varied by type of problem. More mothers cited competence as a goal for the crying than the feeding problem. More mothers were able to state the decision rule they had used for naming the problem than for choice of action to solve the problem (implementing).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2005

Toward a definition of neglect in young children.

This study examined the relationship between child experiences identified conceptually as "neglectful" prior to age 4 and child outcomes at age 4. This was done using measures from two sites collected as part of LONGSCAN. Child needs were included within categories of physical and psychological safety and security. Problems with residence safety or cleanliness and untreated behavioral problems predicted child impairments in language. CPS reports of failure to provide shelter predicted impairments in several developmental outcomes. A stimulating home environment predicted less impairment in cognitive development. Multiple changes in residence predicted externalizing behavior problems. Exposure to verbally aggressive discipline predicted more behavioral problems overall. Conversely, some indicators (such as caregiver transitions and lack of medical care) predicted less developmental impairment or fewer behavior problems in certain domains. The approach supports a conceptualization of neglect based on child developmental needs. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Affect↗

PubMed2005

Longitudinal investigation of the relationship among maternal victimization, depressive symptoms, social support, and children's behavior and development.

This article is a longitudinal investigation of the relationships between maternal victimization, maternal functioning, and children's behavior and development. Participants include 203 mother-child dyads from a low-income population recruited from pediatric primary care clinics. Data are collected when children are 4 and 8 years of age. Child outcomes are evaluated using maternal, teacher, and child self-report and objective measures of cognitive and academic functioning. Maternal victimization history is associated with maternal depressive symptoms, low levels of maternal social support, child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and low levels of child socialization. Child behavior problems identified at age 4 are enduring and persist to age 8. The effects of maternal victimization history on both internalizing behavior problems and socialization are mediated by maternal depressive symptoms. The effects of maternal depressive symptoms on externalizing behavior problems, socialization, and anger are mediated by maternal social support. Clinical implications of findings are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Solitary toy play and time out: a family treatment package for children with aggressive and oppositional behavior.

The behavior of four boys, 5 to 8 years of age, who were referred for a number of oppositional, rule violating, and aggressive behaviors, was assessed by direct observation and parent reports. Following baseline measurement, several interventions were successively applied to each child's behavior. Use of a social play contract to reduce problem behaviors by teaching appropriate social behaviors resulted either in no improvement or in worsening of the problem behaviors in observations made when the contract was not in effect. Changing the contract behavior to solitary toy play resulted in reduced oppositional behavior during the observation sessions, fewer reports from the parents of low-rate problem behaviors, and improvements in the parents' attitudes toward the children. However, these changes during the observation sessions were short-lived, because the data on these measures began to show a reversal during later sessions. Inclusion of a time-out contingency with the solitary play contract recovered the earlier improvements in the children's behavior during observation sessions and the parents' reports. These results gave support to the view that for children whose behavior is severely oppositional and aggressive, a treatment approach emphasizing productive, solitary behaviors may be superior to one stressing appropriate social interaction. However, a combined strategy of reinforcement for solitary play and punishment for problem behaviors appears necessary to ensure more durable treatment effects.

Aggression↗

PubMed2000

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) to reduce aggressive behavior following traumatic brain injury.

Severe brain injury can result in significant neurobehavioral and social functioning impairment. In rehabilitation settings, behavioral problems of aggression and nonadherence to therapeutic activities can pose barriers to maximal recovery of function. Behavioral interventions seem to be effective in reducing problem behavior among individuals recovering from severe brain trauma, but well-controlled studies examining the efficacy of such interventions are sparse. This article presents a single-case, multiple-baseline study of a differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) procedure in a 28-year-old, brain-injured male with aggressive behavior problems. The procedure successfully reduced the frequency of problem behavior by up to 74%, maintained at 1-month follow-up. Implications of this intervention for individuals with brain injury are discussed, and testing of this procedure using a between-group design seems indicated.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Social-emotional characteristics of preschool-aged children referred for Child Find screening and assessment: a comparative study.

Differences in parent ratings of social-emotional behavior among young children referred for Child Find screening and assessment and nonreferred children were examined. Participants included 64 preschool-aged children referred for Child Find screening and assessment (CF group) and 64 preschool-aged children without such referrals or identified disabilities (Comparison group). The Comparison group was matched to the CF group by gender and age, using a randomized block procedure. Social-emotional behavior of the participants was assessed using parent ratings on the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scale (PKBS), a social skills and problem-behavior rating scale for use with children aged 3-6. PKBS scores were found to classify the participants into their respective groups with a substantial degree of accuracy. Significant differences were found between the two groups in social skills and problem behavior scores, with the CF participants evidencing greater social skills deficits and problem behavior excesses than the participants in the Comparison group. An inspection of frequency distributions of the two groups revealed that children referred for Child Find screening were approximately four times as likely to have significant social deficits, and approximately six times as likely to have significant problem-behavior excesses than their nonreferred comparison peers. New validity evidence for the PKBS is provided, along with recommendations for future research and clinical practice with the Child Find population.

Affective Symptoms↗

PubMed2001

Children who return home from foster care: a 6-year prospective study of behavioral health outcomes in adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: Returning children to their biological families after placement in foster care (ie, reunification) has been prioritized with legislation. Comprehensive studies of child behavioral health functioning after reunification, however, have not been conducted. This study examined outcomes for youth who were reunified after placement in foster care as compared with youth who did not reunify. DESIGN: Prospective cohort. SETTING: Children who entered foster care in San Diego, California, and who remained in foster care for at least 5 months. Participants. A cohort of 149 ethnically diverse youth, 7 to 12 years old, who entered foster care between May 1990, and October 1991. Seventy-five percent of those interviewed at Time 1 were interviewed at Time 2 (6 years later). OUTCOME MEASURES: 1) Risk behaviors: delinquent, sexual, self-destructive, substance use, and total risk behaviors; 2) Life-course outcomes: pregnancy, tickets/arrests, suspensions, dropping out of school, and grades; 3) Current symptomatology: externalizing, internalizing, total behavior problems, and total competence. RESULTS: Compared with youth who were not reunified, reunified youth showed more self-destructive behavior (0.15 vs -0.11), substance use (0.16 vs -0.11), and total risk behavior problem standardized scores (0.12 vs -0.09). Reunified youth were more likely to have received a ticket or have been arrested (49.2% vs 30.2%), to have dropped out of school (20.6% vs 9.4%), and to have received lower grades (6.5 vs 7.4). Reunified youth reported more current problems in internalizing behaviors (56.6 vs 53.0), and total behavior problems (59.5 vs 55.7), and lower total competence (41.1 vs 45.0). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups on delinquency, sexual behaviors, pregnancy, suspensions, or externalizing behaviors. Reunification status was a significant predictor of negative outcomes in 8 of the 9 regression equations after controlling for Time 1 behavior problems, age, and gender. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that youth who reunify with their biological families after placement in foster care have more negative outcomes than youth who do not reunify. The implications of these findings for policy and practice are discussed.

Child↗

PubMed1999

Adjustment problems and emerging personality characteristics from early to late adolescence.

This 6-year longitudinal study extended earlier findings of contextual influences on adolescent adjustment problems by examining relationships between adolescent emotional and behavioral problems and late adolescent personality among more than 400 youths who were followed from 7th grade to the last year of high school. Results suggest that psychological distress and behavioral problems experienced during the adolescent years (7th-10th grades) are significantly related to personality structure during the final year of high school (12th grade). Psychological distress in adolescence was primarily related to the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) superfactors of negative and positive emotionality, whereas delinquency and substance use problems were primarily related to the MPQ superfactor of constraint. These relationships remained significant even when personality characteristics in 9th grade were taken into account. That is, emotional and behavioral problems predicted change in personality traits during the adolescent years. Moreover, both initial level and change in distress and problem behaviors were predictive of late adolescent or early adult personality. This finding suggests that personality formation is a dynamic process, dependent on the growth or decline, as well as the magnitude of earlier developmental problems. Because earlier research has shown that these developmental problems are affected by both distal and proximal environmental contexts as well as by the formative nature of adolescence, intervention efforts aimed at the reduction of maladjustment and the enhancement of healthy personality development should target early adolescent social contexts. Other theoretical implications of the findings also are discussed.

Adjustment Disorders↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Vulnerability of husband and wife caregivers of Alzheimer disease patients to caregiving stressors.

This study assessed relationships between problem behaviors in 199 Alzheimer Disease patients and vulnerability factors in the well being and emotional health of their spouse caregivers. Among caregiver wives and the younger caregiver husbands (64 years old and under) the volume of patient problem behavior was significantly negatively associated with total scores on a summary well being measure. The association was not found within the older husband caregiver group. Considering five subdimensions of the summary well being scale (Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Positive Well Being, Vitality and General Health), correlational analyses showed that the total patient problems measure appeared to have impact primarily among wife caregivers, particularly those 64 years old and under. Multiple regression analyses showed that one patient problem behavior category, Emotional Lability, was the single strongest predictor of impaired well being of the caregiver among all five subdimensions of the caregiver well being measure. Although Destructive Behavior of the patient was not significant by itself, an Age by Destructive Behavior interaction showed that high levels of patient Destructive Behavior predicted high levels of Depression, Anxiety, and low levels of Positive Well Being more among younger caregivers. Husband caregivers had significantly higher Anxiety scores than wife caregivers. These findings document how particular patient problem behaviors can affect caregivers. They point up as well how both gender and age may help target which caregivers are most vulnerable to the stress of specific Alzheimer patient behavior problems. They also suggest the utility of examining specific dimensions of well being rather than a total score alone for purposes of understanding the relationship of particular patient behavior problems to caregiver emotional and physical health.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2006

A preliminary examination of the evocative effects of the establishing operation.

We attempted to isolate the evocative effects of the establishing operation for positively reinforced problem behavior with 2 participants. The study consisted of three phases. First, a functional analysis identified tangible items (Participant 1) and attention (Participant 2) as maintaining problem behavior. Second, access to tangible items and attention was systematically controlled (continuous access vs. no access) immediately prior to functional analysis sessions in which these consequences were delivered contingent on problem behavior. Results of this phase indicated that problem behavior occurred at higher levels when access to tangible items and attention was restricted. In the third phase, prior access was again controlled, but problem behavior produced no consequences. Results of this final phase indicated that problem behavior occurred at higher levels during extinction sessions when participants did not have prior access to the reinforcers.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

[Smoking and sexual behavior of junior college students (report II). Relation to alcohol consumption and problematic behavior during adolescence].

A survey was performed on 581 junior college women regarding smoking, sexual behavior, alcohol use and problem behavior during adolescence to assess possible mutual relationships. The results are as follows: 1) Of these women, 37% experienced smoking; 9% were habitual smokers; 39% experienced kissing; 18% experienced sexual intercourse; 86% experienced alcohol drinking. 2) Many of the women had cross-experience in the combination of smoking, sexual behavior and alcohol drinking. A mutual relationship among these behaviors is suggested. 3) Many of the women who experienced smoking or sexual behavior had either experienced or considered problem behaviors during adolescence including attempted suicide, running away from home, bullying, etc. Poor adaptation to their home or school appears to be a factor associated with tendency toward smoking and sexual behavior.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Decelerative treatment practices with persons who have mental retardation: a review of five years of the literature.

The literature from 1981 through 1985 in seven major journals on the treatment of behavior problems in persons with mental retardation was reviewed. We included all studies designed to decrease a target behavior that included formal pre- and posttreatment data. Behavior problems were categorized into seven classes. Treatment procedures were grouped into three levels by degree of restrictiveness according to the model proposed by Brazier and MacDonald (1981). We reported the problems treated with various procedures and the frequencies and effectiveness values for all the problem--procedure combinations. Differential reinforcement and overcorrection were the two most widely used procedures. We drew conclusions about treatment of specific classes of problem behaviors based on the results of this review.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Early asthma onset: risk of emotional and behavioral difficulties.

The relationship between age of asthma onset and behavioral adjustment was analyzed using data from a longitudinal prospective investigation of 150 children identified prenatally as at genetic risk for developing asthma (the W. T. Grant Asthma Risk Study). The children's development and asthma status were monitored regularly for 6 years. Mothers were interviewed yearly using the Behavioral Screening Questionnaire (BSQ). Children who had an early onset of asthma (by 3 years of age) had significantly more behavior problems at age 4 than children who developed asthma later (between 3 and 6 years of age). Furthermore, the early-onset group had significantly more problems at age 6 than both children who developed asthma later and children who never developed asthma. Children with early asthma onset were compared to children who were asthma free on individual problem items of the BSQ, revealing a profile of behavior problems that included waking at night, depressed mood, and some indication of increased fearfulness. This profile is consistent with an earlier report of behavior problems among severely asthmatic preschool children (Mrazek, Anderson, & Strunk, 1984), who displayed the same internalizing behavior problems on the BSQ. These results suggest that early asthma onset may have predictable negative influences on behavioral adjustment over a wider range of asthma severity than has previously been reported.

Affective Symptoms↗

PubMed2003

Salivary testosterone diurnal variation and psychopathology in adolescent males and females: individual differences and developmental effects.

Individual differences in salivary testosterone were examined in 213 adolescents (106 boys, 107 girls; mean age = 13.66 years) in relation to externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Self- and parent-report measures of behavior problems and psychiatric symptoms were obtained. Latent anxiety-depression, disruptive behavior, and attention problem constructs were developed using multitrait, multimethod procedures. Saliva samples were collected in the morning, midday, and late afternoon on multiple days and were later assayed for testosterone. Latent constructs were derived for testosterone level and diurnal variation across the six sampling occasions. Structural equations modeled relationships between problem behavior and intra- and interindividual differences in testosterone separately by gender. For boys, lower levels of testosterone and testosterone levels that decreased more slowly across the day were related to higher levels of anxiety-depression and attention problems. These associations were not moderated by pubertal development. For girls, steep declines in testosterone production across the day related to higher levels of disruptive behavior problems, but this association was only evident after including pubertal development as a moderator in the model. These findings raise novel questions regarding the nature and magnitude of links between testosterone and problem behavior in youth.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The relations of effortful control and reactive control to children's externalizing problems: a longitudinal assessment.

In this study, we examined the role of negative emotionality as a moderator of the relations of effortful control and overcontrol (versus undercontrol) with children's externalizing problem behaviors; we also examined the longitudinal relations among these variables. Teachers' and parents' reports of children's negative emotionality, effortful control, overcontrol and externalizing problem behaviors were obtained at T1 (N=199; M age=89.51 months) and again 2 (T2) and 4 years (T3) later. In addition, children's effortful control was assessed with an observed measure of persistence. In a T3 concurrent structural equation model, effortful control, but not overcontrol, was negatively related to children's T3 externalizing problem behaviors. In regression analyses, the negative relation between T3 effortful control and externalizing problem behaviors was strongest at high levels of T3 negative emotionality. In the best-fitting longitudinal structural equation model, both T1 effortful control and T1 overcontrol negatively predicted externalizing problems at T1, whereas T3 effortful control (but not T3 overcontrol) was significantly negatively related to T3 externalizing problem behaviors when controlling for T1 externalizing problem behaviors.

Affect↗