Cliff McKinney

A Structural Equation Modeling Approach to the Study of Stress and Psychological Adjustment in Emerging Adults.

Today’s society puts constant demands on the time and resources of all individuals, with the resulting stress promoting a decline in psychological adjustment. Emerging adults are not exempt from this experience, with an alarming number reporting excessive levels of stress and stress-related problems. As a result, the present study addresses the need for a comprehensive model of emerging adult adjustment in the context of stress and coping variables and highlights the importance of accounting for differences between males and females in research concerning stress, social support, coping, and adjustment. Participants for this study are 239 college students (122 males and 117 females), the majority of whom are Caucasian. Results of structural equation modeling suggest that stress, social support, coping, and adjustment show unique patterns of relationships for males versus females. For both males and females, stress and social support show similar relationships to adjustment. In contrast, social support is related only to coping behaviors in females. Finally, social support appears to be a more important variable for female adjustment, whereas other coping behaviors appear to be more pertinent to male adjustment. Limitations and suggestions for future research will be discussed.

Distinguishing Mediational Models and Analyses in Clinical Psychology: Atemporal Associations Do Not Imply Causation.

PURPOSE A popular way to attempt to discern causality in clinical psychology is through mediation analysis. However, mediation analysis is sometimes applied to research questions in clinical psychology when inferring causality is impossible. This practice may soon increase with new, readily available, and easy-to-use statistical advances. Thus, we here provide a heuristic to remind clinical psychological scientists of the assumptions of mediation analyses. APPROACH We describe recent statistical advances and unpack assumptions of causality in mediation, underscoring the importance of time in understanding mediational hypotheses and analyses in clinical psychology. Example analyses demonstrate that statistical mediation can occur despite theoretical mediation being improbable. CONCLUSION We propose a delineation of mediational effects derived from cross-sectional designs into the terms temporal and atemporal associations to emphasize time in conceptualizing process models in clinical psychology. The general implications for mediational hypotheses and the temporal frameworks from within which they may be drawn are discussed.

Atypical antipsychotic medications in the management of disruptive behaviors in children: Safety guidelines and recommendations

Use of atypical antipsychotic medications (AAMs) in the treatment of disruptive behavior (DB) in children and adolescents has increased dramatically worldwide. However, with exception of using risperidone (i.e., for the management of irritability associated with autism, manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder, and schizophrenia) and aripiprazole (i.e., for manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the use of AAMs in children and adolescents. Although research on use of these medications in children and adolescents has increased, mechanisms of action and long-term outcomes remain poorly understood or unknown. Particularly concerning is that use of these medications in children and adolescents may impact cognitive, social, and physical development, as side effects may interfere with activities in their educational setting, peer networks, and recreational settings. Overall, AAMs frequently are prescribed off label, control DB through sedation rather than targeting actual causes of DB, and lead to many negative side effects with unknown long-term effects. Reconsidering the use of AAMs in managing DB is encouraged strongly.

A Multivariate Model of Parent―Adolescent Relationship Variables in Early Adolescence

Given the importance of predicting outcomes for early adolescents, this study examines a multivariate model of parent–adolescent relationship variables, including parenting, family environment, and conflict. Participants, who completed measures assessing these variables, included 710 culturally diverse 11–14-year-olds who were attending a middle school in a Southeastern state. The parents of a subset of these adolescents (i.e., 487 mother–father pairs) participated in this study as well. Correlational analyses indicate that authoritative and authoritarian parenting, family cohesion and adaptability, and conflict are significant predictors of early adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems. Structural equation modeling analyses indicate that fathers’ parenting may not predict directly externalizing problems in male and female adolescents but instead may act through conflict. More direct relationships exist when examining mothers’ parenting. The impact of parenting, family environment, and conflict on early adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems and the importance of both gender and cross-informant ratings are emphasized.

The Effects and Treatment of Community Violence in Children and Adolescents What Should Be Done

The amount of community violence that children and adolescents are exposedtois unsettling. Intensifying the issue, the amount of community violence that is wit-nessed or experienced directly by children and adolescents is increasing with time. It has been documented that children and adolescents who are exposed to community violence display a wide array of psychological symptoms, ranging from depression and anxiety to antisocial and suicidal behaviors. Many variables have been studied in an attempt to determine correlates, moderators, and mediators of exposure to community violence. Furthermore, many intervention strategies have been developed from the discovery of relationships among these variables. Despite these efforts, many children continue to suffer from the negative effects of exposure to community violence. The purpose of this article is to encourage mental health professionals to mobilize their efforts to help children, adolescents, and their families cope with the effects of community violence.

Application of Feminist Therapy: Promoting Resiliency Among Lesbian and Gay Families

SUMMARY Lesbian and gay (LG) parents face common and unique challenges compared to heterosexual parents. In addition to the typical challenges that all parents encounter while rearing children, LG parents often face myriad obstacles to having and rearing children in a society that struggles to accept alternative family structures. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the empirical literature related to LG parenting and children of same-sex couples. Then, some fundamental principles of feminist theory as they relate to the provision of therapy are discussed. Last, we present a case study that exemplifies judicious application of feminist therapy as a means to validate, strengthen, and promote resiliency among the family members of a lesbian couple who had sought treatment. Future directions of research with LG families are discussed.

The Effects of Religiosity on Psychopathology in Emerging Adults: Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Religiosity

Recent research has suggested that religion may play an important role in determining mental health. Although research has examined the effects of religiosity on specific types of psychopathology, less research has examined psychopathology broadly in the context of particular aspects of religion. Thus, the current study examined intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity and a range of psychopathology in 486 emerging adult college students. Results of a MANOVA indicated a main effect for intrinsic religiosity on a range of psychopathology and an interaction effect between intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity on antisocial personality problems. Implications and limitations of the current study are discussed.

Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence -- Striving Toward an Ecological Framework for Interventions

ABSTRACT The frequency with which children are exposed to domestic violence is unsettling. Childrens exposure to domestic violence can have adverse effects on their functioning, including the promotion of emotional and behavioral difficulties as well as other difficulties. A number of factors, such as the age of the children when they are exposed and the psychological well being of their mothers, may have mediating and moderating effects on the outcomes for children. Although interventions have been based on the individual, family, and community, few interventions have combined these approaches. Given the widespread effects of domestic violence, interventions for the effects of domestic violence should be framed within an ecological framework. This paper reviews the current issues concerning childrens exposure to domestic violence and discusses interventions within an ecological framework that may be applied to counteract the adverse effects suffered by children.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms and Comorbidity in Emerging Adults

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to grow in prevalence each passing year. As more children are diagnosed, it makes sense that the emerging adult and adult population with ASD also will continue to grow. Although the body of research is quite large for children with ASD, the literature for emerging adults with ASD is sparse in comparison. The current study aimed to extend existing literature further by beginning to explore the realm of emerging adulthood. Specifically, the study investigated the presence of comorbid psychiatric symptoms in emerging adults who also presented with ASD symptoms as measured by the Adult Self-Report (Rescorla and Achenbach in The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) for ages 18 to 90 years. The use of psychological testing for treatment planning and outcomes assessment: volume 3: instruments for adults, 3rd edn. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, pp 115–152, 2004). Emerging adults were categorized as having normal, mild, moderate, or severe levels of ASD symptoms and were compared for the presence of comorbid psychiatric symptoms. Overall, results suggested that emerging adults who presented with greater ASD symptom severity were more likely to experience the presence of additional comorbid symptoms.

Emerging adults' stress and health: the role of parent behaviors and cognitions.

Although parent behaviors and cognitions are important for stress/health outcomes throughout development, little research examines whether cognitions mediate the relationship between parent behaviors and stress/health outcomes. As a result, the current study examined the reports of 160 emerging adults regarding their mothers’ and fathers’ behaviors (via the Parental Bonding Instrument and Alabama Parenting Questionnaire), their cognitions (via the Stress Appraisal Measure, Negative Mood Regulation Scale, Life Orientation Test-Revised, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Ruminative Response Scale-Abbreviated), and their stress/health outcomes (via the Perceived Stress Scale and Short-Form Health Survey). Results of this study suggested that emerging adults’ cognitions partially mediated the relationship between their mothers’ behaviors and their stress/health outcomes and fully mediated the relationship between their fathers’ behaviors and their stress/health outcomes. Future research should examine parent behaviors as important distal variables in emerging adults’ stress/health outcomes but should examine cognitions as more salient, immediate predictors of their stress/health outcomes.