Practitioners' Use and Acceptability of Time-Out.

Time-out is an empirically supported component of parenting interventions for child conduct problems; however, it is receiving increasing criticism among parents and some practitioners. This study aimed to investigate practitioners' use and acceptability of time-out for child conduct problems; examine whether perceived effectiveness and knowledge of evidence-based parameters of time-out implementation influence use and acceptability of time-out; and explore practitioners' perceptions about alternatives to time-out. One hundred and ten Australian and New Zealand practitioners who have worked with children and families completed an online survey investigating their use and acceptability of time-out for children with conduct problems.

Daily Associations between Parental Warmth and Discipline and Adolescent Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits.

Past longitudinal research has demonstrated links between parenting behaviors and adolescent conduct problems (CP) and callous-unemotional (CU) traits on macro timescales (e.g., years).

How do kinship and foster caregivers differ in their conceptualization of family connectedness?

Background: In out-of-home care in Australia and internationally, there is an increasing preference to place children in kinship than foster care placements as it is assumed that kinship care promotes caregiver, family, and cultural connectedness. However, little research has examined whether and how the quality of these connections differ between kinship and foster care.

Objective: We utilized qualitative methodology to provide a richer, strengths-based exploration of caregivers' perspectives on the caregiver-child relationship and other connections (i.

Childhood Experiences of Alternative Care and Callousness/Unemotionality: A Conceptual Model, Scoping Review, and Research Agenda.

Individuals with experiences of alternative care (AC; i.e., out-of-home care and institutional care) are at high risk for various mental health and relational problems stemming from exposure to serious attachment disruptions, loss, and complex trauma.

Attachment- and Emotion-Focused Parenting Interventions for Child and Adolescent Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors: A Meta-Analysis.

Attachment- and emotion-focused parenting interventions (AE) have grown in popularity as an alternative to behavioral parent training (BPT) for children and adolescents. AE go beneath behavior by helping parents understand and respond to their child's underlying attachment and emotional needs. Past reviews have examined their effects on attachment security and caregiver sensitivity, though less is known regarding their effects on child mental health symptoms.

Interpersonal attachment, early family environment, and trauma in hoarding: A systematic review.

The formation of intense emotional attachments to objects, difficulty parting with possessions, and the extreme accumulation of clutter are key features of Hoarding Disorder (HD). Although substantial literature implicates processes such as dysfunctional beliefs and maladaptive emotional cycles in HD, little is known about the vulnerability factors that lead to their development and hoarding symptomatology. The current review sought to systematically collate and integrate findings from studies investigating the relationship between hoarding symptoms and three proposed vulnerability factors: i) interpersonal attachment, ii) early family environment, and iii) traumatic or adverse life events.

An Updated Account on Parents' Use of and Attitudes Towards Time-Out.

Time-out (TO) is a well-established technique for effectively managing childhood conduct problems, yet there is increasing controversy around its use. Using a mixed-methods approach, we investigated the impact of recent criticisms against TO on parents' use of and attitudes towards it. A community sample of parents (N = 297, M = 37.

Pilot randomized controlled trial of an attachment- and trauma-focused intervention for kinship caregivers.

Background: Kinship care placements are increasing in many Western countries, however families in kinship care are underserved partly due to the lack of evidence-based interventions addressing their unique needs.

Objective: We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine research feasibility and the acceptability, fidelity, and preliminary outcomes of an attachment- and trauma-focused intervention for kinship caregivers in Australia.

Participants And Setting: Participants included 26 kinship caregivers (M = 55.

Does Kinship vs. Foster Care Better Promote Connectedness? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Internationally, there is an increasing trend toward placing children in kinship vs. foster care. Prior research suggests that children in kinship care fare better compared to children in foster care; however, the reasons for this remain unclear.

Patterns and Predictors of Different Youth Responses to Attachment-Based Parent Intervention.

Objective: Few studies have evaluated attachment-based parent interventions for pre-teens and teens, and in particular, differential adolescent trajectories of response. This study examined distinct patterns, and multi-level predictors, of intervention response among youth with serious behavioral and mental health problems whose parents participated in , an attachment- and trauma-informed parent program.

Method: Participants included 682 parents ( = 42.

Indirect Effects of Early Parenting on Adult Antisocial Outcomes via Adolescent Conduct Disorder Symptoms and Callous-Unemotional Traits.

Parental harsh punishment and warmth have been associated with child and adolescent conduct disorder (CD) symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., lack of guilt, empathy, and deficient affect); however, it is unclear whether the effect of these parenting behaviors on antisocial outcomes persists into adulthood.

Does Parents' Own History of Child Abuse Moderate the Effectiveness of the Promoting First Relationships® Intervention in Child Welfare?

To better understand how and for whom parenting intervention may improve family outcomes in child welfare services, we examined whether parents' own history of child abuse moderated the indirect effects of the Promoting First Relationships® (PFR) intervention on toddlers' secure base behavior via parental sensitivity. Parents ( N = 247) and their toddlers (10-24 months) involved with child protective services were randomized to PFR or a control intervention. Results showed that the PFR group demonstrated greater parental sensitivity at postintervention than the control group, which in turn led to higher levels of toddler secure base behavior at 6-month follow-up.

The Role of Emotion Understanding in the Development of Aggression and Callous-Unemotional Features across Early Childhood.

Although prior research suggests that children show rapid change in socioemotional functioning and aggression throughout early childhood, little is known about how these factors may be associated with the development of callous-unemotional (CU) features. This study investigated the parallel development of, and reciprocal relationships between, emotion understanding (EU) and aggression across early childhood, as well as how they play a role in the development of CU features. Parallel latent growth curve modeling was used to examine longitudinal reciprocal relationships between EU and aggression in a sample of 498 primarily Black (i.

Insecure Attachment, Maladaptive Personality Traits, and the Perpetration of In-Person and Cyber Psychological Abuse.

Although past findings show that insecure attachment and maladaptive personality traits confer risk for perpetrating intimate partner violence (IPV), little is known about how these factors may underpin psychological abuse (PA) committed in-person and via technology. This study examined whether borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits and psychopathic traits account for indirect effects of insecure attachment on the perpetration of face-to-face and cyber PA. Participants included a community-based sample ( = 200; = 22.

Can Parenting Intervention Prevent Cascading Effects From Placement Instability to Insecure Attachment to Externalizing Problems in Maltreated Toddlers?

Multiple placement changes disrupt continuity in caregiving and undermine well-being in children in child welfare. This study conducted secondary data analysis of a randomized controlled trial to examine whether a relationship-based intervention, Promoting First Relationships(©) (PFR), reduced risk for a maladaptive cascade from placement instability to less secure attachment to elevated externalizing problems. Participants included caregivers (birth or foster/kin) of toddlers (10-24 months) recently transitioned to their care because of child welfare placement decisions.

Capturing Parenting as a Multidimensional and Dynamic Construct with a Person-Oriented Approach.

Although parenting is one of the most commonly studied predictors of child problem behavior, few studies have examined parenting as a multidimensional and dynamic construct. This study investigated different patterns of developmental trajectories of two parenting dimensions (harsh discipline [HD] and parental warmth [PW]) with a person-oriented approach and examined the associations between different parenting patterns and child externalizing problems and callous-unemotional traits. Data were drawn from the combined high-risk control and normative sample (n = 753) of the Fast Track Project.

Child abuse history in teen mothers and parent-child risk processes for offspring externalizing problems.

This study examined whether child abuse history in teen mothers impacts offspring externalizing problems indirectly, through its influence on attachment and maternal hostility. In a longitudinal sample of 112 teen mother-child dyads, mothers reported on their own abuse experiences, attachment and maternal hostility were assessed via direct observations, and externalizing problems were measured using maternal reports. Compared with mothers with no abuse history, mothers with a history of sexual and physical abuse were more likely to have an insecurely attached infant, which predicted higher externalizing problems in preschool, which in turn predicted subsequent increases in externalizing problems in Grade 3.

Expression and Regulation of Attachment-Related Emotions in Children with Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits.

Callous-unemotional traits (CU) are defined by low responsiveness to, and unfeeling disregard for the emotions of others. There is controversial evidence, however, that children with high CU traits can demonstrate affective responsiveness under certain conditions, namely those associated with attachment threat. We tested this using 'fear + amusing' and 'attachment rich' stimuli from the Lion King film.

Indirect Effects of the Fast Track Intervention on Conduct Disorder Symptoms and Callous-Unemotional Traits: Distinct Pathways Involving Discipline and Warmth.

Little is known about intervening processes that explain how prevention programs improve particular youth antisocial outcomes. We examined whether parental harsh discipline and warmth in childhood differentially account for Fast Track intervention effects on conduct disorder (CD) symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits in early adolescence. Participants included 891 high-risk kindergarteners (69% male; 51% African American) from urban and rural United States communities who were randomized into either the Fast Track intervention (n = 445) or non-intervention control (n = 446) groups.

Cognitive and affective empathy in children with conduct problems: additive and interactive effects of callous-unemotional traits and autism spectrum disorders symptoms.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) symptoms are characterized by problems in empathy; however, these behavioral features are rarely examined together in children with conduct problems. This study investigated additive and interactive effects of CU traits and ASD symptoms in relation to cognitive and affective empathy in a non-ASD clinic-referred sample. Participants were 134 children aged 3 to 9 years (M=5.

Common elements of adolescent prevention programs: minimizing burden while maximizing reach.

A growing number of evidence-based youth prevention programs are available, but challenges related to dissemination and implementation limit their reach and impact. The current review identifies common elements across evidence-based prevention programs focused on the promotion of health-related outcomes in adolescents. We reviewed and coded descriptions of the programs for common practice and instructional elements.

The longitudinal link between parenting and child aggression: the moderating effect of attachment security.

This study examined whether infant attachment security moderates the association between parenting in preschool and later aggressive behavior among a sample of children at high risk for developing conduct problems. Participants were 82 adolescent mother-child dyads recruited from the community. Infant attachment status at age 1 year was measured using the Strange Situation.

Emotion socialization style in parents of children with callous-unemotional traits.

Children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits manifest a range of deficits in their emotional functioning, and parents play a key role in socializing children's understanding, experience, expression, and regulation of emotions. However, research examining emotion-related parenting in families of children with CU traits is scarce. In two independent studies we examined emotion socialization styles in parents of children high on CU traits.