Discriminated Functional Communication for Attention: Evaluating Fixed and Varied Durations of Reinforcer Availability

Discriminated functional communication (DFC) training has been used to teach children to attend to naturally occurring discriminative stimuli when manding for attention. In this study, the participant was taught to only mand for attention during experimenter non‐busy periods. The participant could only discriminate busy and non‐busy activities during more naturalistic varied reinforcer availability periods following prior exposure to a fixed duration of availability. These data suggest that DFC may first have to be taught under more predictable conditions prior to transitioning to more naturalistic conditions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring the Experiences of Newcomer Women with Insecure Housing in Montréal Canada

The objective of this study was to explore housing insecurity among women newcomers to Montreal, Canada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 newcomer women who had experienced housing insecurity and five women’s shelter service providers. The primary cause of housing insecurity for newcomer women was inadequate income in the face of rapidly rising housing costs, coupled with unfamiliarity with the dominant culture and the local housing system. Specific events often served as tipping points for immigrant women—incidents that forced women into less secure housing. To avoid absolute homelessness, most women stayed with family, couch surfed, used women’s or educational residences, shared a room or an apartment, lived in hotels, single rented rooms, or transitional housing. These arrangements were often problematic, as crowded conditions, financial dependency, differing expectations and interpersonal conflicts made for stressful or exploitive relationships, which sometimes ended abruptly. Only two of the 26 women interviewed described their current living situation as stable. Based on the findings on the study, we recommend training for housing and immigration service providers, wrap-around services in terms of health, housing and immigration settlement programs that take into account a broad range of immigration statuses and transitional housing that caters to the specific needs of migrant women.     

Parental Personality,Relationship Stress,and Child Development: A Stress Generation Perspective

This study aimed to investigate associations among the parental personality dimensions of self‐criticism and dependency, parental relationship stress, and child development from a stress generation perspective. Data from 79 first‐time parents and their children aged 8–13 months, who were followed up in a two‐wave, 1‐year longitudinal study, were analysed within a multilevel structural equation modelling framework in order to account for within‐couple interdependence. Results revealed that, as hypothesised, both parental self‐criticism and dependency were associated with increased levels of relationship stress, which in turn were negatively related to child development. Hence, parental personality features in combination with relationship stress may be an important target in couple and family‐based interventions. Implications for further research on family dynamics and interventions are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Role of Parent Education and Parenting Knowledge in Children's Language and Literacy Skills among White,Black, and Latino Families

This study investigated the role of parenting knowledge of infant development in children's subsequent language and pre‐literacy skills among White, Black and Latino families of varying socioeconomic status. Data come from 6,150 participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort. Mothers' knowledge of infant development was measured when children were 9 months old, and child language and pre‐literacy skills were measured during the fall of the preschool year prior to Kindergarten when children were approximately four years old. Mothers' knowledge of infant development was uniquely related to both maternal education and race/ethnicity. Reported sources of parenting information/advice also varied by education and race/ ethnicity and were related to parenting knowledge. Further, controlling for demographic factors, parenting knowledge partially mediated the relation between parent education and child language and pre‐literacy skills, and this relation differed by race/ethnicity. One way to eliminate socioeconomic status achievement gaps in children's early language and literacy skills may be to focus on parents' knowledge of child development, particularly in Latino families. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Secondary Analysis of Integrated Pediatric Chronic Pain Services Related to Cost Savings

Youth with chronic pain have high healthcare utilization and associated costs. Research supports integrated treatment; though, it’s unclear which treatments are used and cost-effective. This study expands on work that found reduced service use and cost savings following participation in an outpatient integrated pediatric pain clinic. We explored which services were commonly used and which individual (psychotherapy, medication management, acupuncture, massage, biofeedback) and/or combinations of services were associated with service use reduction and cost savings. Medication management and psychotherapy were more common than complementary integrative medicine (CIM) services. Massage services were associated with reduced inpatient costs. There were trends of fewer emergency department visits for participants who received CIM services in addition to medication management and psychotherapy, and more visits for those with biofeedback. Findings suggest that a more detailed examination of service utilization is needed to better understand cost outcomes related to the integrated treatment of pediatric chronic pain.

     

Romantic heartbreak: Prevalence,personality traits,and personal stories

Across four studies (N = 4,381, M_age = 39.17 years, 56% female, 67% White, 12% Hispanic/Latinx, 11% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 9% Black/African American) the experience of heartbreak was considered within trait and narrative research paradigms. Participants indicated if they have ever experienced, and were currently experiencing, heartbreak. Personality traits, attachment styles, and narrative accounts of heartbreak were also assessed. Across all studies, 82% of participants indicated experiencing heartbreak and this event was largely unrelated to demographic and personality characteristics whereas 14% of participants reported being in a current state of heartbreak and these individuals were more likely to be single, neurotic, and insecurely attached. Lastly, storying heartbreak as leading to self‐improvement related positively with secure attachment.     

Latent Profile Analysis of Traditional and Cyber-Aggression and Victimization: Associations with Dark Triad Traits and Psychopathology Symptoms

Research has shown that while traditional (e.g., physical and relational) and cyber aggression and victimization often co-occur, individuals may differ in terms of their experiences with aggression and victimization as well as social-psychological adjustment. The current study investigated whether there are distinct groups of college students who experience different forms of aggression and victimization using latent profile analysis (LPA), and whether these groups differ from one another in their maladaptive personality characteristics and psychopathology symptoms. Participants were 540 undergraduate students from a Midwestern university (53% female; 78.5% White; average age?=?19.27 years). Four profiles were identified: Non-Involved (80.7%), Traditional Victim-Only (10.3%), Traditional Aggressor/Victim (4.8%), and Combined Aggressor/Victim (traditional aggression, cyber aggression and victimization; 4.1%). Maladaptive personality traits and psychopathology symptoms differed across the four groups. Both the traditional aggressor/victim group and the combined aggressor/victim group, compared to the non-involved and traditional victim-only group, reported higher levels of narcissism, psychopathy, and callous-unemotional (CU) traits. The traditional aggressor/victim group, compared to the combined aggressor/victim group, reported higher levels of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and CU traits. The combined aggressor/victim group reported higher levels of psychopathology symptoms (i.e., emotion dysregulation, depression, anxiety, and stress) compared to the traditional aggressor/victim group. These findings enhance our understanding of the heterogeneity in experiences with aggression and victimization among college students, and highlight the importance of developing interventions that target their specific mental health needs.