Paulette Van Oost
Ghent University
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Featured researches published by Paulette Van Oost.
British Journal of Educational Psychology | 2000
Veerle Stevens; Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij; Paulette Van Oost
BACKGROUND The positive of the Norwegian anti-bullying programme (Olweus, 1992) stimulated other countries to tackle bully/victim problems. However, outcome studies found rather low levels of effect or even inconsistent results. AIMS The purpose of the present study was to evaluate behavioural effectiveness of a school-based anti-bullying approach within Flemish schools. In addition, specific attention was given to the relationship between outcome findings and external support. SAMPLE A total of 18 schools, comprising 1104 primary and secondary school children were recruited for this study. Students ranged in age from 10 to 16 years. METHOD For this study, an experimental pre-test/post-test design was used which included a control group. Three groups were established. The first group, Treatment with Support, involved students from schools that implemented a school-based anti-bullying intervention with additional support from the research group. The second group, Treatment without Support, also involved students from schools that implemented a school-based anti-bullying programme. However, in contrast with those falling under the first condition, this group of schools could not appeal to the research group for additional help. The last group involved students from schools that did not implement the anti-bullying programme and served as a Control condition. Repeated measures analyses of variance were carried out. RESULTS The findings regarding the effects of the school-based anti-bullying intervention programme on the extent of bullying and victimisation showed a mixed pattern of positive changes in primary schools and zero outcomes in secondary schools. The findings regarding the effects of external support revealed limited outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The outcomes of the evaluation study confirm that a school-based anti-bullying intervention strategy can be effective in reducing problems with bullying, especially within primary schools. It was argued that the developmental characteristics of secondary school students interfered with the programme outcomes. In addition, the findings revealed no extra effects of specific training sessions.
Child Abuse & Neglect | 2003
Sarah Bal; Paulette Van Oost; Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij; Geert Crombez
OBJECTIVE This study investigated to what extent the more severe consequences of sexual trauma in adolescents are mediated by coping strategies. Furthermore, this study explored differences in symptoms, self-esteem and coping in a group that reported sexual abuse, in a group that reported another stressful experience, and in a group that reported no stressful episode until now. METHOD Nine-hundred seventy adolescents aged 11-19 years were asked to complete self-report questionnaires assessing traumatic symptoms (Trauma Symptom Checklist, Briere, 1996); self-image (Self-Description Questionnaire II, Marsh, 1990) and coping (How I Cope Under Pressure Scale, Ayers, Sandler, West, & Roosa, 1996). RESULTS Seventy-two percent of the participants reported a lifetime prevalence of a stressful event. Participants who reported sexual abuse (10%) reported more traumatic symptoms and more avoidant coping strategies than the adolescents who reported another type of stressful event. Results revealed that avoidant coping is a mediator between sexual abuse and the severity of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Sexually abused adolescents exhibited more symptoms and used more avoidant coping strategies than adolescents in the other groups. Avoidant coping can be seen as a mediator between a sexual stressful event and the consequent stress-related symptoms. Results reveal the importance of assessment and consideration of coping strategies in prevention and in therapeutic interventions.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry | 2000
Inge Antrop; Herbert Roeyers; Paulette Van Oost; Ann Buysse
Thirty hyperactive and 30 non-hyperactive children were confronted with a delay, consisting of a waiting situation of 15 minutes, either with or without extra stimulation provided by the presentation of a videotape. The behaviour of the child during the waiting period was videotaped and later coded by two naive observers. In line with theories that emphasise the stimulation-seeking function of hyperactive behaviours, such as the optimal stimulation account and the delay aversion theory, a group by stimulation effect was hypothesised. For two categories of activity this was found, with ADHD children displaying more activity than non-ADHD children in the no-stimulation but not in the stimulation condition. These data provide support for the stimulation-seeking function of certain features of ADHD hyperactivity.
Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment | 2002
Inge Antrop; Herbert Roeyers; Jaap Oosterlaan; Paulette Van Oost
This study investigated the agreement between parent and teacher ratings of DSM-IV symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and related disorders: Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD). A sample of 55 children in the age range of 6–12 years with clinically diagnosed ADHD participated in the study. Parents and teachers were asked to complete the Disruptive Behavior Disorder Rating Scale (DBDRS; W. E., Pelham, E. M., Gnagy, K. E., Greenslade, & R. Milich, 1992). No association was found between parent and teacher ratings of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. However, moderate to high levels of agreement were obtained for ratings of symptoms that characterized ODD and CD. The observed low levels of agreement between parent and teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms may be attributed to different perceptions of the problem behavior by parents and teachers, medication effects, or the situation specificity of childrens behavior. It is recommended that the diagnostic criterion of symptom pervasiveness for the diagnosis of ADHD be operationalized more clearly.
Psychology & Health | 2000
Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij; Paulette Van Oost
Abstract The first aim of the present study was to investigate the contribution of personal and family determinants in explaining variance in dietary behaviour using objective as well as subjective food scores as dependent variables. The second aim was to provide insight into the aggregation of determinants of dietary behaviour within families. 104 family dyads (n = 208) consisting of an adolescent and his/her parent were recruited. All participants went through a computer routine and completed questionnaires to investigate personal determinants, family interactions around food and more general family characteristics. Results revealed that family determinants explained a maximum of 10% additional variance in dietary behaviour over and above personal determinants. Further, considerably more variance in subjective food scores could be explained (R mainly between .35 and .65) when compared to variance in objective food scores (R mainly between .10 and .40). Finally, the family aggregation was rather low. This argues against the hypothesis of a strong family base of the traditionally used personal determinants. It also shows that a subjectťs reports of family interactions are mainly a reflection of an individuals perception and can hardly be considered to be objective truth.
American Journal of Health Promotion | 1998
Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij; Paulette Van Oost
Purpose. This study provides insight into decision making about food choices in the family and its relationship with (un) healthy eating, by including the responses of four members of the family as a sampling unit. Setting. The study was conducted through four medical centers, visited by 69 classes from 19 different schools in Belgium. Subjects. Ninety-two family quartets, including both parents and two adolescents between 12 and 18 years old, completed questionnaires independently. Measures. Four previously investigated measures of decision-making power (30 items on a seven-point scale) were administered, along with a short food choice questionnaire and demographic variables. Results. Results indicate that the influence of fathers but more especially that of children is important in food decisions. Moreover, the relative influence of each family member is dependent on the kind of product or product group considered. Differences in perceptions between the four family members show the importance of conside...
Development and Psychopathology | 1998
Herbert Roeyers; Paulette Van Oost; Sybil Bothuyne
There is growing scientific interest in the precursors to the ability of conceiving other peoples minds. The present study investigates two candidate precursors, imitation and joint attention, in young children with autism and a control group of nonautistic children with a developmental delay. Children with autism were found to be impaired or delayed in both abilities. Gestural and procedural imitation were significantly related to mental age and chronological age in subjects with autism. Although the evidence for an autism-specific deficit appears to be stronger in the domain of joint-attention behaviors than it is in the domain of imitation, it seems premature to reject imitation as a possible precursor to the development of mindreading skills. Systematic investigations of the imitation deficit in autism are urgently needed.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise | 1999
Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij; Paulette Van Oost
Purpose: The purpose of our study was to investigate, on the basis of cluster analysis, whether healthy behavior clusters in a healthy or unhealthy way, whether physical activity can discriminate among those clusters, and whether the groups identified could be characterized by demographic variables. Methods: The relationships between physical activity and other health related behaviors were studied in three age groups, ages 16-25, 35-45, and 50-65. Almost 2400 subjects from a medium-sized Belgian town were interviewed at home to assess their level of physical activity in the past year and to obtain information on other healthy behaviors. Results: The two-cluster solution was found to be most reliable in all three age groups. Smoking discriminated most among the clusters. Cluster analysis divided each age group into a healthy and a more unhealthy subgroup, in which the healthy subgroup is larger than the unhealthy one. Sex differences were found in all three age groups, with more men in the unhealthy cluster. Socio-economic differences are especially strong in the two youngest samples. Conclusions: The hypothesis that leisure time physical activity had discriminating power between healthy and unhealthy subgroups was not confirmed. Physical activity seems to be a unique factor in contrast to other health related behaviors. In the future, specific intervention directed at the promotion of physical activity in the population is necessary.
Social Science & Medicine | 2002
Marc Roelands; Paulette Van Oost; Ann Buysse; AnneMarie Depoorter
The researchers conducted a survey by personal interview of elderly people (75 +years) receiving home nursing (N= 117) in Belgium to investigate the extent of their awareness and perceptions of the existing supply of assistive devices for mobility and selfcare (ADs). A new scale has been developed to measure the possession and the awareness of ADs, the Assistive Devices Awareness Scale. The researchers identified important gaps regarding the awareness of ADs, despite their widespread usefulness and their commercial availability. Even persons with specific disabilities were not necessarily aware of the ADs available to assist with their particular problems. Nevertheless, the elderly persons presented positive attitudes regarding the possibility of using devices as a partial substitute for care and advocated participation in financing the purchase of ADs. Opinions regarding the effect of using ADs on feelings of loneliness differed quite extensively. Most people who were receiving home nursing already possessed ADs. These elderly people perceived mainly positive consequences from using the ADs they already possessed. Linear forward regression analysis revealed that for the elderly clients of home nursing services, the possession of devices is correlated with the extent to which there is a growing need for care, people are aware of the existing devices and people perceive the consequences of using ADs as positive. Implications for future research are discussed.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence | 2004
Sarah Bal; Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij; Geert Crombez; Paulette Van Oost
This study investigated to what extent abuse-related symptoms and family functioning are related to intra- or extrafamilial sexual abuse. One hundred adolescents (12 to 18 years old) were recruited shortly after disclosure of the abuse. Information from the participants was obtained through self-report questionnaires and a semistructured interview. Fifty-three percent of the adolescents reported clinically significant symptoms. Data did not support the idea that intrafamilial sexually abused adolescents report more symptoms than extrafamilial sexually abused adolescents. Type of abuse did not account for the differences and variety of reported symptoms or for differences in family functioning. Family functioning—in particular, lack of cohesion— was an independent contributor to internalizing trauma-related problems.