Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Social Problems”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,117 records · Page 62Linked to original sources

The development of social cognitive processes among juvenile delinquents and nondelinquent peers.

Using 10-11- and 14-15-year-old delinquents and nondelinquents, the present project was intended to investigate: (a) the extent of delinquent-nondelinquent differences on moral reasoning tasks; (b) whether delinquents display less knowledge about social problem solving, or social metacognition, in comparison to nondelinquents; (c) whether the deficiency by delinquents on a social problem-solving task could be lessened with clues to be more strategic; and (d) whether age differences would be observed on these tasks and whether age would interact with delinquency. Developmental differences for age, but not for delinquency, were observed in mortal judgment and prosocial moral reasoning. Under certain conditions, older nondelinquents performed better than other groups while considering some dimensions of social problem solving. Age differences were also noted on the social problem-solving task. When subjects were provided with clues as an organizing strategy on this latter task, all groups scored at levels higher than their no-clues performances. All groups except younger delinquents displayed comparable knowledge about strategies to solve social problems. The findings are discussed in terms of Flavell's processing model of social cognition.

Adolescent↗

The new morbidity: use of school and community health care resources for behavioral, educational, and social-family problems.

The extent of the use of services for the new morbidity, that is, children's behavioral, educational, and family-social problems, has not previously been the subject of a community-based prospective study. The demographic characteristics and utilization of school and community health care resources over a two-year period are compared for two groups selected from a random sample (n = 671) of elementary school children. Twenty-four percent (n = 164) were observed to have behavioral, educational, or social-family problems requiring attention or intervention by health or educational personnel. This group was compared to their schoolmates (n = 507) not so identified. Although no overall differences in sex, ethnic background, or family structure were identified, the children with new morbidity problems were more frequently in the lowest socioeconomic group, and had lower reading achievement scores and higher rates of absenteeism. The new morbidity group also has higher rates of utilization of services both at school and at community sites of health care, not only for new morbidity complaints, but for other problems as well. The data suggest that this portion of the school-aged population places a significant demand for health care resources on both community and school sites. The findings support the need for training of physicians in the care and prevention of such problems.

Child↗

Social problem-solving skills in children with traumatic brain injury: long-term outcomes and prediction of social competence.

The effects of childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) on social problem-solving were examined in 35 children with severe TBI, 40 children with moderate TBI, and 46 children with orthopedic injuries (OI). The children were recruited prospectively following injuries that occurred between 6 and 12 years of age. They were followed longitudinally, and ranged from 9 to 18 years of age at the time of the current study, which occurred on average 4 years post injury. They were administered a semi-structured interview used in previous research on social problem-solving to assess the developmental level of their responses to hypothetical dilemmas involving social conflict. Children in the severe TBI group defined the social dilemmas and generated alternative strategies to solve those dilemmas at the same developmental level as did children in the OI group. However, they articulated lower-level strategies as the best way to solve the dilemmas and used lower-level reasoning to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies. After controlling for group membership, race, socioeconomic status, IQ, and age, children's social problem-solving, and particularly the developmental level of their preferred strategies for resolving conflicts, predicted parents ratings of children's social skills, peer relationships, aggressive behavior, and academic performance. The findings indicate that children with severe TBI demonstrate selective, long-term deficits in their social problem-solving skills that may help to account for their poor social and academic outcomes.

Adolescent↗

Social behavior problems in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a chronic, progressive pediatric disease that affects both muscle and brain. The objectives of the study were to examine parent reported behavior in children with DMD, investigate the influence of chronic illness, intellectual ability and etiology on behavior, and determine whether a specific behavioral profile is associated with DMD. Parental ratings of boys with DMD (n = 181) on the Child Behavior Checklist behavior scales were examined and compared to reported findings of children with other chronic illnesses, unaffected siblings of boys with DMD (n = 86), and children with cerebral palsy (CP) (n = 42). Increased ratings of general behavior problems were reported, and neither physical progression nor intellectual level contributed to behavioral ratings. Among the children with DMD, the Social Problem behavior scale had the greatest number of "clinically significant" ratings (34%). Between-group comparisons showed significantly more boys with DMD were rated as having social behavior problems than either the sibling or CP comparison groups. In addition to the increase in reported behavioral problems likely related to the effects of chronic illness, boys with DMD may be at heightened risk for specific social behavior problems. The specificity of the findings of the behavior profile in DMD may be partially due to the lack of dystrophin isoforms in the central nervous system, and not solely a reactive response to the illness.

Adolescent↗

Autobiographical memory and social problem-solving in Asperger syndrome.

Difficulties in social interaction are a central feature of Asperger syndrome. Effective social interaction involves the ability to solve interpersonal problems as and when they occur. Here we examined social problem-solving in a group of adults with Asperger syndrome and control group matched for age, gender and IQ. We also assessed autobiographical memory, on a cueing task and during social problem-solving, and examined the relationship between access to specific past experiences and social problem-solving ability. Results demonstrated a social problem-solving impairment in the Asperger group. Their solutions were less detailed, less effective and less extended in time. Autobiographical memory performance was also impaired with significantly longer latencies to retrieve specific memories and fewer specific memories retrieved in comparison to controls.

Adult↗

The social problem-solving abilities of people with borderline personality disorder.

Interventions for people suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD), such as dialectical behaviour therapy, often include a problem-solving component. However, there is an absence of published studies examining the problem-solving abilities of this client group. In this study, the social problem-solving (SPS) abilities of three groups of participants were assessed: a BPD group (n=25), a clinical control (CC) group (n=25) procedure and a non-clinical control (NCC) group (n=25). SPS ability was assessed using the means-end problem-solving (MEPS) procedure and the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R). The BPD group exhibited deficits in their SPS abilities, however the majority of these deficits were not specific to the BPD group but were also found in the CC group, indicating that a common factor between these two groups, such as negative affect, may account for these observed deficits. Specific SPS deficits were identified in the BPD group: they provided less specific solutions on the MEPS and reported higher levels of negative problem orientation and a more impulsive/carelessness style towards solving social problems. The results of this study provide empirical support for the use of problem-solving interventions with people suffering from BPD.

Adult↗

Social support, social problem-solving abilities, and adjustment of family caregivers of stroke survivors.

OBJECTIVE: To determine contributions of social support and social problem-solving abilities in prediction of adjustment of family caregivers of stroke survivors. DESIGN: Descriptive. SETTING: Two rehabilitation facilities (1 private, 1 state) in the southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-two family caregivers (46 women, 6 men) of stroke survivors (28 women, 24 men). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Predictor variables were social support and social problem-solving abilities. Outcome measures of caregiver adjustment were depressive symptomatology, well-being, and general health. Participants completed these measures 1 to 2 days before discharge from inpatient rehabilitation and at 5, 9, and 13 weeks postdischarge in the home. RESULTS: Trajectory analysis indicated higher levels of social support were associated with lower levels of caregiver depressive symptomatology and higher levels of well-being and general health, independent of social problem solving. A greater negative problem orientation was associated with higher levels of depressive symptomatology and lower levels of well-being. A more positive problem orientation was associated with greater increases in general health. The strength or slope of this positive relation lessened over time. CONCLUSIONS: Social support and the emotion-focused component of social problem solving, problem orientation, independently contribute to caregiver adjustment. Interventions that provide social support and assist caregivers to develop more adaptive abilities toward problem solving may be beneficial.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Deficient social problem-solving in boys with ODD/CD, with ADHD, and with both disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To study social problem-solving skills in psychiatrically defined aggressive boys, starting from Dodge's social information-processing model. METHOD: Videotaped stimuli of problematic social situations and questions were presented to elicit responses that indicate boys' social problem-solving skills (encoding and interpretation of social cues, generation of possible responses, evaluation of responses, self-efficacy evaluation, and response selection). Boys aged 7 to 12 years with oppositional defiant or conduct disorder (ODD/CD) (n = 48), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n = 27), and both disorders (ODD/CD + ADHD) (n = 29) were involved as well as a normal control group (n = 37) and a psychiatric control group with internalizing disorders (n = 23). RESULTS: When compared with normal controls, boys with ADHD, with ODD/CD, and with ODD/CD + ADHD encoded fewer social cues and generated fewer responses. Boys with ODD/CD and with ODD/CD + ADHD moreover were more confident in their ability to enact an aggressive response than normal controls. When ODD/CD boys and ODD/CD + ADHD boys were given the opportunity to select a response from various types of responses shown, they selected an aggressive response more often than normal controls. Thus, in ADHD boys social problem-solving was affected only in encoding and in the generation of responses, whereas in ODD/CD and ODD/CD + ADHD boys social problem-solving was affected throughout the process. CONCLUSION: For the further study of social problem-solving in aggressive children, it is essential to differentiate between children with ADHD and children with ODD/CD and ODD/CD + ADHD.

Aggression↗

Do provocateurs' emotion displays influence children's social goals and problem solving?

The social goals and social problem-solving of children who varied in social adjustment were examined in the context of hypothetical ambiguous provocation situations in which provocateurs' emotion displays were systematically manipulated. Children rated the importance of six different social goals and explained how they would solve the problems. Social adjustment was measured with rating and nomination sociometric procedures. Rejected-aggressive, rejected-nonaggressive, average-nonaggressive, and popular-nonaggressive children showed both commonalities and differences in rating the six social goals, the relative importance of the six social goals, and social problem-solving depending on the provocateur's emotion display. When provocateurs were happy, there were few group differences, but when provocateurs were angry or sad, rejected-aggressive children: a) rated hostile/instrumental goals more positively; b) rated prosocial goals less positively; and c) made problem-solving responses that were less friendly than those of other children. Results are discussed in relation to Lemerise and Arsenio's (2000) model of emotion and social information processing.

Child↗

Adolescent stealers' and nonstealers' social problem-solving skills.

Eleven adolescents with a history of stealing in the past year were compared to 11 nonstealers on social problem-solving skills. The stealers showed a tendency not to consider the passage of time necessary for solving social problems on the Means-Ends Problem Solving (MEPS) test. In addition, adolescents who exhibited delinquency tendencies, as measured by the Jesness Inventory, showed a cognitive bias for generating ineffective solutions to hypothetical social problems. Implications for treatment are discussed.

Adolescent↗

The effects of specific retrieval instruction on social problem-solving in depression.

OBJECTIVES: We examine the proposal that social problem-solving in depression may be improved with the retrieval of specific autobiographical memories. DESIGN AND METHODS: Social problem-solving was assessed with the Means-End Problem-Solving task (MEPS; Platt & Spivack, 1975a). Depressed and non-depressed participants were required either to retrieve a specific memory prior to generating a MEPS solution (primed condition) or to report on the memories retrieved during MEPS performance after giving their MEPS solution (non-primed condition). Participants also judged whether the memories retrieved had been helpful or unhelpful for the process of solution generation. RESULTS: In both depressed and non-depressed individuals, priming increased specific memory retrieval but did not improve MEPS performance. An interaction between depression and priming revealed that priming increased the retrieval of helpful memories in the depressed sample. CONCLUSIONS: Specificity is not, in itself, a sufficient retrieval aim for successful social problem-solving. However specific memory priming may be beneficial in depression because it facilitates the recognition of memories which are helpful for problem-solving.

Adult↗

Genetic analyses of teacher ratings of problem behavior in 5-year-old twins.

Behavioral problems in young children can be assessed by asking their parents or teachers to rate their behaviors. Genetic analyses of parental ratings show relatively large heritabilities for emotional and behavioral problems in young children, but data from teachers for this age group are scarce. Sources of variation in the Teacher's Report Form (TRF) problem scales were examined. The TRF was completed for 211 Dutch 5-year-old twin pairs and 4 single twins. Twins rated by different teachers had higher means and variances than twins rated by the same teacher, in addition twin correlations were lower in this group. In both groups monozygotic (MZ) correlations were generally higher than dizygotic (DZ) correlations. A model for twin resemblance was tested that allowed for these effects. For 5 problem scales (Withdrawn, Social Problems, Aggressive Behavior, Rule Breaking Behavior and Attention Problems) a model with genetic and unique environmental sources of variation fitted best to the data. For 3 problem scales (Anxious/Depressed, Thought Problems and Somatic Complaints) there were familial influences but it was not possible to distinguish between common environmental influences or genetic influences. Heritability was 63% for Attention problems, around 45% for Withdrawn, Social Problems, Aggressive Behavior and Rule Breaking Behavior, and around 30% for Anxious/Depressed, Thought Problems and Somatic Complaints.

Analysis of Variance↗

Reduced specificity of autobiographical memory: a mediator between rumination and ineffective social problem-solving in major depression?

BACKGROUND: Depressed individuals display a deficit in effectively solving social problem situations (e.g., []). Recent research suggests that rumination may interfere with such effective problem-solving (e.g., []). However, little is known, as yet, about the mechanisms that are underlying this relation between rumination and poor problem-solving. The present study investigated the role of reduced specificity of autobiographical memories as a mediator of this relationship. METHODS: 24 depressed patients (15 women) completed the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), the Means-Ends Problem-Solving Task (MEPS), the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) and the Rumination on Sadness Scale (RSS). RESULTS: Consistent with previous studies, rumination, ineffective problem-solving and reduced memory specificity were significantly associated. Regression analyses further extended these findings by showing that reduced memory specificity mediated the association between rumination and problem-solving effectiveness. LIMITATIONS: The correlational nature of this study limits to some extent the conclusions that can be drawn on the directionality of the observed relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Results offer support for the idea that lack of autobiographical memory specificity mediates the known relationship between rumination and poor problem-solving.

Autobiographies as Topic↗

Past or present? Childhood living conditions and current socioeconomic status as determinants of adult health.

The aim was to study the associations of childhood living conditions, together with past and present socioeconomic status, with adult health among Finnish men and women. The data were derived from a nationwide interview Survey on Living Conditions collected by Statistics Finland in 1986. The sample represents the non-institutional Finnish population aged 15 years or older. The number of respondents was 12,057 and the response rate 87%. In this study we analysed 30-year-old and older subjects. Two health indicators were analysed: first, limiting long-standing illness; and second, self-assessed health as "below good". Four different indicators of childhood living conditions were included: one concerning economic problems, and three concerning family related social problems during childhood. Additionally, the degree of urbanisation of the childhood living area was examined. Past and present socioeconomic status were measured by the status of origin, i.e. the respondent's father's and mother's education, and the status of destination, i.e. the respondent's own current education. Economic problems during childhood were associated with current health. The association of childhood social problems with health was somewhat weaker and less consistent than that of economic problems. A comparison of the mutual impacts of economic and social problems, respectively, shows that economic problems are stronger and more independent determinants of adult health than social problems. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, past and, particularly, present socioeconomic status are both important determinants of adult health. Current socioeconomic status showed strongest associations with adult health, but living conditions during upbringing, particularly economic problems and status of origin, were also significant predictors.

Adolescent↗

Assessment of the need for care 15 years after onset of a Dutch cohort of patients with schizophrenia, and an international comparison.

Assessment of needs for care is crucial in the evaluation of ongoing changes from institutional care to various forms of day- and outpatient treatment. Do patients really do better in the community and are they adequately cared for? The 15-year follow-up of a Dutch incidence cohort of patients with schizophrenia and other functional non-affective psychoses showed that 47 (out of 63) patients had positive ratings of symptoms and disabilities. They were assessed by means of the Needs for Care Assessment Schedule, which articulates the problems and corresponding interventions resulting in a judgement of met or unmet need for treatment or assessment. There was a mean of 2.1 clinical problems and 2.1 social problems per patient. Few problems were considered to generate unmet needs: 14% of the clinical problems and only 7% of the social problems. Nevertheless, 32% of the patients had one or more unmet needs. These results were compared with data from six research centres in the United Kingdom (Camberwell, Oxford and South Glamorgan), Canada (Montreal), Italy (Verona) and Finland (Tampere). Despite differences in health care settings in the four countries, the ratio of met to unmet needs (about 4-5 to 1) among chronic, mostly schizophrenic patients is more or less the same with the exception of an apparently underserved hostel population in Oxford and the Finnish patient population probably due to high expectations with respect to independent community living.

Adolescent↗

Social problem-solving in depressed, conduct-disordered, and normal adolescents.

Although past theory and research implicate social problem-solving deficits in both depression and aggressive disorders, research examining carefully diagnosed groups of adolescent depressed and conduct-disordered groups had not previously been conducted. In the current study three groups of adolescents (major depression, conduct-disordered, and normal) were studied using two social problem-solving measures. Both the Means-Ends Problem-Solving task (MEPS) and the Social Situations Analysis measure (SSA) failed to show social problem-solving problem deficits in the depressed group relative to their normal age peers, but did provide corroborative evidence for social problem-solving deficits in the conduct-disordered sample. Relative to the other two groups, the conduct-disordered adolescents were found to generate fewer means to a social end, to anticipate fewer obstacles in the pursuit of solutions to interpersonal situations, and to generate fewer assertive behavioral solutions to difficult social situations. The results are discussed in relation to other work with depressed and aggressive youth, and directions for future research are given.

Adolescent↗

Problems and needs for care of patients suffering from severe mental illness.

Recently, evaluative research has yielded a procedure, the Needs for Care Assessment Schedule (NFCAS), which articulates the problems and the corresponding interventions required by psychiatric patients in a systematic and reproducible manner that is of interest to both administrators and clinicians. Although the NFCAS decisions are ultimately subjective and there is no absolute standard, the procedure limits variation and offers a framework for comparison and further elaboration. A group of 98 patients who were receiving treatment at the Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Psychiatric Hospital in Montréal, Québec and who were suffering from severe mental disorders were assessed with the NFCAS procedure. Subjects were selected from four treatment settings representing different levels of problems and needs: long-term in- and outpatients and short-term in- and outpatients. Results of the NFCAS were examined, along with those of standardized questionnaires. The NFCAS allowed a comprehensive understanding of the clinical realities for problem and need assessment. There was an average of 3.9 clinical problems and 4.5 social problems per patient. Long-term patients and patients residing in the hospital had more problems. A total of 76% of the problems assessed were rated as receiving appropriate interventions, whereas 17% of the problems assessed were considered in need of an assessment or in need of treatment. A greater need for intervention was found for social problems than for clinical problems.

Activities of Daily Living↗