Modification of the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and adversely impact daytime functioning. Although no questionnaires have been developed to assess sleep in children with ASD, the 33-item Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) is widely used in this population. We examined the factor structure of the CSHQ in 2872 children (age 4–10 years) enrolled in the Autism Treatment Network. A four-factor solution (Sleep Initiation and Duration, Sleep Anxiety/Co-Sleeping, Night Waking/Parasomnias, and Daytime Alertness) with 5–6 items per factor explained 75% of the total variation. Ten items failed to load on any factor. This abbreviated 23-item four-factor version of this measure may be useful when assessing sleep in children with ASD.     

Mothers’ and Children’s Story-Telling: A Study of Dyads with Typically Developing Children and Children with ASD

The production of specific mental state terms types and functions by caregivers and their TD children and caregivers and their children with ASD were assessed in two contexts: a parent’s story-telling task and a child’s story-telling task. Caregivers of children with ASD produced less causal talk and proportionally less desire and cognitive talk than did caregivers of TD children. When focusing only on variation in our ASD sample, caregivers’ and children’s production of different mental state references varied with context and were predicted by different child characteristics (i.e., theory of mind, autism severity, language level). We conclude that caregivers are likely adjusting different aspects of mental state input depending on different aspects of child development although these adjustments may not always be optimal.     

Psychometric Investigation of a Brief Measure of Outcomes in Children’s Mental Health

The current investigation sought to provide reliability and validity evidence for the Child Outcomes Survey (COS), a brief measure designed with a dual purpose to measure functioning and therapeutic relationship and to serve as a clinician-caregiver communication tool. Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed using a sample of 774 responses collected from 15 provider sites throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Results of the EFA (n = 387) uncovered a three factor structure (family functioning, child functioning, and therapeutic relationship) which was confirmed in the CFA (n = 387). The internal consistency reliability of the three subscales ranged from α = .76 to α = .91. There was a significant relationship between the therapeutic relationship subscale and the use of the COS as a communication aid (r _s  = .50, p < .001). Findings support the COS as an accurate measure of functioning and therapeutic relationship and its utility as a communication aid between clinician and caregiver.     

Continuity of Care in Children’s Mental Health: Development of a Measure

A new measure, Continuity of Care in Children’s Mental Health (C3MH), is presented. The study involved item generation, pre-testing, pilot testing, and validation. The C3MH was administered to 364 parents recruited from 13 children’s mental health agencies in Ontario, Canada. The measure includes five scales supported by confirmatory factor analysis. Scale validity was supported through analyses of relationships with established measures of satisfaction, problem severity, and therapeutic alliance, as well as through known-group differences. The results of a pilot youth-report version (N = 57) are presented. The C3MH will be a useful tool for assessing improvements in system integration.     

Factor Analysis of Therapist-Identified Treatment Targets in Community-Based Children’s Mental Health

The present study used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to identify underlying latent factors affecting variation in community therapists’ endorsement of treatment targets. As part of a statewide practice management program, therapist completed monthly reports of treatment targets (up to 10 per month) for a sample of youth (n?=?790) receiving intensive in-home therapy. Nearly 75?% of youth were diagnosed with multiple co-occurring disorders. Five factors emerged: Disinhibition, Societal Rules Evasion, Social Engagement Deficits, Emotional Distress, and Management of Biodevelopmental Outcomes. Using logistic regression, primary diagnosis predicted therapist selection of Disinhibition and Emotional Distress targets. Client age predicted endorsement of Societal Rules Evasion targets. Practice-to-research implications are discussed.     

Brief Report: Fathers’ and Mothers’ Ratings of Behavioral and Emotional Problems in Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Debate is ongoing about whether typically developing siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at greater risk of behavioral or emotional problems than siblings of children without ASD. Most data on behavior is provided by mothers, and we do not know whether fathers’ reports differ. The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (Goodman in J Child Psychol Psychiatry 38(5):581–586, 1997) was completed by 168 mothers and 130 fathers. Parents were more likely to rate siblings as having ‘abnormal’ behavior when compared to a normative population. We found moderate correlations between mother–father ratings. More research may be needed to understand any clinical benefits of gathering data about sibling adjustment from more than one parent in the family. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.     

Moderators of the Relations Between Mothers’ and Fathers’ Parenting Practices and Children’s Prosocial Behavior

Using multilevel modeling, we separately examined the relations between mothers’ and fathers’ parenting practices and children’s prosocial behavior, as well as the moderating roles of child sex, age, and ethnicity. Participants included a diverse community sample of 129 cohabiting couples with a child aged 6–17. Results indicated that paternal positivity and corporal punishment were significantly related to girls’, but not boys’, prosocial behavior, and paternal involvement was related to prosocial behavior in school-aged children but not adolescents. Greater levels of positivity in both parents were related to more prosocial behavior in Caucasian children and less in African American children. Overall, the findings suggest that fathers’ parenting is important and may differentially influence children of different sexes and ages, underscoring the importance of examining both mothers’ and fathers’ parenting in relation to child outcomes and with diverse samples. Findings also highlight the need for culturally appropriate measures of parenting.     

Parental Depression and Associations with Parenting and Children’s Physical and Mental Health in a Sub-Saharan African Setting

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health challenges in low- and middle-income countries. However, the mechanisms of parental depression on children’s development are understudied in these countries. This study examined the prevalence of parental depression, contextual predictors of parental depression, and the associations between parental depression, parenting and children’s development in one of the Sub-Saharan African countries-Uganda. Three hundred and three Ugandan parents of young children were recruited and interviewed. Results indicated that about 28 % of parents were depressed. Contextual factors such as low educational attainment, food insecurity, low social support, and high number of children were associated with parental depression. Structural equation modeling also indicated that Ugandan parents’ depression was associated with less optimal parenting, and higher problem behavior, lower social competence, and poorer physical health and school functioning in children. Results provide several cross cultural consistency evidence in associations among parental depression, parenting, and child development.     

Factors Associated with Assignment of Therapeutic Homework in a Large Public Children’s Mental Health System

Therapeutic homework is a fundamental skill-building component of the majority of evidence-based therapies and is associated with better treatment outcomes. However, it is rarely utilized in public mental health settings. To determine barriers to homework use and identify predictors of clinicians’ assignment of homework, an online survey was administered to 267 clinicians in a large diverse public mental health system. Clinicians who were younger, licensed, whose supervisors asked about homework and whose clients completed their homework more frequently were predictors of greater homework utilization. The survey results are discussed and a novel idea to increase the use of homework is introduced.     

Profiles of Mental Health Competence and Difficulties as Predictors of Children’s Early Learning

There is increasing acknowledgement of the importance of the early years of school in laying the foundations for children’s learning pathways, and interest in the role of mental health in promoting positive early learning experiences. Understanding child mental health requires consideration of both mental health competence and mental health difficulties. The aim of this paper was to determine how profiles of competence and difficulties relate to children’s early learning skills in their first year of school. Cross-sectional data from a population census was used to explore whether children’s mental health profile (the combination of competence and difficulties) predicted key domains of early learning. In 2015, the Australian Early Development Census (a teacher-rated measure of child development) was completed for 96.5% of Australian children in their first year of schooling (N = 302,003; M = 5 years, 7 months of age). Logistic regression analyses revealed that mental health profiles were strongly related to two key domains of early learning: language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. Anything less than the optimal high competence with low difficulties profile was associated with substantially poorer early learning skills (OR 2.17, p < .001 to OR 67.75, p < .001). These results suggest that profiles of mental health competence and difficulties are a salient factor as children begin school, and illustrate the importance of recognising both competence and difficulties when considering the mental health of young children.     

Measuring Sustainment of Multiple Practices Fiscally Mandated in Children’s Mental Health Services

Examining sustainment of multiple evidence-based practices is crucial to understanding the processes and outcomes of system-driven implementation efforts that are increasingly common. This study used administrative claims data to characterize volume and penetration of six practices over 19 fiscal quarters following initial implementation within the context of a system-driven, fiscally mandated implementation effort in Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s Prevention and Early Intervention services. Patterns of volume changes over time revealed an overall ramp up of practice claims over time, but variability in patterns of volume and penetration for each practice. Findings varied by the methods used to index and analyze volume and penetration. Furthermore, a number of client case-mix and therapist characteristics were associated with the volume of therapists’ claims for each practice relative to their claims for the other practices.     

The Relationship Between Parents’ and Children’s Automatic Thoughts in a College Student Sample

Research demonstrates the importance of early social interactions in the development of schemas and automatic thoughts. It does not appear, however, that the existing research examines intergenerational correlations in automatic thoughts. As a result, this study explores the relationship between the automatic thoughts of parents and those of their college-age children in a sample of 252 college students and their mothers and fathers. Results of this study suggest that there are significant relationships between parents’ and college students’ positive automatic thoughts. Different trends by gender also are noted in the relationships among variables for male and female college students with their mothers and fathers. Further, mothers’ positive ATs predicted the positive ATs of their college students, with mothers’ ratings of their own communication with their college students mediating partially this relationship. Finally, college students’ anxiety and self-esteem is predicted significantly by their mothers’ anxiety and self-esteem (respectively) as well as their own positive and negative ATs. These findings suggest the possibility that ATs play a role in the intergenerational transmission of certain domains of psychological functioning.     

The Role of Parents,Parenting and the Family Environment in Children’s Post-Disaster Mental Health

There is widespread support for the hypothesis that, post-disaster, children’s mental health is impacted—at least in part—via the impact on parents, parenting, parent-child interactions, and the family environment. To some degree, the enthusiasm with which this hypothesis is held outstrips the evidence examining it. The current paper critically evaluates the empirical evidence for this hypothesis and concludes that although limited (both in terms of number of existing studies and methodological flaws), the extant literature indicates some parent-related variables, as well as some aspects of the family environment are likely to constitute risk or protective factors for children. Given that parenting is modifiable, it is proposed that the identified parent- and family-related factors represent important therapeutic targets, and a universal post-disaster parenting intervention (Disaster Recovery Triple P) is described.