Marc S. Atkins

Domestic Violence and Children: Prevalence and Risk in Five Major U.S. Cities

OBJECTIVE Children witnessing domestic violence is a major national concern. The present study provided data on the prevalence of childrens exposure to substantiated cases of adult female assaults in five U.S. cities. METHOD Data for this study were drawn from the Spouse Assault Replication Program (SARP) database, collected from police officers and female victims of misdemeanor domestic violence. In addition, household demographic data and data on involvement of children in the violent incidents were collected. Data from the SARP households were compared with census data from each city. RESULTS Results indicated that children were disproportionately present in households with domestic violence and that young children were disproportionately represented among these children. Moreover, these children were exposed to excessive levels of additional developmental risk factors and they were involved in the incidents to varying degrees. CONCLUSIONS These findings underscore the importance of establishing a more rigorous interdisciplinary, scientific research agenda to inform assessment and treatment efforts for a very vulnerable group of children who witness domestic violence, children aged 0 through 5 years.

Dimensions and types of attention deficit disorder

Abstract DSM-III-R provides a unidimensional definition of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), based on the assumption that inattention, impulsivity, and motor hyperactivity are unitary aspects of the same dimension. The definition of undifferentiated attention deficit disorder (UADD), however, contradicts this assumption by treating inattention as a separate dimension. The present study evaluated these assumptions empirically. A cluster analysis of three factors derived from factor analyses of teacher ratings of ADD symptoms and a broader list of ADD symptoms produced three distinct clusters: patients without ADD, those with both inattention and hyperactivity, and a group that exhibited inattention and sluggish tempo but not hyperactivity. The association was very strong between the empirically derived clusters and clinical DSM-III diagnoses of ADD with and without hyperactivity. These findings do not support the DSM-III-R unidimensional definition of ADHD.

A revised teacher rating scale for reactive and proactive aggression

A teacher rating scale of reactive aggression, proactive aggression, and covert antisocial behavior was evaluated in a normative sample of third- to fifth-grade predominantly white lower middle class boys (N= 186). Factor analysis revealed independent and internally consistent Reactive Aggression (six reactive items), and Proactive Aggression (five proactive items, five covert items) factors. Although the factors were intercorrelated (r= .67), and each factor was significantly correlated with negative peer social status (r= .26 for each, controlling for grade), the independence of the factors was supported by the unique relation of Reactive Aggression with in-school detentions (r= .31), controlling for Proactive Aggression and grade. These results supported the reliability and validity of Reactive and Proactive Aggression as rated by teachers, which should facilitate further research of these constructs.

Teaching through interactions: Testing a developmental framework of teacher effectiveness in over 4,000 classrooms

This is a copy of an article published in the Elementary School Journal

Toward the Integration of Education and Mental Health in Schools

Education and mental health integration will be advanced when the goal of mental health includes effective schooling and the goal of effective schools includes the healthy functioning of students. To build a solid foundation for this reciprocal agenda, especially within the zeitgeist of recent educational reforms, a change in the fundamental framework within which school mental health is conceptualized is needed. This change involves acknowledging a new set of priorities, which include: the use of naturalistic resources within schools to implement and sustain effective supports for students’ learning and emotional/behavioral health; inclusion of integrated models to enhance learning and promote health; attention to improving outcomes for all students, including those with serious emotional/behavioral needs; and strengthening the active involvement of parents. A strong research agenda to support these new priorities is essential.

Inner-City African American Parental Involvement in Children's Schooling: Racial Socialization and Social Support from the Parent Community

Parents (n = 161) and teachers (n = 18) from an urban elementary school serving primarily African American children completed questionnaires regarding racial socialization, social support, and involvement in activities that support youth educational achievement at home and school. Parental reports of racism awareness, and contact with school staff were significantly correlated with parent reports of at-home involvement and at-school involvement. Parent reports of social support from the parent community were significantly related to at-home involvement only. Relative to teacher reports, parents reported more formal contacts with school staff, and higher levels of racism awareness, religiosity, and African American cultural pride. Teachers and parents agreed on school climate and parental levels of at-home and at-school involvement. The results suggest that racial socialization processes are related to parent involvement in childrens schooling and that increased efforts are needed to bridge a cultural gap between parents and teachers in inner-city communities.

Community-based resilient peer treatment of withdrawn maltreated preschool children

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate differences in the social play of maltreated and nonmaltreated preschool children and the effectiveness of a resilient peer treatment (RPT) for socially withdrawn victims of physical abuse and neglect. RPT is a peer-mediated classroom intervention based on a developmental-ecological model. It involves pairing withdrawn children with resilient peers in the natural classroom under the supervision of a parent assistant. Forty-six Head Start children, of whom 22 were maltreated, were randomly assigned to RPT and control conditions. Outcome variables were observational categories of social play and standardized teacher ratings. Before treatment, maltreated children were significantly more isolated and less interactive in peer play than nonmaltreated children. RPT resulted in a significant increase in positive interactive peer play and a decrease in solitary play for maltreated and nonmaltreated, socially withdrawn children. Moreover, treatment gains in social interactions were validated 2 months following treatment. Findings are discussed in terms of a developmental-ecological model.

Enhancing Schools’ Capacity to Support Children in Poverty: An Ecological Model of School-Based Mental Health Services

School based mental health services for children in poverty can capitalize on schools’ inherent capacity to support development and bridge home and neighborhood ecologies. We propose an ecological model informed by public health and organizational theories to refocus school based services in poor communities on the core function of schools to promote learning. We describe how coalescing mental health resources around school goals includes a focus on universal programming, mobilizing indigenous school and community resources, and supporting core teaching technologies. We suggest an iterative research–practice approach to program adaptation and implementation as a means toward advancing science and developing healthy children.

Poverty, Loss, and Resilience: The Story of Chinese Immigrant Youth.

A total of 10 focus groups were conducted with students, parents, teachers, and school counseling and support personnel to investigate the cultural adjustment process of Chinese immigrant youth using an ecological framework. Multi-informant data were analyzed using the grounded theory (A. Strauss & J. M. Corbin, 1998) method. Findings reveal 6 main themes: socioeconomic changes due to immigrant status; English proficiency as a barrier to adjustment; changes in family structure and dynamics, racism, and invisibility; challenges to social support systems; and interdependent strategies for navigating in the United States. Results highlight the dynamic interaction and tensions created across themes and ecological contexts. The need for schooland community-based counseling interventions that address Chinese immigrant youths’ losses and foster their resiliency and supportive networks are discussed.

School-Based Assessment of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder

Schools are uniquely situated to provide information relevant to the assessment and treatment of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) across a variety of tasks, settings, and observers. The importance of the school setting to the assessment and treatment of ADHD has resulted in the development of numerous measures appropriate for such assessment, but few guidelines for their use. The purpose of this article is to describe school-based assessment procedures and their relationship to ADHD. These procedures include teacher rating measures, direct observations in classrooms and on playgrounds, peer rating and sociometric measures, and permanent product measures such as academic performance. It is recommended that school-based assessment of ADHD involve the concurrent use of multiple measures to assess adequately the wide variety of symptoms associated with this disorder. It is further recommended that assessment serve the purpose of determining treatment efficacy to avoid unwarranted preoccupation with diagnostic issues that are as yet unresolved. The components of a comprehensive school-based assessment of ADHD are described, and their relationship to school-based treatment is discussed.