Marisha L. Humphries

Predictive validity of DSM-IV oppositional defiant and conduct disorders in clinically referred preschoolers

BACKGROUND Diagnostic validity of oppositional defiant and conduct disorders (ODD and CD) for preschoolers has been questioned based on concerns regarding the ability to differentiate normative, transient disruptive behavior from clinical symptoms. Data on concurrent validity have accumulated, but predictive validity is limited. Predictive validity is critical to refuting the hypothesis that diagnosing ODD and CD in young children leads to pathologizing normal behavior. ODD and CD have emerged as gateway disorders to many forms of adult psychopathology. Establishing how early we can identify symptoms and disorders that herald poor prognosis is one of the most important goals for research on etiology and prevention. METHODS Subjects were 3-5-year-old consecutive referrals to a child psychiatry clinic (n=123) and demographically matched children from a pediatric clinic (n=100). A diagnostic interview was used to assess DSM-IV ODD and CD in a prospective follow-up design from preschool to school age. Stability of ODD and CD diagnoses and level of impairment were tested as a function of preschool diagnosis. RESULTS Over 80% of preschoolers diagnosed with ODD and approximately 60% of preschoolers diagnosed with CD met criteria for the same disorder during follow-up. Impairment over time varied significantly as a function of stability of diagnosis across three years. CONCLUSIONS These results provide the first evidence of the predictive validity of DSM-IV ODD and CD in clinically referred preschool children. The findings challenge the assumption that symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders that occur during the preschool period tend to be transient.

Predictors of Moral Reasoning among African American Children: A Preliminary Study

This study examined the ways in which gender, empathy, and cultural orientation (communalism and competitive individualism) influence the moral judgments of urban fifth and eighth grade African American children. Pencil and paper measures of these constructs were completed by 44 fifth and 46 eighth graders. Results revealed greater endorsement of communalism among girls than boys. Separate correlation matrices and path analysis models were computed for girls and boys. Communalism, empathy, and grade emerged as significant correlates and predictors of moral reasoning among boys. Empathy emerged as a mediator between communalism and moral reasoning for boys. Grade was the only significant correlate and predictor of moral reasoning for girls. The findings are discussed in terms of the study’s methodological limitations and implications for future research on African American culture and moral development.

African American Children's Affective Attributions and Consequences Regarding Sociomoral Events

Research Findings: This study examined 56 young (prekindergarten through 2nd grade) urban-dwelling African American childrens understanding of the affective attributions and consequences of 3 types of sociomoral rule systems: prosocial, active, and inhibitive morality. It also tested the relationship of affective attributions and consequences to childrens behavior. As expected, childrens affective responses differed by sociomoral rule system and character role type, supporting the notion of a “happy victimizer” and a subtle attributional shift. Children provided affective attributions that attempted to resolve the dilemmas presented in the different sociomoral vignettes regardless of the affect associated with the vignette. The relationship of childrens affective attributions and consequences to their behavior in school was partially supported. Childrens affective attributions were significantly associated with their prosocial behavior. However, contrary to predictions, no other significant associations emerged between childrens affective attributions and negative behavior or between childrens affective consequences and behavior. Practice or Policy: Those working with young African American children should consider the reasoning behind childrens emotional and behavioral reactions and not just focus on the correct or appropriate response to understand and promote childrens positive development. There are implications for supporting African American childrens competence development at school through a behavior promotion approach.

Evidence for the predictive validity of DSM-IV oppositional defiant and conduct disorders diagnosed in a clinically referred sample of preschoolers

BACKGROUND Diagnostic validity of oppositional defiant and conduct disorders (ODD and CD) for preschoolers has been questioned based on concerns regarding the ability to differentiate normative, transient disruptive behavior from clinical symptoms. Data on concurrent validity have accumulated, but predictive validity is limited. Predictive validity is critical to refuting the hypothesis that diagnosing ODD and CD in young children leads to pathologizing normal behavior. ODD and CD have emerged as gateway disorders to many forms of adult psychopathology. Establishing how early we can identify symptoms and disorders that herald poor prognosis is one of the most important goals for research on etiology and prevention. METHODS Subjects were 3-5-year-old consecutive referrals to a child psychiatry clinic (n=123) and demographically matched children from a pediatric clinic (n=100). A diagnostic interview was used to assess DSM-IV ODD and CD in a prospective follow-up design from preschool to school age. Stability of ODD and CD diagnoses and level of impairment were tested as a function of preschool diagnosis. RESULTS Over 80% of preschoolers diagnosed with ODD and approximately 60% of preschoolers diagnosed with CD met criteria for the same disorder during follow-up. Impairment over time varied significantly as a function of stability of diagnosis across three years. CONCLUSIONS These results provide the first evidence of the predictive validity of DSM-IV ODD and CD in clinically referred preschool children. The findings challenge the assumption that symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders that occur during the preschool period tend to be transient.

Parent Involvement in US Early Childhood Education: Benefits, Limitations, and Reconceptualizations

This chapter aims to broaden interpretations of how families in low-income, immigrant, and minority communities in the United States are involved in their early childhood age children’s learning. By examining the benefits and limitations of previous conceptualizations of US parent involvement and studies that employ them, the chapter presents an argument for an expanded, sociocultural approach to involvement that incorporates a range of childhood activities such as play and work at home, at school, and in the community as well as social-emotional learning and childrearing lessons that are facilitated by parents and other adult caregivers. In addition to these contextual variations, the chapter advocates for a conceptualization of US parent involvement that takes into account parents’ cultures, values, and expectations for their children’s learning. The chapter provides implications for research, theory, and practice that give greater consideration to the educational contributions of diverse US families as well as the school practices that support them.

Predictive validity of DSM-IV oppositional defiant and conduct disorders in clinically referred preschoolers: Predictive validity of DSM-IV ODD and CD in preschoolers

BACKGROUND Diagnostic validity of oppositional defiant and conduct disorders (ODD and CD) for preschoolers has been questioned based on concerns regarding the ability to differentiate normative, transient disruptive behavior from clinical symptoms. Data on concurrent validity have accumulated, but predictive validity is limited. Predictive validity is critical to refuting the hypothesis that diagnosing ODD and CD in young children leads to pathologizing normal behavior. ODD and CD have emerged as gateway disorders to many forms of adult psychopathology. Establishing how early we can identify symptoms and disorders that herald poor prognosis is one of the most important goals for research on etiology and prevention. METHODS Subjects were 3-5-year-old consecutive referrals to a child psychiatry clinic (n=123) and demographically matched children from a pediatric clinic (n=100). A diagnostic interview was used to assess DSM-IV ODD and CD in a prospective follow-up design from preschool to school age. Stability of ODD and CD diagnoses and level of impairment were tested as a function of preschool diagnosis. RESULTS Over 80% of preschoolers diagnosed with ODD and approximately 60% of preschoolers diagnosed with CD met criteria for the same disorder during follow-up. Impairment over time varied significantly as a function of stability of diagnosis across three years. CONCLUSIONS These results provide the first evidence of the predictive validity of DSM-IV ODD and CD in clinically referred preschool children. The findings challenge the assumption that symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders that occur during the preschool period tend to be transient.