Quality and ecology of adversity as common mechanisms of risk and resilience

Reducing the Risk of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Children Following Natural Disasters

A significant number of children suffer long-term psychological disturbance following exposure to a natural disaster. Evidence suggests that a dose-response relationship exists, so that children and adolescents who experience the most intense or extensive exposure to the risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are likely to develop the most serious and persistent symptoms. Risk factors include gender, age, personality, extent of exposure to the natural disaster, amount of damage to property and infrastructure, witnessing the death or injury of others or perceiving a threat to one's own life. Knowing these factors enables various strategies to be put in place to decrease the risk of psychological disturbance following traumatic events. Reestablishing a sense of safety, security and normality is important in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and promoting social connectedness, positive family functioning and effective coping mechanisms can make children more resilient in the face of catastrophic events. This paper examines the risk and protective factors associated with the development of PTSD, and considers how schools can use this knowledge to contribute to the recovery effort and reduce the prevalence of PTSD among pupils in the wake of a natural disaster.

The role of peer relationships in parental bereavement during childhood and adolescence

This article reviews current knowledge concerning the relationship between peer support and adjustment outcomes and experiences for parentally bereaved children. A brief overview of the effects of parental bereavement and factors influencing immediate and long-term adjustment is provided, followed by an overview of peer-provided social support and its relationship to adjustment. Current findings on the predictive value of peer support for adjustment are then discussed, with emphasis on the reciprocal positive and negative influences that peer support and adjustment (or lack thereof) exert. Areas of weakness and neglect within this domain are noted, with a focus on methodological issues, peer-relevant consequences of bereavement in need of further research, and the need for study of particular vulnerable subgroups.

A structural model of racial discrimination, acculturative stress, and cultural resources among Arab American adolescents

Despite evidence towards the risk for discrimination and acculturative stress that Arab American adolescents may face, the link between socio-cultural adversities and psychological well-being in this population has not been established. This study examined the role of socio-cultural adversities (discrimination and acculturative stress) and cultural resources (ethnic identity, religious support and religious coping) in terms of their direct impact on psychological distress. Using structural equation modeling, the proposed model was tested with 240 Arab American adolescents. The results indicated a strong positive relationship between socio-cultural adversities and psychological distress. Furthermore, this study supported a promotive model of cultural resources, where a negative association between cultural resources and psychological distress was found. Understanding the manner in which socio-cultural adversities and resources are linked to psychological distress can inform the development of culturally appropriate interventions that can effectively mitigate mental health concerns for understudied and vulnerable populations.

The role of empowerment in youth development: a study of sociopolitical control as mediator of ecological systems' influence on developmental outcomes

Empowerment has become an influential concept and theoretical framework for social policy and practice. Still, relatively little is known about the roles that empowerment plays in the ecology of human development, particularly among young people. This article reports results of a study of psychological empowerment among young people, using data from 629 high school students (65.8% female; 96.5% non-white). Using a path analysis, we examined the role of perceived sociopolitical control--an indicator of the intrapersonal component of psychological empowerment--as a mediator between ecological support systems and developmental outcomes. Findings confirmed that social support in family, peer, and school settings, and family cohesion positively predict self-esteem and perceived school importance, which, in turn, have protective effects on psychological symptoms, violent behaviors and substance use. Sociopolitical control was found to mediate the relationships between ecological supports and risk factors and developmental outcomes, leading to the conclusion that perceived efficacy in the sociopolitical domain, and youth empowerment, more generally, should be considered as core elements of the ecology of human development. Policy and practice aimed at promoting positive developmental outcomes and preventing risk behaviors should take their relationship to sociopolitical control into account.

Social capital and post-disaster mental health

BACKGROUND

Despite national and international policies to develop social capital in disaster-affected communities, empiric evidence on the association between social capital and disaster mental health is limited and ambiguous.

OBJECTIVE

The study explores the relationship between social capital and disaster mental health outcomes (PTSD, anxiety, and depression) in combination with individual factors (appraisal, coping behavior, and social support).

DESIGN

This is a community-based cross-sectional study in a flood-affected town in northern England. The study is part of the MICRODIS multi-country research project that examines the impact of natural disasters. It included 232 flood-affected respondents.

RESULTS

The findings showed that a considerable part of the association between cognitive and structural social capital and mental health is exerted through individual appraisal processes (i.e. property loss, primary and secondary appraisal), social support, and coping behavior. These individual factors were contingent on social capital. After the inclusion of individual characteristics, cognitive social capital was negatively related to lower mental health problems and structural social capital was positively associated to experiencing anxiety but not to PTSD or depression. Depression and anxiety showed a different pattern of association with both components of social capital.

CONCLUSIONS

Individual oriented stress reducing interventions that use appraisal processes, social support, and coping as starting points could be more effective by taking into account the subjective experience of the social context in terms of trust and feelings of mutual support and reciprocity in a community. Findings indicate that affected people may especially benefit from a combination of individual stress reducing interventions and psychosocial interventions that foster cognitive social capital.

Protecting and promoting: an integrative conceptual model for healthy development of adolescents

Resilience and positive youth development have substantial overlap and offer complementary perspectives on fostering healthy youth development. However, these two areas have not yet been fully integrated into a unified approach, one that has the potential to build on the interconnectedness of risk, protection, and assets within the ecological systems affecting adolescent development. This article draws on extant research to delineate linkages between the risk and resilience and positive youth development literatures. School-related outcomes are examined within an integrative conceptual model delineating eight developmental domains useful for future research on underlying mechanisms associated with healthy outcomes, as well as prevention and intervention efforts.

Quality of social relationships and the development of depression in parentally-bereaved youth

Fear of abandonment has been found to be associated with mental health problems for youth who have experienced a parent's death. This article examines how youth's fears of abandonment following the death of a parent lead to later depressive symptoms by influencing relationships with caregivers, peers, and romantic partners. Participants were 109 youth ages 7-16 (50% male), assessed 4 times over a 6-year period. The ethnic composition of the sample was non-Hispanic Caucasian (67%), Hispanic (16%), African American (7%), Native American (3%), Asian (1%), and Other (6%). Youth's fears of abandonment by their surviving caregiver during the first year of data collection were related to their anxiety in romantic relationships 6 years later, which, in turn, was associated with depressive symptoms measured at 6 years. Youth's caregiver, peer, and romantic relationships at the 6-year follow-up were related to their concurrent depressive symptoms. The relationship between youth's attachment to their surviving caregiver and their depressive symptoms was stronger for younger participants. Implications of these findings for understanding the development of mental health problems following parental bereavement are discussed.

What is resilience? A review and concept analysis

The complexities of defining what appears to be the relatively simple concept of resilience are widely recognized. This paper analyses the concept of resilience from a range of disciplinary perspectives and clarifies a definition in order to inform research, policy and practice. The work takes a life course approach to resilience, examining evidence derived from research across the lifespan. It incorporates the methods of systematic review, concept analysis and consultation through face-to-face meetings. The synthesis of methodological approaches enables a clear identification of the antecedents, defining attributes and consequences of resilience, validated with stakeholder partners. Through this process, resilience is defined as the process of effectively negotiating, adapting to, or managing significant sources of stress or trauma. Assets and resources within the individual, their life and environment facilitate this capacity for adaptation and ‘bouncing back’ in the face of adversity. Across the life course, the experience of resilience will vary. A large proportion of resilience research is routed within the discipline of developmental psychology, and has mainly been developed with children and adolescents. A major contribution to resilience research could be made through more multi-disciplinary studies that examine the dynamics of resilience across the lifespan, its role in healthy ageing and in managing loss, such as changes in cognitive functioning.

Factores personales y familiares asociados a los problemas de comportamiento en niños

Se identificaron los factores personales y familiares asociados a los problemas de comportamiento en niños. Participaron 254 escolares, entre 7 y 11 años, sus respectivos padres y docentes. Una vez obtenido el consentimiento informado, se aplicaron la Escala Multidimensional de la Conducta de Reynolds y Kamphaus; estandarizada en Medellín, Cuestionario de Evaluación de factores personales y familiares. El análisis chi-cuadrado muestra que la inconsistencia en las pautas de crianza, no vivir con el núcleo familiar, ser mujer y tener una edad entre los 8 y 9 años, está relacionada significativamente con una mayor frecuencia en las dimensiones correspondientes a externalizar problemas como la hiperactividad y problemas de conducta. Igualmente el género femenino y la edad entre 8 y 9 años se asociaron con la dimensión de "conducta excesivamente controlada", como la ansiedad y la depresión, y también con los problemas académicos, así como la somatización que fue reconocida por los docentes como más frecuente en los niños. Estos resultados aportan a la prevención.

Promoting adaptive emotion regulation and coping in adolescence: a school-based programme

Particularly in adolescence, fostering adaptive emotion regulation is an important aim in health promotion. Expressive writing in combination with psycho-education on emotion regulation seems especially appropriate to serve this aim. In this study, school classes were randomly assigned either to a prevention (N = 208) or to a non-treatment control group (N = 151). The prevention group showed significant improvements regarding negative affect, grades, and days absent compared to the control-group. A combination of expressive writing with elements of psycho-education of emotion regulation might be an effective preventive tool, as it seems to improve psychosocial adjustment by establishing functional emotion regulation strategies.

Comparing cognitive, relational and stress mechanisms underlying gender differences in recovery from bereavement-related internalizing problems

Four putative mediators underlying gender differences in youths' recovery from bereavement-related internalizing problems were examined in a sample (N = 109; age range = 8-16 years at the initial assessment) of parentally bereaved youth: intrusive thoughts about grief, postdeath stressors, negative appraisals of postdeath stressors, and fear of abandonment. A three-wave parallel process longitudinal growth model design was employed. Changes in internalizing problems and mediators were measured as a function of months since the death. Girls showed stability in depression symptoms and a slight rise in anxiety symptoms; boys' trajectories of symptoms of anxiety and depression declined. Girls' higher initial levels of postdeath stressors, threat appraisals and fear of abandonment mediated their higher level of internalizing problems 14 months later. Girls' higher initial fear of abandonment also mediated additional growth in anxiety relative to boys.

Positive Events as a Stress Buffer for Children and Adolescents in Families in Transition

This study examined whether positive events mitigated the relation between negative events and maladjustment in samples of children and adolescents experiencing family transitions. The study examined this relation in two samples, used multiple reporters of maladjustment, and employed "tailor-made" checklists to measure events. The first sample included 86 stepfamilies with adolescents 10 to 17 years of age. The second sample included 171 divorced families with children 8 to 15 years of age. Evidence that positive events are protective for children and adolescents experiencing high levels of negative events was found across the 2 samples and across mother and child report of adjustment. These findings have implications for theory and intervention development.

Promoting resilience in youth from divorced families: lessons learned from experimental trials of the New Beginnings Program

This article focuses on the contributions that the program of research on the New Beginnings Program (NBP) has made to understanding pathways to resilience in youth who experience parental divorce. First, the research demonstrating that divorce increases risk for mental health, physical health, and social adaptation problems is reviewed. Next, theory and research linking social environmental-level and youth-level modifiable risk factors and resilience resources to youth's postdivorce adjustment are presented. The conceptual framework underlying the NBP and the risk factors and resilience resources targeted in this program are described next. The short-term and long-term results of two experimental, randomized efficacy trials of the NBP and moderators and mediators of its effects are then presented. Analyses that examine whether youth self-systems beliefs account for the links between program-induced changes in family-level resilience resources and positive long-term program on adaptation outcomes are presented and how experimental trials can be used to further theories of resilience for youth facing adversities is discussed. The final section describes directions for future research on the NBP.

Profiles of school adaptation: social, behavioral and academic functioning in sexually abused girls

OBJECTIVES

The short-term outcomes of child sexual abuse (CSA) on academic, behavioral and social adaptation at school were examined in order to: (1) document the proportion of sexually abused (SA) girls struggling in school and define the nature of their difficulties, (2) explore whether different profiles of school adaptation could be identified, and (3) examine the different constellations of contextual, personal, and familial correlates of abuse for each profile.

METHOD

The sample consisted of 100 French-speaking mother-daughter dyads. Girls (aged 7-12, M= 8.64) were administered cognitive functioning tests and completed self-report measures to assess symptomatology, perception of abuse, and support provided. Mothers and teachers completed questionnaires to assess child's emotional, social, behavioral, and academic functioning in school.

RESULTS

Descriptive analyses showed that a substantial number of girls (54%) presented clinical school adaptation difficulties in at least one of the three domains evaluated. Cluster analysis revealed four distinctive school functioning profiles: (1) academic-specific, (2) acting out/withdrawn, (3) polyclinical, and (4) resilient. These were distinguished by degree of school functioning difficulties and number of domains affected. The profiles were further discriminated by elements of the CSA experience and contextual, familial, and personal factors. The number of spheres of functioning affected was proportional to the number of risk factors to which girls were exposed.

DISCUSSION

Results suggest the need for a systematic and thorough assessment of SA child functioning at school and may guide mental health professionals in providing differential treatment on the basis of the emerged typology.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Sexually abused children demonstrate a wide variability of responses, rendering the elaboration of a "one size fits all" treatment rather difficult. The emerged typology underscores the complex heterogeneity of school adjustment profiles and suggest that secondary effects of abuse on child's level of school functioning require specific assessment and close monitoring. This study raises practical questions as to whether such secondary effects could best be addressed as a primary treatment objective, or in addition to a trauma-focused approach, or as the sole treatment objective.

Mother-child relationship quality and effective discipline as mediators of the 6-year effects of the New Beginnings Program for children from divorced families

This study examines whether program effects on mother-child relationship quality and effective discipline mediated the 6-year longitudinal effects of the New Beginnings Program (NBP) to improve mental health and competence outcomes in 218 adolescents from divorced families in a randomized experimental trial. The NBP is a theory-based and parenting-focused preventive intervention to help children adjust to divorce, and it has previously shown significant main and/or Program x Baseline Risk interaction effects to reduce adolescents' mental health and social adaptation problems and to promote competence. Mediation analyses were conducted using single- and two-group (high and low baseline risk) structural equation modeling. A multiple-methods and multiple-informants approach was used to assess the putative mediators and adolescents' outcomes. Results indicated that program-induced improvement in maternal effective discipline at posttest mediated the intervention effect on adolescents' GPA at the 6-year follow-up. Moreover, program-induced improvement in mother-child relationship quality mediated the intervention effect on adolescents' mental health problems for those with high baseline risk for maladjustment. The discussion focuses on the implications of the mediation findings for advancing the developmental theories that informed the design of the NBP and the implications for implementation of the NBP in community settings.

Attributions to discrimination and depression among Latino/as: the mediating role of competence

The present study examined the role of attributions to discrimination and competence in predicting depression among a sample of 93 Latino/a adults. The major findings showed that attributions to discrimination were related to decreases in both general competence and intercultural competence, which were in turn associated with increases in depressive symptoms. This pattern of results suggests that general and intercultural competence partially mediated the relationship between attributions to discrimination and depression. The findings are discussed within the context of the cultural adaptation process and factors that ameliorate Latino/a mental health. In addition, theoretical and practical implications are outlined along with areas of future research.

Risk factor clustering for psychopathology in socially at-risk Spanish children

BACKGROUND

Data based on general population studies of exposure-to-risk factors is not adequate to describe the mental health of children living in the most extreme "high-risk" environments.

METHODS

Data were collected in a longitudinal prospective study of two cohorts of 9 and 13 year-old socially at-risk children. Cluster analysis was used to classify youths based on the reports about potential areas of risk. The psychopathological structure of empirical clusters was compared through cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiological indexes and through multiple regression and multivariate analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Cluster analysis provided eight binary high-low risk classifications. Exposure to risk was highly prevalent. In preadolescence, broken family, parenting style and contextual profiles were the highest risk factors for psychopathology. In adolescence, they were psychological variables, verbal comprehension, pre-peri-postnatal history, physical health and family characteristics. Cumulative risk followed a linear trend for psychopathology and functional impairment. The child's perception of low marital discord and good school achievement were protective factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Extreme socially at-risk populations have specific profiles of risk that can be identified through a person-centered approach and may be amenable to selective preventive interventions.

When the levee breaks: treating adolescents and families in the aftermath of hurricane katrina

Hurricane Katrina brought to the surface serious questions about the capacity of the public health system to respond to community-wide disaster. The storm and its aftermath severed developmentally protective family and community ties; thus its consequences are expected to be particularly acute for vulnerable adolescents. Research confirms that teens are at risk for a range of negative outcomes under conditions of life stress and family disorganization. Specifically, the multiple interacting risk factors for substance abuse in adolescence may be compounded when families and communities have experienced a major trauma. Further, existing service structures and treatments for working with young disaster victims may not address their risk for co-occurring substance abuse and traumatic stress reactions because they tend to be individually or peer group focused, and fail to consider the multi-systemic aspects of disaster recovery. This article proposes an innovative family-based intervention for young disaster victims, based on an empirically supported model for adolescent substance abuse, Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT; Liddle, 2002). Outcomes and mechanisms of the model's effects are being investigated in a randomized clinical trial with clinically referred substance-abusing teens in a New Orleans area community impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

Resilience rather than recovery: a contextual framework on adaptation following bereavement

Using a contextual resilience framework, the authors examine the processes whereby bereaved persons change over time. Rather than the concept recovery, the authors propose that the concept adaptation best captures the process of change following bereavement and that the desired outcome of such adaptation is denoted by the term resilience. Adaptation occurs over time and is shaped by environmental and individual level risk and protective factors. By use of a "contextual resilience" framework, the authors emphasize the central role that person-environment transactions play versus the heavy emphasis on intrapersonal processes in some other approaches to resilience.

Parentally bereaved children's grief: self-system beliefs as mediators of the relations between grief and stressors and caregiver-child relationship quality

We investigated whether 3 self-system beliefs--fear of abandonment, coping efficacy, and self-esteem--mediated the relations between stressors and caregiver-child relationship quality and parentally bereaved youths' general grief and intrusive grief thoughts. Cross-sectional (n = 340 youth) and longitudinal (n = 100 youth) models were tested. In the cross-sectional model, fear of abandonment mediated the effects of stressors and relationship quality on both measures of grief and coping efficacy mediated the path from relationship quality to general grief. Fear of abandonment showed a marginal prospective mediational relation between stressors and intrusive grief thoughts. After excluding the mediators, relationship quality showed a direct prospective relation to intrusive grief thoughts.

Whose recovery, of what? Relationships and environments promoting grief and growth

This article explores the concept of recovery in the wake of a loved one's death, using a cultural and developmental systems approach to understanding child, adult, and family bereavement outcomes as evolving, interdependent adaptive responses to changed circumstances of development within highly specific contexts in intergenerational time and cultural space. An integrative life span perspective on developmental psychopathology and resilience emphasizes the multi-dimensional nature of grief responses and their interweaving with ongoing and new interdependent adaptive strategies designed to accomplish specific, evolving tasks of shared life cycle development. This approach redefines bereavement "symptoms" as problematic when they interfere with negotiation of next steps in interdependent development within realistic ecologies and available resources in cultural contexts. The article uses clinical examples of interventions after a loved one's death from a chronic illness to illustrate how interventions can help identify critical developmental systems and leverage points supporting positive development and giving priority to the bereaved's own goals for grief and growth. This intervention model emphasizes patient-centered perspectives, conducts an ethical inquiry about consequences of adaptive strategies for all family members, and constructs collaborations between care providers and families.

Young women's social and occupational development and mental health in the aftermath of child sexual abuse

We examined social role functioning and depressive symptoms of young adults who were abused as children in data from a longitudinal community sample. Sexually abused women and men were more depressed during their senior year of high school, and this difference was more pronounced 2 years later. We then examined a mediational model to determine whether social functioning explained the course of depressive symptoms over this transitional period. Focusing only on young women, for whom the prevalence of abuse was much higher, results indicated that two-thirds of the effect of abuse on depressive symptoms was explained by experiences and choices in the domains of work, education and intimate relationships. Having less supportive intimate relationships and lower rates of attendance at 4-year colleges were particularly important. Findings reveal the key role played by early adult interpersonal and occupational development in perpetuating the mental health impact of childhood trauma.

The psychosocial impact of Hurricane Katrina: contextual differences in psychological symptoms, social support, and discrimination

This study tested a contextual model of disaster reaction by examining regional differences in the psychosocial impact of Hurricane Katrina. A total of 386 individuals participated in this study. All were recruited in the primary areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and included residents of metropolitan New Orleans (Orleans Parish, Louisiana), Greater New Orleans (i.e., Metairie, Kenner, Gretna), and the Mississippi Gulf Coast (i.e., cities along the coast from Waveland to Ocean Springs, Mississippi). Participants were assessed for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, other psychological symptoms, perceptions of discrimination, perceptions of social support, evacuation distance, and the extent to which they experienced hurricane-related stressful events. Results were consistent with previous research on the impact of disasters on mental health symptoms. Findings extended research on individual differences in the response to trauma and indicated that regional context predicted unique variance in the experience of discrimination, social support, and emotional symptoms consistent with the theoretical model presented.

Implications of parental suicide and violent death for promotion of resilience of parentally-bereaved children

This article considers the implications of suicide and violent deaths (including suicide, homicide, and accidents) for the development of interventions for parentally bereaved children. Analyses of data from the Family Bereavement Program find minimal differences in children's mental health problems, grief or risk and protective factors based on cause of parental death. In addition, cause of death did not substantially affect the relations between risk and protective factors and bereaved children's outcomes. It is concluded that cause of death from violence or suicide is not a very useful indicator of bereaved children's need for or likelihood of benefiting from an intervention.

Symptoms of internalizing and externalizing problems: modeling recovery curves after the death of a parent

BACKGROUND

The death of a parent is a major family disruption that can place children at risk for later depression and other mental health problems.

DESIGN

Theoretically based randomized controlled trial for parentally bereaved children.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

Two-hundred and forty-four children and adolescents and their caregivers from 156 families were randomly assigned to the Family Bereavement Program (FBP) intervention condition (90 families; 135 children) or to a control condition (66 families; 109 children). Data collection occurred from 1996 to 1998.

INTERVENTION

Children and caregivers in the intervention condition met separately for 12 two-hour weekly sessions. Skills targeted by the program for children included positive coping, stress appraisals, control beliefs, and self-esteem. The caregiver program targeted caregiver mental health, life stressors, and improved discipline in the home. Both child and caregiver programs focused on improved quality of the caregiver-child relationship.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Child and caregiver reports of internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

RESULTS

Longitudinal growth curve modeling was performed to model symptoms over time from the point of parental death. The rate of recovery for girls in the program condition was significantly different from that of girls in the control condition across all outcomes. Boys in both conditions showed reduced symptoms over time.

CONCLUSIONS

The methodology offers a conceptually unique way of assessing recovery in terms of reduced mental health problems over time after an event and has contributed to further understanding of FBP intervention effects. The intervention program facilitated recovery among girls, who did not show reduction in behavior problems without the program, while boys demonstrated decreased symptoms even without intervention.

Stressors, quality of the child-caregiver relationship, and children's mental health problems after parental death: the mediating role of self-system beliefs

Investigated whether three self-system beliefs, fear of abandonment, coping efficacy, and self-esteem, mediated the relations of stressors and caregiver-child relationship quality with concurrent and prospective internalizing and externalizing problems in a sample of children who had experienced parental death in the previous 2.5 years. The cross-sectional sample consisted of 340 children ages 7-16 and their surviving parent/current caregiver; the longitudinal analyses employed a subset of this sample that consisted of 100 children and their parents/caregivers who were assessed at three time points. A multirater, multimethod measure of caregiver-child relationship quality and a multirater measure of children's mental health problems were used. The cross-sectional model supported a mediational relation for fear of abandonment, coping efficacy, and self-esteem. The three-wave longitudinal model showed that fear of abandonment at Time 2 mediated the relation between stressors at Time 1 and internalizing and externalizing problems at Time 3. Implications of these findings for understanding the development of mental health problems in parentally bereaved children and designing interventions for this at-risk group are discussed.

Positive parenting as a protective resource for parentally bereaved children

Positive parenting was examined as a protective resource against the adverse effects of negative life events on parentally bereaved children's mental health problems. The sample consisted of 313 recently bereaved children ages 8 to 16 and their current caregiver. Both the compensatory (direct effect independent of negative life events) and the stress-buffer (interactive effect with negative life events) protective resource models were examined and child gender was explored as a moderator of both models. Results revealed evidence for the compensatory protective resource model for both child and caregiver reports of mental health problems. No evidence of the stress-buffer model or child gender as a moderator was found. Implications for the understanding of children's responses to the death of a parent and the development and implementation of preventive interventions are discussed.

Positive Parenting as a Mediator of the Relations Between Parental Psychological Distress and Mental Health Problems of Parentally Bereaved Children

This study investigated a positive parenting composite of multiple measures of warmth and consistent discipline as a mediator of the relations between surviving parents' psychological distress and parentally bereaved children's mental health problems using both cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal models. The study included 214 bereaved children ages 7 to 16 and their surviving parent or current caregiver. A multirater, multimethod measurement model of positive parenting was developed. Although the mediational model was supported by analysis of the cross-sectional data, it was not supported in the 3-wave longitudinal model. However, the longitudinal model did find a significant path from positive parenting at Wave 2 to child mental health problems 11 months later at Wave 3, controlling for stability in child mental health problems. Implications for understanding the development of mental health problems of parentally bereaved children are discussed.

Resilience in parentally bereaved children and adolescents seeking preventive services

This study examined environmental stress, family, and child variables that differentiate resilient children and adolescents from those with mental health problems following the death of a primary caregiver. The community-based sample included 179 bereaved children ages 8 to 16 years and their surviving caregivers who completed a test battery of measures before participating in a prevention program. Forty-four percent of bereaved children were classified as resilient and 56% as affected based on the absence of clinically significant mental health problems on at least 1 measure as reported by either the child, surviving caregiver, or teacher on standardized measures of mental health problems. Results of multivariate analyses indicated that bereaved resilient versus affected status was a function of both family and child variables. Higher levels of caregiver warmth and discipline and lower levels of caregiver mental health problems were family-level variables that significantly differentiated resilient children from affected children. Bereaved children's perceptions of less threat in response to negative events and greater personal efficacy in coping with stress were child-level variables that differentiated resilient from affected status. Family and child variables were entered into a discriminant function analysis that correctly classified 72% of the sample. The findings are consistent with a model of resilience in which multilevel variables account for children's positive adaptation following exposure to adversity.

Cultural Differences in Young Children's Vulnerability to Injuries: A Risk and Protection Perspective

Interview data from 100 lower income Hispanic and 50 White mothers from a nutritional service clinic extended prior research on cultural differences in the risk for unintentional pediatric injuries. Group differences were expected in reported injury incidence and in the prevalence and impact of contributing factors. As predicted, White mothers reported more injuries for a young child, and among Hispanic mothers, English language preference and use were associated with more reported injuries. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that risky behaviors, mother's judgment about child compliance, and stressful life events were better predictors of injuries than housing quality, but among Hispanics, the impact of certain factors (e.g. child temperament) was qualified by mother's acculturation level. Stress and child temperament explained injury differences between more- and less-acculturated Hispanic families but only partially accounted for differences between White mothers and less-acculturated Hispanics. Pediatric injury risk and protective factors seemed to operate in concert with cultural processes.

Locus of control and self-esteem as stress-moderators or stress-mediators in parentally bereaved children

Parentally bereaved children's locus of control and self-esteem were examined as stress-moderators or stress-mediators of their internalizing and externalizing mental health problems. Seventy-six children ages 8 to 16 and their surviving parent were assessed 4 to 34 months after the death. Stress, locus of control, and self-esteem were measured by child report questionnaires. Internalizing and externalizing mental health problems were measured by child report on both questionnaires and a structured interview and by parent report questionnaires. The results revealed that self-esteem was a significant mediator of the relations between stress and both child and parent reports of internalizing problems but not externalizing problems. No significant mediation effects were found for locus of control. Neither locus of control nor self-esteem was a significant moderator of the relations between stress and children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Implications for understanding parentally bereaved children's mental health problems and for developing preventive interventions are discussed.

Emotionsregulation und Gedankenunterdrückung: Aspekte der Entwicklung von Depressionen und deren Implikationen

Zusammenfassung. Prominentes Merkmal von Depressionen ist die Störung der Regulation von Stimmungen und Emotionen. Emotionsregulatorische Aspekte werden allerdings häufig vernachlässigt bei der konzeptionellen Fassung und der Behandlung von Depressionen. Im vorliegenden Artikel wird die Rolle dieser Aspekte bei der Entstehung von Depressionen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Gedankenunterdrückung als eines Versuches von Emotionsregulation dargestellt. Der willentliche Versuch an etwas, das die Stimmung negativ beeinflussen könnte, nicht zu denken, hat nicht nur langfristig den paradoxen Effekt, dass dieser Gedanke infolge besonders häufig auftritt und die gedankliche Kontrolle verloren geht, sondern zeigt auch eine Reihe weiterer kognitiver wie emotionaler Folgen, die bei der Entstehung von Depressionen eine wichtige Rolle spielen. Die Implikationen dieser Befunde werden diskutiert und expressives Schreiben nach Pennebaker im Rahmen des Präventionsprogramms “JES!“ (Jugendpräventionsprogramm mit Expressivem Schreiben) als eine Möglichkeit emotionsregulationsfördernder Maßnahmen vorgestellt.

Control beliefs as a mediator of the relation between stress and depressive symptoms among inner-city adolescents

Adolescents' control beliefs were examined as a mediator of the relation between stress and depressive symptoms among a diverse sample of 445 inner-city adolescents. Results indicated that control beliefs significantly mediate the relation between stress and depressive symptoms. The specific direct effects of six individual stress domains (peer, family, school, neighborhood, economic, discrimination) on control beliefs and depressive symptoms were also examined. Results showed that (1) economic stress relates to adolescents' control beliefs, (2) family stress relates to adolescent depressive symptoms, and (3) peer stress relates to both control beliefs and depressive symptoms. Secondary analyses revealed that control beliefs significantly mediate the specific relations between peer stress and depressive symptoms. Results were not found to vary across ethnic groups. The implications of these findings for adolescent mental health and preventive interventions targeting depression are discussed.

Social contexts: transcending their power and their fragility

For more than four decades, my colleagues and I have examined how social contexts and individuals influence each other. To provide a perspective on this work, I describe some lessons we have learned: situational influence exemplifies both the power and fragility of social contexts; common aspects of settings underlie their power, for better and for worse; individuals' health and well-being is affected by powerful forces in eight domains; and intervention programs are powerful settings that encompass risks as well as rewards. I then note some unresolved questions, such as how to balance the risks and rewards of powerful environments, how to better understand the interplay between individuals and the social contexts they select and create, how to learn from the fact that many people overcome the power of traumatic social contexts, and how to apply our knowledge to balance the risks and rewards of individual and community contexts.

Social and Psychological Resources and Adaptation

Psychology has increasingly turned to the study of psychosocial resources in the examination of well-being. How resources are being studied and resource models that have been proffered are considered, and an attempt is made to examine elements that bridge across models. As resource models span health, community, cognitive, and clinical psychology, the question is raised of whether there is overuse of the resource metaphor or whether there exists some underlying principles that can be gleaned and incorporated to advance research. The contribution of resources for understanding multicultural and pan-historical adaptation in the face of challenge is considered.

Fear of abandonment as a mediator of the relations between divorce stressors and mother-child relationship quality and children's adjustment problems

This study examines whether fear of abandonment mediates the prospective relations between divorce stressors and mother-child relationship quality and adjustment problems of children of divorce. Participants were 216 children, ages 8-12, and their primary residential mothers. Children reported on divorce stressors and fear of abandonment; mothers and children reported on mother-child relationship quality and internalizing and externalizing problems. Structural equation models indicated that Time 1 fear of abandonment mediated the relation between Time 1 divorce stressors and Time 2 internalizing and externalizing problems. Time 1 fear of abandonment also mediated the relation between Time 1 mother-child relationship quality and Time 2 internalizing and externalizing problems. Implications of these results for understanding variability in children's postdivorce adjustment problems and interventions for divorced families are discussed.

The spirit of community psychology. 2001 Seymour B. Sarason Award Address

Community psychology as a field may have lost some of its original spirit; a spirit dominant at the founding of the field. Spirit is a difficult concept to discuss since it is a concept beyond usual discourse in psychology as a denotative, measurable and verifiable concept. Taking the lead from William James, Spirit, however elusive, is most essential to a sense of self. I offer three suggestions to enhance and to make our individual and collective spirit more vital: (1) Continuing education in the history of community psychology; (2) Creating time to share stories about our work; (3) Creating safe settings to enlarge our spirit. These ideas are offered as pragmatic suggestions to enable us to create more coherence between our personal and professional selves.