Fabrice Brodard
Children’s control in typical situations of family and school context: assessment instruments and intervention strategies.
Authors
Fabrice Brodard (University of Fribourg)
Michaël Reicherts (University of Fribourg)
The interpersonal control experiencies, in particular in the parent-child relationship, are highly relevant for the child's development and well-being (i.e. Chorpita & Barlow, 1998). Our study takes the child's perspective, and investigates the behaviors the child use to influence his caregivers.
Our study uses a model and an instrument, the QIEP questionnaire (Reicherts & Pauls, 2003), based on theoretical and empirical concepts of interactional behavior and control (causal attribution, self-efficacy, etc). It showed good factorial validity and reliability.
We propose two new situation-response (S-R) instruments, derived from this model: a sonorized-computerized version of the QIEP (Reicherts, Pauls, & Brodard, 2006) published on the Hogrefe TestSystem, and a version which has been developed to analyse the behaviors the child uses to influence his teacher. These instruments evaluate the child's control tendencies, in different situations of every day child-parent or child-teacher problems.
In our study on N=282 children (M=10.0), we have analysed the links between the control tendencies in two different settings, as well as the correlations with other measures of child's difficulties.
Globally, the results suggest that taking into account various data sources, included the child's point of view, for future research and clinical work is very useful. We present also first evidence of the application of intervention modules, developed to enhance the child's control behaviors.
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Nicolas Favez
The Family Alliance Assessment Scales (FAAS): Reliability and validity of an observational tool for the assessment of family interactions
Authors
Nicolas Favez (University of Lausanne
)
Marie-Joelle Hervé (CHU Montpellier (F)
)
Karine Julsaint (University of Lausanne
)
Chloé Lavanchy Scaiola (University of Lausanne
)
France Frascarolo (University of Lausanne)
Few validated instruments exist to assess family interactions, although family-level variables are recognized as unique contributors to the development of the child. We present in details a new macro-analytic coding system, the FAAS, designed to assess observable family interactions, and the first steps of its reliability and validity study. This instrument is constituted of eleven 5-points Likert scales.
Samples: 30 non referred families with their toddler and 30 referred for psycho-functional symptoms in the child.
Procedure: Observation in standardized situation, the Lausanne Trilogue Play. Coders are blind to the status of the families. Main other measures: marital self-reported satisfaction (DAS), observation of co-parental behaviors (CFRS).
Main results: Inter-rater reliability (ICC) and consistency are high. The FAAS scales are correlated with the conceptually relevant co-parental scales (CFRS, independent assessment of observed coparenting), and they discriminate between the two samples, the normative sample getting higher scores; on the other hand, there is no link with marital satisfaction. Exploratory factor analysis on the FAAS scales reveals two underlying dimensions: non verbal organisation (34.2% of the variance), cognitive and affective exchanges (29.9%).
Further data are needed to perform more complex analyses, as we lacked statistical power (small N). Other variables (children outcomes) will be tested longitudinally.
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France Frascarolo
Father involvement, marital satisfaction and maternal gatekeeping
Authors
France Frascarolo (University of Lausanne)
Alessandro Elia (University of Lausanne)
Maria Bayoi Yinda (University of Lausanne)
Nicolas Favez (University of Lausanne)
The purpose of this study was to examine whether fathers and mothers have the same point of view concerning the quantity of father involvement in their children’s daily care. Participants were 50 two-parent families with their first child. Self-report data were collected from both mothers and fathers from pregnancy till 18 months. Despite correlation between paternal and maternal evaluation of the father’s involvement at all ages, there is a significant difference at prenatal, 9 and 18 month but not at 3month between their points of view. Maternal expectation but not paternal expectations (at prenatal) are linked to postnatal fathers’ involvement. Only maternal but not paternal marital satisfaction at 18month is more or less linked to fathers’ involvement. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for future research on maternal gatekeeping.
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Klaus Rink
Parental Personality, Parental Attitudes, Child-Temperament, and Parent-Child Interactions as Aetiological Factors in the Development of Child-Pathology
Authors
Klaus Rink (University of Zurich)
Petra Bachmenn (University of Zurich)
Evelyn Bernhard (University of Zurich)
Catrina Bolli (University of Zurich)
Selina Fischer (University of Zurich)
Patricia Heule (University of Zurich)
Isabel Herrera (University of Zurich)
Kathrin Hochuli (University of Zurich)
Rahel Mueller (University of Zurich)
Sandra Mueller (University of Zurich)
Katja Wichser (University of Zurich)
Objective of this study is to determine the contribution of specific parental personality features, early child-temperament, rearing related parental attitudes and actual parent-child interactions in the development of child-pathology. 86 parents with a child of 1.5-6 years answered questionnaires to assess parent-personality/parent-pathology (MMPI, EPI, SCL), dysfunctional parental attitudes (DyPAS), child-temperament (IBQ, ECBQ, CBQ) and child-pathology (CBCL). Parents also sent daily protocols of parent-child interactions for 21 consecutive days which were reliably categorized into specific types of interaction (conflict management, dominance/control, fostering dependence, modelling cognitive or manifest behaviour). Structural equation modelling was used to test a theory based model of functional and dysfunctional parental features, attitudes and parent-child interactions. Results: Parental neuroticism, parental anger, child temperament (sadness, frustration and impulsivity) are correlated with child-pathology. Announcing punishment as well as punishment without announcment is dysfunctional even when the parent-child conflict seems to be consequently solved. But to reduce antisocial behaviours by punishment is functional. Solving conflicts by distracting the child with „rewarding“, alternative activities is most functional. Much interaction time with the father along with modelling competence and social behaviours have pathology preventing value.
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Christoph Käppler
Concepts of Mental Health in Children, Adolescents and their Families in Switzerland
Authors
Christoph Käppler (University of Education Ludwigsburg (D))
Daria Gianella ( University of Zurich)
Sabine Zehnder (University of Zurich)
Marta Gonçalves (University of Zurich)
Aristide Peng (University of Zurich)
Meichun Mohler-Kuo (University of Zurich)
In Switzerland, like in most industrialized countries, about 20% of children and adolescents suffer from psychological distress. About a quarter of them needs professional help, but the majority do not reach secondary prevention or clinical intervention.
Accordingly the Swiss-wide AMHC (Access to Mental Health care in Children) study granted by the National Science Foundation aims at a better understanding of concepts and needs in mental health and of existing barriers to prevention and intervention.
The study entails a qualitative and a quantitative approach. The participants included general, clinical and at-risk adolescents and their families in the three main language regions of Switzerland. In addition, Portuguese and Brazilian migrants were recruited. The qualitative approach included 190 semi-structured narrative interviews. Based on the results of content analysis, a questionnaire for a quantitative survey was developed and applied to 1600 family members.
Results show similarities and differences in concepts of mental health and illness as well as on help seeking strategies between generations and different clinical/risk groups. Compared with children, parents have more integrated concepts in various dimensions like coping and functioning/activity. Also some cultural differences could be found.
The findings support the significance of the family as a source of relevant information to improve access and quality in mental health care.
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