Anne Katrin Künster

Assessing parent—child interaction in the preschool years: A pilot study on the psychometric properties of the toddler CARE-Index

The purpose of this study was to test the utility of the Toddler CARE-Index, an assessment tool for parent—child interaction among preschool-aged children, for screening of parental sensitivity. The CARE-Index was initially developed for infants and had been adapted for toddlers up to 3 years of age. This study tests its utility for children up to 5.8 years old. Sixty-four children (2.3 to 5.8 years) and their mothers took part in the study and were examined with both the Toddler CARE-Index and the Preschool Assessment of Attachment. The sample comprised two groups, a sample that had come to professional attention (n = 21) and a normative sample (n = 43). Analysis of coder agreement showed adequate correspondence among three coders. Test-retest reliability was less robust. Testing validity, there was a significant relation between sensitivity of the mother and attachment security of the child in the total sample as well as in both subsamples. These results are a first step for using the Toddler CARE-Index as an economical and promising instrument for the assessment of parental sensitivity with children beyond toddlerhood in both normative and clinical settings.

Soziale Netzwerkanalyse interdisziplinärer Kooperation und Vernetzung in den Frühen Hilfen

ZusammenfassungKinderschutz muss aufgrund der heterogenen und komplexen Problemlagen interdisziplinär angelegt sein, da keine Disziplin allein den verschiedenen Fragestellungen gerecht werden kann. Damit diese Zusammenarbeit mit wenig Reibungsverlusten und unter maximaler Ausschöpfung potenzieller Synergieeffekte funktioniert, darf es keine Lücken im Netz der Helfer geben. Außerdem sollte jeder an der Position im Netzwerk stehen, an der er aufgrund seiner Kompetenzen und Funktionen am besten seine Rolle erfüllen kann. Einrichtungen oder Personen, die eine Verteilerfunktion haben, wie zum Beispiel Kinderärzte oder das Jugendamt, sollten an zentraler Schlüsselposition stehen. Ob und wie weit dies in den konkreten Verhältnissen vor Ort der Fall ist, kann mit einer Netzwerkanalyse festgestellt werden. Vorgestellt wird eine Pilotuntersuchung, die im Rahmen des Modellprojektes „Guter Start ins Kinderleben“ durchgeführt wurde. Anhand der exemplarisch dargestellten Vernetzungsanalyse einer Stadt konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Netzwerkanalyse ein geeignetes Instrument darstellt, um bestehende Vernetzungsstrukturen systematisch zu erfassen und Rückmeldungen zur Modifikation zu erarbeiten. Für künftige Untersuchungen wird empfohlen, zur Steigerung des Datenrücklaufs telefonische Befragungen durchzuführen.AbstractChild protection can only be successfully solved by interdisciplinary cooperation and networking. The individual, heterogeneous, and complex needs of families cannot be met sufficiently by one profession alone. To guarantee efficient interdisciplinary cooperation, there should not be any gaps in the network. In addition, each actor in the network should be placed at an optimal position regarding function, responsibilities, and skills. Actors that serve as allocators, such as pediatricians or youth welfare officers, should be in key player positions within the network. Furthermore, successful child protection is preventive and starts early. Social network analysis is an adequate technique to assess network structures and to plan interventions to improve networking. In addition, it is very useful to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions like round tables. We present data from our pilot project which was part of “Guter Start ins Kinderleben” (“a good start into a child’s life”). Exemplary network data from one community show that networking is already quite effective with a satisfactory mean density throughout the network. There is potential for improvement in cooperation, especially at the interface between the child welfare and health systems.

Schulbegleiter als Unterstützung von Inklusion im Schulwesen Erhebung zur gegenwärtigen Situation von Schulbegleitern in Baden-Württemberg

In the context of inclusive education, so-called «Schulbegleiter» (school escorts) have been installed to assist children with special needs. However, adequate conceptions of their role are lacking, and no provisions exist describing the exact tasks and duties of these school escorts. This article presents data on a statewide empirical study and provides information on the professional background, qualifications, and assignments of such escorts as well as the nature of the assisted children in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The data were collected in nearly 50 % of all schools providing general education in Baden-Württemberg, and a total of 526 school escorts completed a questionnaire on their work. Children with special needs who received such assistance were aged 6 to 19 years (M = 10.4) and had a mental disorder in nearly three-fourths of all cases, with autism spectrum disorders being most common (59.4 %). The most frequent assignments of the escorts were providing practical assistance during classes and mobilizing the child as well as providing direct support in emotionally challenging situations. Such escorts can make a significant contribution to the inclusive education of disabled children. They do, however, need an adequate qualification and practical competences to meet the diverse challenges of children with special needs. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are supposed to stay involved in the process, not only by planning interventions, but also during the course of inclusive education itself. Thus, the emotional situation and adjustment of included children with mental disorders over time must be monitored adequately.

Frühe Hilfen und kindliche kognitive Entwicklung: Eine längsschnittliche Pilotuntersuchung psychosozial belasteter Mutter-Kind-Paare in der frühen Kindheit

Early intervention programs aiming at developing parents’ relationship and parenting skills and supporting young families have become increasingly established in Germany throughout the last decade. The present longitudinal study analyzed 53 children and their mothers receiving early intervention due to their psychosocially highly challenging life situations and personal circumstances. The children were examined at birth and at an age of twelve months as well as between ages two and four. The results revealed that the child’s cognitive development could be predicted by both maternal sensitivity and mother’s psychosocial stress. However, the amount, type, and intensity of early intervention did not have any effect on the child’s development. In terms of the effectiveness of early interventions the results implicate that interventions seems to be offered in an unspecific manner and does not contribute to an improvement of the child’s developmental status.

Emotional Availability Modulates Electrophysiological Correlates of Executive Functions in Preschool Children

Executive functions (EFs) – a set of cognitive control abilities – mediate resilience to stress and are associated with academic achievement and health throughout life. They are crucially linked to prefrontal cortex function as well as to other cortical and subcortical brain functions, which are maturing throughout childhood at different rates. Recent behavioral research suggested that children’s EFs were related to parenting quality and child attachment security, but the neural correlates of these associations are unknown. With this study we tested in 4- to 6-year-old healthy children (N = 27) how emotional availability (EA) of the mother-child-interaction was associated with behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of response inhibition (a core EF) in a Go/Nogo task, using event-related potential recordings (ERPs), and with behavioral performance in a Delay of Gratification (DoG) and a Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS). Our data showed that the Go/Nogo task modulated children’s ERP components resembling adult electrophysiological indices of response inhibition - the N2 and P3/LPC ERPs-, but the children’s N2 and P3/LPC ERPs showed longer latencies. Higher maternal autonomy-fostering behavior and greater child responsiveness were significantly associated with smaller children’s N2 Go/Nogo effects at fronto-central and parietal sites and with greater Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window at occipital sites, over and above children’s age and intelligence. Additionally, greater maternal sensitivity and a higher dyadic EA quality of the mother-child-interaction went along with greater occipital Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window, but this effect clearly diminished when we controlled for children’s age and intelligence. Higher maternal autonomy-support was also positively associated with better HTKS performance, and higher dyadic EA quality went along with higher HTKS and DoG scores. However, no significant associations were found between EA variables and the behavioral response inhibition measures of the Go/Nogo task. Our results suggest that parenting qualities modulate the functionality of neural circuits involved in response inhibition, an important component of EFs. This finding, thus, indicates that parent–child interactions shape the neurocognitive development underlying EFs.

Schulbegleiter als Unterstützung von Inklusion im Schulwesen

In the context of inclusive education, so-called «Schulbegleiter» (school escorts) have been installed to assist children with special needs. However, adequate conceptions of their role are lacking, and no provisions exist describing the exact tasks and duties of these school escorts. This article presents data on a statewide empirical study and provides information on the professional background, qualifications, and assignments of such escorts as well as the nature of the assisted children in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The data were collected in nearly 50 % of all schools providing general education in Baden-Württemberg, and a total of 526 school escorts completed a questionnaire on their work. Children with special needs who received such assistance were aged 6 to 19 years (M = 10.4) and had a mental disorder in nearly three-fourths of all cases, with autism spectrum disorders being most common (59.4 %). The most frequent assignments of the escorts were providing practical assistance during classes and mobilizing the child as well as providing direct support in emotionally challenging situations. Such escorts can make a significant contribution to the inclusive education of disabled children. They do, however, need an adequate qualification and practical competences to meet the diverse challenges of children with special needs. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are supposed to stay involved in the process, not only by planning interventions, but also during the course of inclusive education itself. Thus, the emotional situation and adjustment of included children with mental disorders over time must be monitored adequately.

Social network analysis of interdisciplinary cooperation and networking in early prevention and intervention. A pilot study

ZusammenfassungKinderschutz muss aufgrund der heterogenen und komplexen Problemlagen interdisziplinär angelegt sein, da keine Disziplin allein den verschiedenen Fragestellungen gerecht werden kann. Damit diese Zusammenarbeit mit wenig Reibungsverlusten und unter maximaler Ausschöpfung potenzieller Synergieeffekte funktioniert, darf es keine Lücken im Netz der Helfer geben. Außerdem sollte jeder an der Position im Netzwerk stehen, an der er aufgrund seiner Kompetenzen und Funktionen am besten seine Rolle erfüllen kann. Einrichtungen oder Personen, die eine Verteilerfunktion haben, wie zum Beispiel Kinderärzte oder das Jugendamt, sollten an zentraler Schlüsselposition stehen. Ob und wie weit dies in den konkreten Verhältnissen vor Ort der Fall ist, kann mit einer Netzwerkanalyse festgestellt werden. Vorgestellt wird eine Pilotuntersuchung, die im Rahmen des Modellprojektes „Guter Start ins Kinderleben“ durchgeführt wurde. Anhand der exemplarisch dargestellten Vernetzungsanalyse einer Stadt konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Netzwerkanalyse ein geeignetes Instrument darstellt, um bestehende Vernetzungsstrukturen systematisch zu erfassen und Rückmeldungen zur Modifikation zu erarbeiten. Für künftige Untersuchungen wird empfohlen, zur Steigerung des Datenrücklaufs telefonische Befragungen durchzuführen.AbstractChild protection can only be successfully solved by interdisciplinary cooperation and networking. The individual, heterogeneous, and complex needs of families cannot be met sufficiently by one profession alone. To guarantee efficient interdisciplinary cooperation, there should not be any gaps in the network. In addition, each actor in the network should be placed at an optimal position regarding function, responsibilities, and skills. Actors that serve as allocators, such as pediatricians or youth welfare officers, should be in key player positions within the network. Furthermore, successful child protection is preventive and starts early. Social network analysis is an adequate technique to assess network structures and to plan interventions to improve networking. In addition, it is very useful to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions like round tables. We present data from our pilot project which was part of “Guter Start ins Kinderleben” (“a good start into a child’s life”). Exemplary network data from one community show that networking is already quite effective with a satisfactory mean density throughout the network. There is potential for improvement in cooperation, especially at the interface between the child welfare and health systems.

Risikoepidemiologie und Kinderschutzstatistik in der frühen Kindheit: Eine Pilotuntersuchung mit dem „Wahrnehmungsbogen für den Kinderschutz“

In contrast to many other countries in Europe, Germany lacks sufficient empirical data on the incidence/prevalence of child maltreatment and its risk factors. This pilot study generated systematic data on the prevalence of child abuse and neglect and its risk factors in Germany. Using a newly developed questionnaire (ESM1 and ESM2) on child abuse and neglect as well as indicators for risk factors, we conducted a survey on 35 child daycare centers in a county in southern Germany, the goal being to generate reliable data. The questionnaire and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was completed by daycare professionals for every child between 4 and under 7 years who was attending the participating daycare center (1,122 children). Child maltreatment was reported in 13.2 % of the cases, and risk factors for future child maltreatment were detected in 38.4 % cases. This study demonstrates that systematic data collection concerning child protection is feasible in child daycare centers. In the future, we recommend that local child protection networks be modified on the basis of reliable empirical data.

Gewalt gegen Kinder ist weit verbreitet

Niemand ist so häufig körperlicher oder emotionaler Misshandlung und sexuellem Missbrauch ausgesetzt wie Kinder. Das Risiko für Gewalterfahrungen hängt von Faktoren wie dem Alter, dem psychosozialen Umfeld und dem kulturellen Hintergrund des Kindes ab. Die Folgen für die körperliche und psychosoziale Entwicklung sind enorm.

Gewalt gegen Kinder@@@Violence against children

ZusammenfassungGewalt gegen Kinder und Jugendliche ist ein weit verbreitetes Phänomen. Interpersonelle Gewalt im familiären Kontext ist im Kindesalter häufig, während im Jugendalter verstärkt Gewalt im Kontext von Freizeit und Gleichaltrigen erlebt wird, hierbei spielen neue Medien oftmals eine zentrale Rolle. Das Risiko für Gewalterfahrungen hängt von verschiedenen Faktoren wie beispielsweise dem Alter, dem psychosozialen Umfeld und dem kulturellen Hintergrund des Kindes ab. Zahlen zur Prävalenz von Gewalt variieren weltweit abhängig von den verfügbaren Dokumentationssystemen. Hier gibt es eine hohe Dunkelziffer. Meta-Analysen zeigen mit retrospektiven Selbstberichtsmethoden Prävalenzzahlen von 12–19 % für Vernachlässigung und körperliche Misshandlung oder sexuellen Missbrauch. Emotionale Kindesmisshandlung wurde mit einer Gesamtprävalenz von 36,3 % deutlich häufiger angegeben. In deutschen Untersuchungen wird emotionale Misshandlung hingegen deutlich seltener genannt. Gewalt gegen Kinder hat unabhängig vom Gefährdungskontext zahlreiche negative Folgen für die körperliche, emotionale und psychosoziale Entwicklung des Kindes. Zur Prävention von Gewalt existieren daher verschiedene internationale und nationale Programme und Strategien, die Studien zufolge das Ausmaß an Gewalt gegenüber Kindern deutlich reduzieren können. Vor allem Programme zur gezielten Förderung der elterlichen Erziehungs- und Beziehungskompetenzen liefern vielversprechende Ergebnisse.AbstractViolence against children is a widespread phenomenon. Interpersonal violence within the family context is typical in childhood, whereas violence occurs more frequently in the leisure and peer context during adolescence, often involving new media. The risk for experiencing violence is associated with many different factors, for example the age, psychosocial context, and cultural background of a child. Data on the prevalence of violence vary by country, depending on the available documentation systems. It is estimated that the number of unreported cases is high. Meta-analyses comprising mainly retrospective self-report studies indicate prevalence estimates between 12 and 19 % for neglect, physical, and sexual abuse. Emotional child abuse is reported far more often, with a prevalence as high as 36.3 %. German studies, however, weren’t able to replicate these international findings. Here, child emotional abuse is reported less often. Violence against children has many negative consequences for physical, emotional, and psychosocial development. Violence prevention therefore comprises different international and national programs and strategies, which are able to successfully reduce violence against children. Programs focusing on the promotion of adequate parenting behavior show especially promising results.