Keith C. Herman

Empirically Derived Subtypes of Child Academic and Behavior Problems: Co-Occurrence and Distal Outcomes.

The aim of this study was to identify classes of children at entry into first grade with different patterns of academic and behavior problems. A latent class analysis was conducted with a longitudinal community sample of 678 predominantly low-income African American children. Results identified multiple subclasses of children, including a class with co-occurring academic and behavior problems. Gender differences were found in relation to the number of identified classes and the characteristics of academic and behavior problems for children. Several of the identified classes, particularly the co-occurring academic and behavior problems subclass for both genders, predicted negative long-term outcomes in sixth grade, including academic failure, receipt of special education services, affiliation with deviant peers, suspension from school, and elevated risk for conduct problems. The finding that subclasses of academic and behavior problems predict negative long-term outcomes validates the importance of the identified classes and the need to target interventions for children presenting with the associated class characteristics. Implications for early identification, prevention, and intervention for children at risk for academic failure and disruptive behavior problems are discussed.

Classroom-Level Positive Behavior Supports in Schools Implementing SW-PBIS: Identifying Areas for Enhancement.

This study evaluated the use of classroom-level behavior management strategies that align with School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS). Direct observations of universal classroom management strategies were conducted across 33 elementary classrooms in elementary schools implementing SW-PBIS with high fidelity. Findings indicate that classrooms had posted positively stated classroom rules at high rates, whereas teacher use of specific praise and the ratio of positive to negative interactions were less than optimal. Furthermore, classroom teachers with higher rates of general praise were found to report being more efficacious with regard to classroom management. In turn, teachers in classrooms with higher rates of disruptive behavior reported feeling less efficacious. In addition, teachers with lower rates of positive to negative interaction, who used higher rates of harsh reprimands and had higher rates of disruptions, reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion. Implications for developing supports to assist teachers struggling with universal classroom management strategies are described.

Patient-centered culturally sensitive health care: model testing and refinement.

OBJECTIVES This article presents the results of an empirical test of a literature-based Patient-Centered Culturally Sensitive Health Care Model. The model was developed to explain and improve health care for ethnically diverse patients seen in community-based primary care clinics. DESIGN Samples of predominantly low-income African American (n = 110) and non-Hispanic White American (n = 119) patients were recruited to complete questionnaires about their perceived health care provider cultural sensitivity and adherence to their providers treatment regimen recommendations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patients completed written measures of their perceived provider cultural sensitivity, trust in provider, interpersonal control, satisfaction with their health care provider, physical stress, and adherence to provider-recommended treatment regimen variables (i.e., engagement in a health promoting lifestyle, and dietary and medication adherence). RESULTS Two-group path analyses revealed significant links between patient-perceived provider cultural sensitivity and adherence to provider treatment regimen recommendations, with some differences in associations emerging by race/ethnicity. CONCLUSION The findings provide empirical support for the potential usefulness of the Patient-Centered Culturally Sensitive Health Care Model for explaining the linkage between the provision of patient-centered, culturally sensitive health care, and the health behaviors and outcomes of patients who experience such care.

Children with co-occurring academic and behavior problems in first grade: Distal outcomes in twelfth grade

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the eleven year longitudinal association between students identified in first grade as having academic and behavior problems and distal outcomes in twelfth grade. The study extends prior research that identified latent classes of academic and behavior problems in a longitudinal community sample of 678 predominately African American first-grade students. The type and number of classes identified in first grade differed by gender, but results indicated that students within the classes of behavior and academic problems had long-term negative outcomes in the twelfth grade. The class with co-occurring academic and behavior problems in first grade had the greatest risk for negative distal outcomes for both boys and girls including higher likelihood of special education placement, mental health service use, poor academic achievement, and school dropout. Implications for prevention, early intervention, and current practices in schools are discussed.

Use of Coaching and Behavior Support Planning for Students With Disruptive Behavior Within a Universal Classroom Management Program

Even with the use of effective universal classroom management practices, some students will need additional behavioral supports. However, to translate implementation of new strategies into the classroom, professional development programs need to be adaptive to the complexities teachers face in providing instruction and managing classroom behaviors among diverse learners. Teachers also need support to successfully implement universal practices as well as to develop and enact plans for supporting students with disruptive behavior. This article describes a universal classroom management program that embeds coaching within the model. The coach supported teachers both in implementing universal strategies and in developing and implementing behavior support plans for students with disruptive behavior. The study evaluates the effectiveness of the behavior support plans and the types of coaching activities used to support these plans. Findings indicated that during meetings with teachers, coaches spent time action planning and providing performance feedback to teachers on their implementation of the behavior support plans. In addition, teachers reduced their rate of reprimands with the targeted at-risk students. Students receiving behavioral supports demonstrated decreased rates of disruptive behavior, increased prosocial behavior, and a trend toward improved on-task behavior. In comparison, a matched sample of students with disruptive behaviors did not demonstrate improved outcomes. Implications for practice are discussed.

Providing Patient-Centered Culturally Sensitive Health Care A Formative Model

This article describes the literature-based, testable, formative Patient-Centered Culturally Sensitive Health Care Model that explains the associations between patient-centered culturally sensitive health care, health-promoting treatment behaviors, and health outcomes and statuses. An intervention program based on the model and its foundational research are also described. In addition, the article summarizes research concerning the ongoing evaluation of the model and the intervention program as well as the development of pilot inventories to assess patient-centered culturally sensitive health care in community-based primary care clinics.

Developmental Origins of Perfectionism among African American Youth.

The present study used a person-centered latent variable approach to classify types of perfectionism among 6th-grade African American children living in an urban setting. In particular, the authors were interested in determining whether an adaptive subtype could be found and validated against external criteria. The authors also attempted to identify any developmental precursors that could reliably differentiate the perfectionist subtypes. A social learning and competence framework was used to select potential 1st-grade risk and protective factors for future perfectionism profiles. Four classes best described the childrens perfectionism scores in 6th grade. Three of these classes resembled the profiles most commonly seen in prior perfectionism research (Non-Critical/Adaptive, Critical/Maladaptive, and Non-Perfectionist). The fourth class, Non-Striving, was characterized by extremely low levels of reported personal standards. Sixth-grade correlates confirmed the distinctiveness of these classes. In particular, the Critical/Maladaptive and Non-Striving classes had higher rates of internalizing symptoms and disorders. Additionally, several 1st-grade predictors suggested unique developmental origins of these classes. The Critical/Maladaptive class was characterized by lower academic skills and elevated teacher-rated attention problems, hyperactivity, shyness, and peer rejection. The Non-Striving class had higher rates of family alcohol problems and lower levels of parent praise. Implications regarding the universal and culture-specific origins and effects of perfectionism are discussed.

The Roles of Counseling Psychologists in Reducing Health Disparities

This article presents an overview of the health disparities problem that exists among individuals from ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds and their majority counterparts. The argument is made that the involvement of counseling psychologists in addressing this health disparities problem presents an opportunity for the field to remain true to its commitment to prevention, multiculturalism, and social justice while becoming more competitive in the health care and health promotion fields. This article highlights the prevalence of health disparities and identifies the primary factors contributing to these disparities. In addition, the roles and approaches that counseling psychologists can adopt to help alleviate this problem are specified.

Illustrating the Multiple Facets and Levels of Fidelity of Implementation to a Teacher Classroom Management Intervention

Many school-based interventions to promote student mental health rely on teachers as implementers. Thus, understanding the interplay between the multiple domains of fidelity to the intervention and intervention support systems such as coaching and teacher implementation of new skills is an important aspect of implementation science. This study describes a systematic process for assessing multiple domains of fidelity. Data from a larger efficacy trial of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM) program are utilized. Data on fidelity to the IY TCM workshop training sessions and onsite weekly coaching indicate that workshop leaders and the IY TCM coach implemented the training and coaching model with adequate adherence. Further, workshop leaders’ ratings of engagement were associated with teacher implementation of specific praise, following training on this content. Lastly, the IY TCM coach differentiation of teacher exposure to coaching was evaluated and found to be associated with teacher implementation of classroom management practices and student disruptive behavior.

Using the Classroom Check-Up model to support implementation of PATHS to PAX

The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of adapting the Classroom Check-Up (CCU) coaching model to bolster teacher implementation of a universal evidence-based social–emotional and classroom management intervention, PATHS to PAX. This paper includes a description of the intervention and a rationale for supporting implementation with the CCU coaching model. Findings from a feasibility test and initial pilot study are provided. Implications for school-based intervention implementation are also discussed.