Extending Models of Sensitive Parenting of Infants to Women at Risk for Perinatal Depression

Objective. Recognizing that not all mothers at risk for depression engage in insensitive parenting, this study examined predictors of individual differences in sensitive parenting of infants by mothers with histories of depression, who are at elevated risk for depression during the perinatal period. Design. We examined maternal personal characteristics, context, and early infant temperament as predictors of sensitive parenting. Seventy-six women with a history of major depression were followed through pregnancy and postpartum and observed during play and feeding interactions with their 12-month-old infants. Results. Maternal personal characteristics (recurrence of clinically significant depression symptom levels during pregnancy or postpartum and higher trait anxiety), context (lower social context and lower income), and early infant temperament (higher negative affectivity, surgency/extraversion, and orienting/regulation) are often associated with less sensitive parenting, with stronger and clearer associations for play than feeding and with some differences based on whether sensitivity was defined as affective matching or rated sensitivity. Conclusions. The findings extend support for multi-determination of sensitive parenting of infants to women with histories of depression, albeit with small to medium effect sizes, and suggest ways to identify those who may be most at risk for insensitive parenting and the potential value of intervening in pregnancy to enhance subsequent sensitivity of parenting.     

Production Risk in a Subsistence Agriculture

Abstract

Purpose: In this article we illustrate the importance of understanding the risk profiles of new technologies, in addition to the changes in productivity, to be able to determine strategies for agricultural development.

Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on data obtained from a 2002 survey of subsistence farmers in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, and a Just and Pope (1978) framework is used for modeling risk.

Findings: We find that even if extension services do not increase the mean production, it may reduce production risk.

Practical implication and originality/value: During the past decades, agricultural extension and subsidized conventional inputs such as high-yielding seed varieties, fertilizer and pesticides, have become important components of agricultural aid programs in developing countries. However, outcomes of this type of aid are somewhat ambiguous, and many donor countries have reduced their support in response. For the most part, evaluation of these programs employs total factor productivity analysis to estimate the changes in productivity resulting from investment in aid programs. However, risk-averse, small-scale farmers will consider both the variance in output and the expected mean. They may therefore choose input levels that differ from the optimal input levels of risk-neutral producers, who consider only the expected mean. Programs can therefore have a positive effect because they reduce risk, even if the direct impact on production is limited.     

Risk of Domestic Violence After Natural Disaster

Abstract

This paper describes the use of a participatory action research model to teach undergraduate social work research and statistics. Strategies of the model include (1) integration with social work education, (2) policy analysis, (3) literature review, (4) collaboration with practitioners, (5) collaboration with the target population through qualitative research, (6) quantitative study, (7) ongoing social action efforts, and (8) evaluation. An example is used of a project addressing a community problem with increased domestic violence during recovery from natural disaster.     

Pupils at Risk: A Framework for Action

Gerard Egan describes the shadow side of management as all the important activities and arrangements that do not get identified, discussed and managed. John Sullivan argues that the image of ‘shadows’ is relevant to understanding some features of schools. The leadership role of heads is related to gaps between mission and practice and the ‘shadow’ side of organizations. Emphasis on mission could lead to the imposition of ethos. If heads are to avoid slipping into manipulation, it is suggested that they might usefully retrieve some insights from Aristotle, especially with regard to the art of rhetoric.     

Childhood abuse and community violence: Risk factors for youth violence

ObjectiveTo investigate the joint effect of child abuse and neglect (CAN) and community violence (CV) on adolescents with peers that commit youth violence (YV).MethodsThis is a school-based cross-sectional study of 699 students enrolled in four public and nine private schools in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Participants were selected through a complex cluster sampling procedure. CAN was identified using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Exposure to CV was assessed by asking students if they have witnessed cases of lethal violence in the community. YV was measured indirectly through questions about having friends who have committed acts of crime. Multivariate logistic models were used to study the effects of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and emotional and physical neglect in childhood on YV, controlled for confounders, according to different levels of CV.ResultsEmotional abuse OR = 3.32 (CI 95%: 1.79–6.17), sexual abuse OR = 2.33 (CI 95%: 1.20–4.54), and physical neglect OR = 1.81 (CI 95%: 1.02–3.20) increased the odds of YV in adolescents, whether cooccurring with CV or not. Physical abuse OR = 3.95 (CI 95%: 2.29 - 6.80) and emotional neglect OR = 2.93 (CI 95%: 1.83–4.72) are only risk factors for YV involvement when associated with CV.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the relevance of CAN and CV as risk factors for YV and the potential increase in adolescents’ vulnerability when exposed to both. Policies aiming at preventing and dealing with CAN are essential strategies to reduce YV, especially in areas with high levels of CV.     

Mentoring by Prospective Teachers as Preparation for Working with Children at Risk

The effectiveness of a dyadic relationship between student teacher and individual child, referred to as 'mentoring', is examined. Interviews between student teacher and teacher educator revealed that student teachers benefited from the experience in their understanding of children, especially those at risk. They also improved interpersonal and teaching skills. These effects could be enhanced by supervisor guidance.     

Paternity establishment at birth and early maltreatment: Risk and protective effects by maternal race and ethnicity

BackgroundMinority race/ethnicity, low socioeconomic status, and lack of established paternity have been identified in previous research as risk factors for child maltreatment. However, given vastly different patterns of income distribution, single parenting and co-parenting across racial and ethnic populations, it is difficult to know which of these factors contribute most to maltreatment risk.ObjectiveThe current study explores whether the odds of maltreatment differ across race/ethnicity when paternity is not established at birth after controlling for maternal socioeconomic status.MethodsUsing merged birth certificate and child protective services records for children born between 2009 and 2011 in Texas (N = 1,175,804), we conducted multiple logistic regression analyses testing the main effects of maternal race and lack of established paternity, as well as the interaction of the two, on substantiated maltreatment.ResultsResults show that children of black mothers were less likely to have established paternity and more likely to experience maltreatment compared with other groups. However, the odds of maltreatment were lower for children of black mothers without established paternity compared to children of white mothers without established paternity (OR = .71, 95% CI [0.67,0.75]). Alternatively, the odds of maltreatment were higher when paternity was not established at birth for Hispanic mothers (OR = 1.13, 95% CI [1.08,1.18]) and mothers of other race/ethnicities (OR = 1.35, 95% CI [1.11,1.65]) compared to white mothers.ConclusionResearch and prevention programming must consider that the processes and pathways linking paternity establishment and maltreatment may differ within and between racial/ethnic groups.     

Breaking Down the Coercive Cycle: How Parent and Child Risk Factors Influence Real-Time Variability in Parental Responses to Child Misbehavior

Objective. Parent–child coercive cycles have been associated with both rigidity and inconsistency in parenting behavior. To explain these mixed findings, we examined real-time variability in maternal responses to children’s off-task behavior to determine whether this common trigger of the coercive cycle (responding to child misbehavior) is associated with rigidity or inconsistency in parenting. We also examined the effects of risk factors for coercion (maternal hostility, maternal depressive symptoms, child externalizing problems, and dyadic negativity) on patterns of parenting. Design. Mother–child dyads (N = 96; M child age = 41 months) completed a difficult puzzle task, and observations were coded continuously for parent (e.g., directive, teaching) and child behavior (e.g., on-task, off-task). Results. Multilevel continuous-time survival analyses revealed that parenting behavior is less variable when children are off-task. However, when risk factors are higher, a different profile emerges. Combined maternal and child risk is associated with markedly lower variability in parenting behavior overall (i.e., rigidity) paired with shifts toward higher variability specifically when children are off-task (i.e., inconsistency). Dyadic negativity (i.e., episodes when children are off-task and parents engage in negative behavior) are also associated with higher parenting variability. Conclusions. Risk factors confer rigidity in parenting overall, but in moments when higher-risk parents must respond to child misbehavior, their parenting becomes more variable, suggesting inconsistency and ineffectiveness. This context-dependent shift in parenting behavior may help explain prior mixed findings and offer new directions for family interventions designed to reduce coercive processes.     

A Framework for User Agency during Development of Interactive Risk Visualization Tools

ABSTRACT

Participating in user-centered design provides potential users of interactive risk visualization tools agency in influencing tool development. This article identifies and characterizes pathways for agency that users may experience as they participate in design of interactive tools for visualizing environmental risks. We present an empirically based conceptual framework for better understanding user agency during visualization tool development based on findings from interviews with professional visualization tool developers and discuss practical implications and future research recommendations.     

Identification of Early Risk Factors for Developmental Delay

Statewide birth certificate and preschool exceptionality records were integrated to identify risk factors for developmental delay (DD). Epidemiological methods were used to investigate both individual-level and population-level risk for DD associated with a number of child and maternal factors. Infants born with very low birth weight were at the greatest individual-level risk for DD, whereas prematurity (gestational age less than 37 weeks) and low maternal education posed the greatest population-level risk. For comparative purposes, individual-level risk for speech disability and other developmental disabilities was also determined. The individual-level risk associated with nearly all factors was significantly greater for DD than for speech disability or other developmental disabilities. The present study suggests that information available from birth certificate records can be used to target screening and early intervention services for children at high risk with the goal of reducing the incidence of DD and subsequent associated disabilities.     

Teachers' and At‐Risk Students' Stimulated Recall of Instruction

Abstract

Using the stimulated recall of instruction methodology, we interviewed teachers and students at risk for referral to special education about their perceptions, judgments, and decision making during the course of instruction. The results of the teacher interviews suggest that teachers respond to complex collections of student cues in their decision making about students. Teachers described themselves as more frequently monitoring the at‐risk students, although their attempts to modify instruction consisted primarily of attempts to motivate these students. The at‐risk students indicated awareness that they are experiencing difficulty in class, had somewhat less understanding of how teachers attempt to help them, and responded with anger and frustration to their learning problems.     

Effect of Group Discussion on Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Risk Taking in Educational Situations1

Abstract

Ninety-two elementary and secondary school teachers were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions and one control condition to investigate the effect of group discussion on their attitudes towards risky actions discussed, as well as others not discussed. Significantly more positive attitudes were found in teachers who engaged in group discussion on both items discussed (at the . 01 level) and those not discussed (at the . 05 level). The theoretical background and implications of these findings are discussed.     

Developing a Measure of Perceived Environmental Risk

Abstract

This study conceptually and empirically develops a scale that measures perceptions of environmental risk (PER). PER is a measure that is different from the measure of environmental knowledge but equally important because people tend to act on their perceptions regardless of whether they are accurate. A reliable and valid assessment of perceived environmental risk is important for environmental education because it will provide a general overview of the present state of perceptions regarding environmental risk, and it will provide measures of specific environmental issues. Therefore, this type of scale either can provide a comprehensive measure for environmental education programs or can measure specific selected items that apply to certain situations or programs, or both. Administrators and teachers could use this scale to indicate the effectiveness of environmental education programs. We define perceptions of environmental risk as a general measurement of risk which assesses the degree to which one perceives danger, peril, or hazards to either self, community, society, or all three, in regard to specific environmental issues. In developing this scale, we used various heterogenous groups across multiple studies to affirm the scale's validity and reliability.     

How Vocabulary Interventions Affect Young Children at Risk: A Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract

This meta-analytic review examines how word-learning interventions affect young children, at risk for reading difficulties, on vocabulary outcomes. We quantitatively reviewed 51 studies with 138 effect sizes (N = 7,403) to assess the association between vocabulary training and word learning. Using a random-effects model, we found a mean effect size of nearly 1 standard deviation indicating a strong training effect overall. Moderator analyses indicated that children from low-socioeconomic-status (SES) families experienced significantly lower word-learning gains than those from middle- and upper-SES families who had one or more risk factor (e.g., English Language Learner, language delays). This was true regardless of the total number of risk factors present. However, risk factors in addition to poverty did compound this SES disadvantage. Further, multivariate meta-regression analyses indicated that the sole risk factor associated with lower effect sizes was poverty controlling for all other risk factors. Subgroup moderator analyses indicated a number of instructional and pedagogical factors associated with greater effect sizes. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of creating interventions powerful enough to accelerate children's vocabulary development if we are to narrow the reading achievement gap.     

Parental Involvement and Risk for School Failure

Abstract

Since a significant percentage of students facing the risk of school failure, educational systems struggle to improve equity in education. Researchers argue that the missing link in establishing educational equity is parental involvement (PI). Τhis study examines three dimensions of PI (home-based, school-based, parental dispositions) as to effects on risk for school failure across two competencies (language and mathematics), while controlling for other variables, e.g. prior achievement and demographic factors. Data is drawn from the national ‘Program for Functional Literacy’ involving 6865 Year 6 students from 226 Cyprus public primary schools. Logistic multilevel modeling analyses, with students nested within schools, lead to interesting findings. Parental dispositions appear to relate significantly to the risk for failure in language and mathematics, confirming that this dimension holds the strongest impact. In addition, from the home-based PI dimension, the availability and number of books at home have statistically consistent effects on the risk across both competencies. Other dimensions or components of these dimensions relate significantly to risk for one competency only. These findings are further discussed in the context of future policy and research directions.     

Grades and Graduation: A Longitudinal Risk Perspective to Identify Student Dropouts

ABSTRACT

Studies of student risk of school dropout have shown that present predictors of at-risk status do not accurately identify a large percentage of students who eventually drop out. Through the analysis of the entire Grade 1–12 longitudinal cohort-based grading histories of the class of 2006 for two school districts in the United States, the author extends past longitudinal conceptions of dropout to a longitudinal risk perspective, using survival analysis, life tables, and discrete-time hazard modeling to appropriately account for student graduation, transfer, or dropout. The risk of dropout began in Grade 7, with the most hazardous years at Grades 8 and 11. A novel calculation of teacher-assigned grades, noncumulative GPA, is identified as a strong predictor of student dropout.     

Risk,identity and change: Becoming a mature student

This article looks at the stories mature students tell about the risks of higher education, in terms of its effects on identity and the implications for relationships with their families and former friends. Two sources of risk are highlighted in their stories; firstly, risks stemming from challenges to established gender roles in the family, which are mediated by the effects of social class; and secondly, risks that accompany the movement away from working class habitus which is an inevitable consequence of being in higher education. To be 'educated' is to stake a claim to a new identity which can be threatening both to one's own sense of self or to others. This may be experienced either as being seen by others as superior, or as feeling superior to others, but in both cases, there is an implicit challenge to former relationships. In their accounts, students describe how they try to manage relationships with families and former friends in order to minimise the disruption to their lives. Whatever strategy they adopt has consequences for their self-identity, which is experienced as fragmented and compartmentalised. In this process of becoming a different person, gender and class interact to produce specifically gendered and classed experiences of this painful transition.     

Perceived Risk in College Selection: Differences in Evaluative Criteria Used by Students and Parents

ABSTRACT

Students and parents base college selection on how well the college will overcome the perceived financial, social, psychological, physical, and functional risks associated with the college experience. Nineteen criteria associated with these risks were evaluated for significant differences between students and parents as well as for their level of importance in the selection process. Significant differences were found with regards to financial aid, security/safety, weather, professors, marriage prospects, athletics, and reputation of the school. The most important criterion for both students and parents was the academics of the institution. Only seven of the top ten criteria were the same.     

Relations between Risk for Sleep-Disordered Breathing,Cognitive and Executive Functioning,and Academic Performance in Six-Year-Olds

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: Optimal sleep is important for children’s learning and development. Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) refers to a spectrum of conditions from simple snoring to obstructive sleep apnea that is common in childhood and interrupts sleep. We examined pathways between SDB and academic performance of children (N = 163, M age = 6.2 years) one year after school entry. Measures included parent questionnaire and clinical assessment of SDB, standardized tests and rating scales of cognitive and executive functioning, researcher-administered literacy and numeracy tasks, and teacher-reported academic performance. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed direct and indirect paths between SDB and poorer academic performance. In indirect models, children’s SDB severity score was significantly linked to poorer executive functioning (β = .38, p < .01) and negatively associated with nonverbal reasoning (β = ?.21, p < .01). Poorer executive functioning, in turn, was negatively related to the verbal composite (β = ?.61, p < .01), with verbal and nonverbal composites associated with academic performance (βs = .56, .27, respectively, p’s < .01). Practice or Policy: These findings point to the need for attention to SDB and its links to potential cognitive sequelae across early development. Practitioners equipped with knowledge of SDB symptoms can facilitate referral for appropriate consultation and evaluation.     

Long-Term Follow-Up of Spanish and English Interventions for First-Grade English Language Learners at Risk for Reading Problems

Abstract

We provide data 3 to 4 years postintervention for four samples of English language learners from two sequential Grade 1 cohorts who received supplemental Grade 1 reading interventions in Spanish or English and for whom the language of instruction for intervention was matched with language of core reading instruction. Participants were 300 students at risk for reading difficulties who were randomly assigned to intervention or comparison groups; there were 186 students from the four samples assessed in both languages (Spanish, English) 3 or 4 years after intervention completion (Spring Grade 4 or 5). Findings from the Spanish study revealed few statistically significant differences in favor of intervention students on Spanish measures, although effect sizes generally favored this group (median d = +0.33). Findings from the English study also revealed few statistically significant differences in favor of intervention students, though again, effect sizes were positive (median d = +0.23). Transfer effects were generally small, though nearly all were positive. Although the effects were small, receipt of intervention in Grade 1 was associated with clinically significant gains in a variety of literacy-related domains 3 to 4 years after the termination of supplemental instruction.