Monique LeBlanc

Effects of community violence exposure and parental mental health on the internalizing problems of urban adolescents.

Previous research has documented an association between adolescent community violence exposure (CVE) and poor psychological functioning. The purpose of this study is to delineate the relations of CVE, parental mental health, and adolescent PTSD and depression. Participants consisted of 121 pairs of junior high and high school students and their parents. Adolescents completed measures to assess their history of violence exposure and current psychological functioning. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire and measures assessing their psychological functioning. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted, and results indicated that, after controlling for demographic variables and family violence exposure, parental mental health emerged as a moderating variable in the relation between CVE and adolescent-rated PTSD, but not in the association between adolescent CVE and depression. Clinical implications of this study and directions for future research are discussed.

The Effects of Delayed Rewards, Tokens, and Stimulant Medication on Sportsmanlike Behavior with Adhd-Diagnosed Children

Five children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder participated in a summer program designed to evaluate behavioral and pharmacological treatments in a recreational setting. The effect of a contingency for increased sportsmanlike behavior, with and without the use of tokens, was examined during kickball games. The influence of stimulant medication was also examined for 3 of the children.Amultiple-baseline, reversal design revealed that a delayed reward condition did not increase sportsmanlike behavior, whereas the addition of tokens (and praise) to the delayed reward increased sportsmanlike behavior for all 5 participants. Stimulant medication appeared to have very little influence on sportsmanlike behavior. Future directions for behavioral social skills interventions using a sports skills model are also discussed.

Adiposity and Physical Activity Are Not Related to Academic Achievement in School-Aged Children

Objective: To investigate the hypotheses that in elementary school students: (1) adiposity and academic achievement are negatively correlated and (2) physical activity and academic achievement are positively correlated. Methods: Participants were 1963 children in fourth to sixth grades. Adiposity was assessed by calculating body mass index (BMI) percentile and percent body fat and academic achievement with statewide standardized tests in 4 content areas. Socioeconomic status and age were control variables. A subset of participants (n = 261) wore an accelerometer for 3 days to provide objective measurement of physical activity. In addition, the association between weight status and academic achievement was examined by comparing children who could be classified as “extremely obese” and the rest of the sample, as well as comparing children who could be classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese. Extreme obesity was defined as ≥1.2 times the 95th percentile. Results: The results indicated that there were no significant associations between adiposity or physical activity and achievement in students. No academic achievement differences were found between children with BMI percentiles within the extreme obesity range and those who did not fall within the extreme obesity classification. In addition, no academic achievement differences were found for children with BMI percentiles within the normal weight, overweight, or obese ranges. Conclusions: These results do not support the hypotheses that increased adiposity is associated with decreased academic achievement or that greater physical activity is related to improved achievement. However, these results are limited by methodological weaknesses, especially the use of cross-sectional data.

History and Overview

Generally speaking, friendships in childhood are associated with positive outcomes and being disliked is associated with negative outcomes (Parker & Asher,1987). More specifically, social skills have been linked to academic achievement, psychological adjustment, coping skills, and employment (Miles & Stipek,2006). Conversely, social skills deficits and maladaptive social behaviors are an integral part of the diagnostic criteria of a variety of disorders within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Social problems are also used to demonstrate the impairment in social functioning that is considered for most diagnoses. Research involving social behavior has included many definitional inconsistencies; thus there have been many attempts to define and conceptualize social behavior in children and adolescents. In this chapter we will review basic definitions and conceptualizations of social behavior. This chapter will also provide a broad overview of the assessment and treatment of social problems.

Children in School Cafeterias Select Foods Containing More Saturated Fat and Energy than the Institute of Medicine Recommendations

In this study, we examined if childrens food selection met the School Meals Initiative (SMI) standards and the recently released Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations. Mean food selection, plate waste, and food intake were also examined. Food intake of 2049 4th-6th grade students was measured objectively at lunch over 3 d with digital photography in 33 schools. The percent of children whose food selection met the SMI standards and IOM recommendations for energy (kJ), fat and saturated fat, calcium, iron, and vitamin A and C were calculated. The SMI standards provide lower limits for most nutrients; the IOM provides a range of values, including an upper limit for energy. Seventy-seven percent of childrens energy selection met the SMI lower limit, but only 16% of children met the IOMs recommended range and 74% of children exceeded the upper limit. More than 70% of children exceeded the SMI and IOMs saturated fat recommendations. Children selected (mean +/- SD) 3168 +/- 621 kJ, discarded 882 +/- 581 kJ, and consumed 2286 +/- 716 kJ. Children were less likely to discard fat than carbohydrate, resulting in proportionally more fat being consumed. Most children met SMI and IOM recommendations for protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin A. With few exceptions, energy selection was similar among groups of children, but plate waste differed (P < 0.001), resulting in greater energy intake among boys compared with girls, Caucasians compared with African Americans, and heavier compared with lighter children. Childrens selection was high in saturated fat and, based on IOM criteria, included excess energy.

Helpless attributions and depression in adolescents: the roles of anxiety, event valence, and demographics

The relationship between helpless attributions and depression is well established. This study evaluated whether anxiety, event valence (positive or negative) and demographic variables (gender, age, socioeconomic status or race) influence this relationship. Results showed: (1) adolescents with anxiety and depression who were from lower socioeconomic backgrounds made less helpless attributions for negative events than did adolescents from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, (2) male adolescents with anxiety-only had helpless attribution styles that were similar to male adolescents with depression, but the same was not true for female adolescents, and (3) African-American adolescents showed less helpless attributions for negative events than did Caucasian adolescents. Results replicate past research showing that a helpless attribution style is associated with depression in adolescence, but suggest that this pattern may be influenced by demographic factors. Results also suggest that helpless attributions may be related to both anxiety and depression in males.

Effects of exposure to community violence and family violence on school functioning problems among urban youth: the potential mediating role of posttraumatic stress symptoms

Adolescents who are exposed to violence during childhood are at an increased risk for developing posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. The literature suggests that violence exposure might also have negative effects on school functioning, and that PTS might serve as a potential mediator in this association. The purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend prior research by examining PTS symptoms as a mediator of the relationship between two types of violence exposure and school functioning problems among adolescent youth from an urban setting. Participants included a sample of 121 junior high and high school students (M = 15 years; range = 13–16 years; 60 males, 61 females) within high-crime neighborhoods. Consistent with our hypotheses, community violence and family violence were associated with PTS symptoms and school functioning problems. Our data suggest that community and family violence were indirectly related to school functioning problems through PTS symptoms. Findings from this study demonstrate that PTS symptoms potentially mediate the relationship between violence exposure and school functioning problems across two settings (community and home). Future research should further examine protective factors that can prevent youth violence exposure as well as negative outcomes related to violence.

Associations among School Characteristics and Foodservice Practices in a Nationally Representative Sample of United States Schools.

OBJECTIVE Determine school characteristics associated with healthy/unhealthy food service offerings or healthy food preparation practices. DESIGN Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data. SETTING Nationally representative sample of public and private elementary, middle, and high schools. PARTICIPANTS Data from the 2006 School Health Policies and Practices Study Food Service School Questionnaire, n = 526 for Healthy and Unhealthy Offerings analysis; n = 520 for Healthy Preparation analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Scores for healthy/unhealthy foodservice offerings and healthy food preparation practices. ANALYSIS Multivariable regression to determine significant associations among school characteristics and offerings/preparation practices. RESULTS Public schools and schools participating in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Team Nutrition reported more healthy offerings and preparation than private or nonparticipating schools, respectively. Elementary schools reported fewer unhealthy offerings than middle or high schools; middle schools reported fewer unhealthy offerings than high schools. Schools requiring foodservice managers to have a college education reported more healthy preparation, whereas those requiring completion of a foodservice training program reported fewer unhealthy offerings and more healthy preparation than schools without these requirements. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Results suggest the school nutrition environment may be improved by requiring foodservice managers to hold a nutrition-related college degree and/or successfully pass a foodservice training program, and by participating in a school-based nutrition program, such as USDA Team Nutrition.

The impact of parental trauma exposure on community violence exposed adolescents

Previous research has documented an association between adolescent community violence (CV) exposure and poor psychological functioning. The purpose of this study was to delineate the relations of adolescent CV, parent trauma exposure (PTE), and adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptomatology while controlling for adolescent-reported home violence and parental self-reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants consisted of 101 pairs of junior high school and high school students and their parents or caretakers. Adolescents completed measures to assess their history of violence exposure in the community and home setting and current internalizing symptoms. Parents or caretakers completed a demographic questionnaire, a measure assessing their trauma exposure and related symptomatology, and a measure of child externalizing symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted; results indicated that after controlling for demographic variables, home violence exposure, and parental PTSD symptoms, PTE emerged as a moderator variable in the relationship between CV and adolescent-rated internalizing symptoms but not in the association between adolescent CV and externalizing symptoms.

Violence exposure in young children: child-oriented routines as a protective factor for school readiness

Although domestic and community violence exposure has been associated with poor child functioning, protective factors, such as daily routines, may shield children from these negative outcomes. This study investigated whether daily, child-oriented routines moderated the association between exposure to violence and school readiness in preschool-aged children. Eighty-three preschool children completed a test of school readiness, and a primary caregiver completed measures of violence exposure and adherence to daily routines. Results indicated that discipline and daily living routines moderated the association between domestic violence exposure and school readiness. Findings suggest that routines in the home may serve a protective role for young children exposed to violence, but the protective impact was lessened when domestic violence exposure was high.