Publications by authors named "Debra J Pepler"

Article Synopsis
  • * This systematic review identified various neurodevelopmental assessment measures for infants and young children, compiling a database of 608 domain-specific tools.
  • * The review aimed to improve early assessments by establishing a preliminary framework and highlighted the need for better methods to support interventions during this crucial developmental period.
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Public health measures (e.g., minimizing social interactions, social distancing, and mask wearing) have been implemented in Canada to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

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Mothercraft's Breaking the Cycle is an early intervention program for substance-exposed children with neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities. Within three substance-exposed sibling groups (N = 8; 0-6 years), we 1) described longitudinal neurodevelopmental trajectories, 2) explored the balance of cross-domain cumulative risk and protection on neurodevelopment, and 3) generated hypotheses on how cumulative risk, protection, and early intervention impact neurodevelopment. Neurodevelopment is potentially shaped by the balance of risk and protection.

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Background: Community services that engage and service marginalized families can act as an important entry point for mothers and children experiencing interpersonal violence. The purpose of this study was to use an initiative that included training, implementation, and evaluation of an interpersonal violence intervention to understand changes in the capacity of service providers in community-based organizations to use trauma-informed and relational approaches to support mothers and children experiencing violence in relationships.

Methods: Participants (N = 27) were service providers from 14 community-based organizations across Canada, who had been trained to implement an interpersonal violence intervention with mothers in their communities.

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Youth are sometimes victimized by their friends, but we know little about the nature of these relationships. Taking a dyadic approach, we studied relationships characterized by both friendship and aggression. Participants (952 middle schoolers; 50% female; 44% Latinx) nominated friends and aggressive perpetrators and victims.

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Purpose Of The Review: The purpose of the current paper was to review and summarize the literature on ADHD and maltreatment over the past 10 years.

Recent Findings: The majority of research on ADHD and exposure to maltreatment focuses on the high rates of comorbidity, including international studies from Asia, South America, North America, and Europe. Longitudinal studies showed that early exposure to maltreatment is a risk factor for ADHD symptoms later in development; however, this finding was not consistent.

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Interpersonal violence is a significant concern for families; thus interventions to support vulnerable mothers and children experiencing violence are essential. The purpose of this study was to present preliminary evaluation results from the national dissemination of an interpersonal violence intervention for mothers delivered in community-based programs across Canada. In 18 communities, 184 mothers participated in the intervention.

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These data include clinically and theoretically grounded, cross-domain cumulative risk and protection measures. These measures were established for use with three sibling groups at Mothercraft's Breaking the Cycle (BTC), a child maltreatment prevention and early intervention program for substance using mothers and their children. These measures were established using archival data obtained from clients' charts.

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Background: Prenatal substance exposure is associated with neurodevelopmental deficits. Deficits are exacerbated by cumulative risks yet attenuated by cumulative protective factors. Cross-domain relative to intra-domain risk exposure presents more neurodevelopmental challenges.

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Community-based projects that serve vulnerable families have the opportunity to identify and respond to interpersonal violence (IPV). We developed a readiness assessment tool to support selection of projects to participate in an initiative that involved implementing a community-based IPV intervention for mothers. The overarching aim of the current study was to describe the development of this tool and examine the reliability of coding, validity, and utility of the tool.

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Substance use among women is a major public health concern. This review article takes a developmental-relational approach to examine processes through which early relational trauma and violence in relationships may lead to substance use. We examine how early exposure to violence in relationships can impact neurological development, specifically through interference with physiological mechanisms (e.

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From a developmental-relational framework, substance use in women can be understood as relating to early experiences of violence in relationships and across development. This article uses a developmental-relational approach to outline specific strategies that can be used by service providers and to guide interventions for women with substance use issues. By reviewing research and clinical work with women attending a community-based prevention and early intervention program, we describe how specific components of programming can target the developmental and intergenerational pathway between experiences of violence in relationships and substance use.

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Background: Increasing evidence suggests an association between internalizing symptoms and violence against others. It remains unknown whether this link exists in the context of romantic relationships. In the current study, we tested whether anxiety and depression were associated over time with adolescent dating violence perpetration.

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Peer victimization is a chronic stressor that occurs within the context of peer interactions and has been robustly associated with numerous negative psychological and social adjustment problems. Although increased frequency of peer victimization has been linked to psychosocial problems, few researchers have studied the role of duration and pervasiveness of victimization (i.e.

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Mothers who use substances need integrated, multi-sectoral intervention services to support substance use discontinuation. We explored mothers' service use at Breaking the Cycle, an early intervention and prevention program for pregnant and parenting women and their young children in Toronto, Canada. We conducted retrospective analyses of families' service records and client charts (N = 160).

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Background: Substance use during pregnancy is a major public health concern, stemming from potential physical and psychosocial harms to both the mother and child.

Purpose: To understand women's experiences using substances during pregnancy and the reasons that women continue and/or discontinue using substances.

Methods: Focus groups were conducted with women who attended an early intervention program for pregnant or parenting women with substance use issues.

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Bullying is a form of interpersonal trauma that impacts all parties involved, including the youth who witness the bullying. Some bystanders choose to intervene and defend the child being bullied. Defending may be positively associated with psychosocial difficulties because youth are becoming more involved in a traumatic event, or because youth may be actively coping with the distress elicited from witnessing bullying; however, the link between defending and psychosocial difficulties has not yet been examined.

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Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by difficulties with social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and the development and maintenance of interpersonal relationships. As a result, individuals with ASD are at an increased risk of bullying victimization, compared to typically developing peers. This paper reviews the literature that has emerged over the past decade regarding prevalence of bullying involvement in the ASD population, as well as associated psychosocial factors.

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In this article, the authors review research to identify bullying as a critical public health issue for Canada. Drawing from recent World Health Organization surveys, they examine the prevalence of Canadian children and youth involved in bullying others or being victimized. There is a strong association between involvement in bullying and health problems for children who bully, those who are victimized and those involved in both bullying and being victimized.

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Developmental trajectories in delinquency through adolescence were studied along with family and peer relationship problems. Drawing from eight waves of data over seven years, we conducted trajectory analyses with a sample of 746 students (402 girls; 344 boys). Analyzing girls and boys together, a five-class model emerged: 60% of the adolescents rarely reported delinquency; 27.

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Objective: To review the epidemiology, identification, and management of bullying and victimization among children in the primary care setting.

Sources Of Information: Information was obtained from PsycINFO and MEDLINE databases, as well as the authors' own clinical and research experience. Information is based on levels II and III evidence.

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Bullying interventions: a binocular perspective.

J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

February 2006

Introduction: Bullying is a complex relationship problem associated with many psychosocial difficulties for children who bully, as well as those who are victimized. A recent international volume of school-based bullying programs revealed modest effectiveness, highlighting the need to refine interventions using research on developmental profiles of children who bully and those who are victimized, as well as on their relationships.

Method: Based on developmental-systemic theory, a research review was conducted on individual and relationship risk factors associated with bullying and being victimized.

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