Background: People with intellectual disabilities age in a different way, than people without intellectual disabilities. To gain more insight into the ageing process of people with intellectual...Show moreBackground: People with intellectual disabilities age in a different way, than people without intellectual disabilities. To gain more insight into the ageing process of people with intellectual disabilities, the current study investigated whether young people (30 years and younger) with intellectual disabilities and intensive care needs (VG 6 or VG 7) differed from elderly (55 years and older) with intellectual disabilities and intensive care needs on seven domains of received support, adaptive functioning, quality of life and problem behavior at M1 and at M3 of the SCORE-study. In addition, it was investigated whether the progression from M1 to M3 on these variables differed between young people and elderly with intellectual disabilities and intensive care needs. Method: The sample consisted of 39 young people and 29 elderly with intellectual disabilities and intensive care needs (n = 68), from four different care organizations from North and South Holland in the Netherlands. The received support was measured with a contextual interview, adaptive functioning was measured with the Vineland-screener, quality of life was measured with the San Martin Scale and problem behavior was measured with the Developmental Behavior Checklist for Adults. The data was analyzed using twenty independent sample t-test, and ten Mixed Model ANOVA’s. Results: The current study shows that young people and elderly with intellectual disabilities and intensive care needs do not differ from each other in the support they receive, in their adaptivefunctioning, in their quality of life and in their exhibited problem behaviors at M1 and M3 of the SCORE-study. In addition, there were no differences in progression between the two groups on these variables from M1 to M3. Implications: The results of this study imply that the needs of young people and elderly with intellectual disabilities and intensive care needs might be more similar than expected from the scientific literature. Future research, which should include participants with all indications, and which should have a greater contrast between the compared age groups, should confirm this.Show less
Selective mutism (SM) is a relatively rare childhood disorder characterized by a consistent failure to speak in specific settings, such as school, despite speaking normally in other settings, such...Show moreSelective mutism (SM) is a relatively rare childhood disorder characterized by a consistent failure to speak in specific settings, such as school, despite speaking normally in other settings, such as at home. Little is known about the etiology of SM, although some studies show evidence of social anxiety or problems in communication skills as underlying mechanisms. This study investigated whether some children with SM in the Netherlands have more social anxiety and more problems in communication skills than peers. Moreover, it examined which of these factors has the strongest association with the non-speaking behaviour characteristic of SM. Parents of 28 children with SM (Nboys=6; Ngirls=22) and 44 children without SM (Nboys=19, Ngirls=23) aged 4-9 years completed questionnaires on their child's speaking behaviour (Selective Mutism Questionnaire), communication skills (Children's Communication Checklist) and social anxiety (Social Worries Anxiety Index for Young children). Results show that children with SM have significantly more social anxiety and more problems in communication skills than peers. Furthermore, more problems in non-speaking behaviour are significantly associated with more social anxiety and more problems in communication skills. Non-speaking behaviour has a stronger correlation with social anxiety than with communication skills. A hierarchical regression shows that social anxiety is a strong significant predictor (80%) of nonspeaking behaviour. Communication skills have minimal additional impact (0.5%) on the variance of non-speaking behaviour. Finally, communication skills partly (11%) explain why some children with social anxiety do not speak and other children do. A limitation of this study is the small sample size, which did not allow to control for ethnicity. Possibly this affects the outcomes of communication skills. Nevertheless, we feel confident that SM is mainly related to social anxiety. Communication skills have a small influence on the outcome of SM. Based on this we recommend that treatment of SM should mainly focus on social anxiety and in addition we should be alert for problems in communication skills.Show less
This study examined the relationship between religion, a history of emotional neglect and mental well-being in adolescents. The mental well-being of adolescents in the Netherlands has declined...Show moreThis study examined the relationship between religion, a history of emotional neglect and mental well-being in adolescents. The mental well-being of adolescents in the Netherlands has declined concerningly in recent years. An experience of emotional neglect can have a substantial impact on mental well-being. Despite the serious consequences that can follow, emotional neglect has received limited attention. Therefore, this study examines to what extent religion can be a protective factor for adolescents’ mental well-being. Religion can serve as a form of social support and can be an important source of identity-building. Adolescents (N=217) aged 16 to 24 completed an online survey, containing different questionnaires. Mental well-being was measured using the WEMWBS and emotional neglect using the CTQ-SF. Religion has been surveyed on two aspects: beliefs and religious practice, both using questions from an existing dataset. Results were obtained across three groups: Christians, Muslims and non-believers. First, a one-way ANOVA showed that there was no difference between nonbelieving, Christian and Muslim adolescents in their mental well-being. In addition, the regression showed that religious practice did not appear to significantly predict adolescents' mental well-being. Finally, the multiple regression did show a significant result: emotional neglect significantly predicts lower mental well-being. However, religion does not influence the effect between emotional neglect and adolescents' mental well-being. In conclusion, no evidence was found that religion has an effect on adolescents' mental well-being. Religion was also not found to be a protective factor after experiencing emotional neglect. However, this research has confirmed that emotional neglect has a negative effect on adolescents’ mental well-being. Therefore, emotional neglect and adolescents’ mental well-being deserves more public and scientific attention.Show less
As a fundamental skill in one’s life, reading should be one of the main focuses of children's education, which translates to teachers holding a vital role in the development of reading skills. The...Show moreAs a fundamental skill in one’s life, reading should be one of the main focuses of children's education, which translates to teachers holding a vital role in the development of reading skills. The current study examines whether there is a relationship between teachers’ beliefs about reading and their actual reading practices, as well as the moderation effect of potential barriers that may hinder this relationship. Specifically, we explored the relationship between the perceived severity and responsibility of engaging in reading activities from a young age and the actual time spent reading digital books in the classroom. Teachers from schools in the Netherlands (N = 10) responded to a questionnaire that measured their perceived severity, responsibility, and barriers to reading in class, and also provided their log data with the frequency and duration that they were reading digital books in class. We performed separate regression analyses with each variable of perceived severity and responsibility, and the total reading time, as well as a hierarchical regression analysis with our moderator (perceived barriers). However, we were unable to prove any significant relationship or moderation effect among our variables. We concluded that the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and their actual teaching practices is complicated and that it can be influenced by many factors not included in our study, such as time constraints and potential lack of specific teaching qualifications. This, as well as our insufficient sample size, might have impacted our research and resulted in non-significant results. Nevertheless, the current study provides an important starting point for future research regarding this relationship, as well as information for digital book reading; a field with limited available research.Show less
In the present study the question is addressed whether child’s social language use is associated with child’s temperament and social anxiety of parents of children with selective mutism, in...Show moreIn the present study the question is addressed whether child’s social language use is associated with child’s temperament and social anxiety of parents of children with selective mutism, in comparison with a control group (CG). 74 Participants are included. The SM-group (N=30) contains 8 boys and 22 girls and the CG (N=44) exists of 21 boys and 23 girls aged 4 to 8 years. The parents completed questionnaires about their children’s development, focusing on the frequency of non-speaking behavior (Selective Mutism Questionnaire), communication skills (Children’s Communication Checklist) and temperament (Children’s Behavior Questionnaire). They also completed a self-report about their own experiences of social anxiety (Social Phobia Anxiety Inventory). Compared to the CG, the SM-group has significantly more problems with social language use (t(71)= 2.95; p= .004), doesn’t have a more difficult temperament (t(70)= 1.93; p=.057), mothers have significantly more social anxiety (t(63)= 2.70; p= .009), fathers don’t (t(53)= 0.04; p= .97). There is a significant positive moderate association between childrens social language use and mothers’ social anxiety (r(65)= .40, p < .001), also between the childrens social language use and their temperament (r(71)= .32, p= .006). There is no association between social language use and fathers’ social anxiety (r(55)= .01, p= .972). Mothers' social anxiety predicts 17% of the variance in child’s social language use (R2= .17, F(1,62)= 12.31, p< .001). A higher degree of mothers’ social anxiety predicts more problems in children's social language use. Mothers’ social anxiety and childrens temperament together are also significant and predict 21% of the variance in child’s social language use (R2= .21, F(2,61)= 7.90, p < .001). Temperament explained only 4% variance in social language use, it is not a significant predictor. The results stimulate further research into the importance of involving mothers with social anxiety in the treatment of their child with SM.Show less
Attachment begins to form during pregnancy, as mothers establish relationships with their unborn child. There is still limited knowledge about prenatal attachment and its relationships with other...Show moreAttachment begins to form during pregnancy, as mothers establish relationships with their unborn child. There is still limited knowledge about prenatal attachment and its relationships with other maternal and child factors. For the present study, the following research question was formulated: How do maternal executive functioning, the prenatal attachment and the pregnancy that was/wasn’t planned influence child problem behavior at the age of 4? Data from the MINDS-Leiden research project (Smaling et al., 2015) were utilized. This study examined potential predictors of early behavioral problems in young children (0-4 years) through tests and questionnaires administered to 275 Dutch women. Using a demographic questionnaire, the mothers were asked if the pregnancy was planned. The BRIEF-A was used to measure the maternal executive functioning. The MAAS was used to measure the prenatal mother-child attachment. The CBCL was used to measure the internalizing and externalizing problem behavior of the child at 4 years old. Results showed that children whose pregnancies were not planned showed more (internalizing and externalizing) problem behavior at the age of 4 than children whose pregnancies were planned. Furthermore, better maternal executive functioning was related to lower (internalizing and externalizing) problem behavior. Maternal executive functioning was also positively related to prenatal mother-child attachment. Multiple regression analyses showed that maternal executive functioning was the only robust predictor of both internalizing and externalizing problem behavior. In conclusion, prenatal attachment is related to childhood behavior problems, but in predictive models including other factors associated with both prenatal attachment and problem behavior (in the present study: planned/unplanned pregnancy and, particularly, maternal executive function) it appears to lose its unique predictive value. Measurement of prenatal attachment could be improved or refined further to obtain the best possible representation of this construct.Show less
Children are to be interrogated when there are suspicions of physical or sexual abuse, neglect, domestic violence, murder, or other crime in their near environment. Although these children are very...Show moreChildren are to be interrogated when there are suspicions of physical or sexual abuse, neglect, domestic violence, murder, or other crime in their near environment. Although these children are very vulnerable and their information could be of great value for the criminal investigation, there’s often a lack of expertise in interrogating young victims. There has also not much been researched yet about child characteristics in relation to the length and correctness of statements. In the current study has therefore been researched to what extent the imaginativeness of children, besides age, could predict the extensiveness and inaccuracy of statements during a child interrogation. The sample consisted of 31 children between 7 and 11 years old. The children participated in a yoga lesson with three parts. Each part consisted of a certain number of forensic details. A week after the yoga lesson, the children participated in an interrogation where they had been asked about what they remembered about the yoga lesson. The variables were measured by questionnaire and by recordings of the child interrogations. The results of a correlation analysis showed no significant correlations between all four variables. Besides, the stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that imaginativeness, besides age, did not predict the extensiveness and inaccuracy. Therefore, the study showed that imaginative children did not necessarily show more extensiveness and inaccuracy in their answers during the interrogation, despite positive expectations on basis of earlier studies. Some limitations of the current study have possibly contributed to these results. As extensiveness and accuracy of statements is necessary for good results in criminal investigation and proper handling of the case, it is important to continue with research about child interrogation and to find out which factors could contribute to more extensiveness and accuracy of statements.Show less
Although a formal, generally accepted definition of ‘good enough parenting’ is nonexistent, the term is widely used in Dutch youthcare to make important decisions that have a major impact on the...Show moreAlthough a formal, generally accepted definition of ‘good enough parenting’ is nonexistent, the term is widely used in Dutch youthcare to make important decisions that have a major impact on the lives of children and their parents. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore how the concept of 'good enough parenting' is defined and used in research and Dutch Child Protection Services (CPS). In addition, possible influences of personal background of the professional as well as the client on the interpretation of 'good enough parenting' and the attention paid to reflection on this subject were examined. The study was conducted at a certified institution for CPS in the ‘Randstad’. Twenty participants participated in a 45-60 minute long semi-structured interview and five team meetings were observed during the decision-making process about terminating CPS involvement in a specific case. The content was analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Although there are differences in interpretation of 'good enough parenting', in most cases youth care professionals generally (but not always) agreed about the presence or absence of ‘good enough parenting’ based on the given situations. When queried, youth care professionals were able to reflect on the possible influence of personal perspective on the assessment of ‘good enough parenting’ as a result of different (cultural) background and upbringing, although most participants tended to reflect on fellow professionals rather than on themselves. Possible influences of the personal background of the client family or the youth care professional were not discussed during the five observed team meetings. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the complex nature of 'good enough parenting' and emphasize awareness of team composition in cultural background and age/workexperience in Dutch CPS.Show less
Throughout our lives, we go through stressful situations on a daily basis. It effects multiple facets of our lives, including social interaction and empathy. This study explores the impact of acute...Show moreThroughout our lives, we go through stressful situations on a daily basis. It effects multiple facets of our lives, including social interaction and empathy. This study explores the impact of acute stress on affective empathy in female students (N = 115, M = 21.23 years, SD = 1.64 years). After being exposed to the (placebo) Trier Social Stress Test, participants completed an affective empathy task. They assigned compassion and positive affect scores to negative, neutral and positive pictures. Smiling and frowning responses were measured simultaneously. Surprisingly, no significant differences were revealed between the stress and control group for compassion and positive affect. However, results indicated more relaxation in smiling muscles and more tension in frowning muscles in response to positive stimuli in the stress condition. The results challenge the tend-and-befriend framework.Show less
Previous studies have shown that partner violence is associated with problem behavior in children, as children experience partner violence as a traumatic event. This study focused on the possible...Show morePrevious studies have shown that partner violence is associated with problem behavior in children, as children experience partner violence as a traumatic event. This study focused on the possible moderating role of attachment in the relation between partner violence and problem behavior. The hypothesis of the moderating role of attachment was that witnessing partner violence a different effect had on secure and insecure attached children on the extent of problem behavior. The study included 190 children, aged 8 to 17 years. The children were referred to Veilig Thuis after a report of domestic violence. The findings of the study showed that there was a direct relationship between partner violence and problem behavior. The research also focused on the relation between partner violence and attachment and attachment and problem behavior. Additionally, no significant interaction effect was found. However, the results showed that there was an association between attachment and problem behavior in children. Further research could focus on children's data related to partner violence, as data collected through children is considered reliable. To make well-founded statements, further research is needed to include attachment as a mediator and to focus on children's data related to partner violence.Show less
Reading comprehension is an essential skill in life that one needs to be able to participate in today’s society. The latest PISA results showed that 1 in 4 of the 15-year-old Dutch children has too...Show moreReading comprehension is an essential skill in life that one needs to be able to participate in today’s society. The latest PISA results showed that 1 in 4 of the 15-year-old Dutch children has too little reading comprehension to understand the written world around them. A meta-analysis of Swart et al. has clearly indicated that extensive feedback given after a reading task shows better understanding of the text than lesser feedback or feedback during the reading task. However, these studies were all conducted with students who study in University. In this thesis we investigated whether extensive feedback given after a reading task to children in Groep 7 (approximately 11 years old) in the Netherlands show a better understanding of the texts compared to children that were given no or less extensive feedback. No significant differences were found between any of the experimental conditions. However, due to low numbers in each experimental group, the outcome of this study should be interpreted with caution. It is also unclear at this moment if the texts that were used during the intervention were suited for these children. Furthermore, the motivation of the children to seriously participate in this study is questioned. It is suggested that further research should be done to investigate the best type and timing of providing feedback to students.Show less
Reading skills are fundamental for success in school and society. Research has shown that struggling readers need intensive interventions to improve their reading skills. The purpose of this study...Show moreReading skills are fundamental for success in school and society. Research has shown that struggling readers need intensive interventions to improve their reading skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two individualized online reading tutoring interventions – UIL (Universal Instruction for Literacy) and RA (Read-Along) – on the word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension skills of struggling readers in grades 4 and 5 (N=52). The UIL intervention involved direct, explicit reading instruction, whereas the RA intervention focused on increasing the amount of reading that students did. Both interventions were compared to a wait-list, business-as-usual (BAU) control group. Reading skills were measured via CBM word reading, CBM reading aloud, and CBM maze-selection tasks. Results revealed that students in the intervention conditions (UIL and RA) made significantly greater pre-posttest gains in word reading skills than did students in BAU control condition. Additionally, students in the UIL and RA made significantly greater pre-posttest gains in reading fluency and in restoring meaning to the text than did students in the BAU condition; however, these results were seen only for instructional texts, not for transfer texts. The results of the study suggest that providing extra, intensive 1:1 reading intervention to struggling readers in grades 4 and 5 may increase their reading skills; however, the extent to which such skill improvements transfer to material not practiced during instruction is in question.Show less
This study extends the current research landscape concerning the complex interrelation of culture, socio-economic status, and gender with children's internalizing problems by researching if and how...Show moreThis study extends the current research landscape concerning the complex interrelation of culture, socio-economic status, and gender with children's internalizing problems by researching if and how these factors contribute to internalizing problems in Dutch and Indian children. Indian and Dutch children aged 10-13 years old were interviewed using the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) and filled out a questionnaire of the Family Affluence Scale (FAS) and Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS). Statistically significant differences were observed in internalizing problems between Dutch and Indian children based on cultural origin and socioeconomic status. Indian children exhibited higher levels of internalizing problems compared to Dutch children, while Dutch children generally came from families with higher socioeconomic status than Indian children. Over the whole sample girls were found to have a higher score for internalizing problems than boys, however the observed difference was not significant. Altogether cultural origin, socio-economic status, and gender explained a significant proportion of the variance in internalizing problems for the whole sample. Regarding children’s experience and perception participants revealed to deal with anxiety by talking about it to loved ones. Boys’ fears were centered around their own performance and well-being, while girls primarily expressed concerns related to the safety and well-being of their loved ones. Experiences specific to socio-economic status did not become apparent. Despite the acknowledged limitations, this study contributes to a broader comprehension of the intricate relationship among cultural origin, gender, socio-economic status, and internalizing problems.Show less
Decisions regarding child protection are complicated and have a large impact on children, parents and families. This study aims to examine whether certain family factors (family conflicts such as...Show moreDecisions regarding child protection are complicated and have a large impact on children, parents and families. This study aims to examine whether certain family factors (family conflicts such as domestic violence, SES, divorce between parents and/or the number of children in the family) cohere with the decision to start an investigation (raadsonderzoek) by the child protection services (Raad voor de Kinderbescherming). This decision regarding an investigation is a particular decision in the Netherlands which is made early in the process of child protection. When an investigation is necessary, the child protection services will further investigate if a supervision order, out-of-home placement or termination of authority is necessary. When an investigation is not necessary the families continue with voluntary youth care and the child protection services are no longer involved. To examine if certain family factors are related to the decision to start an investigation 84 documents filled in by the child protection services and other involved youth workers were analysed. This document contains information about the parents, children and family. For this research an own coding system was developed to code the documents. Family conflicts such as domestic violence, SES, divorce between parents and/or the number of children in the family were not related to the decision to start an investigation by the child protection services. For good decision-making in child protection all factors (family, child and parent factors) need to be taken in account, not only family factors.Show less
