Grief-processing-based psychological intervention for children orphaned by AIDS in central China: A pilot study
A group of 124 children orphaned by AIDS (COA), who resided in two orphanages funded by the Chinese government, participated in a study investigating the efficacy of a grief-processing-based psychological group intervention. This psychological intervention program was designed to specifically help COA process their grief and reduce their psychological distress. Six sessions of group intervention focused on processing grief, reducing traumatic symptoms and psychological distress, and fostering hope about the future. At the three-month post-test, children in both groups (intervention group and control group) reported signifi...
Source: School Psychology International - November 18, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Lin, X., Fang, X., Chi, P., Li, X., Chen, W., Heath, M. A. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Leaking and death-threats by students: A study in German schools
Leaking comprises observable behavior or statements that signal intentions of committing a violent offense and is considered an important warning sign for school shootings. School staff who are confronted with leaking have to assess its seriousness and react appropriately – a difficult task, because knowledge about leaking is sparse. The present study, therefore, examined how frequently leaking occurs in schools and how teachers identify leaking and respond to it. To achieve this aim, we informed teachers from eight schools in Germany about the definition of leaking and other warning signs and risk factors for school...
Source: School Psychology International - November 18, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Bondu, R., Scheithauer, H. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Bullying in German boarding schools: A pilot study
Adolescents who attend boarding schools share more time with peers than do students from day schools which, in turn, could provide more opportunities for bullying. Furthermore, some students attend boarding schools because of former social problems. In order to analyse the role of these factors, we examined the bullying behaviour of 706 German adolescents at boarding and day schools in a cross-sectional design. Adolescents at boarding schools showed higher levels of bullying by comparison to adolescents in day schools. Elevated levels of overt bullying in boarding schools could be explained by selection effects. In additio...
Source: School Psychology International - November 18, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Pfeiffer, J. P., Pinquart, M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
The trajectories of child's internalizing and externalizing problems, social competence and adolescent self-reported problems in a Finnish normal population sample
Group-based modeling techniques are increasingly used in developmental studies to explore the patterns and co-occurrence of internalizing and externalizing problems. Social competence has been found to reciprocally influence internalizing and externalizing problems, but studies on its associations with different patterns of these problems are scarce. Using data from a Finnish longitudinal normal population sample, trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems were formed using the Child Behavior Checklist completed by the mother at the child’s age of 4- to 5-years-old, 8- to 9-years-old, and 16- to 17-year...
Source: School Psychology International - November 18, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Korhonen, M., Luoma, I., Salmelin, R. K., Helminen, M., Kaltiala-Heino, R., Tamminen, T. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
The significance of the interculturally competent school psychologist for achieving equitable education outcomes for migrant students
This article examines procedures and processes that result in the over-referral of migrant students to separate special education programmes and, as a consequence, their exclusion from general education. The particular focus is on the role of the school psychologist in this process. The empirical study is a comparison of Swiss teachers’ and school psychologists’ responses to the paper case of a boy with behavioural and learning difficulties whose name and ethnicity was varied so that one version identified him as from an ethnically mainstream, Swiss German background and the other as a migrant and foreign first...
Source: School Psychology International - September 3, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Lanfranchi, A. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Psychiatric disorder or impairing psychology in children who have been excluded from school: A systematic review
When children with special educational needs are excluded from school, it should raise the concern that these children are not receiving adequate help and support. This systematic review aims to identify the prevalence of psychiatric disorder or impairing psychopathology among children who are excluded from school compared to children who are not excluded from school. The review follows the guidelines set out by the Centre of Research and Dissemination (Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, 2009). We used broad search terms (across 16 databases) in order to avoid missing papers, our initial screening stage involved 3712 ti...
Source: School Psychology International - September 3, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Whear, R., Marlow, R., Boddy, K., Ukoumunne, O. C., Parker, C., Ford, T., Thompson-Coon, J., Stein, K. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Conduct problems in young, school-going children in Ireland: Prevalence and teacher response
This study examined the teacher-reported prevalence of conduct problems in a sample of young children (N = 445) in the first two years of formal education. A secondary aim was to assess teachers’ perceptions of child behaviour and their classroom management strategies. The study was undertaken in 11 schools located in south west Ireland. Overall, children displayed positive socio-emotional and behavioural adjustment, although more than one-quarter had difficulties outside the ‘normal’ range. Class size and gender were shown to play a role in the level of difficulties experienced. Teachers reported signifi...
Source: School Psychology International - September 3, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Hyland, L., Ni Mhaille, G., Lodge, A., McGilloway, S. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Still a target: Sexual diversity and power of caring
This study examined the link between victimization and sexual orientation and how this link contributes to social-emotional health, extending to school-related outcomes among adolescents. Of additional interest was whether having caring adult support was a protective factor in reducing the risk for high levels of distress or enhancing positive aspects of life experiences. Participants included 27,245 students (14,114 girls) in grades 7 to 12 in Western Canada. Results of logistic regression revealed that Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual youth who had experiences of being victimized were at greatest risk for social-emotional and school...
Source: School Psychology International - September 3, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Konishi, C., Saewyc, E. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Student and teacher responses to violence in school: The divergent views of bullies, victims, and bully-victims
School bullying is a worldwide worrisome phenomenon that occurs within a broad context in which pupils and teachers can either reinforce or undermine violent behavior through interaction. Based on a nationally representative sample of students in Israel, this study examined patterns in student perceptions of student and teacher responses to school violence and differences in perceptions according to bully/victim participation (bullies, victims, bully-victims, and not involved). Student perceptions of responses to school violence, safety, not attending school due to fear of violence, and students’ sense of the severit...
Source: School Psychology International - September 3, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Berkowitz, R. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
The relationship between emotional competence and hostile/prosocial behavior in Albanian preschoolers: An exploratory study
We explored the relationship between the ascribed tendency of Albanian preschoolers’ to take on prosocial and/or hostile roles and their empathy and emotion comprehension. Participants were 63 preschoolers (3- to 6-years-old) and six teachers. Pupils’ empathy and hostile/prosocial roles were assessed via teacher reports and their emotional comprehension through a non-verbal test. The results confirmed the pattern of relationships previously found in Italian preschoolers (Belacchi & Farina, 2010, 2012) among children’s roles in bullying, developmental stage of emotion comprehension, and empathic dispos...
Source: School Psychology International - September 3, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Farina, E., Belacchi, C. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Associations between school-related factors and depressive symptoms among children: A comparative study, Finland and Norway
This study compares school-related associations in depressive symptoms among children aged between 9–13 years from four schools in Finland and Norway. A total of 523 pupils participated in the cross-sectional survey. The connections between depressive symptoms and school factors were analysed using hierarchical regression analyses. School variables were self-perceived peer victimization, teacher and peer social support, school performance, and teachers’ reports on competence in core subjects; these variables explain 30% of the variance of the children’s depressive symptoms in Norway and 26% in Finland bey...
Source: School Psychology International - September 3, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Minkkinen, J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Successful transition to elementary school and the implementation of facilitative practices specified in the Reggio-Emilia philosophy
Systematic, mandated facilitation of school transitions is an important but understudied aspect of the Reggio-Emilia approach to early childhood education admired internationally as best practice. We studied the links between Northern Italian transition practices and academic achievement, school liking, cooperativeness, and problem behaviors. We followed 288 students across a transition from preschool to elementary school. Schools varied in their implementation of transition practices. High implementation of Reggio-type transition practices was related to significantly more school liking and significantly fewer problem beh...
Source: School Psychology International - September 3, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Schneider, B. H., Manetti, M., Frattini, L., Rania, N., Santo, J. B., Coplan, R. J., Cwinn, E. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Relations among neighborhood social networks, home literacy environments, and children's expressive vocabulary in suburban at-risk families
In response to increasing research and policy interest in the neighborhood context of early school success, this study examined relations among neighborhood social networks, home literacy practices/resources, and children’s expressive vocabulary in a suburban at-risk sample in the USA at the beginning of the school year. In a Structural Equation Model, neighborhood social networks predicted home literacy, which in turn predicted expressive vocabulary. The indirect effect of neighborhood social networks on expressive vocabulary was also significant. Implications for future research and preventive interventions concern...
Source: School Psychology International - July 17, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Froiland, J. M., Powell, D. R., Diamond, K. E. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
Preliminary report: An application of the Good Behavior Game in the developing nation of Belize
Educating children on a global level is a dynamic process where policy, procedure and guideline changes can leave teachers searching for new programs to resolve new challenges. This brief report shows a successful application of the Good Behavior Game in a school in the country of Belize following a significant change in policy regarding acceptable practices in addressing school-based behavioral challenges. (Source: School Psychology International)
Source: School Psychology International - July 17, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Nolan, J. D., Filter, K. J., Houlihan, D. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
The interplay of perceived stress, self-determination and school engagement in adolescence
Currently, many societies are placing a greater onus on academic achievement–resulting in higher levels of stress being observed among adolescent students. Stress can have detrimental repercussions on adolescents’ health and is also associated with anxiety and depression. However, since less is known about how high stress levels affect school engagement, this study examined the interplay of perceived stress and school engagement in a large sample of seventh and eighth grade students (N = 1088; M Age = 13.7) in secondary schools in Brandenburg, Germany. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), t...
Source: School Psychology International - July 17, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Raufelder, D., Kittler, F., Braun, S. R., Latsch, A., Wilkinson, R. P., Hoferichter, F. Tags: Articles Source Type: research
