bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post‐traumatic Stress Responses Following Liver Transplantation in Older Children
Authors: Walker Anne Marie , Harris Gillian , Baker Alastair , Kelly Deirdre , Houghton Judith
Published: September 2003

Eighteen children aged between 7 and 16 years who had undergone a liver transplantation were interviewed using the Child Post‐Traumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTS‐RI) to discover if they had post‐traumatic stress symptoms. A case control design was used to define which factors were important for the development of post‐traumatic stress. Results of a one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with post‐traumatic stress symptom intensity as measured on the CPTS‐RI as the dependant variable, revealed a significant difference between the liver transplantation group compared with children who had a chronic life‐threatening illness or had undergone a routine surgical operation. A post hoc (Tukey's HSD test) statistical analysis was performed and significance at the .05 level was found between the liver transplantation group and both the chronic illness group and the routine surgical operation group. Our results indicate that the acute life‐threat involved in the liver transplantation contributed to the development of post‐traumatic stress. It was thought that dissociation may be important in preventing the resolution of the trauma. Additional investigations are needed with larger numbers in a longitudinal study beginning before the transplant to determine the course of the PTSD symptoms and the appropriate timing of interventions to reduce the harmful effects of these symptoms.
Quebec Child Mental Health Survey: Prevalence of DSM‐III‐R Mental Health Disorders
Authors: Breton Jean‐Jacques , Bergeron Lise , Valla Jean‐Pierre , Berthiaume Claude , Gaudet Nathalie , Lambert Jean , St‐Georges Marie , Houde Laurent , Lépine Suzanne
Published: September 2003

The Quebec Child Mental Health Survey (QCMHS) was conducted in 1992 on a representative sample of 2400 children and adolescents aged 6 to 14 years from throughout Quebec. Prevalences of nine Axis‐I DSM‐III‐R (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) mental health disorders were calculated based on each informant (for 6–11‐year‐olds: child, parent, and teacher; for 12–14‐year‐olds: child and parent). Informant parallelism allows the classification of results of the demographic variables associated with disorders in the logistic regression models. This strategy applies to group variables (correlates of disorders) whereas informant agreement applies to individual diagnoses. Informant parallelism implies that results for two informants or more are in the same direction and significant. In the QCMHS, informant parallelism exists for disruptive disorders, i.e. in two ADHD regression models (child and parent) higher rates among boys and young children, and in three oppositional/conduct disorders regression models (child, parent, and teacher) higher rates among boys. No informant parallelism is observed in the logistic regression models for internalizing disorders, i.e. the patterns of association of demographic variables with anxiety and depressive disorders vary across informants. Urban‐rural residence does not emerge as a significant variable in any of the logistic regression models. The overall 6‐month prevalences reach 19.9% according to the parent and 15.8% according to the child. The implications of the results for policy makers and clinicians are discussed.
Post‐traumatic Stress Reactions in Children of War
Authors: Thabet Abdel Aziz Mousa , Vostanis Panos
Published: September 2003

The aims of this study were to estimate the rate of post‐traumatic stress reactions in Palestinian children who experienced war traumas, and to investigate the relationship between trauma‐related factors and PTSD reactions. The sample consisted of 239 children of 6 to 11 years of age. Measures included the Rutter A2 (parent) and B2 (teacher) scales, the Gaza Traumatic Event Checklist, and the Child Post‐Traumatic Stress Reaction Index. Of the sample, 174 children (72.8%) reported PTSD reactions of at least mild intensity, while 98 (41%) reported moderate/severe PTSD reactions. Caseness on the Rutter A2 scale was detected in 64 children (26.8%), which correlated well with detection of PTSD reactions, but not with teacher‐detected caseness. The total number of experienced traumas was the best predictor of presence and severity of PTSD. Intervention programmes for post‐war children need to be evaluated, taking into account developmental and cultural aspects, as well as characteristics of the communities involved.
The Use of Orthographic Analogies in Learning to Read Chinese
Authors: Suk‐Han Ho Connie , Wong Wai‐Ling , Chan Wing‐Sau
Published: September 2003

Two studies, comprising training in phonological analogy and semantic analogy with pre‐ and post‐training assessments, were conducted to investigate whether young children made orthographic analogies in learning to read a nonalphabetic script, Chinese, as alphabetic readers do. Twenty Chinese first‐graders and 20 third‐graders participated in each of the studies. The results showed that not only the third‐graders, but also the first‐graders made phonological analogies by the phonetic (i.e. the orthographic component in a Chinese character that provides sound cues) and semantic analogies by the radical (i.e. the orthographic component that provides meaning cues). It was, therefore, suggested that the roles and functions of the phonetics and radicals could be taught explicitly in school from an early age to help improve children's reading skills.
Effects on Later Adjustment of Living in a Stepfamily During Childhood and Adolescence
Authors: Nicholson Jan M. , Fergusson David M. , Horwood L. John
Published: September 2003

This paper examines the effects of living in a stepfamily during childhood and adolescence on a range of psychosocial outcomes at age 18 years. Data collected during an 18‐year longitudinal study were used to examine a sample of 907 children with respect to: exposure to living in a stepfamily during the period from age 6 to 16 years; measures of psychosocial outcomes including mental health, antisocial behaviour, substance use, restricted life opportunities, and sexual risk‐taking at age 18 years; and measures of prospectively collected confounding factors. The analyses revealed that children exposed to living in a stepfamily for the first time between ages 6–16 years had elevated risks of a range of psychosocial outcomes at 18 years. These included elevated risks of: (1) juvenile offending; (2) nicotine dependence; (3) abuse or dependence on illicit substances; (4) leaving school without qualifications; (5) early onset of sexual activity ; and (6) multiple sexual partners. However, these risks were reduced substantially when psychosocial outcomes were adjusted for the confounding effects of antecedent factors such as: family socioeconomic characteristics ; family history of instability, adversity, and conflict; mother's age, religiosity, and smoking; child gender; and preexisting child conduct and attentional problems. After adjustment, the odds ratios between exposure to a stepfamily and adolescent outcomes were nonsignificant. Additional analysis revealed that there were no significant differences in outcomes for boys and girls exposed to stepfamilies. It was concluded that although young people exposed to living in a stepfamily had increased risks of poor psychosocial outcomes, much of this association appeared to be spurious, and arose from confounding social, contextual, and individual factors that were present prior to the formation of the stepfamily.
Differences between School Classes in Preschoolers' Psychosocial Adjustment: Evidence for the Importance of Children's Interpersonal Relations
Authors: Van Den Oord Edwin J. C. G. , Rispens Jan
Published: September 2003

We examined differences between school classes with respect to three aspects of psychosocial adjustment at school, namely the extent that children in the class liked to play with each other, the number of teacher‐reported behaviour problems, and children's feelings of well‐being at school. The sample consisted of 1282 4‐ to 5‐year‐olds from 94 school classes and 51 schools, but due to nonresponse actual sample sizes were somewhat smaller for most analyses. Multilevel analyses showed that on average 87% of the variance was at the child level, 11% at the class level, and 3% at the school level. This indicated that a non‐negligible amount of variance could not be accounted for by factors at the child level. Furthermore, this variance was mainly associated with differences between classes instead of differences between schools. A set of variables that pertained to sociodemographic characteristics of schools, school facilities, organisational aspects of classrooms, and the teacher did not provide an adequate explanation for the differences in adjustment levels. In contrast to these traditional variables, social network indices yielded substantial correlations, showed consistent trends across the different adjustment measures, and fulfilled the necessary requirement that to explain differences between school classes the predictor variables themselves should differ for classes within the same school. These results suggested that aspects of the interpersonal relations of children in the classroom such as proximity, integration, and the amount of contact could be determinants of differences between school classes in psychosocial adjustment.
The EAS Temperament Questionnaire—Factor Structure, Age Trends, Reliability, and Stability in a Norwegian Sample
Authors: Mathiesen Kristin S. , Tambs Kristian
Published: September 2003

A population‐based sample of Norwegian children aged 18 months (N = 921), 30 months (N = 784), and 50 months (N = 737) was examined with the EAS Temperament Survey (Buss & Plomin, 1984). The factor structure, psychometric properties, and stability estimates of the instrument were assessed. A cross‐validation of the temperament factors of Emotionality, Activity, and Shyness show that the covariance structure conforms with the three scales described by Rowe and Plomin (1977) and Boer and Westenberg (1994). When items from the experimental scale of Sociability were included in the analysis, a four‐factor solution confirmed the separate usability of this scale as well. The factor structure does not seem to vary substantially with the age of the children. The scores on the four temperament scales show high stability from one time of measurement to the next. Although no strong gender differences were found, there were significant age trends. Emotionality and Shyness increased from 18 to 50 months, while Activity and Sociability decreased. The study confirmed the structure and stability of the EAS over 3 years among young children, providing support for its use with children as young as 18 months.
The Self‐systems of Aggressive Children: A Cluster‐analytic Investigation
Authors: Edens John F. , Cavell Timothy A. , Hughes Jan N.
Published: September 2003

The purpose of the present study was to identify clinically relevant subtypes of aggressive children based on measures of children's self‐systems and significant others' perceptions of relationship quality. In a sample of aggressive second‐ and third‐graders, a cluster analysis of these children's perceptions of support and significant others' (mother, teacher, and peers) perceptions of relationship quality revealed one subgroup in which self‐ and other‐ratings were both below the group mean (concordant‐negative), one in which both were above the sample mean (concordant‐positive), and one in which they were discrepant (high child‐report and low other‐report). All three clusters were rated as more aggressive than controls. However, children in the discrepant group were rated as considerably more aggressive and delinquent than those in the two concordant clusters, who did not differ from each other on measures of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Results are discussed from an attachment perspective and in terms of the clinical significance of this self‐other discrepancy.
Individual Differences in Young Children's IQ: A Social‐developmental Perspective
Authors: Crandell Lisa E. , Hobson R. Peter
Published: September 2003

From a sample of middle‐class mothers and their 3‐year‐old children, a selected group of 36 mothers were divided into 2 groups according to the quality of their responses to the Adult Attachment Interview as a Questionnaire (Crandell, Fitzgerald, & Whipple, 1997). Twenty mothers provided coherent accounts of their early parent‐child relationships (secure) and 16 mothers provided idealised, entangled, or otherwise incoherent accounts of their early parent‐child relationships (insecure). The mothers were administered an abbreviated version of the WAIS‐R and the children were given an abbreviated version of the Stanford‐Binet Intelligence Scale. The quality of mother‐child interactions was assessed by videotaping a 20‐minute play episode and clean‐up period, and by rating the degree of synchrony according to a modified version of the Belsky Parent‐Child Interaction System (Whipple, Denburg, & Davies, 1993). The results were that children of secure mothers scored 19 points higher on the Stanford‐Binet test compared to children of insecure mothers. (The adjusted mean difference was 12 points when maternal IQ, education, and family SES were taken into account.) The group difference in the children's IQ remained significant when comparisons were made between a subgroup of 12 secure and 12 insecure mothers who were matched for maternal IQ. Finally we examined the subgroup of 16 cases where child IQ scores were either 10 points higher or lower than maternal IQ. In all 6 cases where child IQ was at least 10 points below maternal IQ, the child had a mother who was insecure; in contrast, only 4 of the 10 children who had IQ scores 10 points higher than maternal IQ had an insecure mother. In terms of parent‐child interaction patterns, there was suggestive evidence that the degree of parent‐child synchrony was also related to child IQ. The results suggest important social‐developmental contributions to young children's performance on standardised tests of intellectual ability.
Avoidant/Ambivalent Attachment Style as a Mediator between Abusive Childhood Experiences and Adult Relationship Difficulties
Authors: McCarthy Gerard , Taylor Alan
Published: September 2003

The role of attachment style, self‐esteem, and relationship attributions as possible mediators between abusive childhood experiences and difficulties in establishing supportive love relationships in adulthood were investigated in a sample of women known to be at risk of experiencing relationship problems. Measures of child abuse, the quality of love relationships, and the three potential mediators were made concurrently in adulthood. Participants who had experienced child abuse were found to be six times more likely to be experiencing difficulties in the domain of adult love relationships than those who had not. Self‐esteem and relationship attributions were not found to be related to child abuse. When both child abuse and avoidant/ambivalent attachment style were considered together avoidant/ambivalent attachment style, but not child abuse, was found to be related to relationship difficulties. These findings indicate that avoidant/ambivalent attachment style, but not self‐esteem and relationship attributions, is a mediating factor in the route from child abuse to adult relationship abilities.
Maternal Age and Educational and Psychosocial Outcomes in Early Adulthood
Authors: Fergusson David M. , Woodward Lianne J.
Published: September 2003

The relationships between maternal age (at birth) and educational and psychosocial outcomes at age 18 were examined in a birth cohort of 1025 New Zealand children. This analysis indicated the presence of consistent tendencies for increasing maternal age to be associated with declining risks of educational underachievement, juvenile crime, substance misuse, and mental health problems. Children with teenage mothers had risks of later adverse outcomes that were 1.5 to 8.9 times higher than the risks for offspring of mothers aged over 30. Subsequent analyses revealed that the associations between maternal age and later educational and psychosocial outcomes were largely, but not wholly, explained by associations between maternal age and the child‐rearing practices and home environments experienced by children. In general, increasing maternal age tended to be associated with more nurturant, supportive, and stable home environments. In turn, these linkages between maternal and childhood environment explained most of the association between maternal age and later outcomes. The theoretical and applied implications of these results are considered.
Practitioner Review: The Assessment and Management of Risk in Adolescents
Authors: Sheldrick Carol
Published: September 2003

Much of the relevant literature has focused on the assessment of dangerousness in adults. Up‐to‐date thinking and research has now taken on the alternative concept of risk and looks not at all‐or‐nothing long‐term predictions, but at short‐term frequent decisions about risk, which then assist in the management of the individual and their situation. For this reason it is essential that those presenting evidence for other professionals or for Court should not attempt, or be persuaded, to make long‐term predictions. Current research is now showing that some factors, which can be ascertained clinically, are significantly associated with the risk of future violence.
Social versus Biological Parenting: Family Functioning and the Socioemotional Development of Children Conceived by Egg or Sperm Donation
Authors: Golombok Susan , Murray Clare , Brinsden Peter , Abdalla Hossam
Published: September 2003

By investigating egg donation families, donor insemination families, adoptive families, and families created by in vitro fertilization, the aim of the present study was to examine parents' emotional well‐being, the quality of parenting, and childrens' socioemotional development in families with a child who is genetically unrelated to the mother or the father. The differences that were found to exist between families according to the presence or absence of genetic ties between parents and their children reflected greater psychological well‐being among mothers and fathers in families where there was no genetic link between the mother and the child. The families did not differ with respect to the quality of parenting or the psychological adjustment of the child.
The Psychological Impact of War and the Refugee Situation on South Sudanese Children in Refugee Camps in Northern Uganda: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Paardekooper B. , De Jong J. T. V. M. , Hermanns J. M. A.
Published: September 2003

This paper presents the results of an exploratory study on the psychosocial effects of the war situation and subsequent fight on South Sudanese children who were compared to a group of Ugandan children who did not have these experiences of war and fight. In addition to the independent variables such as sociodemographic variables and traumatic events and dailylife stress, the dependent variable psychological consequences—according to parents and children themselves—as well as the influence of the mediating factors of social support and coping behaviour are presented.

Results showed that Sudanese refugee children had experienced significantly more traumatic events and suffered more daily hassles than the Ugandese comparison group. They were less satisfied with the social support they received. At the same time, they used more coping modes. Compared to Ugandan children, the Sudanese reported significantly more PTSD‐like complaints, behavioural problems, and depressive symptoms.
Quasi‐autistic Patterns Following Severe Early Global Privation
Authors: Rutter Michael , Andersen‐Wood Lucie , Beckett Celia , Bredenkamp Diana , Castle Jenny , Groothues Christine , Kreppner Jana , Keaveney Lisa , Lord Catherine , O'Connor Thomas G
Published: September 2003

Six per cent of child in a sample of 111 children who were adopted into U.K. families from Romania, and who were systematically assessed at the ages of 4 and 6 years, showed autisticlike patterns of behaviour. A further 6% showed milder (usually isolated) autistic features. Such autistic characteristics were not found in a similarly studied sample of 52 children adopted in the first 6 months of life within the U.K. The children from Romania with autistic patterns showed clinical features closely similar to “ordinary” autism at 4 years but they differed with respect to the improvement seen by age 6 years, to an equal sex ratio, and to a normal head circumference. The children from Romania with autistic features tended to differ from the other Romanian adoptees with respect to a greater degree of cognitive impairment and a longer duration of severe psychological privation.
Cognitive and Educational Attainments at School Age of Children Who Failed to Thrive in Infancy: A Population‐based Study
Authors: Drewett Robert F. , Corbett Sally S. , Wright Charlotte M.
Published: September 2003

A 1‐year cohort of children born at term in Newcastle‐upon‐Tyne in 1987/8 was screened for failure to thrive in infancy using a conditional longitudinal standard which identified those whose weight gain was in the lowest 5%. A group of 136 cases and 136 controls (from the same GP practice and living in a neighbourhood with the same deprivation index) was followed up at 7–9 years of age, when 79% of cases and 87% of controls were successfully studied. Cases at 7–9 were significantly shorter (mean 126.0 cm, SD 5.6) than controls (mean 130.7 cm, SD 5.9) ; adjusted for parental heights a difference of 4.4 cm (95% CI 2.92 to 5.90 cm) remained. They had smaller head circumferences (mean 51.9 cm, SD 1.8) than controls (mean 52.8 cm, SD 1.7), were significantly lighter (medians 23.8 kg, IR 21.5 to 26.9 in cases, and 27.9 kg, IR 25.2 to 31.6 in controls) and had a lower body mass index (median 14.9, IR 14.1 to 16.0 in cases, and 16.3, IR 15.3 to 17.8 in controls). Despite these large growth differences, no statistically significant differences in cognitive outcomes were found. Mean IQ was 87.6 (SD 17.4) in cases and 90.6 (SD 17.1) in controls; after adjustment for organic cause and mother's IQ the mean difference was 1.7 IQ points (95%CI‐5.2 to 1.9). There were no statistically significant differences in the reading, spelling, or reading comprehension scores; the mean standardised reading score was 93.5 (SD 16.2) for cases and 94.5 (SD 15.6) for controls. These results show that when carefully defined by velocity‐based anthropometric criteria, nonorganic failure to thrive in infancy is followed by persisting stunting and wasting, and a reduced head circumference, but is not associated with cognitive or educational disadvantages at school age.
Psychological Disorders and Their Correlates in an Australian Community Sample of Preadolescent Children
Authors: Prior Margot , Sanson Ann , Smart Diana , Oberklaid Frank
Published: September 2003

The nature and correlates of psychological disorders of preadolescent children from the longitudinal Australian Temperament Project (ATP) are reported. Almost half of the children identified via checklists completed by mothers, teachers, and the children themselves as being in the at‐risk range for disorder received a DSM‐III‐R diagnosis. Nine per cent of comparison, or low‐risk, children also received a diagnosis. Internalising disorders were the most common, and 44% of cases had multiple problems. Children rated as problematic by all three informants or by child plus teacher were the most likely to receive a diagnosis. The at‐risk group had more difficult temperament, poorer family and peer relationships, lower levels of social skills, and were of lower SES than the comparison group. There were minimal differences on these variables between at‐risk children who did, or did not, receive a DSMIII‐ R diagnosis. It is argued that especially for boys, checklists from multiple informants are effective tools for identifying clinically significant disorders.
Prospective Childhood Predictors of Deviant Peer Affiliations in Adolescence
Authors: Fergusson David M. , Horwood L. John
Published: September 2003

Data gathered over the course of a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of over 900 New Zealand children were used to examine factors associated with the formation of affiliations with delinquent or substance using peers in adolescence (15 years). The findings of this study include:

(1) Adolescent peer affiliations were associated with a wide range of prospectively measured social, family, parental, and individual factors. This analysis indicated that those children most at risk of forming deviant peer affiliations were those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, dysfunctional families, who showed early onset conduct problems and other difficulties.

(2) Regression analysis suggested that specific factors that were associated with increased risks of later deviant peer affiliations included family socioeconomic status, parental conflict, mother/hild interaction, childhood sexual abuse, parental alcoholism, parental criminal offending, parental illicit drug use, parental smoking, early conduct problems, early anxiety/withdrawal, and early smoking experimentation.

It is concluded that peer affiliations in adolescence are shaped by a complex social, family, and individual process that includes social stratification, family functioning, and individual behavioural predispositions.
Adolescent Reputation Enhancement: Differentiating Delinquent, Nondelinquent, and At‐risk Youths
Authors: Carroll Annemaree , Houghton Stephen , Hattie John , Durkin Kevin
Published: September 2003

This research reports the findings of two studies conducted to measure and then investigate differences between delinquent, nondelinquent, and at‐risk youths' orientations towards reputation enhancement. In the first study, concerning item selection and scale development, the factor structure and content validity of a potential Reputation Enhancement Scale were tested by examining the item responses of the scale completed by 230 high‐school students. In the second study, the scale was validated by comparing the item responses of 80 delinquent, 90 at‐risk, and 90 nondelinquent adolescents with the responses of the original students. The instrument was found to be reliable (alphas from .64 to .92), indicating that the factors are dependable across different samples, and the coefficients of congruence were sufficiently high to investigate meaningful group differences. Three second‐order factors (Conforming Reputation, Nonconforming Reputation, Self‐presentation) were derived from the 15 first‐order factors. Although multivariate analyses revealed significant differences between the reputational orientations of delinquent, at‐risk, and nondelinquent participants, the self‐presentation second‐order factor did not differentiate the three groups.
A Typology of Parent Rated Child Behavior for a National U.S. Sample
Authors: Kamphaus R. W. , Petoskey Martha D. , Cody A. Heather , Rowe Ellen W. , Huberty Carl J. , Reynolds Cecil R.
Published: September 2003

The purpose of the current study was to build on the emerging effort to produce a meaningful typology of child behavior for school‐aged children. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) Parent Rating Scales for Children (PRS‐C) norming data were collected for 2029 6‐ to 11‐year‐old children at 116 sites representing various regions of the United States. The PRS‐C has 130 items that are rated by the parent on a 4‐point scale of frequency, ranging from “never” to “almost always”. The Ward method of cluster analysis was used to identify the initial centroids or cluster seeds in this norming sample. An iterative clustering method, a K‐means procedure, was used to refine the Ward cluster solution. A nine‐cluster solution was selected based on both rational and empirical considerations. The resulting clusters were labeled adapted, physical complaints/worry, average, well‐adapted, minimal problems, attention problems, internalizing, general psychopathology‐severe, and disruptive behavior problems. The nine‐cluster solution is similar to those of Achenbach (1991), Thompson, Kronenberger, and Curry (1989), and other researchers. At the same time, some significant differences exist. The resulting typology points the way toward future cluster studies of child psychopathology and normal behavioral development by delineating additional research and theoretical directions.
The Assessment of Expressed Emotion in a Standardised Family Interview
Authors: Hodes Matthew , Dare Christopher , Dodge Elizabeth , Eisler Ivan
Published: September 2003

This study compared the expressed emotion (EE) scores obtained using individual interviews with parents with the scores obtained in whole family interviews. Interviews were carried out with 31 parents of 16 adolescents referred because of an eating disorder. There was moderate correlation of scores between the two interviews regarding critical comments, emotional overinvolvement, and warmth, but it was low for positive remarks. The study suggests that the whole family interview, which is time saving, is useful in assessing expressed emotion. The levels of expressed emotion, particularly the relatively low levels of critical comments and emotional overinvolvement, are similar to those of previous studies.
Behavioural Treatment for Sleep Problems in Children with Severe Learning Disabilities and Challenging Daytime Behaviour: Effect on Daytime Behaviour
Authors: Wiggs Luci , Stores Gregory
Published: September 2003

The study aimed to investigate a group of children with severe learning disabilities, challenging daytime behaviour, and severe sleep problems to see if successful behavioural treatment of the children's sleep problems resulted in reduced daytime challenging behaviour as reported by mothers and teachers.

A randomised controlled trial of behavioural interventions for the children's sleep problems was conducted (N = 30). The intervention group received an individually tailored behavioural programme and were supported by telephone calls from the therapist. Baseline assessments of the children's behaviour were made using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and were repeated 1 month and 3 months after the start of intervention.

There were no behavioural changes that were specific to children in the treatment group. However, improvements in some behaviours were seen in both the intervention and the control group at the 1‐month and 3‐month assessments and there was agreement between mothers' and teachers' reports for many of these changes.

The results suggest that nonspecific effects of participating in the study (including an increased sleep duration, which was seen in both groups), rather than resolution of sleep problem per se, may have a beneficial effect on child behaviour and these factors need to be identified for therapeutic use.
Auditory Temporal Processing in Disabled Readers With and Without Oral Language Delay
Authors: Heath Steve M. , Hogben John H. , Clark Craig D.
Published: September 2003

Inferior auditory temporal processing has been postulated as causally linked to phonological processing deficits in disabled readers with concomitant oral language delay (LDRDs), and absent in specifically disabled readers with normal oral language (SRDs). This investigation compared SRDs, LDRDs and normal readers aged 7–10 years on measures of auditory temporal processing (temporal order judgement) and phonological decoding (nonword reading). LDRDs exhibited deficits in temporal order judgement compared with normal readers, from whom SRDs did not differ significantly. These findings suggest that auditory temporal processing and oral language are related; however, very large within‐group variability in the auditory temporal processing data further suggests that this relationship prevails in only a proportion of disabled readers with concomitant oral language weakness. In nonword reading, LDRDs performed worst of all, but SRDs also exhibited significant deficits compared with normal readers. Taken together, our results preclude the conceptualisation of temporal processing deficits as the unitary cause of phonological and language deficits in disabled readers.
Imitation and Identification in Autism
Authors: Hobson R. Peter , Lee Anthony
Published: September 2003

This study was designed to test the prediction that adolescents with autism would have specific limitations in imitating the “style ” of another person's actions. In a series of original tasks that tested the delayed imitation of novel nonsymbolic actions, 16 participants with autism and 16 nonautistic participants group‐matched for age and verbal ability were proficient in copying goal‐directed actions, but in 3 out of 4 tasks, strikingly fewer participants with autism imitated with style with which the demonstrator executed the actions. An additional finding was that on 2 conditions that involved copying self‐orientated actions, only 5 of the participants with autism but 15 of the 16 nonautistic participants spontaneously adopted the orientation‐to‐self on at least 1 occasion. The results are discussed with reference to theories concerning imitation deficits in autism, and with regard to the proposal that autism involves an impairment in intersubjective contact between affected individuals and others (Hobson, 1989, 1993; Rogers & Pennington, 1991).
Practitioner Review: Communicating with Hospitalised Children: Review and Application of Research Pertaining to Children's Understanding of Health and Illness
Authors: Rushforth Helen
Published: September 2003

There is growing recognition amongst child health care practitioners of children's rights to be informed about their condition and treatment, and to be actively involved in decisions pertaining to their care. In order to facilitate such understanding, there is a need to explore the ways in which such concepts can best be communicated, in particular to younger children whose conceptual ability may be regarded as limited. Consideration of the literature on how children's conceptualisation of health and illness develops reveals diverse perspectives, with seminal work heavily influenced by the work of Piaget (1929), and a belief that the understanding of younger children may be minimal. However, more contemporary theorists refute such beliefs, suggesting that children may have far more potential to understand complex illness concepts than they have previously been given credit for. The work of Carey (1985) and Vygotsky (1962) offers alternative developmental theories congruent with this perspective, which might more appropriately underpin current practice. A variety of clinical situations are then explored in the light of this debate, including preparation of children for hospitalisation, their competence to consent, their views of pain and death, and approaches to child health promotion. Guidelines are offered to practitioners throughout, with the aim of enhancing children's understanding of their conditions, and their active participation in care, which in turn has the potential to optimise care delivery.
Discourse Deficits Associated with Psychiatric Disorders and with Language Impairments in Children
Authors: Vallance Denise D. , Im Nancie , Cohen Nancy J.
Published: September 2003

The purpose of the current study was to examine whether types of discourse deficits were associated differentially with psychiatric disorders (PD) and with language impairments (LI) in children. Discourse analyses examining the occurrence of different types of discourse deficits in language structure, information structure, and flow of information were performed on the spoken narratives of 111 children aged 7 to 12 years who comprised 4 groups: (1) psychiatrically referred children with LI (PD+LI), (2) psychiatrically referred children with normally developing language (PD), (3) nonreferred children with language impairments (LI), and (4) nonreferred children with normally developing language (controls). Discourse deficits in language and information structure characterized children with LI, whereas disruptions in the flow of discourse characterized children with PD. Children with the comorbid condition exhibited deficits associated with both LI and PD; in addition, they displayed distinct deficits related to pronominal reference and causal cohesion. The findings provide a preliminary understanding of the associations among language, discourse, and psychopathology in children.
Towards a Cognitive Phenotype for Autism: Increased Prevalence of Executive Dysfunction and Superior Spatial Span amongst Siblings of Children with Autism
Authors: Hughes Claire , Plumet Marie‐Hélène , Leboyer Marion
Published: September 2003

Two studies were conducted to examine executive function skills in siblings of children with autism. In Study 1, four computerised tasks (three executive tasks: the ID/ED set‐shifting task; a spatial working memory task; and the Tower of London planning task; and a control spatial span task) from the CANTAB battery were used to compare 31 siblings of children with autism with 32 siblings of children with developmental delay and 32 children from unaffected families. In Study 2, the two sibling groups were compared on two manually administered executive tasks (verbal fluency and list recall). As a group, autism siblings showed superior spatial and verbal span, but a greater than expected number performed poorly on the set‐shifting, planning, and verbal fluency tasks. There were no group differences in working memory performance. The implications of these findings for the broader phenotype of autism is discussed.
Autism Spectrum Disorders at 20 and 42 Months of Age: Stability of Clinical and ADI‐R Diagnosis
Authors: Cox Antony , Klein Kate , Charman Tony , Baird Gillian , Baron‐Cohen Simon , Swettenham John , Drew Auriol , Wheelwright Sally
Published: September 2003

The association between, and stability of, clinical diagnosis and diagnosis derived from the Autism Diagnostic Interview‐Revised (ADI‐R; Lord, Rutter, & Le Couteur, 1994) was examined in a sample of prospectively identified children with childhood autism and other pervasive developmental disorders assessed at the age of 20 months and 42 months. Clinical diagnosis of autism was stable, with all children diagnosed with childhood autism at age 20 months receiving a diagnosis of childhood autism or a related pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) at age 42 months. Clinical diagnosis of childhood autism was also reasonably sensitive, with all children who went on to receive a clinical diagnosis of childhood autism at 42 months being identified as having autism or PDD at 20 months. However, clinical diagnosis for PDD and Asperger's syndrome lacked sensitivity at 20 months, with several children who subsequently received these diagnoses at 42 months receiving diagnoses of language disorder or general developmental delay, as well as in two cases being considered clinically normal, at the earlier timepoint. The ADI‐R was found to have good specificity but poor sensitivity at detecting childhood autism at 20 months; however, the stability of diagnosis from 20 to 42 months was good. In addition, the ADI‐R at age 20 months was not sensitive to the detection of related PDDs or Asperger's syndrome. The continuity and discontinuity between behavioural abnormalities identified at both timepoints in the three domains of impairment in autism was examined, both in children who met final clinical criteria for an autistic spectrum disorder, and for children with language disorder who did not, as well as for a small sample of typically developing children.
Children with Autism Show Local Precedence in a Divided Attention Task and Global Precedence in a Selective Attention Task
Authors: Plaisted Kate , Swettenham John , Rees Liz
Published: September 2003

Children with a diagnosis of autism and typically developing children were given two variations of the Navon task (Navon, 1977), which required responding to a target that could appear at the global level, the local level, or both levels. In one variation, the divided attention task, no information was given to children regarding the level at which a target would appear on any one trial. In the other, the selective attention task, children were instructed to attend to either the local or the global level. Typically developing children made most errors when the target appeared at the local level whereas children with autism made more errors when the target appeared at the global level in the divided attention task. Both groups of children were quicker to respond to the global target than the local target in the selective attention task. The presence of normal global processing in the children with autism in one task but not in the other is discussed in terms of a deficit in mechanisms that inhibit local information in the absence of overt priming or voluntary selective attention to local information.
Local Bias in Autistic Subjects as Evidenced by Graphic Tasks: Perceptual Hierarchization or Working Memory Deficit?
Authors: Mottron Laurent , Belleville Sylvie , Ménard Edith
Published: September 2003

In the present study, copying tasks were used to assess hierarchical aspects of visual perception in a group of 10 nonsavant autistic individuals with normal intelligence. In Experiment 1, the hierarchical order of graphic construction and the constancy of this order were measured for the copying of objects and nonobjects. In comparison to control participants, autistic individuals produced more local features at the start of the copying. However, they did not differ from controls with respect to graphic constancy. Experiment 2 measured the effect of geometrical impossibility on the copying of figures. Results revealed that autistic individuals were less affected by figure impossibility than were controls. Therefore, these experiments seem to support the notion of a local bias for visual information processing in individuals with autism. Two interpretations are proposed to account for this effect. According to the hierarchical deficit hypothesis, individuals with autism do not manifest the normal global bias in perceiving scenes and objects. Alternatively, the executive function hypothesis suggests that autism brings about limitations in the complexity of information that can be manipulated in short‐term visual memory during graphic planning.
Shyness, Friendship Quality, and Adjustment During Middle Childhood
Authors: Fordham Kathryn , Stevenson‐Hinde Joan
Published: September 2003

Whereas many young children show initial wariness on meeting a stranger, shyness that lasts into middle childhood may be indicative of concurrent problems and subsequent disorder. Adjustment problems of an internalising nature, such as low self‐esteem, loneliness, and anxiety may occur. Special significance has, however, been ascribed to preadolescent friendships as a means of validating self‐worth and buffering against loneliness and anxiety. The main aim of the present study is to examine associations between shyness, perceptions of friendship quality, and indices of adjustment related to internalising problems.

The study involves a sample of 8.4–10.6‐year‐olds (N= 50), preselected at 4.5 years to include a high proportion of shy children. Ratings of shyness to an unfamiliar adult had been made by different observers at 4.5 and 7 years, and at the present ages by another observer, mothers, and teachers. Observer‐rated shyness was highly consistent over time and was significantly correlated with mothers' and teachers' ratings, although both significantly underestimated children's shyness relative to observer ratings. Compared with the younger children (mean age of 9 years), observed shyness (a composite over all three age points) increased in salience for the older children (mean age of 10 years), becoming significantly correlated with trait anxiety as well as low global self‐worth. Indeed, global self‐worth took on a central role for the older children, showing significant correlations not only with observed shyness and internalising problems (loneliness and anxiety), but also with perceptions of social acceptance and classmate support as well as friendship quality, with a named “best friend”. Thus by 10 years of age, aspects of peer relationships may influence and be influenced by global self‐worth, with a possible buffering effect on any potential detrimental effects of shyness.
A Genetic Study of the Family Environment in the Transition to Early Adolescence
Authors: Deater‐Deckard Kirby , Fulker David W. , Plomin Robert
Published: September 2003

The aim of this longitudinal sibling adoption study was to estimate genetic and environmental components of variance in parent‐ and child‐reported measures of the family environment (parental negative affect, negative control, and achievement orientation). Participants included 85 adoptive and 106 nonadoptive sibling pairs from the Colorado Adoption Project. Parents and children completed annual assessments of the family environment when the children were 10, 11, and 12 years old, and genetic and environmental parameter estimates were derived. Genetic influences were found for parent‐reported negativity and warmth and child‐reported achievement orientation, suggesting child genetic effects on these measures of the family environment. Shared environmental influences were found for parent‐reported negativity, inconsistent discipline, warmth, and child‐reported positivity. Nonshared environmental variance was substantial for children's ratings, but modest for parents' ratings.
Parental Divorce and Adjustment in Adulthood: Findings from a Community Sample
Authors: O'Connor Thomas G. , Thorpe Karen , Dunn Judy , Golding Jean
Published: September 2003

The current study examines the link between the experience of divorce in childhood and several indices of adjustment in adulthood in a large community sample of women. Results replicated previous research on the long‐term correlation between parental divorce and depression and divorce in adulthood. Results further suggested that parental divorce was associated with a wide range of early risk factors, life course patterns, and several indices of adult adjustment. Regression analyses indicated that the long‐term correlation between parental divorce and depression in adulthood is explained by quality of parent‐child and parental marital relations (in childhood), concurrent levels of stressful life events and social support, and cohabitation. The long‐term association between parental divorce and experiencing a divorce in adulthood was partly mediated through quality of parent‐child relations, teenage pregnancy, leaving home before 18 years, and educational attainment.
The Extended Version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a Guide to Child Psychiatric Caseness and Consequent Burden
Authors: Goodman Robert
Published: September 2003

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief behavioural screening questionnaire that asks about children's and teenagers’ symptoms and positive attributes; the extended version also includes an impact supplement that asks if the respondent thinks the young person has a problem, and if so, enquires further about chronicity, distress, social impairment, and burden for others. Closely similar versions are completed by parents, teachers, and young people aged 11 or more. The validation study involved two groups of 5–15‐year‐olds: a community sample (N= 467) and a psychiatric clinic sample (N= 232). The two groups had markedly different distributions on the measures of perceived difficulties, impact (distress plus social impairment), and burden. Impact scores were better than symptom scores at discriminating between the community and clinic samples; discrimination based on the single “Is there a problem?” item was almost as good. The SDQ burden rating correlated well (r= .74) with a standardised interview rating of burden. For clinicians and researchers with an interest in psychiatric caseness and the determinants of service use, the impact supplement of the extended SDQ appears to provide useful additional information without taking up much more of respondents' time.