Behaviour and development of stunted and nonstunted Jamaican children

In order to examine the mechanism whereby stunted children have poor developmental levels, we compared the behaviour of stunted (N = 78) and nonstunted (N = 26) children aged 12 to 24 months, and examined the relationship of their behaviour to their developmental levels. The effect of nutritional supplementation with or without psychosocial stimulation on the stunted children's behaviour was also examined. The children were observed at home during 4 days over a period of 6 months. The children significantly showed more apathy, and less enthusiasm and variety in exploring, were less happy and more fussy. Caretakers' vocalisations to them were less warm or instructive. Stunted children's activity level, exploratory and happy behaviours were predictive of change in developmental levels measured on the Griffiths Scales, from enrolment to 12 and 24 months later. Supplementation predicted mental age at 12 and 24 months later enrolment, however, it had no significant effect on behaviour (Au)

The identity of mixed parentage adolescents

Theories about black identity are discussed in relation to a study of adolescents with one white and one African or African-Caribbean parent. Interview findings on their racial self-definition, attitudes to their mixed parentage, and allegiance to black and white people and cultures reveal a wide range of racial identities and cultural allegiances. Differences are related to type of school, social class, and the degree of politicisation of the young person's attitudes to race. The findings are discussed in relation to the issue of interracial adoption and fostering, and to recent debates about the concept of an essential black identity.(AU)

The educational structure and the self-image of Jamaica adolescents

The offer Self-image questionaire was used to assess the self-image of 141 Jamaican adolescents attenting three types of secondary (High, Technical, and New Secondary) schools in Jamaica. Owing to the different status given each type of school, differences among students' self-perceptions were hypothesized as a function of the type of secondary school they attended. Analysis showed significant differences on dimensions of the self-image of Jamaican adolescents relative to the hierarchical status afforded their respective schools. Adolescents attending the more prestigious (High) schools scored significantly better than peers from the less prestigious Technical and New Secondary schools on eight self-image dimensions of impulse control, emotional tone, social relationships, morals, sexual attitudes, vocational and educational goals, emotional health, superior adjustment. Students from Technical schools had significantly better adjustment scores than New Secondary students on social relationships, Sexual attitudes, and emotional health. Results are discussed with regard to the Jamaican Cultural

Barbadian adolescents' views of the "ideal" family

An instrument examining the perceptions of "ideal" family functioning was administered to 536 adolescents aged 12 to 18 yr. in Barbados. Analysis indicated fairly extensive differences between the views of male and female students, somewhat fewer differences in age and type of school attended, and very few differences associated with household composition and religious affiliation. (AU)

Effects of parental presence/absence on size of children's human figure drawings

The effects of parental presence or absence in the home on the size of male and female human figure drawing were examined for a sample of 480 Barbadian children ages 7 to 13 yrs. Most children of both sexes drew larger female than male figures, but significant effects relating to mother-absence and father-absence were found for boys and girls, respectively. Findings were not entirely consistent with those of previous research but would seem to reflect the matrifocality of Caribbean households. (AU)

Principal components analyses of behavior problems in Jamaican clinic-referred children: teacher reports for ages 6-17

Factor analyses of child behavior problems have often yielded two broad-band syndromes, Overcontrolled (e.g., worrying, fearfulness, withdrawl) and Undercontrolled (e.g., restlessness, fighting, disobedience). We explored whether these two broad-band syndromes might be identified for youngsters in Jamaica. We obtained teacher reports for 320 clinic-referred Jamaican youngsters on a 24-item problem checklist designed by Jamaican clinicians for the assessment of child behavior problems and subjected these to principal components analyses. Regardless of whether the sample was split according to age or sex, the analyses revealed factors similar to the Over- and Undercontrolled syndromes most often found in other cultures. The analyses also revealed school absence factors in each age and sex group; school avoidance was correlated with crying in children (aged 6-11) but with conduct problems in adolescents (aged 12-17). The findings suggest important similarities and possible differences between the factor structures of child behavior problems in Jamaica and the United States. (AU)

Over and undercontrolled clinic referral problems of Jamaican and American children and adolescents: the culture general and the culture specific

Child behaviour problems and corresponding clinic referral patterns may be significantly influenced by cultural factors. Prevailing values and childrearing practices within a culture may discourage development of some child problems while fostering others. We explored this possibility, focusing on clinic referral problems of two different societies: (a) Jamaica, where the Afro-British culture discourages child aggression and other undercontrolled behavior and possibly inhibition and other overcontrolled behavior, and (b) the United States, where undercontrolled child is seemingly more generally accepted. We coded clinic-referred problems listed by parents of Jamaican and American youngsters (N=720). Cross-cultural differences were striking: Overcontrolled problems were noted more often for Jamaican than American youngsters, whereas the the converse was true for undercontrolled problems. These and other findings suggest that factors such as culture and sex may be linked to substantial differences in the problems for which youngsters of different countries are treated in clinics.

Diagnostic patterns and child/parent separation in children attending the Jamaican Child Guidance Clinic

This review of the Jamaican Child Guidance Clinic referrals shows the following trends:- 1. Children referred to the clinic show relatively higher percentage of parent/child separation than is the average in Jamaica. 2. Predominantly neurotic disorders were associated with (a) children living with both parents (b) middle-class families and higher intelligence. 3. Anti-social behaviour was associated with parent/child separation particularly in the early formative years (under 5 years) and frequently with a low I.Q. in the range or 70-90, but there was no association between clearcut mental sub-normality and parental background. The tendency was in fact for mentally subnormal children to come as often from the middle-class as lower-class families. Anti-social behaviour was also associated with lower-class background, but even within the middle-class group anti-social behaviour occurred significantly more often among the separated than among the non-separated. 4. We have endeavoured to relate certain clinical data to some social and cultural features peculiar to Jamaica and the West Indies. (Summary)

Comparison of nurturance and independence training in Jamaica and Puerto Rico with consideration of the resulting personality structure and transplanted social patterns

This paper has found that, where economies were matched, the the differences in child-raising patterns have been the product of different values in the Spanish and the English cultural tradition. These differences make for differences in nurturance and independence training which in turn form the adult personality. When these people migrate, the areas of conflict and strength remain the same. The most interesting development of this study is the contrasting balance in areas of strength and conflict between Puerto Ricans and Jamaicans. Puerto Ricans are strong in their contineous encouragement, their extensive social relationships, the ideals of fatalism and acceptance. The Jamaicans are weak in home security, high in frustration-agression, high in extra and intrapunitiveness, and high in a compulsion towards the necessities of competition. The Puerto Ricans are weakned by worry over male dominance, female martyrdom, and levelling weight of the social web. Jamaicans are strong in sexual adjustments, female equalities, and freedom from people for individual enterprise (Summary)