School-based targeted prevention for children with mild intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning and behaviour problems: A pilot implementation study.

BACKGROUND: We examined the implementation and potential effectiveness of a school-based targeted prevention programme addressing behaviour problems, adapted for children with mild intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning. METHOD: Thirteen children participated. The intervention was implemented in schools. We examined intervention dosage, reach, responsiveness, satisfaction, and comprehension, using questionnaires completed by children and trainers. We assessed child- and teacher-reported behaviour problems before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Trainers selected both children who did and did not meet the intervention eligibility criteria, suggesting problems in intervention reach. Intervention dosage, responsiveness, satisfaction, and comprehension were satisfactory. There were group-level behaviour problem decreases (i.e., Cohen's d). Individual-level behaviour problem changes (i.e., Reliable Change Indices) showed large heterogeneity and little reliable change. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide initial evidence that the intervention has potential for successful implementation in schools, but the current evidence for intervention effectiveness is inconclusive.

Coping style, personality and adolescent adjustment 10 years post-burn.

An assessment carried out on adolescents aged 11-18 who had suffered severe burns in early childhood 10-11 years previously indicated that the levels of problem behavior were similar and the levels of depression lower than those reported by adolescents in comparable reference populations. Adolescents' self-reports revealed higher levels of the personality traits emotional stability, agreeableness and extraversion. Self-reports further revealed lower levels of passive coping than are found in a normative reference population. Regression analyses showed that less emotional stability, less agreeableness and more passive coping styles were related to increased behavioral problems and symptoms of depression. The authors argue that future studies should focus on resilience and within-group differences.

Maternal anxiety predicts favourable treatment outcomes in anxiety-disordered adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the differential impact of maternal and paternal internalizing psychopathology on cognitive-behavioural treatment (CBT) outcome of anxiety-disordered children and adolescents. METHOD: Participants consisted of 127 children and 51 adolescents with a primary anxiety diagnosis. Children were randomly assigned to a standardized group CBT or individual CBT; adolescents received individual CBT. Parents received four training sessions. Participants were evaluated at pre- and post-treatment with a clinical interview and with self- and parent-reported questionnaires. Lifetime anxiety and mood disorders in parents were obtained with a clinical interview. RESULTS: For children, no associations were found between maternal and paternal anxiety or mood disorders and treatment outcome. For adolescents, however, maternal lifetime anxiety disorders were positively associated with pre-post-treatment improvement in clinician severity ratings and with treatment success. CONCLUSION: Lifetime maternal anxiety disorders were significantly associated with favourable treatment outcomes in adolescents. Paternal disorders were not associated with treatment response.

Internalizing problem behavior and family environment of children with burns: a Dutch pilot study.

The psychosocial development of children with burns is at risk. Children with health care issues tend to develop internalizing problems. Several areas of protective or risk factors were composed into a conceptual model on how internalizing problems might develop or might be prevented after getting burned. The purpose of this study was to explore the relation between post burn internalizing problems on the one hand and child characteristics, burn characteristics and the family environment on the other hand. Data have been collected from 28 mothers and 27 fathers of children with burns (N=29) in six burn centers in The Netherlands and Belgium. The age of the participating children ranged from 2 to 14, TBSA ranged from 1 to 42%. Parents reported problem behavior on the child behavior checklist (CBCL). Three scales of the family environment scale (FES) have been used to explore family conflict, family cohesion and family control. Relations between a clinical level of internalizing problems, reported in 25% of the sample and the family environment were found.