Faculty Bibliography

Two curricula designed to enhance the early literacy skills of 4-year-old preschool children were evaluated against a third, comparison condition. Thirty-five Head Start preschool classrooms were assigned randomly to incorporate one of two early literacy curricular approaches, Let's Begin with the Letter People (R) or Waterford Early Reading Program (R) Level 1, into their current curriculum, the High/ Scope (R) Educational Approach, or to use the High/Scope method alone. Results indicated that children in the literacy intervention classrooms demonstrated significantly stronger outcomes in the areas of emergent writing, book and print knowledge, and general reading readiness skills. Minority language status also played a significant role in outcome, regardless of intervention condition. Implications for early childhood literacy interventions, especially important for children of low-income families, are discussed.

This study examines the relationship between child play-narratives and family drawings by children of violence-exposed mothers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Family Attachment Drawing Task (FAD-T) and MacArthur Story Stem Battery (MSSB) were administered. Of the 23 children (ages 4-7 years), 16 (70%) created drawings that were coded as being representative of insecure attachment. Attachment insecurity and disorganization of child-caregiver attachment on the FAD-T were significantly associated with trauma-related dimensions of the MSSB, but not to other factors. This study suggests that the FAD-T provides access to child mental representations, which may affect intergenerational transmission of violent trauma.

Urban parents, particularly single mothers living within inner-city communities, often struggle to obtain sufficient social support for themselves and for parenting. Support for these parents is particularly important given the prevalence of risk-taking behaviors among youth in these communities, which necessitates vigilant monitoring of these youth. The current study explored from whom low-income mothers obtain social support, the influence of child externalizing on source of social support, and how social support and child behavior interrelate with parental monitoring and supervision. Contrary to expectations, parental monitoring at time 1 did not predict child externalizing at time 2, but, as expected, a significant negative association was noted at time 1 between these constructs. Higher time 1 child externalizing did predict lower time 2 maternal monitoring, suggesting frustrated efforts by mothers to monitor high externalizing children. Mothers reporting strong support networks, however, showed higher levels of monitoring, and mothers who turned to children for social support also showed a tendency to monitor more closely. Although mothers of high externalizing children reported poor support quality, mothers did not discriminate between high and low externalizing children when choosing source of social support. These findings suggest the importance of monitoring prior to child initiation into risk-taking behavior, and the possible role of children in strengthening support networks

The dentate gyrus is a simple cortical region that is an integral portion of the larger functional brain system called the hippocampal formation. In this review, the fundamental neuroanatomical organization of the dentate gyrus is described, including principal cell types and their connectivity, and a summary of the major extrinsic inputs of the dentate gyrus is provided. Together, this information provides essential information that can serve as an introduction to the dentate gyrus--a 'dentate gyrus for dummies.'

Given the urgent need for HIV/AIDS interventions that will reverse current infection trends among urban minority youth, identifying effective and socially relevant approaches is of primary concern. HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives that are housed in, and led by, communities may address the limits of laboratory-based inquiry for this complex and socially-situated health issue. In this article, we describe the process of moving a researcher-led, HIV/AIDS prevention research program--the Collaborative HIV/AIDS Adolescent Mental Health Project (CHAMP)--from a university laboratory to a community mental health agency with the goal of strengthening program access, effectiveness, and sustainability over time. We outline the framework, timeline, and responsibilities involved in moving the program, research, and technology from its original university base to a local community agency. From the challenges faced and lessons learned during this complex transfer process, we hope to enhance understanding of ways in which we can narrow the gap between academic and community leadership of HIV/AIDS prevention research

The editors are pleased to offer a brief personal selection of some of the articles that they found particularly interesting and important in the 2007 issue of American Journal of Psychiatry. Topics covered are clinical treatment trials in schizophrenia, risk taking as a reaction to terrorism, developmental perspectives on psychopathology, medication access and continuity under Medicare Part D, Adverse life events and depression, and patient Detection of dopamine receptor blockade.

The accountability movement in psychology has resulted in practitioners increasingly using evidence-based interventions and treatment modalities to treat client problems. Behavioral consultation is one framework that practitioners can utilize in providing empirically supported services. In order to demonstrate the use of effective, evidence-based psychological practices, however, practitioners must carefully consider how they document their services and their outcomes. This article examines factors that practitioners must consider when writing reports on behavioral consultation cases. In addition, this article reviews 18 critical components that should be included in comprehensive behavioral consultation reports.