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Biomedical subjects

E L Cowen

Publications and source records attributed to E L Cowen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Interviews with children who experienced major life stress: family and child attributes that predict resilient outcomes.

Demographically comparable groups of children exposed to major life-stress, with stress resilient (SR) and stress affected (SA) outcomes at ages 10 to 12, were interviewed to assess perceptions of their caregiving environments, peer relationships, and themselves. SR children compared with SA children reported more: (1) positive relationships with primary caregivers, (2) stable family environments, (3) inductive and consistent family discipline practices, and (4) positive expectations for their futures. SR girls viewed their mothers as more nurturing than did SA girls. Perceptions of fathers, quality of peer relationships, and global self-concept did not differentiate the groups. A discriminant function analysis identified four variables that correctly classified 74% of the subjects as SR or SA. Findings support the view that caregiver-child relationships play a key role in moderating children's developmental outcomes under conditions of high stress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Similarity of parent and child self-views in stress-affected and stress-resilient urban families.

This study was conducted with a sample of highly stressed 4th-6th grade urban children consisting of matched subsamples previously classified as stress affected (SA) or stress resilient (SR). Separate in-depth interviews with parents and children provided objective self-ratings of a number of personal characteristics and expressive motor behavioral styles. Based on subsets of identical items from the two interviews, discrepancy (D)-scores were computed between parents' and children's self-ratings of ten personal descriptors, seven expressive motor behaviors, and their sum. Significantly lower D-scores were found for SR, compared to SA, parent-child dyads on all three of these measures. For the total sample, small parent-child D-scores also related significantly to indicators of fewer child problem behaviors and more competencies, assessed across multiple rater sources (i.e., parents, former teachers, and current teachers).

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Developmental and family milieu correlates of resilience in urban children who have experienced major life stress.

Reports findings from interviews with parents of demographically-comparable groups of highly-stressed urban children with stress-resilient (SR) and stress-affected (SA) outcomes at ages 10-12. SR and SA children were compared on family milieu and child development variables assessed within a developmental framework. Compared to SAs, parents of SRs scored higher on variables reflecting parent perceptions of a nurturant caregiver-child relationship and self-views as effective caregivers, in the context of positive discipline practices, a child's positive early temperament, and support for primary caregivers. A discriminant function analysis identified seven variables that optimally differentiated the groups and correctly classified 86% of the Ss as SR or SA.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Relationships between support and adjustment among children of divorce.

In a sample of 102 4th-6th grade urban children of divorce, low to moderate relationships were found between perceived support and child adjustment. This relationship held for several sources of support and across several types of adjustment measures. It was strongest when adjustment was assessed through child self-ratings. Thus, children of divorce who perceived themselves as having more overall support had lower scores on measures of post-divorce difficulties, anxiety, and worry, and higher scores on measures of openness about the divorce and positive resources. The relationships found between support and adjustment among children of divorce suggest a potentially useful role for support in developing preventive interventions for such youngsters.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

The search for effective prevention programs: what we learned along the way.

Efforts by an American Psychological Association task force to identify model prevention programs for high-risk groups throughout the life span are summarized. Criteria for selection and program content are described, and implications for the construction, implementation, and evaluation of effective programs are discussed.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1988

Resilient children, psychological wellness, and primary prevention.

The concept of heightened resilience or invulnerability in young profoundly stressed children is developed in terms of its implications for a psychology of wellness and for primary prevention in mental health. Relevant literature is reviewed, a skeletal model for studying resilience is outlined, and needed research directions are considered. The latter include expansion of the construct's nomological definitional net, inquiry into the antecedents and determinants of resilience, and the application of such generative information to frame preventive interventions for young, profoundly stressed children.

Child↗
PubMed1979

The Primary Mental Health Project (PMHP): evaluation of current program effectiveness.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Primary Mental Project (PMHP), a program for early detection and prevention of school adjustment problems. Pre- and postprogram assessments were done with 215 primary-grade children seen in PMHP, usig teacher ratings of problem behaviors and competencies, and child-aide ratings of problems. School mental health professionals judged educational and behavioral changes in project children during the year. Significant across-the board improvements were found on all criterion measures. Modest intercorrelations among criterion change estimates suggested that the observed changes were due to program, rather than halo, effects. PMHP children also improved significantly more than matched, retrospective controls.

Child↗
PubMed1979

Hairdressers as caregivers. I. A descriptive profile of interpersonal help-giving involvements.

The interpersonal help-giving behaviors of 90 hairdressers were explored in depth in an interview study. On the average, hairdressers saw 55 customers a week, and talked 25 minutes with each. About one-third of the talking time concerned clients' moderate to serious personal problems--particularly problems with children, physical health, marriage, depression, and anxiety. Hairdressers reported that offering sympathy and support, being lighthearted, just listening, and presenting alternatives were among their most frequent response strategies. Although they often enjoyed fielding clients' personal problems, at times they felt perplexed by them. Hairdressers perceived listening to customers' interpersonal problems to be an important part of their everyday function and expressed a need for professional inputs in that domain.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

The evaluation of an intervention program for young schoolchildren with acting-out problems.

The rationale and nature of a program to train nonprofessional child-aides for helping interactions with young acting-out school children are described. Pre/post teacher measures of children's problems and competencies, aide measures of problem behavior, and school mental health professionals' change in behavior estimates were used to evaluate the program's effectiveness. Children seen by trained aides showed significantly greater reductions both in acting-out problems and in overall maladjustment than did similar children seen by comparable aides who did not have additional training, or by themselves before training. Implications were considered for optimizing outcomes both in the specific school intervention project in question and in other, broader types of clinical interventions.

Acting Out↗
PubMed1979

Help-agents' views about clinical interactions with acting-out children.

A scale to measure nonprofessional child-aides' views about, and practices in, working primarily with acting-out children is described. The scale was used as part of an overall evaluation of a program to teach the aides Ginottian limit-setting approaches for work with such children. A prior study had shown that the training was followed by significantly more favorable treatment outcomes. Compared to 44 nontrained child-aides, the 19 trained aides had significantly higher postprogram scale scores on opinions and beliefs about acting-out children, changes in feeling about working with them, and actual observed changes in their playroom behaviors. Item analysis indicated that, following training, aides felt more comfortable with and had a richer repertoire of techniques for dealing with acting-out children. Specifically, they found it easier to set limits and to deal with overtly aggressive behaviors. Those changes may be key factors in explaining the significantly greater effectiveness of the trained aides working with acting-out children.

Acting Out↗
PubMed1978

Referral to a school mental health project: a screening note.

The screening efficiency of two measures of school-adjustment is considered by assessing the proportion of children referred to a school mental health program whose scores fall at or above the 85th centile on one or both measures. The study's findings demonstrate that 60-90% of referred children were identifiable by a screening cutoff score procedure. The implications for using a cutoff score approach in selecting children for the intervention are discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1978

Judged school problems and competencies of referred children with varying family background characteristics.

The school adjustment problems and competencies of referred children with varying family background histories were compared. Children from homes characterized by low parent interest in education had more severe learning problems and fewer competencies than either matched referred controls without such a history or matched referred children under family pressure to succeed. The relationship of these findings to other studies of school adjustment and family background was considered.

Aptitude↗
PubMed1977

Nonprofessional and professional help-agents' views of interventions with young maladapting school children.

The expectations of nonprofessional and professional help-agents about helping interventions with young children experiencing different types of school adjustment problems (i.e., aggressive-acting out, shy-anxious, and learning problems) were studied. The two groups responded similarly. Shy-anxious children were seen as most appropriate for the intervention, the easiest and most enjoyable group to work with, and as having the best prognoses. These four sets of judgments were relatively independent of each other. A connection was made between the current data and prior findings suggesting that shy-anxious children have more favorable treatment outcomes than other groups.

Acting Out↗