Feasibility Testing a Family-Level Intervention to Prevent Risky Sex Behaviors Among Middle School-Age Latinas.

PURPOSE: In this article, we report a pilot study that tested the feasibility and initial efficacy of a culturally, linguistically, and developmentally tailored risky sex prevention intervention for middle school-age Latinas and their mothers. DESIGN: We used a one-group pre-test, post-test, and 3-month post-intervention follow-up design. Data were collected at three points on aspects of the girls' communication, beliefs, and behaviors. RESULTS: Promising results included improvements in girl's self-efficacy regarding condom communication and condom consistent use, and in mother-teen sexual risk communication. There were also trends in demonstration of fewer risky sex behaviors. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that the "Latina-Girls Empowered through Mind and Mission" (L-GEMM) intervention for young Latinas and their mothers is feasible and warrants further testing. IMPLICATIONS: Nurses are uniquely positioned to deliver risky sex preventive interventions to young Latinas. Including mothers and tailoring interventions to build on cultural strengths are important for success.

Behavior management for preschool-aged children.

This article summarizes behavior management strategies for preschool children who are at high risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder that have found to be effective in improving child behavior. Both parent and teacher training programs are reviewed, as these have been backed by substantial research evidence. In addition, multimodal treatments that include some combination of parent training, teacher training, and social skills training are also reviewed. Interventions emphasize the need for a strong adult-child relationship combined with proactive behavior management strategies to improve child behavior.

Educational attainment as a social determinant of health.

A review of the current literature on the relationship between health outcomes and level of education provides points for consideration by providers and policymakers wishing to address social and economic determinants of health and health disparities.

Feasibility and initial efficacy testing of an HIV prevention intervention for Black adolescent girls.

HIV is disproportionately prevalent among Blacks. Black women most often contract HIV from having risky sex, and adolescence is a time when risky sex behaviors peak. This study tested the feasibility and initial efficacy of an intervention designed to help Black adolescent girls avoid risky sex behaviors. The intervention included group education for girls followed by a service learning opportunity in which the girls practiced the assertiveness and communication skills they had learned in the education sessions, and individual education for the girls’ mothers. The intervention was guided by a risk and protective factors framework and by the goal of promoting racial/ethnic pride in the girls. We determined that the intervention was feasible. Schools allowed recruitment of potential participants and the use of their facilities for meeting with the girls. We encountered little participant dropout from the study, and the intervention was highly regarded by the girls who participated and their mothers. We found improvements in aspects of the girls’ relationships with their mothers, their sexual assertiveness, and their self-efficacy to use condoms.

Parent involvement and student academic performance: a multiple mediational analysis.

Parent involvement in a child's education is consistently found to be positively associated with a child's academic performance. However, there has been little investigation of the mechanisms that explain this association. The present study examines two potential mechanisms of this association: the child's perception of cognitive competence and the quality of the student-teacher relationship. This study used a sample of 158 seven-year-old participants, their mothers, and their teachers. Results indicated a statistically significant association between parent involvement and a child's academic performance, over and above the impact of the child's intelligence. A multiple mediation model indicated that the child's perception of cognitive competence fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and the child's performance on a standardized achievement test. The quality of the student-teacher relationship fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and teacher ratings of the child's classroom academic performance. Limitations, future research directions, and implications for public policy initiatives are discussed.

Psychobiological models of adolescent risk: implications for prevention and intervention.

Psychobiological models of risk have much to contribute to the prevention of and intervention with risky behavior among adolescents. Emerging research is beginning to provide better information about mechanisms underlying individual differences in risky behavior (e.g., differences in self-regulation) and providing insight into unique vulnerabilities that occur during adolescence (e.g., increases in reward seeking). This work suggests ways in which prevention programming can be designed to be sensitive to both individual differences and developmental timing. Psychobiological models of risk also have practical implications for the manner and methods of conducting prevention and intervention work. Future work in both the etiology and prevention of risky behavior can benefit from ongoing dialogue and has the potential to result in a more sophisticated understanding of the mechanisms of change related to risky behavior. .

Using mental health consultation to decrease disruptive behaviors in preschoolers: adapting an empirically-supported intervention.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the effectiveness of an adaptation of an empirically-supported intervention delivered using mental health consultation to preschoolers who displayed elevated disruptive behaviors. METHOD: Ninety-six preschoolers, their teachers, and their primary caregivers participated. Children in the intervention group received individualized mental health consultation focused on providing teachers with behaviorally-based, empirically-supported strategies for decreasing disruptive behaviors within the classroom. Caregivers were invited to participate in parent training (35% attendance). Effectiveness was assessed in contrast to an assessment/attention comparison group where typical treatment was available. RESULTS: This treatment approach was more effective than the comparison condition in decreasing child disruptive behavior, increasing the use of appropriate teacher strategies, and increasing the use of appropriate parenting practices. CONCLUSION: Adapting empirically-supported treatments for use in mental health consultation may be a way to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice and increase effectiveness of mental health consultation in treating disruptive disorders in young children.

Atenção à primeira infância nos EUA e no Brasil / Young children's care and education in the USA and Brazil

Transformações culturais, sociais e econômicas têm gerado o incremento de políticas públicas de atendimento à criança pequena. Nossa discussão sobre essas políticas é simultaneamente histórica (examina concepções de cuidado e educação ao longo do tempo) e comparativa (enfoca políticas estabelecidas nos Estados Unidos da América e no Brasil). Nossa análise indica que a atividade de cuidar tem sido desvalorizada no atendimento à primeira infância. Discutimos por que é necessário reconceitualizar o cuidado para que se transforme em fato o direito da criança ao cuidado e à educação e sugerimos ações em nível das políticas públicas, da pesquisa e das práticas.

Atenção à primeira infância nos EUA e no Brasil / Young children's care and education in the USA and Brazil

Transformações culturais, sociais e econômicas têm gerado o incremento de políticas públicas de atendimento à criança pequena. Nossa discussão sobre essas políticas é simultaneamente histórica (examina concepções de cuidado e educação ao longo do tempo) e comparativa (enfoca políticas estabelecidas nos Estados Unidos da América e no Brasil). Nossa análise indica que a atividade de cuidar tem sido desvalorizada no atendimento à primeira infância. Discutimos por que é necessário reconceitualizar o cuidado para que se transforme em fato o direito da criança ao cuidado e à educação e sugerimos ações em nível das políticas públicas, da pesquisa e das práticas. (AU)

Predicting stability and change in toddler behavior problems: contributions of maternal behavior and child gender.

This study examined the stability and continuity of early-identified behavior problems and the factors associated with this stability. Children and their mothers (N=125) were seen when the children were 2 and 4 years of age. Maternal reports of child externalizing behavior and laboratory observations of child noncompliance were stable from age 2 to age 4. Early externalizing behaviors decreased over time; however, child noncompliance in the laboratory did not. Although few associations were found between maternal positive behavior and child behavior problems, maternal controlling behavior was related to increases in child behavior problems, particularly at high levels of both prior noncompliance and prior maternal control. Child noncompliance was predictive of increases in maternal controlling behavior over time.

Preschool children with disruptive behavior: three-year outcome as a function of adaptive disability.

A significant discrepancy between intelligence and daily adaptive functioning, or adaptive disability (AD), has been previously found to be a associated with significant psychological morbidity in preschool children with disruptive behavior (DB). The utility of AD as a predictor of later developmental risks was examined in a 3-year longitudinal study of normal (N = 43) and DB preschool children. The DB children were grouped into those with AD (DB+AD; N = 28) and those without AD (DB-only; N = 98). All children were followed with annual evaluations to the end of second grade. Both DB groups demonstrated substantial and pervasive psychological and educational morbidity at 3-year follow-up. In comparison to DB-only children, DB+AD children had more symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder (CD), more severe and pervasive behavior problems at home, more parent-rated externalizing and internalizing, and lower academic competence and more behavioral problems at school. Parents of DB+AD children also reported greater parenting stress than did parents in the other groups. A significant contribution of AD to adverse outcomes in the DB group remained on some measures even after controlling for initial severity of DB. AD also contributed significantly to CD symptoms at follow-up after controlling for initial DB severity and initial CD symptoms. The results corroborate and extend earlier findings of the utility of AD as a risk indicator above severity of DB alone. They also imply that AD in the context of normal intellectual development may arise from both the deficient self-regulation associated with ADHD and from disrupted parenting. with exposure to kindergarten moderating these adverse effects.