Pedro R. Portes

Self-Esteem in the Adaptation of Spanish-Speaking Adolescents: The Role of Immigration, Family Conflict, and Depression.

Acultural context model was employed in studying self-esteem group differences within a Spanish-speaking sample of adolescents. Acculturation patterns for Spanish-speaking subgroups show differences in the way that they will fit into American society. Depression, parent-child conflict, and discrimination influenced individual self-esteem, along with school achievement and motivation. Regression analyses were employed to partition and study the variance of the above predictors. The cultural contexts of five groups, particularly the role of family in adaptation in different communities, are discussed.

Understanding divorce stress on children: Implications for research and practice

Abstract This paper considers factors that make children “at risk” for postdivorce maladjustment. The risk factors include (a) demographic variables of sex, age and socioeconomic status; (b) predivorce family functioning; (c) postdivorce relationship with the ex-spouse; (d) postdivorce parentchild interaction; and (e) social support systems. Treatment programs incorporating these factors are briefly described. Recommendations are provided for the clinician and researcher.

The therapeutic treatment provided in cases involving physical child abuse: A description of current practices

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to explore the therapeutic treatment provided by mental health practitioners in cases involving physical child abuse to describe generally the amount and type of treatment provided to the abused child and other significant people involved in the abuse. METHOD An instrument was designed to determine what therapeutic treatment was provided by practitioners in the previous year and sent to 689 mental health workers in the state of Kentucky: Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Clinical Members of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and Kentucky Department of Social Services Caseworkers. RESULTS The family was seen as the primary client most frequently with the focus of therapy being to provide a safe environment for the child or to improve family relationships. Abused children were found to receive only seven of the 23 sessions generally provided in these cases to overcome the deleterious effects of the abuse. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that physically abused children may need more treatment to overcome their traumatic experiences. Since the family and the perpetrator have therapeutic requirements, these services need to be additional sessions. While the safety of the child is of paramount importance, the victim needs appropriate and effective treatment to surmount the detrimental consequences of the maltreatment.

The Divorce Adjustment Inventory-Revised

Abstract The newly revised Divorce Adjustment Inventory (DAI-R) is validated across two samples of divorced families. The DAI-R is a parent report instrument that assesses child adjustment and family functioning after separation. This inventory is a 42-item, empirically derived instrument that was found to be predictive of different criterion measures of child adjustment and family functioning. Five patterns of divorce were identified in a factor analysis. The five factors did not correlate with each other. Scales were developed based on each factor and found to have internal consistency, with Cronbach alphas ranging from .65 to .84. The construct validity of the inventory was established with separate measures of family functioning and child adjustment in each sample: the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), the Bloom Family Assessment Scale (FAS), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Parent Evaluation Form (PEF). Significant correlations were found between DAI-R factors and the above measures. Implications for the early detection and treatment of divorce maladjustment and for divorce adjustment programs are noted along with recommendations for future research. The relation of the identified factors with current conceptual models in the field is also discussed.

The Effects of Parents' Assistance on Middle School Students' Problem Solving and Achievement

In this study the authors tested whether childrens aptitudes in science were advanced in areas in which cognitive supports were generally present, particularly through interaction with more capable individuals. Mothers assisted their 7th-grade children in science activities. Differences in parent-child interaction were hypothesized to account for childrens performance across 3 science tasks that differed in difficulty. A cooperative problem-solving style of interaction was identified through factor analysis. This interaction style was correlated significantly with the childs intellectual performance not only in the science tasks but also in school achievement. Development of science and other aptitudes in the context of activity variables that help bridge home and school cultures are discussed.

Preschool Intervention, Social Class, and Parent-Child Interaction Differences

Abstract The interactions of 30 mother-child dyads were examined in the context of social class and early age family intervention effects. Communication characteristics were analyzed from taped responses to hypothetical child-rearing problems obtained during a semi-structured interview conducted in the home. Of the three experimental groups, untreated middle socioeconomic status (SES) and treated low SES families were more active and less punitive than untreated low SES dyads. Experimental dyads agreed with each other in the discussion of hypothetical situations more often than those in the two control groups. Middle SES dyads interrupted more frequently than those in the low SES groups. The results are discussed in the context of research on family environments and of long-term early intervention effects on family interaction characteristics.

Assessing Custodial Mother Adjustment to Divorce

Abstract This study assesses divorce adjustment of custodial mothers. Measures designed to assess psychological functioning of the custodial mother and family functioning are employed. Fifty-six custodial mothers completed the assessment measures. The results indicate that custodial mothers who report healthier levels of overall family functioning on the Divorce Adjustment Inventory-Revised (DAI-R), demonstrate healthier levels of psychological functioning as assessed by the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) than custodial mothers who report lower levels of overall family functioning. In addition, divorce education (Families in Transition) participants had better family conflict and resolution skills, more favorable divorce conditions, and a more positive view of the divorce transition at the end of the program than did nonparticipants (DAI-R scale scores). Overall, these results provide a baseline for reported symptomatology among divorced women, confirm the efficacy of a divorce education program in reducing psychological symptoms, and support the use of the Divorce Adjustment Inventory-Revised in assessing postdivorce family functioning.

Effects of Parent-Adolescent Interaction on the Continuity of Cognitive Development from Early Childhood to Early Adolescence

The continuity of cognitive development from early childhood to early adolescence is examined in light of mother-adolescent interaction and demographic measures. The sample was comprised of fifty-four mother-adolescent dyads, from a follow-up of an early-age antipoverty intervention. Middle class and lower class control groups and an experimental group were balanced by social class, ethnicity and gender. Measures used were the Participatory Style of Interaction, (PSI), the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Stanford Binet, and the California Test of Basic Skills. There was a continuity of cognitive development within each social class, in the absence of intervention. Social class and ethnic differences were mitigated for the lower class treated group, but re-emerged over the decade following the intervention. For the middle class and treated lower class groups, a participatory style of mother-adolescent interaction was found to be related to cognitive development and to account for much of the power of demographic variables in the prediction of cognitive development.

The proactive model of school counselling

This article discusses the prevalent crisis in secondary school counselling and suggests a new model to change the role, priorities, and activities of a school counsellor from a peripheral to the central position.

Political upheaval, cultural assimilation and the origin of counseling needs

At the front lines of counseling services may appear new ethnic groups whose background and view of the world contrast markedly with ours. Where actual disorders or manifestations of maladjustment are evidenced, there probably lies evidence of universal principles, that if recognized by the trans-multicultural counselor, can help the client even in difficult circumstances. In the present case, the dysfunctional behavior pattern that led to referral was understood as a signal of desperation by a confused, frustrated individual with a prior history of social maladjustment. The stress induced by political upheaval, and the uncertainty of Miguels life situation seem to have triggered the observed maladjustment.