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This study examined whether a key set of adolescent and early adulthood risk factors predicts problematic alcohol, cannabis, and other substance use in established adulthood. Two independent samples from the Child Development Project... more
This study examined whether a key set of adolescent and early adulthood risk factors predicts problematic alcohol, cannabis, and other substance use in established adulthood. Two independent samples from the Child Development Project (CDP; n = 585; 48% girls; 81% White, 17% Black, 2% other race/ethnicity) and Fast Track (FT; n = 463; 45% girls; 52% White, 43% Black, 5% other race/ethnicity) were recruited in childhood and followed through age 34 (CDP) or 32 (FT). Predictors of substance use were assessed in adolescence based on adolescent and parent reports and in early adulthood based on adult self-reports. Adults reported their own problematic substance use in established adulthood. In both samples, more risk factors from adolescence and early adulthood predicted problematic alcohol use in established adulthood (compared to problematic cannabis use and other substance use). Externalizing behaviors and prior substance use in early adulthood were consistent predictors of problematic...
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This study evaluated how individuals' own substance use and their perception of peers' substance use predict each other across development from early adolescence to middle adulthood. Participants were from two longitudinal... more
This study evaluated how individuals' own substance use and their perception of peers' substance use predict each other across development from early adolescence to middle adulthood. Participants were from two longitudinal studies: Fast Track (FT; N = 463) and Child Development Project (CDP; N = 585). Participants reported on their own and peers' substance use during early and middle adolescence and early adulthood, and their own substance use in middle adulthood. From adolescence to early adulthood, individuals' reports of their own substance use in a given developmental period predicted reports of their peers' substance use in the next developmental period more than peers' substance use in a given developmental period predicted individuals' own substance use in the next. In the higher-risk FT sample, individuals' own substance use in early adulthood predicted alcohol, cannabis, and other substance use in middle adulthood, and peers' substance use in early adulthood predicted cannabis use in middle adulthood. In the lower-risk CDP sample, participants' own substance use in early adulthood predicted only their own cannabis use in middle adulthood, whereas peers' substance use in early adulthood predicted participants' alcohol, cannabis, opioid, and other substance use in middle adulthood. The findings suggest that peer substance use in early adulthood may indicate a greater propensity for subsequent substance use in lower-risk groups, whereas those in higher-risk groups may remain more stable in substance use, with less variability explained by peer contexts.
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Chapter 4 further discusses stress management, and focuses on managing stressful events and daily hassles, cognitive models of stress and mood management, and the use of worksheets to track thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that result... more
Chapter 4 further discusses stress management, and focuses on managing stressful events and daily hassles, cognitive models of stress and mood management, and the use of worksheets to track thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that result in stress or negative emotions.
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The goal of this study was to assess longitudinal, predictive relationships between community violent crime and reactive and proactive aggression. Community violent crime data were gathered from local law enforcement agencies and combined... more
The goal of this study was to assess longitudinal, predictive relationships between community violent crime and reactive and proactive aggression. Community violent crime data were gathered from local law enforcement agencies and combined with an existing dataset of at-risk youth. Aggression was assessed by parents using the Reactive and Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ). Data were examined over four time points. Autoregressive cross-lagged modeling was used to test two models: one for proactive aggression and one for reactive aggression. Results revealed a positive relationship between community violent crime and proactive aggression, whereas the model including reactive aggression had poor model fit. Therefore, results support reactive and proactive aggression as distinct constructs. Findings also demonstrate that publicly accessible violent crime data can be used to predict children’s behavior over time. Finally, results have important implications for preventive intervent...
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Students with elevated levels of risk require targeted Tier 2 behavioral interventions that are efficient and effective to prevent the need for more intensive, special education supports. Although Tier 2 is a critical component of... more
Students with elevated levels of risk require targeted Tier 2 behavioral interventions that are efficient and effective to prevent the need for more intensive, special education supports. Although Tier 2 is a critical component of multi-tiered systems of support, a paucity of research exists regarding how best to provide evidence-based Tier 2 interventions, particularly for students with comorbid deficit areas. The current trial involved 33 third- through fifth-grade participants who were assigned to one of three study groups: (a) control, (b) check-in/check-out, or (c) Coping Power. The Behavior Assessment of Children in Schools–2 (BASC-2) was used to measure changes in externalizing behavior, along with its three component subscales. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to examine change in broad emotional and behavioral risk profiles. Teachers rated participants on the SDQ and BASC-2 at preintervention, postintervention, and follow-up. Results indicate that...
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Research has documented the presence of norm misperception in the context of school bullying, as children and adolescents typically underestimate the degree to which their peers disapprove of bullying behavior. Despite commonly held... more
Research has documented the presence of norm misperception in the context of school bullying, as children and adolescents typically underestimate the degree to which their peers disapprove of bullying behavior. Despite commonly held attitudes in opposition to bullies and in support of helping victims, widespread misperception of the norm makes students vulnerable to acting in a manner that reinforces bullying, as they aim to align themselves with perceived peer beliefs. This study investigated whether personalized normative feedback, a social norms intervention that juxtaposes individuals’ own perceptions of peer norms against their peers’ true normative values, could operate as a mechanism by which to reduce norm misperception of peer attitudes toward bullying. Whereas this type of intervention has shown promising effects in a variety of contexts, no study to date has examined its utility in the specific context of bullying. Baseline participants included 188 seventh grade students...
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Although disaster-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) typically decrease in intensity over time, some youth continue to report elevated levels of PTSS many years after the disaster. The current study examines two processes that... more
Although disaster-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) typically decrease in intensity over time, some youth continue to report elevated levels of PTSS many years after the disaster. The current study examines two processes that may help to explain the link between disaster exposure and enduring PTSS: caregiver emotion socialization and youth recollection qualities. One hundred and twenty-two youth (ages 12 to 17) and their female caregivers who experienced an EF-4 tornado co-reminisced about the event, and adolescents provided independent recollections between 3 and 4 years after the tornado. Adolescent individual transcripts were coded for coherence and negative personal impact, qualities that have been found to contribute to meaning making. Parent–adolescent conversations were coded for caregiver egocentrism, a construct derived from the emotion socialization literature to reflect the extent to which the caregiver centered the conversation on her own emotions and experien...
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Conduct problems and depression are two commonly occurring mental health problems affecting youth. For both conduct problems and depression, risk factors in the family, peer, and school contexts can contribute to the development and... more
Conduct problems and depression are two commonly occurring mental health problems affecting youth. For both conduct problems and depression, risk factors in the family, peer, and school contexts can contribute to the development and maintenance of these disorders in young people. Addressing contextual risk factors can lead to improvements in conduct problems and symptoms of depression. This chapter provides an overview of contextual risk factors for conduct problems and depression, and it reviews several effective interventions for treating each disorder. Outcome results are summarized for these interventions, as well as some of the major activities and objectives. The role of family, peer, and school contexts in the treatment of conduct problems and depression is highlighted.
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This chapter describes issues related to cognitive-behavioral group-based interventions for children with aggressive behavior problems. It describes beneficial aspects of group formats and notes the longer-term effects of the Coping Power... more
This chapter describes issues related to cognitive-behavioral group-based interventions for children with aggressive behavior problems. It describes beneficial aspects of group formats and notes the longer-term effects of the Coping Power program. It discusses potential problems in group-based interventions with aggressive children, including the potential for deviant peer effects and deviancy training. It then describes a study of Coping Power that randomly assigned schools to either group or individual formats for aggressive children. Results indicated significant reduction in behavioral problems for children in both conditions. However, teacher ratings indicated significantly stronger effects apparent by a 1-year follow-up for children in the individual sessions compared to the group format. The chapter discusses why these differences may have emerged and how group therapist behavior may be important in protecting against longer term follow-up deviant peer effects.
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Disruptive behavior disorders can be highly impairing to children and families and costly to society. Thus, effective treatment and prevention strategies for disruptive behavior disorders are critically important. This chapter describes... more
Disruptive behavior disorders can be highly impairing to children and families and costly to society. Thus, effective treatment and prevention strategies for disruptive behavior disorders are critically important. This chapter describes cognitive therapy approaches to improve anger management in children with, or at risk for, disruptive behavior disorders. Empirically based components of cognitive therapies for correcting interpersonal perceptions and planning effective responses are explicated, using the Coping Power program as an exemplar. Applied examples are provided to illustrate how to use treatments like Coping Power in practice. Other efficacious prevention and treatment programs that include cognitive components are described and contrasted. Outcomes of these programs are summarized, as well as the generalizability of their effects. Finally, future directions in the development and dissemination of cognitive therapies to improve anger management in children with, or at risk...
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Objective: This study tested the impact of the Fast Track conduct disorder prevention program on the use of pediatric, general health, and mental health services in adolescence. Patients and Methods: Participants were 891 public... more
Objective: This study tested the impact of the Fast Track conduct disorder prevention program on the use of pediatric, general health, and mental health services in adolescence. Patients and Methods: Participants were 891 public kindergarten boys and girls screened from a population of 9,594 children and found to be at risk for conduct disorder. They were assigned randomly (by school) to intervention or control conditions and followed for 12 years. Intervention lasted 10 years and included parent training, child social-cognitive skills training, reading tutoring, peer relations enhancement, and classroom curricula and management. Service utilization was assessed through annual interviews of parents and youth. Results: Youth assigned to preventive intervention had significantly reduced use of professional general health, pediatric and emergency department services relative to control youth, based on parent-report data. For control group youth, the odds of greater use of general healt...
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Pediatrics and Medicine
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In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published the 5th edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐5). In 2019, the World Health Assembly approved the 11th revision of the International... more
In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published the 5th edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐5). In 2019, the World Health Assembly approved the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐11). It has often been suggested that the field would benefit from a single, unified classification of mental disorders, although the priorities and constituencies of the two sponsoring organizations are quite different. During the development of the ICD‐11 and DSM‐5, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the APA made efforts toward harmonizing the two systems, including the appointment of an ICD‐DSM Harmonization Group. This paper evaluates the success of these harmonization efforts and provides a guide for practitioners, researchers and policy makers describing the differences between the two systems at both the organizational and the disorder level. The organization of the two classifications of mental disorders is subs...
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This study explores the association between caregivers' style of co-reminiscing with their adolescents about an EF4 tornado and youth anxiety symptoms several years following the disaster. Caregiver reward of their children's... more
This study explores the association between caregivers' style of co-reminiscing with their adolescents about an EF4 tornado and youth anxiety symptoms several years following the disaster. Caregiver reward of their children's emotional expression, defined as attending to and validating emotionally salient content, is generally associated with adaptive youth psychosocial outcomes. However, caregiver reward of youth recollections that are centered around the youth's negative emotional expression could be an indicator that both caregivers and adolescents are engaged in co-rumination regarding negative emotional experiences. This process may contribute to relatively higher levels of anxiety over time. Adolescents (N = 169) drawn from an ongoing study for aggressive youth (ages 12 to 17; 82% African American) provided individual recollections about their experiences during a devastating tornado 4 to 5 years following the disaster. Caregivers and youth then co-reminisced about their tornado-related experiences. Individual youth recollections were coded for negative personal impact and use of negative emotion words; caregiver-adolescent conversations were coded for caregiver reward of negative emotional expression. Youth who noted more negative personal impacts and used more negative emotion words were higher in parent-rated youth anxiety, and these associations were moderated by caregiver reward of negative emotional expression. The associations between youth recollection qualities and anxiety emerged only when caregivers exhibited high levels of reward of negative emotional expression. These patterns were generally stronger for girls compared to boys. Findings suggest that excessively discussing and rehashing negative experiences, especially several years after the disaster, may be a risk factor for anxiety among disaster-exposed adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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BackgroundSevere irritability has become an important topic in child and adolescent mental health. Based on the available evidence and on public health considerations, WHO classified chronic irritability within oppositional defiant... more
BackgroundSevere irritability has become an important topic in child and adolescent mental health. Based on the available evidence and on public health considerations, WHO classified chronic irritability within oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in ICD‐11, a solution markedly different from DSM‐5’s (i.e. the new childhood mood diagnosis, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder [DMDD]) and from ICD‐10’s (i.e. ODD as one of several conduct disorders without attention to irritability). In this study, we tested the accuracy with which a global, multilingual, multidisciplinary sample of clinicians were able to use the ICD‐11 classification of chronic irritability and oppositionality as compared to the ICD‐10 and DSM‐5 approaches.MethodsClinicians (N = 196) from 48 countries participated in an Internet‐based field study in English, Spanish, or Japanese and were randomized to review and use one of the three diagnostic systems. Through experimental manipulation of validated clinical vignett...
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OBJECTIVE The current study examined how severity of disaster exposure and predisaster individual and family characteristics predicted trajectories of disaster-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in children over 4 years... more
OBJECTIVE The current study examined how severity of disaster exposure and predisaster individual and family characteristics predicted trajectories of disaster-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in children over 4 years following a devastating EF-4 tornado. METHOD Participants (n = 346; 65% male; 77.5% African American) were 4th-6th-graders and their caregivers, from predominantly low-income households, who were already participating in a longitudinal study of indicated prevention effects for externalizing outcomes when the tornado occurred in 2011. Latent class trajectory analyses were used to identify disaster-related PTSS trajectory groups across the 4-year postdisaster period. RESULTS Three groups were identified: (1) a group that declined (recovery) in PTSS over time (15.90%); (2) a group that was stable and low in PTSS over time (76.87%); and (3) a group that was stable and high (chronic) in PTSS over time (7.23%). Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that greater tornado exposure predicted membership in the declining trajectory group relative to the low-stable group. Positive parenting and pretornado caregiver trauma exposure also moderated how disaster exposure, particularly perceived life threat, predicted PTSS trajectories. CONCLUSIONS Some youth reported elevated disaster-related PTSS repeatedly for 4 years following a devastating tornado. Consistent with the concept of equifinality, results suggest that there are several pre-exposure risk factors that may increase risk for a chronic PTSS trajectory following disaster exposure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Mediation, Medicine, and 8 moreEngagement, Child Behavior Problems, Abnormal Child Psychology, Prevention Intervention, Family income, Mental Health and Psychiatry Nursing, Guidance and Counseling Intervention Programs, and Developmental and Educational Psychology
The study presented the initial report of a project regarding the implementation of the Coping Power Program in Italian community hospitals, and the program’s ability to reduce externalizing behavioral problems in children with a... more
The study presented the initial report of a project regarding the implementation of the Coping Power Program in Italian community hospitals, and the program’s ability to reduce externalizing behavioral problems in children with a Disruptive Behavior Disorder diagnosis. Usually, interventions for children are implemented by a number of therapists with different personal characteristics, which therefore influence the implementation quality of an intervention. That said, the present study aimed to establish whether the insecure attachment styles of therapists predict unfavorable outcomes for children treated with the Coping Power Program. The sample included 80 children with a Disruptive Behavior Disorder diagnosis and 16 therapists. The results showed that the change in children’s aggressive behavioral problems was significantly related to the levels of the therapist’s preoccupation with relationships. Higher levels of change in aggression (where a higher value means that the aggression at the end of the treatment is higher than aggression at the baseline evaluation) are associated with higher levels of therapist’s preoccupied attachment style (anxious attachment style). This study provided some preliminary evidence that therapists need to be sensitive to their own attachment experiences when delivering therapy for children.
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Chapter 11 discusses preparation for summer break, and how to cope with unstructured time, including daily structure, activities for parents and children together, community-based activities and events, reading programs, summer chores,... more
Chapter 11 discusses preparation for summer break, and how to cope with unstructured time, including daily structure, activities for parents and children together, community-based activities and events, reading programs, summer chores, family vacations, and dealing with increased levels of stress.
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Health Psychology, Economics, Mental Health, Health Informatics, ADHD, and 15 moreJuvenile Justice, Juvenile Delinquency, Adolescent, Medicine, Comorbidity, Humans, Child, Female, Male, Conduct Disorder, Mental health services, Health Care Costs, Behavioral Health Services, Attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity, and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
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Health Psychology, Risk, Risk Taking, Public Health, Prevention Science, and 15 moreAdolescent, Pregnancy, Humans, Child, United States, Female, Male, Sexual Behavior, Public health systems and services research, Guidance and Counseling Intervention Programs, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Adolescent Behavior, Substance-Related Disorders, Child behavior disorders, and Outcome assessment (Health care)
Mindful Coping Power (MCP) was developed to enhance the effects of the Coping Power (CP) preventive intervention on children’s reactive aggression by integrating mindfulness training into CP. In prior pre–post analyses in a randomized... more
Mindful Coping Power (MCP) was developed to enhance the effects of the Coping Power (CP) preventive intervention on children’s reactive aggression by integrating mindfulness training into CP. In prior pre–post analyses in a randomized trial of 102 children, MCP improved children’s self-reported anger modulation, self-regulation, and embodied awareness relative to CP but had fewer comparative effects on parent- and teacher-reported observable behavioral outcomes, including reactive aggression. It was hypothesized that MCP-produced improvements in children’s internal awareness and self-regulation, if maintained or strengthened over time with ongoing mindfulness practice, would yield improvements in children’s observable prosocial and reactive aggressive behavior at later time points. To appraise this hypothesis, the current study examined teacher-reported child behavioral outcomes at a one-year follow-up. In the current subsample of 80 children with one-year follow-up data, MCP produc...
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This study tests the efficacy of the Fast Track Program in preventing antisocial behavior and psychiatric disorders among groups varying in initial risk.
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Psychology, Psychiatry, Medicine, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Humans, and 15 moreChild, Aggression, Female, Male, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Randomized Trial, Questionnaires, Antisocial Behavior, Randomized Controlled Trial, Attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, mass Screening, and Medical and Health Sciences
Open Science practices bear great promise for making research in general more reproducible and transparent, and these goals are very important for preventive intervention research. From my perspective as a program co-developer, I note... more
Open Science practices bear great promise for making research in general more reproducible and transparent, and these goals are very important for preventive intervention research. From my perspective as a program co-developer, I note potential concerns and issues of how open science practices can be used in intervention research. Key issues considered are in the realms of pre-registration (making pre-registration a living document; providing rewards for hypothesis-generating research, in addition to hypothesis-testing research), data archiving (resources for data archiving of large datasets; ethical issues related to need for strong de-identification), and research materials (intervention manuals and materials, and characteristics, training and supervision of intervention staff). The paper focuses on easier-to-address and considerably harder-to-address issues and concerns in these three areas.