I. Wissink

Associations of Peer Acceptance and Perceived Popularity With Bullying and Victimization in Early Adolescence

This study examined the role of peer acceptance and perceived popularity in bullying and victimization in early adolescent peer groups. Peer acceptance is the degree to which adolescents are well liked by their peers; perceived popularity indicates visibility, dominance, and prestige. It was hypothesized that acceptance negatively predicts bullying, whereas popularity positively predicts bullying, and that both acceptance and popularity negatively predict victimization. Interactions between acceptance and popularity were tested as well. Participants were 1,207 13- to 14-year-old adolescents who completed sociometric assessments in their classrooms. Both bullying and victimization were predicted by the interaction between acceptance and perceived popularity. Bullying was positively associated with popularity, and this association was stronger for adolescents with lower levels of acceptance. Victimization was negatively associated with popularity, and this association was also stronger for adolescents with lower levels of acceptance. Linear and curvilinear main effects and interactions were found; some were further moderated by gender. The discussion focused on the role of individual status and group dynamic factors in the occurrence of aggression among early adolescents.

Parenting Behavior, Quality of the Parent-Adolescent Relationship, and Adolescent Functioning in Four Ethnic Groups

The cross-ethnic similarity in the pattern of associations among parenting behavior (support and authoritative and restrictive control), the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship (disclosure and positive and negative quality), and several developmental outcomes (aggressive behavior, delinquent behavior, and global self-esteem) was tested. A sample of 541 Dutch, Moroccan, Turkish, and Surinamese adolescents living in the Netherlands (mean age 14.43) completed questionnaires at school. The results showed ethnic similarities in the mean levels of support, authoritative control, disclosure, positive quality of the parent-adolescent relationship, delinquent behavior, and self-esteem. The quality of the parent-adolescent relationship, especially a negative quality of the relationship, showed significant associations with each adolescent outcome in all ethnic groups. For both aggressive behavior and self-esteem, the same model was applicable to all ethnic groups. The links between the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship and delinquent behavior were also similar. The links between parenting behavior and delinquent behavior, however, differed across groups.

The Cross-Cultural Equivalence of Parental Rearing Measure: EMBU-C

We examined the cross-cultural equivalence of a widely used instrument that assesses perceived parental rearing, the EMBU-C, among native Dutch and immigrant adolescents living in The Netherlands. The results of a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the factor structure of the EMBU-C, consisting of three latent factors (Warmth, Rejection, and Overprotection), and reliabilities of these scales are similar in both samples. These findings lend further support for the factorial and construct validity of this instrument. The comparison of perceived child rearing between native Dutch and immigrant adolescents showed cultural differences in only one of the assessed dimensions: Immigrant adolescents perceive their parents as more overprotective than do Dutch adolescents.

Ethnic identity, externalizing problem behaviour and the mediating role of self-esteem among Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adolescents

The present study examined whether self-esteem mediates the relationship between two aspects of ethnic identity (i.e. ethnic identity exploration and ethnic identity commitment-affirmation) and externalizing problem behaviour in Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adolescents living in the Netherlands. A total number of 345 adolescents (115 Dutch, 115 Turkish-Dutch, 115 Moroccan-Dutch) with a mean age of 14.5 filled in questionnaires at school. Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adolescents reported higher levels of both aspects of ethnic identity than their native Dutch counterparts, but there were no ethnic differences in self-esteem and externalizing problem behaviour. Only in the Moroccan-Dutch group was support found for the mediational model: stronger ethnic identity commitment-affirmation was related to a higher level of self-esteem, which, in turn, was related to a lower level of externalizing problem behaviour.

Institutional climate and aggression in a secure psychiatric setting

The number of aggressive incidents committed by patients in (secure) mental health care is high. The present study examined the relation between institutional climate (support, growth, atmosphere, and repression) and aggressive incidents using data of 72 patients in a secure (forensic) mental health clinic and a clinic for prolonged intensive care. Longitudinal analyses showed that support from nurses was negatively associated with aggressive incidents. The relation between growth and aggressive incidents was mediated by support. Mental health nurses could have an important contribution to decreasing aggression incidents in secure mental health care facilities by offering support and possibilities for growth to the patients.

Sexual abuse involving children with an intellectual disability (ID): A narrative review

The current paper provides a narrative review of the literature on sexual abuse, involving children with Intellectual Disability (ID). The thirteen articles that were found and met our criteria vary in their definitions of sexual abuse and in how ID was determined. Still, they do paint a general picture concerning (1) the extent of sexual abuse, (2) the nature of the sexual abuse, and (3) the institutional reactions following sexual abuse of children with ID. Our findings confirm the greater vulnerability of children with ID to become involved in sexual abuse both as a victim and as a perpetrator, and we discuss ways to help strengthening prevention and intervention methods. Nevertheless, more research is needed, as it is still a rather unexplored topic, which is striking in light of the high vulnerability of this group.

Measuring Treatment Motivation in Secure Juvenile Facilities

The present study examined the validity and reliability of the Adolescent Treatment Motivation Questionnaire (ATMQ) in a sample of 264 adolescents in Dutch secure juvenile facilities. Confirmatory factor analysis of a single-factor model of “treatment motivation” showed a close fit to the data, indicating construct validity of the ATMQ. Concurrent validity was supported by significant relations between treatment motivation and living group climate. Internal consistency reliability in terms of Cronbach’s alpha was good (.84). The ATMQ proved to be insensitive to the tendency to provide socially acceptable or desirable answers, which supports discriminant validity, and was unrelated to sex, age, and self-reported aggression of the adolescents. The ATMQ is a parsimonious instrument (11 items) enabling future research on treatment motivation in secure juvenile facilities.

Basic Trust: An Attachment-Oriented Intervention Based on Mind-Mindedness in Adoptive Families

Objectives: We evaluated a new attachment-oriented intervention aimed at improving parental mind-mindedness, promoting positive parent–child relationships, and reducing child psychopathology in families with adopted children. Method: The sample consisted of 20 families with adopted children (2–5 years of age). After the pretest, the intervention was conducted, followed by a posttest, 6 months later. Results: Positive medium-to-large changes between pretest and posttest were found in children’s insecure attachments to their mothers, disorganized attachments to both their parents and conduct problems. Finally, mothers who had spent more time with their adopted children perceived less peer problems in their children after the intervention. Conclusion: Basic Trust is a promising intervention for improving parent–child relationships in adoptive families and decreasing attachment and conduct problems.

Study on the Effectiveness of Responsive Aggression Regulation Therapy (Re-ART)

This article describes a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental study of the effectiveness of Responsive Aggression Regulation Therapy (Re-ART), a Dutch intervention for 16- to 21-year-old juveniles. Re-ART aims to decrease severe aggressive behavior using a cognitive behavioral approach combined with drama therapeutic and mindfulness techniques. Re-ART differs from other mental health interventions in criminal justice settings in its combination of individual therapy and group training, and in the flexibility to adjust the intensity and content of the treatment to the specific individual needs of juvenile delinquents. The sample consisted of violent offenders treated in a juvenile justice institution: 63 were in the experimental group (Re-ART) and 28 in the Treatment-As-Usual (TAU) group. Results indicate that Re-ART is significantly more effective than TAU in reducing the juveniles’ recidivism risk, aggressive behavior, irrational cognitions, poor coping skills and improved responsiveness to treatment.

Delinquent Behavior, Poor Relationship Quality With Parents, and Involvement With Deviant Peers in Delinquent and Nondelinquent Adolescents: Different Processes, Informant Bias, or Both?

The aim of this study was to determine whether two risk factors that are frequently selected as targets for prevention and intervention purposes—involvement with deviant peers and parent–adolescent relationship quality—are associated with delinquent behavior in the same way in a juvenile general population sample (n = 88) as in a juvenile offender sample (n = 85). Information on delinquency and the quality of parent–adolescent relationship was obtained from adolescents and parents. The results of path analyses showed that relations between poor parent–adolescent relationship quality, involvement with deviant peers, and delinquency depended on whose point of view is used (adolescent or parent) and which sample is used (general population or delinquent sample). These findings indicate that caution is warranted when theories based on research with community samples are used for development of intervention programs for juvenile delinquents.