The Potential Mediating Role of Parenting Practices in the Development of Conduct Problems in a Clinic-Referred Sample

Research has consistently found associations among parenting practices, socioeconomic disadvantage, ethnicity and conduct problems in children. We investigated whether parenting practices might mediate the relation between ethnicity and conduct problems and the relation between socioeconomic status (SES) and conduct problems. The subjects were 141 clinic-referred children between the ages of 6 and 17 and their primary custodial parents. Using multiple indicators for each construct, except ethnicity, the mediational role of parenting was tested using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that the effects of SES on conduct problems was largely mediated by the influence of ineffective parenting practices. In contrast, ethnicity was not associated with conduct problems in this clinic-referred sample, even prior to controlling for SES and parenting practices, suggesting that the link between minority status and conduct problems may be dependent on the demographic characteristics of the sample. Exploratory analyses also revealed that there were ethnic differences in the types of parenting practices that were most strongly associated with conduct problems.     

Media exposure and language for toddlers from low-income homes

In the current study, we examined whether the quantity of toddlers’ exposure to media was related to language skills and whether meeting the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations of limiting media exposure to one hour or less per day was related to language skills. We examined these associations in a sample of toddlers (N = 157) living in low-income homes. Toddlers were about two years of age (M = 28.44 months, SD = 1.48 months) during the first visit when parents reported on toddlers’ exposure to media in the home. Toddlers were about three years of age (M = 33.61 months, SD = 1.06 months) during the second visit when direct measures of toddlers’ expressive and receptive language and receptive vocabulary skills were completed. Controls were child gender, race, mothers’ education, marital status, work status, and center-based child care. Results indicated that more frequent exposure to media was related to lower expressive language, but not receptive language or receptive vocabulary. The predictor of AAP recommendation was not significantly related to any child language outcomes. These results suggest that media exposure may be related to the displacement of language-enhancing activities during a critical time for toddlers’ language development. However, the AAP media recommendation of one hour may not be related to language development.     

儿童认知发展水平诊断工具IPDT的动态化编制及其在低社会经济地位儿童中的应用

“皮亚杰认知发展量表” (IPDT)中的守恒与关系领域经动态化改编后已被证实适用于小学低年级儿童的潜能评估。在此基础上, 本研究旨在构建适用于小学高年级儿童的IPDT表征、分类、规律领域的动态测验; 并运用所构建的IPDT动态测验对低社会经济地位(SES)儿童进行认知潜能评估; 而后经过对低SES儿童的推理认知干预, 进一步考查认知干预在低SES不同潜能儿童的认知能力和数学成就中的促进作用。结果发现：(1)改编的IPDT表征、分类、规律领域的动态测验包含“前测—干预—迁移—后测”4个阶段, 所构建的逐级提示干预方案合理适切, 可以有效区分不同认知潜能水平的小学高年级儿童, 特别是弱势儿童; (2)推理认知干预对由IPDT动态测验细致区分出的不同潜能水平的低SES儿童作用不同, 尽管他们在认知能力与数学成就上均有进步, 但低SES高潜能儿童比低SES低潜能儿童从干预中获益更多。     

Young European citizens: An individual by context perspective on adolescent European citizenship

Abstract

This study examined the effects of individual, school-level and country-level variables and their interactions on two components of adolescents’ active European citizenship: trust in European institutions and participation at the European level. For comparison, country-related institutional trust and participation were also predicted. Using multilevel regression models, we re-analysed a subsample of survey data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, collected from 14-year-old students (n = 72,466) in 22 European countries in 2009. Results showed that higher cognitive engagement with politics (e.g., political interest), more opportunities for learning about Europe at school, and country wealth and social equality were positively associated with both aspects of adolescents’ active European citizenship. In contrast to country-related participation, the participatory dimension of active European citizenship was also positively related to a higher socioeconomic status of adolescent’s classroom and family, an association that was more pronounced in less wealthy and post-communist countries.     

Social Distribution of Social Support: The Mediating Role of Life Events

Although the relation of socioeconomic status (SES) to social support has been discussed for some time, researchers have rarely systematically examined the social patterning of this resource. In addition, potential explanatory mechanisms have not been investigated. This study examined both the social distribution of social support and the role of life events in the association between SES and social support in a nationally representative probability sample of adults from the National Cormorbidity Survey. Higher education and income were related to more emotional support and fewer negative interactions. Individuals with higher incomes were also less likely to report acute and chronic life events. Finally, acute (but not chronic) life events mediated the relation between SES and social support (both emotional support and negative interactions). These results suggest the inability of lower SES individuals to mobilize social support in times of need may be explained by their more frequent experience of acute life events.     

Exploring the place of financial status in the good life: Income and meaning in life

Abstract

Two studies examined the association between income and meaning in life (MIL). Study 1 (N = 781) demonstrated that income and other measures of financial status are positively associated with MIL and other aspects of well-being. The association between income and MIL was partially explained by autonomy, competence, and perceptions of control. Study 2 (N = 123) examined people’s forecasts of how financial status would affect their future well-being. Having a middle class or upper-middle class income in the future was expected to result in higher MIL, happiness, and need satisfaction than a life with a low income, showing that people perceive income as tied to meaning. These studies demonstrate how financial status can contribute to actual and expected MIL.     

Class Identification and Psychological Variables Related to Well-being and Social Mobility

It has been reported in the literature that the socioeconomic level of subjects often does not correspond to their class identification, and that the latter is a better predictor of physical and psychological health variables. The objectives of this study were to provide evidence that class identification is largely independent of the socioeconomic level of subjects, and to verify the extent to which class identification is related to psychological factors (self-esteem, social support networks, strategies for coping with stress, depression, locus of control, achievement motivation and subjective well-being), and to the probability of experiencing upward social mobility. Participating in the study were 918 subjects, of whom 346 were extremely poor, 260 moderately poor and 312 were not poor. City districts in Mexico City and the larger metropolitan area were selected randomly. The results indicated a weak relationship between objective indicators of socioeconomic level and the class identification of subjects and a relationship between class identification and some of the psychological factors measured, and between the upward social mobility.     

家庭社会经济地位对小学生阅读自主性的影响:父母鼓励和阅读动机的中介作用

采用家庭社会经济地位问卷、学生阅读自主性量表、父母鼓励阅读问卷和阅读动机问卷,对313名小学生进行测查,并运用结构方程模型探讨家庭社会经济地位对阅读自主性的影响机制。结果表明:(1)家庭社会经济地位影响阅读自主性;(2)父母鼓励和阅读动机是上述影响关系的中介变量;(3)家庭社会经济地位通过父母鼓励影响阅读动机,进而影响阅读自主性,即父母鼓励和阅读动机起链式中介的作用。模型中两个中介变量父母鼓励和阅读动机一"外"一"内"协同作用,支持了家庭投资模型。     

Potential Moderators of Racial Differences in Responses to Traumatic Events

Research regarding the influence of race on outcomes after trauma has been mixed, and we aimed to identify potential moderators of the relation between race and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)–related outcomes. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 477 participants in the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys. African American individuals reported a shorter duration of and less frequent PTSD symptoms than Caucasian individuals, and also endorsed a greater number of reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms. Education, socioeconomic status, and social support did not significantly moderate relations between age of worst trauma and PTSD-related outcomes. Clinical and research implications are discussed.     

Are economic conditions related to nonnormative life satisfaction development? Evaluating the relative impact of economic conditions,personality, and subjective health

This study examined the relative contribution of psychological and socioeconomic resources to explaining qualitative individual differences in life satisfaction development. We used growth mixture modeling and a cohort‐sequential design to investigate life satisfaction development from ages 25 to 65, in a nationally representative panel (the Socioeconomic Panel). Eighty‐three percent of the participants experienced stability in life satisfaction. In a subgroup of individuals (10%), life satisfaction declined. This subgroup lived under less favorable economic conditions and reported downward moves on an index of socioeconomic status. In another subgroup (7%), life satisfaction was low at age 25 and increased up to age 65. This group was also socioeconomically disadvantaged but scored higher on adaptive personality traits and experienced upward social mobility. Generally, personality traits explained level differences in life satisfaction better than economic conditions. However, economic conditions explained nonnormative life satisfaction development better than generalized control beliefs and the Big Five traits.