An evaluation of a behavioural parenting intervention for parents of gifted children

Parents of gifted children identify a need for tailored parenting support, and gifted children have unique requirements and vulnerabilities. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a tailored behavioural parenting intervention, for enhancing the parenting skills of parents of gifted children and to assess the effect of these changes on the behavioural and emotional adjustment of their gifted child. A randomised controlled trial of tailored Group Triple P – Positive Parenting Program was conducted with 75 parents of children identified as gifted. Results indicated significant intervention effects for the number and frequency of parent reported child behaviour problems, as well as hyperactivity in the intervention group, relative to a waitlist control. Parents also reported significant improvements in their own parenting style, including less permissiveness, harshness, and verbosity when disciplining their child. No intervention effects were evident for teacher reports, except for a trend in relation to hyperactivity. This study demonstrated that a tailored behavioural parenting intervention is effective and acceptable for parents of gifted children, and thus has clinical implications for the delivery of parenting interventions for this population.     

An approach to novice driver training

IntroductionBased upon neuroscience findings relevant to emerging adults, this paper considers 12 cognitive and behavioural features of young drivers’ performance and possible ameliorative strategies to address them.Literature findingsEvidence is explored on the extent to which each has been identified and evaluated in respect of young driver training and education in driving performance. The paper considers the extent to which each of these contributions to young driver safety is feasible and has been adopted, identifying those for which further development and implementation is required.DiscussionBased upon neuroscience findings as well as the evidence summarised in this paper, it concludes with an outline of an –“ideal”– training program for young novice drivers.     

An approach to the problem of meaning: Semantic networks

An approach to the problem of meaning through the postulation of semantic networks is presented. Subjects generated them for ten concrete and ten abstract nouns with two different procedures. Comparisons were made between the semantic network and the set of associations given to each concept. Finally, both the concrete concepts' and the abstract concepts' networks were compared. It was suggested that a form of meaning is given by the semantic network of the concept, by a reconstructive memory process.     

Validity of the parenting scale for parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The present study examined the validity of the parenting scale for parents of elementary school-aged children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Parents from 109 families with children who had been diagnosed with ADHD (106 mothers and 93 fathers) and from 70 families with non-problem children (69 mothers and 59 fathers) completed the parenting scale and reported on their children's behavior problems. Factor analyses revealed two interpretable factors for both mothers and fathers, corresponding to the overreactivity and laxness factors identified in previous studies of the parenting scale. Overreactivity and laxness scores were significantly higher for mothers and fathers of ADHD children than of non-ADHD children; this effect appeared to be accounted for by comorbid aggression and conduct problems among ADHD children. Results support the validity of the parenting scale for use with parents of ADHD children.     

Cotherapy in psychodynamic group psychotherapy: An approach to training

Cotherapy in a training relationship with a senior therapist/supervisor and a trainee/junior leader is presented. A structured training year with planned sessions for the junior leader to lead the group alone, as well as intensive supervision, is described. The training relationship is seen as evolving into an egalitarian, collegial working relationship. An incidental benefit of this cotherapy approach is that additional opportunities are provided for group members to work through attitudes, feelings, and behaviors associated with attachment, interpersonal relationship (autonomy and affiliation), separation, and loss. Potential drawbacks and applications are also noted.The authors express their appreciation to the many group members and cotherapists whose experiences provided the stimulation and clinical material for the present formulation.     

An ecological approach to cognitive enhancement: Complex motor training

Cognitive training has received a lot of attention recently, yielding findings that can be conflicting and controversial. In this paper, we present a novel approach to cognitive training based on complex motor activities. In a randomized controlled design, participants were assigned to one of three conditions: aerobic exercise, working memory training or designed sport — an intervention specifically tailored to include both physical and cognitive demands. After training for eight weeks, the designed sport group showed the largest gains in all cognitive measures, illustrating the efficacy of complex motor activities to enhance cognition. Designed sport training also revealed impressive health benefits, namely decreased heart rate and blood pressure. In this period of skepticism over the efficacy of computerized cognitive training, we discuss the potential of ecological interventions targeting both cognition and physical fitness, and propose some possible applications.     

An outreach approach to high risk parents and their infants

This paper describes a special project designed to evaluate services to high risk parents and their infants. Twenty-three families were served by intensive outreach and home-based model of intervention. Sixty-one percent of these parents had significant mental health problems prior to referral. The paper describes the sample, outlines the approach to therapy and gives a specific case example. The data post-treatment is summarized and results detailed.     

Effectiveness of the home‐start parenting support program: Behavioral outcomes for parents and children

This study examined effectiveness of Home‐Start, a program designed to support parents with young children. The aims were (a) to examine whether Home‐Start improved maternal well‐being and (b) to examine whether Home‐Start led to changes in the behavior of mothers or children. Self‐reported and observational data were collected in two waves, using data from 54 mothers and their children between 1.5 and 3.5 years of age who participated in this intervention program for 6 months. These data were compared to 51 comparison families who reported need for parenting support. The results showed a significant improvement in perceived parenting competence, but no effects on maternal depressive moods. Mixed results were found for parenting behavior: Parental consistency and observed sensitivity improved significantly in the Home‐Start group whereas no effects were found on the other parenting variables. Child behavioral problems seemed to diminish at the second measurement in both groups, and therefore these changes cannot be attributed to Home‐Start.     

The impact of group leaders' behaviour on parents acquisition of key parenting skills during parent training

BackgroundParent training (PT) is identified as the most effective intervention for the treatment of conduct disorder (CD). Intervention observational outcomes are often reported as summarised composite scores, providing an overview of overall construct change.Methods and aimsParents of children aged 3–5 years identified ‘at risk’ of developing CD were randomly allocated to either PT intervention or waiting list control group. Parent and child behaviours were assessed before and after the intervention period. The current paper aims to establish which individual observed parenting categories change as a result of PT, and which specific observed leader categories predict these changes.ResultsControlling for baseline scores, ANCOVA demonstrated changes in parent praise and reflective behaviours as significant post-intervention. One-way ANOVAs demonstrated higher levels of leader praise and reflective behaviours resulted in greater change in parental praise and reflective behaviours respectively. Regression analyses indicated these leader behaviours predict positive change in parental praise and reflective behaviours for intervention families.ConclusionsComposite observational scores provide an account of behaviour constructs, whereas individual behaviour categories provide an insight into the core components of these constructs. The results suggest praise and reflection as key leader behaviours that influence the mechanisms of change in parenting behaviours as a result of PT.     

An approach to the problem of differential prediction

A procedure for maximizing selective efficiency is developed for application to situations in which it is desired to select from a single group of applicants for several possible assignments. The problem of comparable units for the several criteria whose values must be compared to each other for differential assignment purposes is discussed. It is demonstrated that, assuming linear regressions, maximal selection is obtained if individuals in any given assignment are differentiated from those rejected according to critical rejection scores on the multiple weighted sum of the predictors and from another possible assignment by critical difference scores which are merely the differences between the two critical rejection scores. Since the relationships just indicated give no way of determining the magnitude of the critical scores required to select the required number of persons for each assignment, a successive approximation procedure for accomplishing this purpose has been devised and a computational example is worked out.The opinions expressed are those of the author and are not to be construed as official or as those of the War Department.