Relations between different types of children's aggressive behavior and sociometric status among peers of the same and opposite gender

Croatian elementary school children in grades 4 to 6 (N= 151) reported on direct and indirect aggressive behaviors of their classmates. Acceptance and rejection by classmates were also assessed, employing the sociometric nomination technique. Correlational analyses revealed that both forms of aggression were related to peer rejection, but unrelated to peer acceptance. Girls' aggression was more strongly related to peer rejection than boys' aggression, independent of the type of aggression. Aggressive children of both genders tended to be more rejected by their same-gender classmates than by classmates of the opposite gender. Results were discussed in terms of children's attitudes towards aggression, and gender stereotyped perception of appropriateness of aggressive behavior. A need to examine developmental changes and cultural differences in relationships between aggression and peer status was emphasized.     

Body mass index and waist: hip ratio are not enough to characterise female attractiveness

The assessment of characteristic body features of Miss Poland beauty contest finalists compared with the control group, can contribute to recognising the contemporary ideal of beauty promoted by the mass media. The studies of Playboy models and fashion models conducted so far have been limited to the following determinants of attractiveness: body mass index, waist:hip ratio, and waist:chest ratio, which only partially describe the body shape. We compared 20 body features of the finalists of Miss Poland 2004 beauty contest with those of the students of Medical Academy in Bydgoszcz. Discriminant analysis showed that the thigh girth-height index, waist: chest ratio, height, and body mass index had the greatest discrimination power distinguishing the two groups. A model of Miss Poland finalists figure assessment is presented which allows one to distinguish super-attractive women from the control group.     

The family check-up: a pilot study of a brief intervention to improve family functioning in adults

Many barriers exist for families seeking appropriate treatment for family problems. In an effort to minimize some of these barriers, we developed the Family Check-Up, a brief two-session family intervention. The Family Check-Up is based on the Drinker's Check-Up and consists of assessment, feedback, discussion, and goal setting. The purpose of the intervention is to help families identify and become motivated to make needed changes in any aspect of their family functioning. We conducted an open pilot trial of the Family Check-Up with 32 families. Our data suggest that the Family Check-Up (1) is sought out by the target audience, namely those with family problems; (2) is sought out by people with elevated depression symptoms or a history of treatment for depression or anxiety; (3) is feasible to conduct; (4) is acceptable to families; and (5) may be associated with changes in family functioning and depression symptoms over time. These results suggest that further research, particularly a randomized clinical trial, is warranted.     

Temperament, personality, and developmental psychopathology as childhood antecedents of personality disorders

To contribute to the case for a dimensional conceptualization of psychopathology in general and maladaptive personality or personality disorders in particular, the present paper reviews the evidence for a dimensional representation of childhood temperament and personality. The review of temperament and variable-centered as well as person-centered approaches to childhood personality leads us to propose five broadband dimensions that capture individual differences in children and adolescents: extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness/intellect. Our analysis of the CBCL (Achenbach, 1991) and the DIPSI (currently under development at Ghent University), two dimensional models for childhood psychopathology, suggests two common broadband factors, internalizing and externalizing. The relations between the dimensional representation of childhood temperament/personality and psychopathology are documented with data from general population and clinical samples of children and adolescents. The article concludes with a proposal on how the higher-order dimensions emerging from studies of adaptive and maladaptive individual differences in childhood could be integrated in a common dimensional model.     

A Grand Theory and a Small Social Scientific Community: Niklas luhmann in Slovenia

We analyse the reception of Niklas Luhmanns social metatheory in Slovenian social. The first part outlines the intellectual climate that prevailed in the decade before the post-socialist transition. The decline of the previously dominant Marxist ideology created space for other social theories. Luhmanns ideas were the most prominent among social macro theories in the initial phase. The second part describes variations in the reception of his ideas. The initial affirmative approach was upgraded by a number of more selective and critical approaches. The third part shows that, although his ideas are no longer quite so prominent, his work is both well recognized and firmly embedded in Slovenian social thought.     

Developing a culturally appropriate depression prevention program: the family coping skills program

Depression is a disorder that can have particularly deleterious effects on individuals from racial/ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds. Culturally appropriate prevention programs offer a way to provide accessible and effective mental health services to these underserved populations. The authors introduce the Family Coping Skills Program (FCSP), a novel depression prevention program developed specifically for low-income Latina mothers. The authors present the theoretical underpinnings of the FCSP and describe their efforts to make the program culturally appropriate and to enhance recruitment and retention of participants. Initial outcome data from an uncontrolled trial were promising and support continued development and evaluation of the FCSP and other similar programs.     

Cognitive Enhancers: A View from Two Developing Countries

Developing countries, such as Brazil or Argentina, share most of the benefits and problems concerning use of cognitive enhancers with developed countries; however, they present some peculiarities related to the potential clientele for these drugs. The ageing population has increased very sharply in Brazil and Argentina because of a rapid increase in life expectancy, but their financial means have not increased. Furthermore, the stress of poverty constitutes a major factor in the development of cognitive disturbances in these countries, in both the young and the old; these disturbances usually pertain to categories that should not be treated with cognitive enhancers.     

The intergenerational link to antisocial behavior: Effects of paternal contact

We investigated the relationship between paternal antisocial behavior and child conduct problems and we tested whether the degree of contact between father and child moderated the intergenerational link to antisocial behavior. Subjects were 92 children between the ages of 6 and 13 referred to an outpatient mental health clinic. There was a significant association between Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) in fathers and a diagnosis of conduct problems in their children. However, the relationship between paternal APD and conduct problems in offspring was not dependent on whether or not the father was in the home or on the degree of paternal contact with their child. The theoretical implications of these findings for explaining the intergenerational link to antisocial behavior in terms of observational learning were discussed.     

THE REPRESENTATIVENESS OF OBSERVATIONAL SAMPLES OF DIFFERENT DURATIONS

The representativeness of behavioral observation samples with durations of less than the whole time of interest was investigated. A real-time recording system was developed to quantify the behavior of 5 profoundly mentally retarded physically handicapped adult students in an institutional training setting. Behavior was observed using six mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories during 2.5-hr observation sessions. Sample observation sessions with durations ranging from 15 to 135 min were computer simulated from the whole-session (150-min) records. It was found that the representativeness of these samples, when compared to whole-session records, was a function of the relative duration of the behavioral categories and of sample duration. The occurrence of relatively high-duration behaviors (lasting for more than 50% of the session) was estimated to within 20% error by samples of less than 60 min, but low-duration behaviors (1 to 3% of the session) were inadequately quantified even from 135-min samples. Increasing irregularity of bouts of behavior in the low-duration behaviors is suggested as the cause of the functions obtained. Implications of the findings for applied behavior analysis are discussed, with the recommendation that the adequacy of observational session durations be empirically assessed routinely.