Safeguarding Children Subjected to Violence in the Family: Child-Centered Risk Assessments.

Assessing risk, planning for safety and security, and aiding recovery for children subjected to violence in a family setting is a complex process. The aim of the article is to synthesize the current research literature about risks for children subjected to violence in the family and outline an empirical base for a holistic and practically usable model of risk assessments placing the individual child at the center. Such assessments need to recognize four different areas of risk: (1) child safety, i.

Effects of individual differences, society, and culture on youth-rated problems and strengths in 38 societies.

Background: Clinicians increasingly serve youths from societal/cultural backgrounds different from their own. This raises questions about how to interpret what such youths report. Rescorla et al.

Child Psychiatric Patients Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence and/or Abuse: The Impact of Double Exposure.

Children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and child abuse (CA) is strongly related to later psychological problems. Few studies exist on patients in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) who have been singly or doubly exposed to IPV and/or CA. The overall aim of the current study was to compare self-reported psychiatric symptoms, post-trauma impact, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses among CAMHS patients who had been singly or doubly exposed or had reported no family violence (NoFV).

Parenting programs during adolescence: Outcomes from universal and targeted interventions offered in real-world settings.

The aim of this naturalistic study was to explore short and long-term outcomes of five different group-based parenting programs offered to parents of 10 to 17-year-olds. Three hundred and fifteen parents (277 mothers and 38 fathers) who had enrolled in a parenting program (universal: Active Parenting, COPE; Connect; targeted: COMET; Leadership training for parents of teenagers [LFT]) answered questionnaires at three measurement waves (baseline, post-measurement, and one-year follow-up). The questions concerned parenting style, parental mental health, family climate and adolescent mental health.

Testing Syndromes of Psychopathology in Parent and Youth Ratings Across Societies.

As societies become increasingly diverse, mental health professionals need instruments for assessing emotional, behavioral, and social problems in terms of constructs that are supported within and across societies. Building on decades of research findings, multisample alignment confirmatory factor analyses tested an empirically based 8-syndrome model on parent ratings across 30 societies and youth self-ratings across 19 societies. The Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18 and Youth Self-Report for Ages 11-18 were used to measure syndromes descriptively designated as , and .

Universal parent support groups for parents of adolescents: Which parents participate and why?

Leader-led parent support groups, offered universally to parents of adolescents, are increasingly common, yet little is known of the parents who use this support. The study presented here explored the characteristics of parents of 10- to 17-year-olds (N = 192) who had enlisted in universal support groups and their reasons for enrollment. Sociodemographic factors (parents' country of origin, educational level, long-term sick-leave or unemployment, and marital status) were compared to the general population (Statistics Sweden, 2012) and parents' psychological health and children's psychiatric symptoms were compared to a control group (the BITA study).

Traumatic and Adverse Attachment Childhood Experiences are not Characteristic of OCD but of Depression in Adolescents.

We investigated whether adverse attachment experience might contribute to the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We interviewed 100 adolescents, 25 each with primary OCD, depressive disorder (DD), OCD plus DD and general population controls (CTRs) using the adult attachment interview to assess attachment experiences (AEs), including traumatic and adverse AE (TAE). Adolescents with OCD, OCD+DD and DD had little evidence of secure base/safe haven parental behaviour and their childhood attachment needs judged to be rejected as compared to the controls.

Family Violence and Other Potentially Traumatic Interpersonal Events Among 9- to 17-Year-Old Children Attending an Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic.

Among children visiting child and adolescent mental health care (CAM), the prevalence of exposure to family violence (FV) is reported to exceed prevalence in community samples, as are potentially traumatic interpersonal events (IPE) outside the family. The aim of the study was to relate CAM patients' self-reported experiences of violence exposure to their current psychiatric symptoms and to compare patients exposed to violence with patients who reported no exposure. We asked 305 consecutive 9- to 17-year-old patients in CAM about their current and previous exposure to violence in and outside of the family.

An explorative analysis of the recruitment of patients to a randomised controlled trial in adolescents with dental anxiety.

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered to provide the most reliable evidence on the efficacy of interventions. The aim of this study was to describe the recruitment process of an RCT study set up to evaluate a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention programme for adolescent patients with dental anxiety (DA). The participants were recruited from a consecutive sample of adolescent patients (12-19 yrs old) referred for DA to a specialised pediatric dentistry clinic.

Children exposed to intimate partner violence and the reported effects of psychosocial interventions.

Using a repeated measures design posttraumatic stress (PTS), psychological and behavioral problems significantly decreased following intervention in children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV), with use of traditional group analyses. Analyses using the reliable change index (RCI), however, revealed that few children were improved or recovered, implying that interventions in common use should be evaluated for their significant impact on the individual level in addition to group level statistics. Positive changes in children's behavioral problems were related to the mother's improvement of their own mental health.

Evaluation of "the incredible years" in Sweden: the transferability of an American parent-training program to Sweden.

Structured parent training has been proven to be effective in reducing disruptive behavior problems (DBP) in children. Most of the programs that are used in Sweden have their origin in North America, and there is an ongoing debate over the transferability to Sweden of manual-based programs developed in other contexts. The goal of the present study was to study effectiveness of the Incredible Years parent-training program (IY), developed in the US, in regular clinical work in Sweden, using a randomized controlled design.

Maternal report on child outcome after a community-based program following intimate partner violence.

Background: This study examined the perceived effectiveness of a 15-week community-based program for 46 children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) and their mothers.

Aims: The primary aims were to describe the children who entered one of the existing community-based programs in terms of behavioral problems and to evaluate the impact of the program on children's general behavioral functioning as assessed by their mothers.

Results: Children's rated behavioral problems (SDQ) dropped following treatment; the effect size was in the medium range.

Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire--reliability and factor structure: a Swedish version.

Two studies were conducted to assess the Swedish version of the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), which was originally created by Baer et al. (2006). The aim of Study 1 was to examine the psychometric properties of the FFMQ using data from 495 individuals.

Dissimilarity in vulnerability: self-reported symptoms among children with experiences of intimate partner violence.

Children with experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) are at risk. Not all children, however, display symptoms, and differences connected to gender and age have been demonstrated. In this exploratory study, children's own reports of symptoms were used.

Theoretical orientation and therapists' attitudes to important components of therapy: a study based on the valuable elements in psychotherapy questionnaire.

The authors describe the inception and subsequent testing of a questionnaire on attitudes regarding how psychotherapy ought to be pursued: the Valuable Elements in Psychotherapy Questionnaire (VEP-Q). A sample of 416 Swedish therapists (161 psychodynamic, 93 cognitive, 95 cognitive behavioral, and 67 integrative/eclectic) responded to the 17-item VEP-Q. A factor analysis of these items resulted in three subscales: PDT, CBT, and Common Factor, as validated by analyses of covariance.

Attachment states of mind in adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and/or depressive disorders: a controlled study.

Little is known about the contribution of attachment insecurity to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), though speculations have been extensive. We aimed to study how states of mind (SoM) with regard to attachment relate to OCD with and without depressive disorder (DD). We interviewed 100 adolescents, 25 each with OCD, DD, OCD plus DD and general population controls, using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) to assess attachment SoM.

Possible predictors of discontinuation of specialized dental treatment among children and adolescents with dental behaviour management problems.

This study aimed to identify potential predictors of non-attendance among children and adolescents with dental behaviour management problems (DBMP). A group of 179 patients, 7.5-19 yr of age, was grouped into 56 'non-attenders' (discontinued treatment, missed appointments, or >or= 20% cancellations) and 123 'attenders'.

Parents' description of conduct problems in their children - a test of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) in a Swedish sample aged 3-10.

The Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) is a widely used 36-item uni-dimensional parent rating scale constructed to measure disruptive behavior problems in children. However, in an American sample a 22-item version, including three subscales, has been suggested in order to increase the usefulness of the ECBI. Two studies were conducted to test the ECBI in a Swedish sample (N = 841).

Prediction of prolonged pain experiences during orthodontic treatment.

Introduction: In this study, we investigated prolonged pain reactions in teenage orthodontic patients during a common orthodontic treatment. The aim was to examine factors predicting pain at the end of a follow-up week after placement of elastic separators.

Methods: Fifty-five patients (ages, 12-18 years) were included.

Psychosocial concomitants to dental fear and behaviour management problems.

Background: Children with dental behavioural management problems (DBMP) form a heterogeneous group, where personal characteristics play significant roles. Attention to everyday life and family situation as additional background facets may help to better understand and treat these patients.

Aim: This study describes everyday life and family situation in child/adolescent patients referred because of DBMP, as compared to patients in ordinary dental care.

Temperamental reactivity and negative emotionality in uncooperative children referred to specialized paediatric dentistry compared to children in ordinary dental care.

Background: Current treatment of children with dental behaviour management problems (DBMP) is based on the presupposition that their difficulties are caused by dental fear, but is this always the case?

Objective: The aim of this study was to study temperamental reactivity, negative emotionality, and other personal characteristics in relation to DBMP in 8- to 12-year-old children.

Methods: Forty-six children referred because of DBMP (study group) and 110 children in ordinary dental care (reference group) participated. The EASI tempramental survey assessed temperamental reactivity and negative emotionality, the Child Behaviour Questionnaire internalizing and externalizing behaviour problems, and the Children's Fear Survey Schedule general and dental fears.

Dental fear/anxiety and dental behaviour management problems in children and adolescents: a review of prevalence and concomitant psychological factors.

Objectives: The objectives of this article were to examine the literature published from 1982 to 2006 and to evaluate prevalence of dental fear and anxiety (DFA) and dental behaviour management problems (DBMP) in children and adolescents, and their relationships to age, sex, general anxiety, temperament, and general behavioural problems.

Methods: A broad search of the PubMed database was performed using three combinations of search terms.

Results: A large proportion of the identified articles could not be used for the review owing to inadequate endpoints, measures or poor study design.

The generalizability of the Youth Self-Report syndrome structure in 23 societies.

As a basis for theories of psychopathology, clinical psychology and related disciplines need sound taxonomies that are generalizable across diverse populations. To test the generalizability of a statistically derived 8-syndrome taxonomic model for youth psychopathology, confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were performed on the Youth Self-Report (T. M.

Examining relations among attachment, religiosity, and new age spirituality using the Adult Attachment Interview.

This study was the first to examine relations between attachment and religion-spirituality in adults using a developmentally validated attachment assessment, the Adult Attachment Interview. Security of attachment was expected to be linked to a religiosity-spirituality that is socially based on the parental relationships and reflects extrapolation of attachment experiences with sensitive parents to perceived relationships with a loving God. Insecurity of attachment was expected to be related to religiosity- spirituality via emotional compensation for states of insecurity.