Considers four issues pertaining to aggression and adaptation: (1) conceptual and operational definitions of aggression; (2) how aggression relates to adjustment difficulties for boys and girls and for children from different ethnic and socioeconomic groups; (3) whether specific forms of aggression relate to truly positive correlates and whether…

Reviews literature on effects of early maladjustment on later behavior problems. Discusses development as transactional process in which risk and resilience are central, a cumulative risk model of behavior problems as resulting from a variety of factors, and longitudinal research that focuses on externalizing behaviors. Concludes predictive power…

This study investigated behavior problems in 66 school-aged physically abused, neglected, and control group children in the Basque Country, Spain. Abused and neglected children had higher subscale scores for social problems, delinquent behavior, and attention problems and showed lower school adjustment. Neglected children appeared more aggressive,…

Examined relations of acute and chronic life stressors and stable social resources to disease-related and psychosocial functioning among adolescents with juvenile rheumatic disease, and the mitigating impact of parental resources. Found that life stressors and social resources were unrelated to disease outcomes. However, adolescents with more risk…

The socioemotional integrity of 17 children with specific language impairment (SLI) and 20 age-matched unaffected children was examined at kindergarten and first grade. Significant differences between groups were found for internalizing, social, and attention problems with little congruence or stability over time in clinical ratings. Results…

This study examined children's process of adapting to the preschool setting and established the effect of developmental disharmonies on this process. Findings indicate that children display some behavior disorders during the entry phase to the preschool setting and that serious developmental disharmonies were accompanied by these disorders.…

Examined relations between different forms of children's nonsocial play behaviors and adjustment in kindergarten. Results from regression analyses revealed that different types of nonsocial play were differentially associated with child characteristics and indices of adjustment. For some forms of nonsocial play, the nature of these associations…

The training program combined self-instruction and cue-controlled relaxation as competing responses to provocation. Tantrum behavior decreased from 3.3 per day during baseline to .89 per day at the end of treatment, and once every two weeks during follow-up. Implications for using cognitive treatments with nontraditional clients are discussed.…

Studied the social and emotional adjustment of women and children from single-parent families. Widows and divorcees did not differ significantly from married women on social and emotional adjustment but did report more positive and negative life changes. Children of widows and divorcees reported significantly poorer emotional adjustment. (Author)

This study investigated the relation between parental anxiety and family functioning. Parental anxiety and depression, child attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms were all included as predictors of 3 measures of family functioning to examine the independent contributions of each. Using a…

A growing body of evidence confirms that serious and persistent challenging behaviors in early childhood directly relate to later problems in school success, social relationships, educational and vocational success, and social adjustment. Conversely, key social skills associated with learning in group settings include being able to get along with…

Descriptive and evaluative information is presented about the Interpersonal Cognitive Problem Solving (ICPS) program, which utilizes sequenced games and dialogs to teach young children new ways of thinking about and coping with interpersonal difficulties. (SJL)

This evaluation of 16 children (ages 7-12) with achondroplasia from Transkei, Hungary, and Nigeria found that, compared to controls, subjects had more behavior problems and less self-esteem. Subjects were socially withdrawn, internalized emotional problems, had lower academic performance, found less adaptive solutions to frustration, and faced…