Factors Moderating Children's Adjustment to Parental Separation: Findings From a Community Study in England

Research findings show that there is marked variability in children's response to parental separation, but few studies identify the sources of this variation. This prospective longitudinal study examines the factors modifying children's adjustment to parental separation in a community sample of 5,635 families in England. Children's behavioral/emotional problems were assessed when children were aged 47 and 81 months; marital quality, maternal depression, socioeconomic circumstances, and demographic variables were assessed prior to the separation from maternal report. Results indicated that 346 mothers separated from their partners in the 3-year period. Preseparation differences were found for measures of family process and parent risk factors, with effect sizes ranging from small to trivial. Parental separation was associated with a significant but modest increase in behavioral/emotional problems, independent of marital quality, maternal depression, socioeconomic circumstances, and demographic variables. Moderation analyses showed that children of cohabiting parents had a greater increase in adjustment problems following parental separation than children of married parents. Further research elucidating the factors that moderate children's adjustment to parental separation is needed to improve our understanding of who may most likely benefit from preventive interventions.     

A Longitudinal Study of Relational Aggression, Physical Aggression, and Children's Social–Psychological Adjustment

Although great strides have recently been made in our understanding of relational aggression and its consequences, one significant limitation has been the lack of prospective studies. The present research addressed this issue by identifying and assessing groups of relationally aggressive, physically aggressive, relationally plus physically aggressive (co-morbid), and nonaggressive children during their third grade year in elementary school and then reassessing them a year later, during fourth-grade (N = 224, 113 girls). Two aspects of social–psychological adjustment were assessed during both assessment periods including internalizing difficulties (i.e., withdrawal, depression/anxiety, and somatic complaints) and externalizing problems (i.e., aggressive behavior, delinquency). It was revealed that the strongest predictor of future social–psychological adjustment problems and increases in these problems from third to fourth was the combination of relational and physical aggression. Relational aggression also contributed unique information, relative to physical aggression, in the prediction of future maladjustment. Implications of these findings for future research and prevention efforts, particularly for aggressive girls, are discussed.

学前教育年限与母亲受教育水平对农村一年级 小学生学校适应的影响

研究采用同伴提名法、教师和家长报告法,对农村135名一年级小学生进行了为期一年的追踪调查,在此基础上,考察了学前教育年限、母亲受教育水平与学校适应之间的关系。结果表明:(1)学前教育年限越长,小学生越多地表现出积极社会行为,但这种优势仅体现在小学入学初期;(2)母亲受教育水平越低,小学生越多地表现出敏感退缩行为和受拒绝同伴关系;(3)对于母亲受教育水平较低的小学生,学前教育年限越长,其攻击冒犯行为越多;而对于母亲受教育水平较高的小学生,学前教育年限越长,其攻击冒犯行为越少。可见,母亲受教育水平与学前教育年限相互作用,共同影响儿童发展结果,且母亲受教育水平的影响作用更为明显。     

Even with the Best of Intentions: Paternal Involvement and the Theory of Planned Behavior

Implicit in much of the fatherhood discourse is the assumption that if fathers want to take an active role in their children's lives, they could and would do so. While research has highlighted the factors associated with fathers' involvement, very few, if any, of these studies have been guided by a theory that accounts for both fathers' involvement intentions and their ability to follow through on those intentions. The theory of planned behavior and its emphasis on attitudes, the beliefs of significant others, and whether one has control over engaging in behavior is a conceptual fit to respond to questions related to the complex nature of paternal involvement. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well‐being Study, the purpose of this study was to test the utility of the theory of planned behavior in predicting fathers' involvement intentions and reports of involvement. The results revealed that the theory of planned behavior can be useful in examining paternal involvement and should be used in future research to enhance the fatherhood literature.     

Attachment Security,Personality, and Adjustment of Elementary School Children

Children's development is assumed to be closely related to their attachment security and their personality. The authors’ aim was to examine the joint contribution of attachment security and personality traits to children's adjustment by examining diverse children's outcomes (emotional symptoms, social functioning, and behavioral problems) and using various perspectives (children, parents, and teachers). The sample comprised 247 8–12-year-old children from low socioeconomic status neighborhoods. Personality and attachment contribute to the different domains of adjustment. In cases of moderation, attachment security moderates the implications of personality traits on children's adjustment. The findings highlight the contribution of positive personality tendencies in playing down the difficulties of insecurely attached children.     

Family Functioning and Psychological Well-Being,School Adjustment,and Problem Behavior in Chinese Adolescents With and Without Economic Disadvantage

Using an indigenously developed measure of family functioning, the author examined the association between family functioning and adolescent adjustment in 1,519 Chinese adolescents. Results showed that family functioning was significantly related to measures of adolescent psychological well-being (existential well-being, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of mastery, general psychiatric morbidity), school adjustment (perceived academic performance, satisfaction with academic performance, and school conduct), and problem behavior (delinquent and substance abuse behavior). Family functioning was generally more strongly related to measures of adolescent adjustment for adolescents with economic disadvantage than for adolescents without economic disadvantage.     

Effects of Varying Load Conditions on the Organization of Postural Adjustments during Voluntary Arm Flexion

One purpose of the experiments reported here was to further clarify the effect of varying loads on postural adjustments. Another was to reevaluate whether or not the timing of electromyographic (EMG) activity in the postural muscle is preprogrammed. To accomplish these goals, we compared the effect of the presence or absence of prior knowledge of a load on the timing of EMG activity in the postural muscle (biceps femoris [BF]) with that in the focal muscle (anterior deltoid [AD]). Although the sequence of EMG activation was similar under conditions with and without a load, the timing of postural EMG activities (BFi, ipsilateral BF; BFc, contralateral BF) in associated postural adjustments was dependent on the force of arm movement, and the latencies of postural EMG activities (BFi—BFc) were dependent on the speed of arm movement. This indicates that EMG changes in the upper (focal muscle) and lower limbs (postural muscle) were triggered by different motor programs. Moreover, similar EMG activities were observed in postural muscles when the subject had advance knowledge of the presence or the absence of a load. Thus, this suggests that BFi may be centrally preprogrammed (anticipatory regulation) and BFc may be feedback regulated. Furthermore, environmental information may be a critical source of influence on those postural responses.     

Perspectives of Adults Living With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Psychosocial and Occupational Implications

The incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased over the past decade suggesting a need for further research. This article describes a two phase phenomenological study which explored the lived experience of ASD and its psychosocial effects on relationships, socialization, and occupational participation. Phenomenological interviews were given to three women and three men with high functioning ASD. Phase two of the research included two additional individual interviews and four focus groups. Results indicated themes regarding participants' desires to engage in social occupations, and barriers caused by the nature of the ASD which may successfully be addressed by occupational therapy.     

Expecting More in Relationships – Implications of Relational Entitlement

Abstract

Sense of relational entitlement refers to what individuals’ believe they “should” expect from their romantic partner. When expectations are both unrealistic and not met by one’s partner, there is a potential for adverse consequences. Researchers surveyed 195 female participants between the ages 18-60. The study examined the influence of one’s sense of relational entitlement with varying conflict strategies. The findings revealed that extreme forms of one’s sense of relational entitlement was associated with conflict strategies like verbal aggression, and control & domination. Thus, one’s sense of relational entitlement appears to play a significant role in how individuals handle conflict.     

Young children's interpersonal trust consistency as a predictor of future school adjustment

Young children's interpersonal trust consistency was examined as a predictor of future school adjustment. One hundred and ninety two (95 male and 97 female, M_age = 6 years 2 months, SD_age = 6 months) children from school years 1 and 2 in the United Kingdom were tested twice over one year. Children completed measures of peer trust and school adjustment and teachers completed the Short-Form Teacher Rating Scale of School Adjustment. Longitudinal quadratic relationships emerged between consistency of children's peer trust beliefs and peer-reported trustworthiness and school adjustment and these varied according to social group, facet of trust, and indicator of school adjustment. The findings support the conclusion that interpersonal trust consistency, especially for secret-keeping, predicts aspects of young children's school adjustment.