ABSTRACT
In an exploration of the social impacts of treatments for hyperactivity, two age groups (kindergarteners and first-graders vs. fourth- and fifth-graders) heard about a hyperactive child whose problem was treated either by an internal and controllable means (effort) or by an external and uncontrollable means (medication) and whose behavior either did or did not improve. The attributions and affective responses of both age groups were influenced by both the nature and the effectiveness of treatment, and there was only weak support for the hypothesis that younger children are more influenced by treatment outcome than older children are. However, older children, conforming to attribution theory predictions, held target children more accountable for the success or failure of their own efforts than for the outcomes of medication, particularly valuing the child whose own efforts succeeded. By contrast, young children judged the child whose efforts failed as more worthy of pride and more likable than the child whose medication failed. Implications for peer acceptance of hyperactive children over the childhood years are discussed.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/therapy , Peer Group , Social Perception , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/drug therapy , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Child , Female , Humans , Internal-External Control , Male , Physical Exertion , Shame , Social DesirabilityABSTRACT
As the divorce rate climbs, more and more children are affected by divorce. For some of these children, the personal losses they suffer are too great to overcome. Young children are particularly vulnerable to feelings of guilt, shame, inferiority, and distrust, which may lead to more serious problems later in life. Dr Price and colleagues offer suggestions to primary care physicians on counseling children of divorce and their parents, with emphasis on a holistic, empathic approach to therapy.
