developmental psychopathology

Question 1

parenting and the impact on development

Answer 1

the ways parents interact w/ children is a key factor that affects children’s development

the impact of parenting practices on children is affected by other characteristics in the larger ecological context, incl child or parent characteristics, quality of family relationships and parameters in the community and culture

Question 2

effect of parenting practices across different ethnic groups

Answer 2

strict discipline styles increase children’s risk for psychological difficulties (anxiety, depression, submissiveness, poor self-confidence) among white families, the same disciple styles pose little/no risk for children in Asian or African American families

the same practices take on different meanings in families w/ different cultural backgrounds

Question 3

how is child development best understood

Answer 3

as embedded in a variety of social and ecological contexts, incl community, cultural and ethnicity

both normal and abnormal development are regarded as a cumulative result of multiple influences originating in the child, family, and larger community or cultural setting

Question 4

risk factors and psychological difficulties

Answer 4

risk factors increase the likelihood of experiencing psychological difficulties

family risk factors include:

• child maltreatment
• parental rejection
• inconsistent or harsh discipline practices
• parental conflict
• parental mental illness
• substance use

Question 5

variety of impact of risk factors on mental halth

Answer 5

exposure to even the most harmful risk factors doesn’t guarantee all or even most children to future psychological problems

children exposed to the same risk factor may have a range or healthy and maladaptive psychological outcomes

although parental depression is one of the most robust risk factors, children of depressed parents exhibit a wide range of adaptive and maladaptive outcomes

Question 6

exposure to parental mental illness

Answer 6

exposure to parental psychopathology often co-occurs w/ other risk factors:

• familial - marital discord, poor extended family relations
• sociocultural - poverty, community isolation
• biological - genetic risk, substances, birth complications, temperament

Question 7

what are mediators

Answer 7

the processes/mechanisms that explain or account for why family characteristics increase children’s risk for psychopathology

Question 8

what are moderators

Answer 8

moderators in models or risk answers questions of who is a greatest risk and when is the risk greates

the assumption is that the likelihood that a risk factor leads to disorder varies across different individuals and conditions

Question 9

how do we determine who is at greatest risk

Answer 9

involves searching for attributes of the person (gender, temperament, personality) that might amplify or increase the likelihood that they will experience a disorder when exposed to risk

Question 10

when is parental discord likely to increase psychological problems

Answer 10

for children who have difficult rather than easy temperaments

attributes outside the person (family, school, community, peers) may also intensify the effects of the risk factor

Question 11

resilience - what is it

Answer 11

even when multiple risk factors are present, many if not most children at risk develop along normal adaptive trajectories

resilience = to refer to children who develop competently and adapt successfully to life’s challenges under adverse conditions

Question 12

protective factors - why are they important

Answer 12

once people who meet the criteria for exhibiting resilience are identified we need to search for protective factors that account for their healthy outcomes

Question 13

identifying resilience

Answer 13

cannot occur w/o some appreciable risk

challenge is to distinguish between 2 general groups of children:

1. relatively normal children who experience minimal or no adverse conditions
2. resilient children who developed relatively normally in the face of considerable risk

Question 14

absence of risk vs presence of resilience

Answer 14

cannot be assumed that children of depressed patents who experience healthy development are resilience

some of these children may experience contexts of development characterised by caregiver warmth, consistent discipline, safe and supportive neighbourhoods and high quality schools

the competence of some of these children may result from the absence of risk rather than the presence of resilience

Question 15

what are protective factors

Answer 15

dilute/counteract the -ve effects of risk factors

can be characteristics of the individual (personality) or the larger ecological setting (family, school, peers)

Question 16

stages of the course of a disorder

Answer 16

onset
maintenance - continuation of symptoms
remission - temporary alleviation of symptoms 
recurrence - redevelopment of symptoms 
termination

each of these stages of maladaptation may be associated w/ different sets of factors, causes and consequences

Question 17

family conflict and onset of a disorder

Answer 17

may play a causal role in the onset of a child’s conduct problems

peers and teachers may maintain or further intensify the problems even in the face of marked reductions in family conflict