Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
The gender gap in STEM majors and careers is very prominent and alarming (Beilock & Maloney, 2015). Students are more likely to avoid STEM careers when they show higher levels of Mathematics...Show moreThe gender gap in STEM majors and careers is very prominent and alarming (Beilock & Maloney, 2015). Students are more likely to avoid STEM careers when they show higher levels of Mathematics Anxiety (MA; Ahmed, 2018). The current study investigates the difference in Mathematics Anxiety between male and female students in their first year of the preacademic educational track (HAVO, atheneum and gymnasium) in secondary school in the Netherlands. The Numerical Dot-Probe Task (NDPT) is a computerized task that is based on attentional bias and less susceptible to bias than self-report questionnaires. (Rubinsten, Eidlin, Wohl, & Akibli, 2015). Related concepts to MA that will be controlled for are; mathematical achievement, general anxiety and working memory. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling, the final sample consisted of seven students. Using the adapted t-test, z-scores of all participants were compared in order to answer the research question (Crawford, Garthwaite, & Wood, 2010). 100% of girls and 20% of boys showed higher levels of MA when looking at their scores on the self-report questionnaires compared to their score on the NDPT. Overall, the girls’ MA score was overestimated and the boys’ MA score was underestimated. However, this effect was not strong enough to result in an overrepresentation of girls and an underrepresentation of boys in the population of children with high levels of MA when looking at the self-report questionnaires. Results suggested that the prominent gender gap in STEM studies might not be due to gender differences in MA. Due to the smaller sample size, it is important that these findings are replicated in future studies using bigger samples. Stereotype threat is a variable that could explain the STEM gender gap and should thus be included in these future studies.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2020-11-30T00:00:00Z
Objective: To examine (a) the effect of maternal reflective functioning (RF) on precursors of theory of mind (ToM) and executive functioning (EF) in 20-month-old children, (b) the relation between...Show moreObjective: To examine (a) the effect of maternal reflective functioning (RF) on precursors of theory of mind (ToM) and executive functioning (EF) in 20-month-old children, (b) the relation between ToM and EF at 20 months, and (c) the effectiveness of an early intervention program aimed, among others, at improving maternal RF. Method: The sample consisted of 118 mother-child dyads. Maternal RF was assessed during pregnancy using the Pregnancy Interview-Revised and at 20 months using the Parent Development Interview. At 20 months children’s ToM understanding was examined using a simple visual perspective (VP) taking task, a discrepant desires (DD) task and an imitation task; EF performance was assessed using a delay task (inhibition) and a working memory (WM) task called ‘hide the pots’. The Child Behavior Checklist was conducted to assess children’s problem behavior. Results: Children of mothers low on maternal RF, especially child-related RF, showed significantly worse VP-taking capacities compared with children of mothers average/high on RF. A significant moderating effect of children’s problem behavior was present; children with high attention problems or a high withdrawn level were more affected by their mothers’ low RF capacities. No unequivocal and significant effects of maternal RF on DD, imitation and EF performance were found. In addition, only a significant correlation between DD and WM performance was present. The effectiveness of the early intervention program regarding improving RF could not be confirmed. Conclusions: Early intervention programs should focus on improving child-related aspects of maternal RF of mothers at risk for being low on RF, especially when their children show problem behavior. Future research should reexamine both the effect of maternal RF on ToM and EF, and the relationship between ToM and EF at e.g. 2.5 years.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2020-08-06T00:00:00Z
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are characterized by communication deficits. Emotions are part of interpersonal communication and adequate use of emotions are vital for successful...Show moreChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are characterized by communication deficits. Emotions are part of interpersonal communication and adequate use of emotions are vital for successful interaction. To see if children with ASD express emotions to the same extent, we compared 17 children with ASD (age range: 3-6 years) to 33 typically developing children of the same age on both on behavioral emotion expression and on psychophysiological arousal. The behavioral expression and psychophysiological parameters of emotion (heart rate and skin conductance level) were continuously measured during rest and a fear inducing paradigm. The groups did not differ on the intensity of negative or positive emotion expression. The ASD group had lower skin conductance levels during rest compared to the typically developing children and a more pronounced increase in psychophysiological arousal in response to a fear paradigm. To integrate these two separate measures of emotion, the concordance between the behavioral and psychophysiological components was evaluated. Negative emotions were related to heart rate in the ASD group and to skin conductance in the control group, but the strength of the correlation did not differ significantly between the two groups. Considering the health and behavioral risks associated with abnormal levels of emotional arousal, the specific effects of deviant emotional arousal in children with ASD need to be further explored. Targeting psychophysiological levels of arousal in interventions might be an effective approach to ameliorate challenging behavior in children with ASD.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2020-08-10T00:00:00Z
Child factors and contextual factors collectively contribute to the development of (externalizing) behavioral problems. Individual cognition and beliefs are of influence on this interplay. The...Show moreChild factors and contextual factors collectively contribute to the development of (externalizing) behavioral problems. Individual cognition and beliefs are of influence on this interplay. The current study focused on the influence of perceived self-competence on the negative relationship between intelligence (as an important child factor) and externalizing behavioral problems. It was hypothesized that the four aspects of perceived self-competence (cognitive, social, physical and general self-worth) fulfill mediating or moderating roles in the negative relationship between intelligence and externalizing behavioral problems. The sample consisted of 117 children (27 girls, 90 boys) aged 6-14 years old (M = 9.67, SD = 1.65). Intelligence was measured using the Total IQ score of the WISC-IIINL, perceived self-competence was measured using the Competentie Belevingsschaal voor Kinderen, and externalizing behavioral problems were measured using the Externalizing Problem Score of the Teacher’s Report Form. The presence of a negative relationship between intelligence and externalizing behavioral problems was confirmed through a Pearson correlation (r (116) = -.524, p <.001). In addition, a significant, negative association was found between the cognitive aspect of perceived self-competence and externalizing behavioral problems (r (104) = -.273, p <.01). No other associations were found, ruling out the possibility of the aspects of perceived self-competence fulfilling mediating or moderating roles in the relationship between intelligence and externalizing behavioral problems. However, the results of the current study have led to interesting insights, which can be implemented during the development of specifically targeted interventions in order to reduce externalizing behavioral problems.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2020-04-25T00:00:00Z
Objective: Poor emotion regulation in early development has been related to negative child outcomes and is expected to be influenced by interactions with primary caregivers. This study examines the...Show moreObjective: Poor emotion regulation in early development has been related to negative child outcomes and is expected to be influenced by interactions with primary caregivers. This study examines the relation between infant emotion regulation and maternal self-regulation. Method: The sample consisted of 132 infant-mother dyads. Maternal emotion regulation (ER) problems and executive functioning (EF) problems were assessed during pregnancy by means of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function—Adult version. At six months of age, infant’s behavioral and physiological stress responses were observed during the Still Face Paradigm (SFP). Results: In response to the still face, infants showed an increase in heart rate and negative affect, and a decrease in positive affect and gaze. Infants of mothers with more ER problems showed more reactivity on heart rate, and arching and squirming. During the still face, infant self-soothing behavior increased. In response to the reunion positive affect, gaze, self-soothing behavior and negative affect increased, while arching and squirming behavior decreased. Infants of mothers with more ER problems, but few EF problems, showed less gaze during the still face, and higher levels of negative affect in general. Conclusion: This study underlines that a mother’s capacities to self-regulate influence the infant’s stress system and the emotional development of their infant. Helping mothers to enhance their own ER capacities could possibly decrease the risk for future psychopathology for their infants.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2020-12-31T00:00:00Z
The goal of the present study was to investigate whether maternal sensitivity and infant temperament were predictors of infant jealousy. The differential susceptibility hypothesis was also tested....Show moreThe goal of the present study was to investigate whether maternal sensitivity and infant temperament were predictors of infant jealousy. The differential susceptibility hypothesis was also tested. It was investigated if infant temperament could moderate the relationship between maternal sensitivity and infant jealousy. Forty-eight 10-month-olds and their mothers participated in the study. Jealousy was measured during a 10 minutes episode of free-play between mother and infant during which mothers were instructed to care for a life-like doll. The doll cried for 5 minutes of the total episode. Infants were able to play with a large variety of toys during the jealousy evoking situation. Maternal sensitivity was measured during three additional short episodes (break, free-play without toys, free-play with toys). Infant temperament was measured by the Infant Characteristic Questionnaire (ICQ). The results showed that maternal sensitivity and infant temperament were not predictors of infant jealousy within the present study. Also, no proof was found for the differential susceptibility hypothesis. Infant temperament was not a significant predictor in the relationship between maternal sensitivity and infant temperament. The results of the present study indicate that the relationships between maternal sensitivity and infant jealousy and between infant temperament and infant jealousy might not be as strong as suggested by previous studies.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2020-03-16T00:00:00Z
The Cardiff Infant Contentiousness Scale aims to measure early signs of aggression. In the ‘Een Goed begin’ longitudinal study, aggressive traits of 152 infants (85 of them boys) were assessed...Show moreThe Cardiff Infant Contentiousness Scale aims to measure early signs of aggression. In the ‘Een Goed begin’ longitudinal study, aggressive traits of 152 infants (85 of them boys) were assessed using the CICS. In this study, reliability and validity of the instrument were examined. Internal consistency was .44 for children aged 6 months, and .54 for children around 12 months old. For children aged 12 months old in the low-risk part of our sample however, this number increased to .68. Test-retest reliability between these two time points was .20. In validity analysis, a correlation was expected between CICs ratings and infant temperament as well as physical aggression. At 6 months old the CICS correlated with several aspects of infant temperament (r = -.32, -.24, .37, p <.01) while at 12 months old there were no correlations between the CICS and infant temperament. At 12 months of age, a correlation was found with physical aggression scores (r = .34, p >.01) . Since reliability and validity were not found to be sufficient, caution must be exercised when using the CICS as a measure of infant aggression in research and practice.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2016-10-24T00:00:00Z
Women with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have become focus of research only recently, thus far there is little knowledge about the female phenotype of ASD in relation to social information...Show moreWomen with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have become focus of research only recently, thus far there is little knowledge about the female phenotype of ASD in relation to social information processing. This study focused on social cognition in high functioning women with ASD with specific focus on social attention and empathy. Participants consisted of 31 women with ASD and 29 non-clinical controls. Social attention was assessed by measuring eye fixation patterns using eye tracking while participant watched four movie clips of children expressing specific emotions. Empathic abilities were assessed using the informant reported Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Results show deceased fixation duration on the face and mouth in women with ASD compared to non-clinical controls, no differences were found in fixation duration on the eyes, objects and outside the areas of interest. In addition, women with ASD had a reduced ability to take the other’s perspective, a reduced ability to imagine the actions and feelings of (fictional) characters, and experienced more personal distress in stressful situations compared to non-clinical controls. In women with ASD, a negative correlation was found between personal distress and total fixation duration to the face. It is concluded that women with ASD have a deviant attention in social situations and reduced cognitive empathic abilities, but have more distress in social situations al well. It is suggested that an attentional deployment hypothesis might explain the findings. These findings stress the need for adjusting diagnostic assessment and treatment of women with ASD to the female phenotype of ASD.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2019-08-29T00:00:00Z
The current study investigated and compared the development of Chinese girls adopted from institutional care, foster care, or from a mixture of both types of care to the Netherlands. The sample...Show moreThe current study investigated and compared the development of Chinese girls adopted from institutional care, foster care, or from a mixture of both types of care to the Netherlands. The sample consisted of 1106 girls who were between 4 and 18 years of age (mean age 7 years). Parents completed several questionnaires addressing all kinds of subjects related to the health and development of the adopted children. Results revealed that most girls adopted from China were healthy and experienced few developmental delays. Most girls scored high on individual strengths and competencies as well and they had satisfying relationships with their adoptive parents. Part of the adoptees showed some indiscriminate friendliness. A comparison of the care groups revealed that girls adopted from foster care were in an advantage with regard to their general health and developmental status. Mean differences between the groups, however, were small. Neither a mediating effect of children’s self-regulatory abilities, nor a moderating role of either age at adoption or the parent-child relationship could be established. Some direct effects, however, were found. Children adopted before their first birthday and children who had a very good relationship with their parents showed most developmental gains. Overall, this study provides information regarding the adjustment and development of female children adopted from various types of care in China that might be useful to adoptive parents and a range of professionals and organizations working with international adoptees.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2019-09-05T00:00:00Z
This eye-tracking study investigates whether age-related changes in the ability to take perspective influence narrative text comprehension. Thirty-two typically-developing children (M = 11.73; SD =...Show moreThis eye-tracking study investigates whether age-related changes in the ability to take perspective influence narrative text comprehension. Thirty-two typically-developing children (M = 11.73; SD = 0.74) and 34 young adults (M = 21.02; SD = 1.98) read stories in which the need to use perspective-taking abilities was systematically varied. The offline measure (after reading) suggested that adults were better and faster at making inferences in general, and both 10-12-year-olds and 18-25-year-olds were faster in making an inference in the complex perspective-taking condition (which required them to take the perspective of one of the story characters and imagine how this character would react to the intentions, thoughts, or feelings of another story character) compared to the control condition (which required them to make an inference about physical causality with regard to an object). The reading process itself revealed that 18-25-year-olds read stories faster across all conditions we examined. In addition, both 10-12-year-olds as well as adults revealed the longest reading times in the most difficult condition in which complex perspective-taking was needed to draw inferences. Stories in which the interaction between two story characters has to be taken into account are processed differently compared to stories in which no social-cognitive information is needed, as well as compared to when one only has to take the perspective of one story character. Narratives in which perspective-taking is crucial for comprehension are more difficult to process, even for adults, but are better represented in the situation model readers construct.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2019-08-19T00:00:00Z
Parents who have experienced childhood maltreatment may face difficulties when faced with the hardships of parenting. A phase that may prove to be especially difficult for parents who have...Show moreParents who have experienced childhood maltreatment may face difficulties when faced with the hardships of parenting. A phase that may prove to be especially difficult for parents who have experienced childhood maltreatment is the adolescent phase of their child, as it is often marked by conflict. In addition, their child’s young-adult phase can become difficult for maltreated parents, because this new period of exploration and reorganization of the emotional ties of the young adult with their parents also marks a period of change. Furthermore, maltreated parents may face additional difficulties are associated with childhood maltreatment, like psychological problems or less adaptive personality traits. This paper focuses on maltreated and non-maltreated parents and the quality of interaction with their adolescent or young adult children. It will be investigated whether child maltreatment experienced by the parent influences the quality of the interactions with their adolescent/young adult children and whether parental psychopathology and personality mediate the effect of experienced maltreatment by the parents on the interaction with their adolescent/young adult children. The sample consisted of 12 non-maltreated parents and 10 maltreated parents, some parents were part of the same family. Multilevel analysis was performed to consider within family nestedness of the data. Ordinary least squares regression was performed when multilevel was not possible. No effects of experienced maltreatment on parental interaction (emotional support and warmth/lack of negative affect) was found. Furthermore, there were no mediating effects of personality nor psychopathology on the association between experienced maltreatment and parental interaction. However, it was found that that childhood maltreatment can be linked to a less agreeable and more introverted disposition in adulthood. Furthermore, more introverted parents were more emotionally supportive. These tentative findings expand the scarce literature on the effect of maltreatment on personality in adulthood and of the influence of personality traits on parental interaction. Gaining more insight in how parenting is affected by personality traits and how the development of specific personality traits are affected by maltreatment might aide in providing more insight in how to assist these maltreated parents and their children.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2019-07-19T00:00:00Z
Objective. To examine the effect of the parenting style of the mother on the relation between maternal depression and the infant’s stress response system. Method. The sample consisted of 55 mothers...Show moreObjective. To examine the effect of the parenting style of the mother on the relation between maternal depression and the infant’s stress response system. Method. The sample consisted of 55 mothers and their infants. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed during pregnancy and when the infant was six months old, by means of the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Maternal parenting style was observed from mother-infant interaction during the Still Face Paradigm, when the infant was six months old. When the infant was 12 months old, a stress-paradigm was conducted during which both physiological and behavioral measures of infant stress reactivity were obtained. Results. Maternal postnatal depressive symptoms were found to be negatively related to maternal sensitivity. In addition, maternal prenatal as well as postnatal depressive symptoms were found to predict infant baseline heart rate, infant stress reactivity and infant heart rate recovery, but only in interaction with certain characteristics of the mother’s parenting style. Conclusions. The present study underlines that the way a mother interacts with her child is very important for the development of the child’s neurobiological system and that her parenting style can either buffer or enhance the effect of maternal psychopathology. Teaching mothers at risk how to interact positively and adequately with their child and how to respond to its needs, could possibly decrease the deleterious effects of maternal depression on child development.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2019-07-19T00:00:00Z
Problems with emotion regulation in childhood are related to negative child outcomes later in life, such as behavior problems. Because parents play an essential role by assisting their infant to...Show moreProblems with emotion regulation in childhood are related to negative child outcomes later in life, such as behavior problems. Because parents play an essential role by assisting their infant to develop the ability to regulate their emotions, the purpose of this study was to gain deeper understanding of the relation between maternal behavior and infants’ behavioral and physiological emotional reactivity and emotion regulation. 66 mother-infant dyads participated in two stress paradigms: the still-face paradigm was conducted at 6 months of age and the child was exposed to the robot paradigm at 12 months of age. During the stress paradigms infants’ behavioral reactivity, self-soothing behavior, heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were examined. Maternal sensitivity and maternal intrusiveness were observed during a free play task at the 6-month appointment. Overall, the infants showed behavioral and physiological arousal and regulation during stress. Although no effect of maternal intrusiveness was found, the 6-month-old infants of mothers judged as more sensitive showed more emotional reactivity, indicated by a greater increase in negative affect and heart rate than infants of less sensitive mothers. These infants also showed more physiological regulation, indicated by a greater decrease in RSA during stress than infants of less sensitive mothers. The stability of emotional reactivity and emotion regulation between 6 and 12 months was low: only the difference in RSA from stress to recovery was modestly stable. It is concluded that maternal behavior has an effect on the development of infants’ emotional reactivity and emotion regulation Future studies should further investigate the environmental characteristics influencing the development of emotion regulation in children using longitudinal designs.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2018-07-01T00:00:00Z
The aim of the present study was to examine the concept of social defeat in a human sample. Relationships between an ethnic minority position, implicit and explicit self-esteem, heart rate, skin...Show moreThe aim of the present study was to examine the concept of social defeat in a human sample. Relationships between an ethnic minority position, implicit and explicit self-esteem, heart rate, skin conductance, and social support were examined. In addition, the relationship between self-reported behavioral problems on the one hand, and self-esteem and physiology on the other hand was explored. The sample consisted of 56 male adolescents 12-18 years of age, who were divided, based on self-report behavioral problems into a high and low risk group. The implicit association task and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale were used to measure self-esteem. Measures of heart rate and skin conductance were collected during an affective research paradigm. There were no relationships between an ethnic minority position and any of the behavioral measures. Individuals reporting a significant degree of behavioral problems had lower explicit self-esteem. Average heart rate was found to be related to internalizing behavior in a low-risk group regardless of SES, self-esteem or social support. Social support did diminish the effect of average heart rate on externalizing behavior in the low-risk group. In conclusion, no clear picture of the social defeat concept is revealed by this study, more research is required.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2018-09-25T00:00:00Z
The present study was the first to investigate the association between mothers’ ability to reflect upon the relationship with her (unborn) infant during pregnancy and maternal and infant behavior...Show moreThe present study was the first to investigate the association between mothers’ ability to reflect upon the relationship with her (unborn) infant during pregnancy and maternal and infant behavior during the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). The sample consisted of 52 mother-infant dyads, from both high (HR, N = 22)- and low (LR, N = 29) risk backgrounds, as defined by the presence/absence of unemployment, poverty or financial problems, housing problems, limited or instable social support network, being single or having changing partners, (subclinical) psychiatric problems (such as depression, anxiety, borderline, aggression), or substance abuse (smoking, alcohol, or drugs). High-risk (HR)-mothers had lower levels of reflective functioning than LR-mothers and showed less sensitive and more intrusive behavior in interaction with their infants. Infants from high risk backgrounds showed more negative affect during play and less gaze towards mother during the still-face episode of the SFP. Reflective functioning during pregnancy predicted maternal sensitive and intrusive behavior during play, but only for LR-mothers. In general, maternal reflective functioning predicted infant display of minimal positive affect during the still-face episode, an association that was not mediated by maternal behavior during the SFP. These results indicate that mothers’ reflective abilities predict later maternal sensitive and intrusive behavior, and even some infant behavior independently from maternal behavior. Future studies should further clarify the role of maternal reflective capacities in the development of children’s emotion regulation abilities, and its potential role in prenatal coaching and interventions.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2018-11-01T00:00:00Z
This study investigated the effect of maternal depression on mother and infant behavior during the Still Face Paradigm (SFP). It was investigated whether the SFP elicited the still-face effect. In...Show moreThis study investigated the effect of maternal depression on mother and infant behavior during the Still Face Paradigm (SFP). It was investigated whether the SFP elicited the still-face effect. In addition, the effect of maternal depression on infant’s emotion regulation and maternal behavior during the SFP was examined. Fifty-two mother-infant dyads participated in this study. Maternal depression was measured using a positive score on either the MINI-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-Plus) or Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) during the first or second appointment. Additionally, the cognitive development of six-month old infants was measured using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II). During a home-visit, the SFP was administered by trained PhD- or graduate students, and mother and infant behaviors were coded afterwards. Results indicated that the still face effect was found for negative affect, arching and/or squirming behavior, gaze toward mother, and additionally for maternal sensitivity and maternal positive affect. Infants of depressed mothers averted gaze during all episodes of the SFP compared to infants of non-depressed mothers. Combination of SFP episodes and maternal depression resulted in more arching and/or squirming behavior during the play and reunion episodes for infants of depressed mothers. Furthermore, mothers who feel depressed showed more internalizing or helpless behavior during the reunion. The findings of this study increase the knowledge of the effects of maternal depression on mother behavior and infant’s regulatory capacities during stress exposure.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2016-12-01T00:00:00Z
Psychological adaptation was examined in 993 Dutch internationally adopted adults (M= 38 years; 58% female) with a relatively high percentage of pre-adoption adversity, and the international...Show morePsychological adaptation was examined in 993 Dutch internationally adopted adults (M= 38 years; 58% female) with a relatively high percentage of pre-adoption adversity, and the international adoptees were compared with their Dutch non-adopted peers and with Dutch domestic adoptees. Psychological adaptation was indicated by internalizing and externalizing problem behavior, and self-esteem. We found that the majority of the international adoptees were well adapted and showed even higher levels of self-esteem than their non-adopted peers from the general population. After controlling for the effects of the pre-adoption adversity, we found that international adoptees who reported a more negative appraisal of relinquishment and adoption, showed more feelings of loss, more negative coping strategies, and less optimal psychological adaptation. Whilst comparing the international and domestic adoptees, we found that the international adoptees showed a more positive appraisal of both relinquishment and adoption than the domestic adoptees. Based on these findings, we suggest that both the appraisal of relinquishment and adoption and feelings of loss play a key role in the psychological adaption of adoptees. These insights should be used in the preparation of new adoptive parents and helping children to adapt to their new life environment and to prevent problems later in life. Furthermore, in treatment and psychological help, adult adoptees with problems might benefit from reflecting on the feelings of loss towards the biological parents and the feelings towards being relinquished and adopted.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2018-07-19T00:00:00Z
This study investigated whether maternal reflective functioning was related to maternal sensitivity during the Still Face Paradigm (SFP). It was investigated whether the SFP elicited the still face...Show moreThis study investigated whether maternal reflective functioning was related to maternal sensitivity during the Still Face Paradigm (SFP). It was investigated whether the SFP elicited the still face effect. Additionally, the effect of maternal sensitivity on infants’ regulatory behaviors during the SFP was examined. Infants’ stress reactivity during the SFP was explored using skin conductance levels. Maternal risk status and infants’ temperament has been taken into account. The sample consisted of 52 mother-infant dyads (mean age infants 5.96 months). Reflective functioning was measured with an interview around 27 weeks of pregnancy. During a home-visit the SFP was administered and mothers reported about the infants’ temperament using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire. Infant and maternal behaviors were coded based on the SFP. Results indicated that the still face effect was found for arching and squirming, while it was not found for self-soothing behavior. Preliminary results showed an increased skin conductance level, and thus stress reactivity, over the whole SFP. Furthermore, maternal reflective functioning was found as predictor of maternal sensitivity during the SFP. Higher levels of maternal sensitivity predicted more self-soothing behaviors during the first minute of the reunion and less arching and squirming behaviors during the second minute of the reunion. It was not related to any other regulatory behaviors measured. Infants’ temperament was not associated with infants’ regulatory behaviors. The findings of this study can be used in developing interventions to improve maternal reflective functioning and sensitivity, which, in turn, can influence infants’ regulatory behaviors and emotional development.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2018-01-01T00:00:00Z
The aim of the present study was to examine infant emotion regulation, expressed in autonomic nervous system-reactivity, during the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). In addition, the effect of maternal...Show moreThe aim of the present study was to examine infant emotion regulation, expressed in autonomic nervous system-reactivity, during the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). In addition, the effect of maternal risk status on children’s emotional and behavioural development was examined. The sample consisted of 51 mothers and their 6-month-old infants. Measures of heart rate, pre-ejection period (PEP), skin conductance level (SCL), and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were collected during baseline and during the SFP episodes. Infant behavioural responses were coded as well. The SFP was able to elicit sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. In response to the still-face an increase in sympathetic activity was found, but only by SCL and heart rate, not by PEP. In addition, the still-face elicited an inhibition of the parasympathetic nervous system, the RSA decreased and the heart rate increased. In the transition from still-face to reunion, an effect of risk status was found on the pattern of heart rate and SCL. Infants from the high-risk group showed more sympathetic activity, indicating more stress and less emotion regulation. Overall, the SFP is able to elicit physiological features of emotion regulation and is able to indicate early differences in the autonomic nervous system activity in response to stress. Future studies should replicate these findings and should further investigate the role of maternal risk status.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2017-08-28T00:00:00Z
This study was conducted to assess subjective quality of life and to distinguish predictors of quality of life in young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Young adults with ASD enrolled in...Show moreThis study was conducted to assess subjective quality of life and to distinguish predictors of quality of life in young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Young adults with ASD enrolled in higher education were compared to control students without ASD with respect to quality of life, executive functioning, motivation performance, social anxiety, emotion regulation, stress coping abilities, ASD symptoms, adaptive functioning, and self-reflection. Young adults with ASD reported lower subjective quality of life than control peers and showed higher impairment in all of the above-mentioned areas. Within the ASD group, low initiative taking, high internalizing problems, and high negative tension in social situations predict lower quality of life. Together, these findings indicate that deficits in the stress regulation system lead to lower subjective quality of life in young adults with ASD, despite their high functioning.Show less
