Faculty Bibliography

This study evaluated sibling effects of a family-based intervention aimed at preventing conduct problems in preschool-age siblings of adjudicated youths. Ninety-two families of preschoolers who had older siblings adjudicated for delinquent acts were randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions. Of these, 47 families had nontargeted school-age (5-11 years) or adolescent siblings (12-17 years) living at home. These families were considered in this report. The authors hypothesized group differences on antisocial behavior and positive peer relations for older siblings of targeted preschoolers. The authors examined outcomes of parent- and teacher-reported behavior immediately postintervention and 8 months postintervention. Findings revealed significant intervention effects 8 months following intervention for adolescent siblings on parent-reported antisocial behavior and positive peer relations. Teacher reports confirmed group differences for antisocial behavior immediately postintervention. Findings document benefits for adolescent siblings

Widespread dissemination of evidence-based programs for underserved populations may require non-traditional means of service provision. Collaboration with paraprofessionals from communities that are targeted for intervention holds promise as a delivery strategy that may make programs more accessible and acceptable, especially to parents living in low-income, urban neighborhoods. We describe a paraprofessional training program for individuals living in a community targeted for preventive intervention based on high levels of poverty and community violence. The design and implementation of the training program are described in the context of issues related to the use of paraprofessionals in community-based, preventive interventions with parents of young children. We also provide insight into lessons learned from a feasibility study as well as general guidelines for the development of paraprofessional training programs for delivery of evidence-based programs. (journal abstract)

We describe a university-community collaborative effort to tailor and deliver a prevention program for families of preschoolers living in low-income, urban communities. ParentCorps, which builds on efficacious interventions with parents and young children, aims to promote child social competence and prevent conduct problems by strengthening parenting skills, enhancing support for parents, and empowering parents to access resources in their communities. Active community engagement and collaboration were viewed as critical to the development of the program and its feasibility testing. We present an overview of community involvement in the development of ParentCorps and approaches taken to involve community members during a feasibility study. Areas of success and lessons learned are discussed. (journal abstract)

(from the journal abstract) Younger siblings of adolescents with histories of antisocial behavior are at high risk for developing conduct problems. Information about risk exposure in youths at familial risk for conduct problems is critical to the design of informed preventive interventions. The prevalence of well-validated risk factors for conduct problems was examined in a sample of 92 preschool-aged siblings of adjudicated youths. As expected, preschoolers at familial risk for conduct problems were exposed to a range of sociocultural, biological, and parenting risks. Risk exposure was associated with concurrent conduct problems and social competence in the preschool period. Only a minority of preschoolers was reported by parents to have clinically significant conduct problems, and this subgroup had more risks than children with conduct problems in the normal range. Findings are discussed in the context of preventive interventions for high-risk children and families.

(from the journal abstract) We present a rationale for the inclusion of culture-based parenting practices (i.e., racial socialization) in the design and implementation of empirically based parenting programs with African American families. We begin with a discussion of the limitations of the current parent training literature related to cultural considerations. Second, we examine the cultural and racial contexts of parenting for African Americans, review the literature on racial socialization, and discuss empirical support for considering its inclusion in parent training programs. Third, we examine the extent to which racial socialization operates in low-income African American families by presenting the findings from a qualitative pilot. We conclude by discussing how findings from the qualitative pilot might inform intervention efforts. (PsycIN

This work examines distinct aspects of effortful control and attention predicted aggression in a group of children at elevated risk for the development of conduct problems. Results suggested that behavioral inhibition, rather than attentional control, best predicted maternal reports of child aggressive behaviors

Conducted a pilot study to test the feasibility of a prevention program for promoting parenting in families of preschoolers at high risk for behavior problems. Risk status was based on a family history of antisocial behavior and residence in a low-income, urban community. Thirty preschoolers (ages 21/2 to 5) and their parents were randomly assigned to a 1-year, home- and clinic-based intervention or to a no-intervention control condition. Despite families' multiple risk factors, high rates of attendance and satisfaction were achieved. Relative to controls, intervention parents were observed to be significantly more responsive and use more positive parenting practices. Results support the feasibility of engaging high-risk families in an intensive prevention program. The meaningful changes achieved in parenting suggest that a preventive approach is promising for families with multiple risk factors

Findings from the Watamura, Donzella, Alwin, and Gunnar (this issue) study support the growing recognition of the importance of context on physiology and affective and behavioral regulation early in human development. This discussion focuses on the role of context and development on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation in young children. Discussed in this article are the Watamura et al. findings with regard to relevant animal studies, extension of these observations to samples of children at elevated risk for psychopathology, and experimental prevention studies with young children. It is contended that environmental factors operating at key points in development may shape affective and behavioral regulation as well as HPA axis function in children, much as environmental factors have been shown to shape HPA axis regulation in animals

Investigated the independent contributions of maternal history of antisocial behavior and parenting practices to the worsening course of sons' behavior problems in a sample of 126 young urban boys at risk for antisocial behavior. Mothers reported on boys' behavior problems at baseline and 1 year later, as well as on their own history of antisocial behavior before and after age 15, and of lifetime depression and substance use disorders. Baseline reports of parenting practices were obtained. Lower involvement, lower monitoring, and higher levels of parent-child conflict and maternal Conduct Disorder (CD) before age 15 contributed to the worsening of boys' behavior problems 1 year later; mothers' symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder after age 15 did not. Mothers' lifetime history of Major Depression and Substance Use Disorder did not add to the worsening of boys' behavior problems after accounting for these other factors. Although maternal CD contributed directly to the worsening of boys' behavior problems, the effect of parenting was more substantial. Clinical implications for prevention and treatment of children's antisocial behavior and intergenerational implications of girls' early antisocial behavior are discussed.