Maternal beliefs concerning young children's private speech

The goal of this study was to understand maternal reports, beliefs, and attitudes about their young children's use of private speech. Mothers of 48 children between the ages of 3 and 5 participated in a semi‐structured interview in which they reported on the frequency and context of their child's use of private speech, maternal responses toward such speech use in children, and beliefs about the utility of such speech for children. Interviews were transcribed and responses coded. Mothers also completed surveys on children's self control and parenting style. Results indicated that practically all parents reported that their child engaged in private speech and that such speech was more likely to appear during fantasy play than during problem‐solving activities. Parents varied in their personal responses to children's self talk and, as a group, do not appear to actively discourage or encourage its use. Ignoring/allowing child private speech use was common and this response was positively associated with authoritative parenting. Parental reports of the frequency with which their child talks to himself were negatively associated with parental reports of children's self‐control. Crib speech, or bedtime monologue, was reported to be very common and was negatively associated with children's self‐control and positively associated with children's private speech use. Parents were uniformly positive in their belief that private speech serves important functions and that it helps young children during task activities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

城市父亲参与儿童教养的特点及其与性别角色的关系

以400名3到7岁城市儿童的父亲为被试,考察父亲参与教养的基本特点及其与性别角色的关系.结果发现,小学一年级儿童的父亲对子女的规则约束显著多于幼儿园小班和中班儿童父亲,父亲参与教养水平不存在儿童性别的显著差异.双性化的父亲对儿童的互动监督、规则约束、情感表达、间接支持、学业鼓励均显著多于其他性别角色的父亲;男性化的父亲对儿童的规则约束显著多于女性化的父亲;女性化的父亲在互动监督、情感表达、间接支持和学业鼓励方面均显著多于未分化的父亲.     

儿童心理状态推理中的观点偏差

采用知识状态推理和冲突愿望推理任务考察儿童对知识状态和愿望状态推理的偏差。被试为108名3~5岁的儿童,结果表明在知识状态推理任务中,儿童对别人知识状态的推理会受到自己知识状态的影响,表现出自我中心的特点;而在冲突愿望推理任务中,与自己喜欢的情况相比,较小年龄的儿童在自己不喜欢的条件下更容易正确推理别人的愿望,表现出不对称性。因此儿童在对心理状态进行推理时具体表现出什么样的特点具有情境依赖性     

The Stability of Self-Reported Physical Symptoms in African American Mothers and Their Impact on Children

Self-reported physical symptoms are an important marker of health and well-being, particularly among African American women. The stability of African American women’s physical symptoms or the impact of their symptoms on their children, however, has yet to be examined. This longitudinal study examined the stability of maternal self-reported physical symptoms, as well as their role in shaping child-reported physical symptoms, among 137 low-income African American families. Findings revealed that mothers’ self-reported physical symptoms were stable over 2.5 years. Mothers who reported higher levels of physical symptoms were more likely to have children who concurrently reported higher levels of symptoms. Physical symptoms reported by mothers at the first assessment also predicted child-reported physical symptoms 2.5 years later, but only for boys. Physical symptoms appear to be an important, yet understudied, symptom domain that may have significant implications for the health and well-being of African American families.     

外来务工人员子女人格特征的研究

本研究采用卡特尔十四种人格问卷对351名外来务工人员子女和本地儿童进行了调查,结果表明,外来务工人员子女的人格在诸多因子上与本地儿童有显著差异。     

4～7岁儿童对人的目的指向行为的归因研究

该研究根据人的三种基本生物需要(吃、喝、睡)设计动画故事脚本,通过计算机呈现的方式,探查4~7岁儿童对人的生物需要目的指向行为的归因。结果表明:(1)学前儿童能够对人的生物需要目的指向行为进行非意图的生物学解释,4岁至5岁是一个快速发展期;(2)学前儿童对人的生物需要行为的理解表现出不一致性,其“睡”和“吃”受社会因素影响较大,“喝水”表现为一种纯粹的生物需要(3)学前儿童对人的生物需要行为的满足与否能够采取灵活的多因果解释模式。     

Dimensional structure and measurement invariance of the BRIEF-2 across gender in a socially vulnerable sample of primary school-aged children

The present study aims to analyze, on the one hand, the dimensional structure of the BRIEF-2 and, on the other, its measurement invariance across gender in a sample of primary school-aged children. Participants were 168 students (51.8% girls) in conditions of social risk and in foster homes, with ages ranging from 6 to 15 years old (M = 10.08; SD = 2.09). The children’s executive functioning level was obtained from their parents or caregivers. The analysis of the internal structure using confirmatory factor analysis reveals that the model with three indexes (Behavioral, Emotional and Cognitive) and nine scales (Inhibit, Shift, Self-Monitor, Emotional Control, Initiate, Working Memory, Plan/Organize, Organization of Materials and Task-Monitor) showed a good fit to the sample. Likewise, the results support the measurement invariance of the BRIEF-2 across genders. The coefficient alpha values for the index scores ranged from .71 to .91, with coefficients for the individual scales ranging from .66 to .88. The findings support the factorial validity of the BRIEF-2 scores, suggesting that it is an adequate instrument to evaluate executive functioning reported by parents and caregivers. Future studies must continue to examine the structure and invariance of the BRIEF-2 in different populations and cultures.     

The resilience status of Chinese left-behind children in rural areas: a meta-analysis

The resilience has become the main trend of the left-behind children's (LBC) mental health research. To evaluate the resilience status of Chinese LBC in rural areas, a meta-analysis was performed. Relevant studies were identified using electronic databases from 1990 to 2017. Pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated with fixed and random effects models. A total of 14 cross-sectional studies with 9777 individuals were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed there was significant difference in the aspects of family support and RSCA (Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents) total score between LBC and non-left-behind children (NLBC). After stratification subgroup, significant difference in RSCA total score was also found in subgroup with sample size ≥700 and target population (LBC) between LBC and NLBC. In addition, there was no significant difference in resilience of male and female among LBC (P >0.05). We also found RSCA total score of LBC whose one parents migratingwere higher than both parents (P <0.05) and the time of parental migration (≤2 years) were higher than others (>2 years). In conclusion, more attention should be paid to the LBC, especially both parents migrating or parental migration (>2 years).     

Body mass index,peer victimization,and body dissatisfaction across 7 years of childhood and adolescence: Evidence of moderated and mediated pathways

Numerous studies have reported that children and adolescents who are overweight are more likely to get bullied, yet the literature is replete with methodological limitations. We examined the transactional associations between peer victimization and body mass index (BMI), considering potential mediating (body dissatisfaction) and moderating (biological sex) factors. Participants (n = 631) came from the McMaster Teen Study, where students were assessed annually between Grades 5–11, approximately half were girls (53.9%), and the majority were white (76.4%). Peer victimization (from Grade 5) and body dissatisfaction (from Grade 6) were self‐reported by students, while parents reported their child's height and weight (from Grade 5). Cascade models were built up sequentially using path analysis across 2‐year increments (Grades 5, 7, 9, and 11). The final model had excellent fit to the data (χ² = 73.961, df = 66, p = 0.234). Grade 5 peer victimization had a direct effect on BMI across a 2‐year period in girls (b = 0.59, SE = 0.21, p = 0.005) and boys (b = 0.82, SE = 0.30, p = 0.006), and an indirect effect on BMI via body dissatisfaction across a 4‐year period (b = 0.074, 95% CI = 0.012–0.152, p = 0.036). At no point did BMI directly increase risk for peer victimization, yet there were indirect effects via body dissatisfaction among girls but not boys. Peer victimization and body dissatisfaction were proximally and longitudinally related at every time point and there was a transactional association in late‐adolescence among girls but not boys. Targeting modifiable factors in the social (peer victimization) and psychological (body dissatisfaction) domains may limit accelerated weight gain and the health risks associated with excess adiposity.