Enhancing the Focus: How Does Parental Incarceration Fit into the Overall Picture of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs)?

Despite the five million children in the U.S. with an incarcerated parent, there is limited research on risk and protective factors for this population. We analyzed data from the National Survey for Children's Health (2018) to: (1) examine associations among parental incarceration and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), (2) characterize the association between parental incarceration and youth mental health outcomes, (3) examine differences in positive childhood experiences (PCEs; collective socialization, community engagement, neighborhood amenities, and family problem solving) by parental incarceration status, (4) examine whether PCEs were protective against mental health problems and if there was an interaction with parental incarceration status, and (5) examine the interaction between PCEs, parental incarceration, and ACEs on mental health problems. Results revealed that children with incarcerated parents had higher odds of experiencing other ACEs, higher odds of having mental health problems, and experienced fewer PCEs compared to children without incarcerated parents. Further, although PCEs were associated with a lower odds of mental health problems for both children with and without incarcerated parents, they did not mitigate the negative impact of parental incarceration on mental health outcomes. While PCEs attenuated the association between ACEs and mental health, parental incarceration status did not significantly moderate the interaction. These results highlight vulnerabilities and potential protective factors for children with incarcerated parents and have important implications for the development of multilevel intervention strategies that seek to promote resilience and reduce risk for this population.

The New Beginnings Program for Divorcing and Separating Families: Moving from Efficacy to Effectiveness.

This article describes a program of research on effectively transporting the New Beginnings Program (NBP), a university-tested prevention program for divorced families, to community settings. The status of four steps in this research are described: (1) Selecting a community partner; (2) Developing effective methods of engaging parents; (3) Redesigning the NBP to be easily delivered with high quality and fidelity in community agencies, and (4) Adapting the NBP to meet the needs of the full population of divorcing families. The article concludes with a discussion of plans for an effectiveness trial to evaluate the NBP when delivered in community settings.

An experimental evaluation of theory-based mother and mother-child programs for children of divorce.

This study evaluated the efficacy of 2 theory-based preventive interventions for divorced families: a program for mothers and a dual component mother-child program. The mother program targeted mother-child relationship quality, discipline, interparental conflict, and the father-child relationship. The child program targeted active coping, avoidant coping, appraisals of divorce stressors, and mother-child relationship quality. Families with a 9- to 12-year-old child (N = 240) were randomly assigned to the mother, dual-component, or self-study program. Postintervention comparisons showed significant positive program effects of the mother program versus self-study condition on relationship quality, discipline, attitude toward father-child contact, and adjustment problems. For several outcomes, more positive effects occurred in families with poorer initial functioning. Program effects on externalizing problems were maintained at 6-month follow-up. A few additive effects of the dual-component program occurred for the putative mediators; none occurred for adjustment problems.

The additive and interactive effects of parenting and temperament in predicting adjustment problems of children of divorce.

Investigated the interaction between parenting and temperament in predicting adjustment problems in children of divorce. The study utilized a sample of 231 mothers and children, 9 to 12 years old, who had experienced divorce within the previous 2 years. Both mothers' and children's reports on parenting, temperament, and adjustment variables were obtained and combined to create cross-reporter measures of the variables. Parenting and temperament were directly and independently related to outcomes consistent with an additive model of their effects. Significant interactions indicated that parental rejection was more strongly related to adjustment problems for children low in positive emotionality, and inconsistent discipline was more strongly related to adjustment problems for children high in impulsivity. These findings suggest that children who are high in impulsivity may be at greater risk for developing problems, whereas positive emotionality may operate as a protective factor, decreasing the risk of adjustment problems in response to negative parenting.

Maternal acceptance and consistency of discipline as buffers of divorce stressors on children's psychological adjustment problems.

This study examines whether two aspects of mothering--acceptance and consistency of discipline--buffer the effect of divorce stressors on adjustment problems in 678 children, ages 8 to 15, whose families had divorced within the past 2 years. Children reported on divorce stressors; both mothers and children reported on mothering and internalizing and externalizing problems. Multiple regressions indicate that for maternal report of mothering, acceptance interacted with divorce stressors in predicting both dimensions of adjustment problems, with the pattern of findings supporting a stress-buffering effect. For child report of mothering, acceptance, consistency of discipline, and divorce stressors interacted in predicting adjustment problems. The relation between divorce stressors and internalizing and externalizing problems is stronger for children who report low acceptance and low consistency of discipline than for children who report either low acceptance and high consistency of discipline or high acceptance and low consistency of discipline. Children reporting high acceptance and high consistency of discipline have the lowest levels of adjustment problems. Implications of these results for understanding variability in children's postdivorce adjustment and interventions for divorced families are discussed.

Cognitive moderators of children's adjustment to stressful divorce events: the role of negative cognitive errors and positive illusions.

This study examined whether children's cognitive appraisal biases moderate the impact of stressful divorce-related events on psychological adjustment in 355 children ages 9 to 12, whose families had experienced divorce within the past 2 years. Multiple regression indicated that endorsement of negative cognitive errors for hypothetical divorce events moderates the relations between stressful divorce events and self- and maternal reports of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, but only for older children. Positive illusions buffer the effects of stressful divorce events on child-reported depression and mother-reported externalizing problems. Implications of these results for theories of stress and coping, as well as for interventions for children of divorced families, are discussed.

Emotionality and self-regulation, threat appraisal, and coping in children of divorce.

A model of the effects of children's temperament (negative and positive emotionality, impulsivity and attention focusing) on post-divorce threat appraisals, coping (active and avoidant), and psychological symptoms (depression and conduct problems) was investigated. The study utilized a sample of 223 mothers and children (ages 9 to 12 years) who had experienced divorce within the last two years. Evidence was found of direct effects of child-report negative emotionality on children's threat perceptions and of child-report positive emotionality and impulsivity on children's coping. Indirect effects of negative emotionality on active and avoidant coping through threat appraisal were found. Direct effects of the temperament variables on symptoms were also found. Cross group analyses indicated that the models were robust to age differences, but gender differences were found in the relation between negative emotionality and depression. The results of this study indicate that temperament and threat appraisals are important predictors of children's post-divorce symptoms, and that temperament is a predictor of children's appraisal and coping process.

Alcohol abuse and psychopathic deviance in noncustodial parents as predictors of child-support payment and visitation.

In a three-stage study, noncustodial parents' psychopathic deviance and alcohol use accounted for significant variance in custodial parents' reports of child support and visitation. In noncustodial parents 'reports' compliance with child support, but not frequency of visitation, was related to measures of deviance. Implications for policy, research, and psychoeducational interventions are discussed.

The children of divorce parenting intervention: outcome evaluation of an empirically based program.

Examined efficacy of an empirically based intervention using 70 divorced mothers who participated in a 12-session program or a wait-list condition. The program targeted five putative mediators: quality of the mother-child relationship, discipline, negative divorce events, contact with fathers, and support from nonparental adults. Posttest comparisons showed higher quality mother-child relationships and discipline, fewer negative divorce events, and better mental health outcomes for program participants than controls. More positive program effects occurred for mothers' than children's reports of variables and for families with poorest initial levels of functioning. Analyses indicated that improvement in the mother-child relationship partially mediated the effects of the program on mental health.

Negative cognitive errors and positive illusions for negative divorce events: predictors of children's psychological adjustment.

This study examined the relations among negative cognitive errors regarding hypothetical negative divorce events, positive illusions about those same events, actual divorce events, and psychological adjustment in 38 8- to 12-year-old children whose parents had divorced within the previous 2 years. Children's scores on a scale of negative cognitive errors (catastrophizing, overgeneralizing, and personalizing) correlated significantly with self-reported symptoms of anxiety and self-esteem, and with maternal reports of behavior problems. Children's scores on a scale measuring positive illusions (high self-regard, illusion of personal control, and optimism for the future) correlated significantly with less self-reported aggression. Both appraisal types accounted for variance in some measures of symptomatology beyond that explained by actual events. There was no significant association between children's negative cognitive errors and positive illusions. The implications of these results for theories of negative cognitive errors and of positive illusions, as well as for future research, are discussed.

Locus of control as a mediator of negative divorce-related events and adjustment problems in children.

Beliefs about whether locus of control mediates the relationship between negative divorce-related events and children's adjustment were explored in a group of 78 children and their primary residential parents. In the children's self-reports of adjustment, locus of control was found to be a partial mediator in the relationship. Analyses of the parents' reports of the children's adjustment did not support a mediational model.

Social support in chumships and adjustment in children of divorce.

Examined the relations between support from intimate friends or "chums" and stress, age, and gender in predicting psychological adjustment using a sample of 117 8- to 15-year old children who had experienced parental divorce. Both parents and children provided information on children's adjustment. In predicting children's reports of their adjustment, the direct effect of chum support was found to be moderated by children's age. In predicting parental reports of children's adjustment, no significant main effects or interaction effects occurred. The findings are discussed with attention to the divergent perspectives of different reporters.

Parental values, reinforcement, and young children's prosocial behavior: a longitudinal study.

In this study, the authors assessed the relation of parental reinforcement and parental values to young children's prosocial behaviors. Parents' dyadic interactions with their 1- to 2-year-old children were videotaped in the home on two occasions approximately 6 months apart. The children also were videotaped playing with a peer at 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years of age. Parental reinforcement of the children's prosocial behaviors was coded, as were the children's prosocial behaviors with the peer. The frequency of girls' spontaneous prosocial behaviors decreased in the early years; modest consistency was observed for boys (but not girls) across the two parental sessions. No relation existed between the frequency of children's prosocial behaviors with their parents and their behaviors with peers. Both maternal and paternal valuing of compliance were negatively related to the mothers' use of reinforcement for children's spontaneous prosocial behaviors. Parental reinforcement of compliant prosocial behaviors was negatively related to children's compliance with a peer's request for prosocial behavior and positively related to defensive behavior with the peer. Fathers' valuing of prosocial behavior was associated with children's compliance with the peer's requests for prosocial action. Parents who valued compliance had children who exhibited low levels of compliant prosocial behaviors with the peer, possibly because of the depressed level of peer interaction.

Theory-based screening for prevention: focusing on mediating processes in children of divorce.

Prevention programs in mental health theoretically can benefit from selecting participants who have a greater likelihood of developing psychological problems because of their exposure to the putative mediators targeted for change in an intervention. Screening on mediators may increase statistical power to detect program effects, enhance the cost-effectiveness of intervention trials, and decrease the possibility of iatrogenic effects. The circumstances that optimize the strategy of screening on the basis of mediating variables are discussed, and data are presented to illustrate the development of a mediational selection strategy to identify families who might best benefit from a preventive intervention for children of divorce. In addition, we present evidence that adjustment problems for children experiencing a divorce, as with most mental health problems, are not the result of one specific factor, but are jointly determined by several mediating processes that occur subsequent to the divorce. The mediational selection strategy developed illustrates the utility of measuring a set of mediational processes central to conferring risk for mental health problems to children of divorce.

Small theory and the strategic choices of prevention research.

Our comments on the discussion of mediational screening for prevention research highlight two issues: (a) There are advantages to giving a high priority to theory in a strategic sequence of prevention research studies. (b) Screening to identify a subgroup that is experiencing problems on processes the program is designed to change may be useful in accomplishing specific goals within an overall strategy of prevention research studies.

Frequency of visitation by divorced fathers: differences in reports by fathers and mothers.

Most previous research documenting the frequent abandonment by fathers of contact with their children has been based on survey responses of custodial mothers. The present survey of 220 divorcing couples revealed that the noncustodial parents reported significantly more visits with their children, as well as significantly more denial of visitation by their ex-spouses, than did the custodial parents.

Social support of children of divorce: direct and stress buffering effects.

This study examined the direct and stress-buffering effects of support from family adults, nonfamily adults, family children, and nonfamily children on the adjustment of 104 children of divorce. For children's reports of adjustment, significant stress-buffering (i.e., Stress x Support) interactions for support from family adults and support from nonfamily adults occurred. The lower the level of social support, the stronger the positive relation between stress and adjustment problems. In addition, at high levels of stress, children with high support from nonfamily and family adults reported fewer adjustment problems than did children with low support. However, at the lowest level of stress, children with high support from nonfamily adults were significantly more poorly adjusted than were children with low support. For parental reports of children's adjustment, support from family adults was marginally positively related to adjustment whereas support from nonfamily adults was inversely related to adjustment. Implications for intervention programs for children of divorce are discussed.

Personal goals and interpersonal support and hindrance as factors in psychological distress and well-being.

This study examined psychological distress and well-being as a function of the characteristics of personal projects and project-relevant social support and social hindrance provided by the three most important people in subjects' lives. Three project factors (Project Mastery, Strain, and Self-Involvement) were found to account for significant variation in both psychological distress and well-being. Project support was generally found to be significantly related to well-being, but not to distress. However, project hindrance was found to be significantly related to both distress and well-being. Additional analyses revealed that the behavior of the most important person in a subject's life is of special significance in accounting for variations in psychological distress and well-being. Finally, evidence of the independence of support and hindrance was observed.

Peer versus adult models and autistic children's learning: acquisition, generalization, and maintenance.

This study compared the effectiveness of a peer model and an adult model in teaching an expressive language task to four autistic boys. A BCBC design, counterbalanced across subjects, was used. After training criterion was reached, generalization of responding to an extratherapy school setting and to the home was measured. Thirteen weekly maintenance probes were conducted after training in each condition. Results indicated that all children learned through observing the peer and adult models and that few consistent differences occurred across the two conditions. The degree of generalization and maintenance of responding was consistently high in both conditions. The relation of these data to the modeling literature on autistic children and implications for developing educational programs for autistic children are discussed.

Sexual anxiety and female sexual arousal: a comparison of arousal during sexual anxiety stimuli and sexual pleasure stimuli.

Sexual arousal occurring during sexual anxiety stimuli was compared to sexual arousal occurring during sexual pleasure stimuli in 19 sexually functional women. Stimuli were individualized narratives based on descriptions given by each subject. Sexual arousal was measured by monitoring vaginal blood flow with a vaginal photoplethysmograph. Results showed significant increases in vaginal blood flow in response to both sexual anxiety and sexual pleasure. However, increases in the pleasure condition were significantly greater than those in the anxiety condition. Analysis of the blood flow across time showed a significant linear increasing trend in the pleasure condition and a lack of such a trend in the anxiety condition.