Direct-care workers' attributions of psychopathology in adults with mental retardation.

The processes by which direct-care workers identify psychological disorder and need for treatment in adults with mental retardation was examined. A series of vignettes-varying in problem type, client's mental retardation level, and client's gender-was administered to 144 direct-care workers from four types of work settings. Results indicate that although the workers demonstrated an overall ability to accurately identify psychopathology, problem type, and client's mental retardation level were significantly related to workers' judgments regarding the presence of psychological disorder and need for treatment. Worker's setting and client's gender were not significant predictors. Implications for staff training and for increasing the accessibility of mental health services are considered.

Personal adjustment and perceptions of grandchild behavior in custodial grandmothers.

Examined parenting stress, depression, parenting satisfaction, and perceptions of child behavior in 35 custodial grandmothers seeking outpatient psychological services for their grandchildren ages 3 to 12. These clinic grandmothers reported significantly greater stress and depression, less parenting satisfaction, and more negative perceptions of their grandchildren's behavior than did 35 nonclinic custodial grandmothers. Also, similar to a comparison group of 35 clinic mothers and to the empirical literature on clinic parents, the clinic grandmothers' personal adjustment (i.e., stress and depression) was related significantly to their perceptions of their grandchildren's behavior. Thus, assessment of custodial grandmothers' adjustment, as well as grandchild behavior, in clinical settings appears warranted.

Referral reasons for psychological services for adults with mental retardation.

This study examined 391 adult referrals made to a mental health clinic serving individuals with mental retardation, in order to explore the relationship between referral source and referral reason. Each referral was categorized into 1 of 8 referral sources (e.g., vocational placements, day treatment programs) and into 1 of more of 10 behavior categories (e.g., depression, externalizing behavior problems). Externalizing behaviors were the most common overall referral reason. However, referral reason did vary as a function of referral source. Also, sex and mental retardation level were associated with referral reason. Implications for assessment practices and future research are considered.

Narcissism, interpersonal adjustment, and coping in children of Holocaust survivors.

We tested the theory of intergenerational transmission, which suggests that the Holocaust trauma, combined with circumstances in the survivors' lives (early loss of a parent, was a child survivor, had a hiding experience) and circumstances in their children's lives (having a father who survived, being the first-born or only child, and not participating in a children of survivors group) would result in poorer interpersonal adjustment and coping and greater narcissism than in children of survivors without these circumstances and children of parents who imigrated from Europe before World War II. Three hundred fifty children (241 children of Holocaust survivors and 109 children o escaped European-born partners) completed four scales of the California Psychological Inventory (Gough, 1988), the O'Brien Multiphasic Narcissism Inventory (O'Brien, 1987), and the Hardiness scale (Kobasa & Puccetti, 1983). The results failed to support the attribution of adjustment and personality differences in children of survivors to survivor status.

Peer relations and behaviors of adoptive children in residential treatment.

This study explored the peer relationships and behaviors of 17 adoptive children in a residential treatment center. Compared to a group of 17 nonadoptive children, the youngsters tended to be rejected more by peers and to be perceived as having greater attentional difficulties by child-care workers.

Identifying correlates of reabuse in maltreating parents.

Forty-five abusive parents (40 mothers, 5 fathers) in treatment at a large, urban medical center's child abuse program were compared on 22 parent, child, and treatment variables posited to bear on reabuse. While no one variable by itself was strongly associated with reabuse, the data indicated that interactions involving several variables (e.g., income source, marital status, and the abuser's personal abuse history) significantly differentiated between reabusers and nonreabusers. Implications of the findings for research and clinical intervention are discussed.

Relation of scores on the Open Middle Test to self-control and academic achievement of inner-city fourth-grade children.

The construct validity of the Open Middle Test, a measure of children's social problem-solving ability, was investigated by assessing its relationship to self-control (Self-control Rating Scale) and academic achievement (Wide-Range Achievement Test). Subjects were 113 minority fourth graders from two urban parochial schools. A significant correlation was obtained between Open Middle Test effectiveness scores of first responses and WRAT Reading scores. No other correlations were significant. However, mean differences were significant for Open Middle Test effectiveness ratings of first responses and chosen responses, suggesting possible deficits in the evaluation of self-generated problem solutions. Implications of the results for training programs and for the use of the Open Middle Test as an outcome measure are discussed.

The relationship of the Depression Adjective Check List to positive affect and activity level in older adults.

The Depression Adjective Check List (DACL) and a battery of mood and activity measures were administered to 49 older adults who were members of a senior citizens day center. Higher depression scores were negatively associated with avowed happiness on the Affect-Balance Scale and the Bradburn Happiness Scale and with participation in active recreational and social activities, assessed by the Activity Pattern Indicators. DACL scores were uncorrelated with measures of passive and quiet activity. The results are viewed as providing tentative support for the DACL's appropriateness with older populations, and future research directions are suggested.

Predictors of psychotherapy outcome for children at a community mental health center.

This study assessed the utility of multiple predictors of outcome for 268 child clients and their families who received psychotherapy at a community mental health center for children. Outcome was measured by the number of therapy sessions attended, the length of therapy, and improvement ratings of the child and family made by independent judges. Regression analyses revealed that the strongest predictors of outcome were previous exposure to therapy, therapist type (permanent professional staff vs. intern), family constellation, therapist experience, and referral source. Implications for treatment planning and future research are discussed.

MacAndrew Scale and sociodemographic correlates of adolescent alcohol and drug use.

To assess the utility of the MacAndrew Scale (MAC) of the MMPI as a screening device for problem drinking and drug use with adolescents, 403 ninth- through twelfth-graders were administered the MAC, a sociodemographic questionnaire, an alcohol/drug frequency questionnaire, the Adolescent Alcohol Involvement Scale, and the Adolescent Drug Involvement Scale. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed the MAC to be the best single predictor (compared to sociodemographic variables) of alcohol/drug use for both males and females. MAC cutoff scores for differentiation between alcohol/drug abusers and nonabusers were obtained that were more efficient than base rate prediction. The results are discussed as supportive of the MAC's concurrent validity and of Jessor and Jessor's "problem behavior theory." Finally, implications for practice (e.g., early intervention and prevention) and future research are considered.

Behavioral community psychology: an introduction to the special issue.

An overview of this special issue, and of behavioral community psychology, is provided, beginning with a summary of terminology and history. Five dimensions on which behavioral community interventions may be classified are then described: (a) subject matter/target behavior, (b) behavioral procedures used, (c) experimental design, (d) intervention level, and (e) time focus. The studies composing this special issue serve as illustrations of these dimensions. This is followed by a discussion of issues important in designing and implementing behavioral community projects. Finally, challenges facing the field are noted.

Increasing the immunization of preschool children; an evaluation of applied community interventions.

We evaluated the relative impact of four procedures designed to encourage parents to obtain immunizations for their children. In a public health setting, the families of 1,133 immunization-deficient preschool children were randomly assigned to six conditions: (a) a general prompt; (b) a more client-specific prompt; (c) a specific prompt and increased public health clinic access; (d) a specific prompt and monetary incentives; (e) contact control; and (f) no contact control. All interventions, except the general prompt, produced some evidence of improvement when compared with the control groups. The monetary incentive group revealed the largest effect, followed by the increased access group, specific prompt group, and general prompt group, respectively. The data suggest that relatively powerful and immediate effects on preschoolers' clinic attendance for immunization may be produced by monetary incentives in conjunction with client-specific prompts. However, client-specific prompts alone appear to be the most cost-effective of the interventions.

On considering the unintended impact of evaluation: reactive distortions in program goals and activities.

The relationship between program planning and evaluation can be viewed as bidirectional; that is, evaluation methods, procedures, instruments, and criteria not only are determined by, but also influence, program goals and activities. Within the human services context, several factors or sources of reactivity between evaluation and program planning can be identified. These involve (a) quantification of goals and activities, (b) preferences by different audiences for various kinds of evaluation data, (c) values and evaluation criteria, and (d) evaluation requirements and resource availability. Effects of these reactive features are discussed and illustrated with examples drawn from mental health evaluation and accountability practices. It is argued that for evaluation to be a credible and useful practice, evaluators should plan their efforts and assess their own effectiveness within the larger context of human service systems.

Adult age differences in reflection-impulsivity.

Adult age differences in reflection-impulsivity were examined on a modified version of Kagan's adult Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF). The sample consisted of 20 elderly adults (mean age = 70.6) and 20 young adults (mean age = 21.9), each of whom was administered the modified MFF by an adult examiner. On half of the 24 items, the original (i.e., the standard) was present among the four alternatives ("original present" condition), while on the other half, all the alternatives were variants of the standard ("original not present" condition). The elderly subjects were generally more impulsive (had shorter latencies and committed more errors) than were the young adults. The results, though, varied somewhat with the two stimulus conditions employed. An analysis of the mean scores of both age groups indicated that the elderly took less time to respond only in the "original present" condition. A higher number of errors was observed for the older group in both conditions, and both age groups had fewer errors in the "original present" condition. Possible interpretations of these findings, in terms of age group differences in search strategy, anxiety, and other aspects of decision style are offered, and implications for further research are provided.

Egocentrism and classroom adjustment.

This study examined the relationship between persistent egocentrism and adjustment status in normal school children. Fifty-three fourth-graders (33 males, 20 females) were administered measures of egocentrism and peer sociometric status, and indices of classroom adjustment were obtained from teachers. Degree of egocentrism was shown to correlate with classroom adjustment for both boys and girls and with peer group status for boys. The pattern of correlations suggested that the negative consequences of persistent egocentrism were different for the two sexes, with high egocentrism associated with shy, anxious behavior for girls and acting-out and learning difficulties for boys.

Beyond despair and disengagement: a transactional model of personality development in later life.

It is argued that ego analytic, disengagement, and symbolic interaction theories of personality share an insufficient consideration of the dynamics of the interaction between developmental and social forces transpiring during the aging period. An alternative, transactional model is proposed, positing that the effects of the environment to which the elderly person is subject are the product of: (1) the people and settings comprising that environment and (2) the manner in which the individual acts upon and is acted upon by these people and settings. The model highlights the need for research in which present behavioral and environmental events assume as much importance as past ones.