Sensitive parenting is important for promoting the parent-child relationship and children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Parental factors related to sensitive parenting are...Show moreSensitive parenting is important for promoting the parent-child relationship and children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Parental factors related to sensitive parenting are depression and parental self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between depression and sensitive parenting, and whether parental self-efficacy mediates this association. Participants were 17 Dutch mothers and 4 Dutch fathers of children aged 3-5 years. Parents played 5-10 minutes with their child during two measurement moments, while the researcher was present through a Microsoft Teams connection. A video of the playing was recorded. In between the two measurement moments, parents completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-questionnaire (CES-D) and the Me as a Parent-questionnaire (MaaP). Afterwards, the video recordings were encoded according to the Ainsworth sensitivity scale. Only the relation between depression and sensitivity was significant, where depression was positively related to sensitivity. There was no indication found for a mediational role of parental self-efficacy in the relation between depression and sensitivity. Explanatory theories, limitations and practical implications were discussed. Future research will have to show which other factors can explain these unexpected findings.Show less
Research shows that many students don’t have enough reading comprehension to understand texts. One way of improving students’ reading comprehension could be by providing feedback to students while...Show moreResearch shows that many students don’t have enough reading comprehension to understand texts. One way of improving students’ reading comprehension could be by providing feedback to students while they answer questions about a text. To use feedback efficiently in the future, it’s important to know how elaborate effective feedback should be. Considering this, the current study examined the relation between feedback and the use of reading strategies in general, and for the use of reading strategies while reading a text. Moreover, the relation between the amount of information provided in the feedback and the use of reading strategies was examined. Experimental data of 97 participants aged 10 and 11 years (52.6% boys, M = 10.45, SD = 0.52) was collected using questionnaires, namely the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory and the Task-Specific Strategy Self-Report. Participants were pre- and post-tested and had three intervention sessions. They were randomly assigned to a condition, namely no feedback, short feedback, or elaborate feedback. During the intervention sessions, participants had to read a text, and answer questions about the text. Depending on their condition, they either received feedback or not. If they did, the amount of information in the feedback differed. Every session ended with a questionnaire. Using SPSS, two repeated measures ANOVA were completed. According to the results, there was no relation between feedback and the use of reading strategies. Furthermore, no differences were found for the different amounts of information in feedback and the use of reading strategies. The biggest limitation of the current study was the lack of a motivational component in the used intervention. Therefore, future research should use motivation as part of the intervention to investigate if feedback could help in improving the use of reading strategies for youth aged 10 to 11.Show less
Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression among young people are a growing public health problem worldwide. To address this effectively, it’s important to understand to what extend...Show moreMental health problems such as anxiety and depression among young people are a growing public health problem worldwide. To address this effectively, it’s important to understand to what extend factors such as academic stress, parental expectations and family well-being influence the development of anxiety and mood disorders. Relatively little is known about the anxiety and worry experienced by early adolescent children and the extent to which this is culture dependent. The present study sought insight in the worries of children aged 10-12 years from Western and non-Western cultural backgrounds. In addition, the extent to which internalizing symptoms are related to achievement anxiety, parental expectations and family well-being was examined. This was done by interviewing 74 Indian children (M = 10.92 ; SD = 0.75) and 69 Dutch (M = 11.17 ; SD = 0.92) children using the Cultural Formulation Interview. In addition, the amount of internalizing complaints and family welfare were determined using RCADS and FASIII. Results showed that children from India more often experienced achievement-oriented anxiety than Dutch children, and that this was associated with a greater amount of internalizing symptoms. The parental expectations that Indian children experienced were often achievement-oriented expectations regarding school or future profession, whereas the parental expectations of Dutch children were more often focused on being able to show responsibility for tasks. This might be explained by the values transmitted from parent to child within individualistic and collectivistic culture. Evidence exists that cultural values remain present when families from collectivist cultures move to a country with a more individualistic culture. It is therefore extremely important to be aware of these cross-cultural differences within mental health care, as well as education, when dealing with adolescents with anxiety and mood problems.Show less
Despite the known effectiveness of digital storybooks for young children's language development, their use in classrooms remains limited. Digital storybooks can lead to a child being read to more...Show moreDespite the known effectiveness of digital storybooks for young children's language development, their use in classrooms remains limited. Digital storybooks can lead to a child being read to more often since they don’t rely on an available adult to read aloud. This study investigated whether the teacher’s attitudes toward printed and digital storybooks correlated with their class's frequency of logging into Bereslim, an interactive digital storybook platform for children aged 3 to 7 years old. The study also examined whether the number of children in a class at risk of developing language problems correlates with the frequency of logins to Bereslim. Additionally, it investigated whether teacher’s attitude toward printed storybooks could predict the amount of Bereslim logins. Lastly, the study explored whether the teacher's age impacted their attitude toward reading digital storybooks and the frequency of logins. In this research 8 teachers from 6 schools and 1 daycare participated, completing an online questionnaire about their attitudes toward reading aloud with print and digital storybooks. Log data was also utilized, containing information about the frequency of logins into Bereslim in each class. No significant results were found regarding teachers' attitudes toward print and digital storybooks and the frequency of logging into Bereslim in their class. There was no significant correlation between the number of children in the class who are at-risk of developing a language problem and the teachers' attitude toward print storybooks. Neither teachers' age nor their attitudes toward digital storybooks significantly predicted login frequency. It's possible that the sample was too small to produce significant effects. To increase the usage of Bereslim in class, providing teachers with more information about the platform and opportunities to gain experience with digital storybooks could be beneficial. A lack of experience with digital storybooks prevents teachers from using them.Show less
Dutch law mandates that every secondary special education school develops post-secondary transition plans for their students. Currently, there are no established guidelines for creating these...Show moreDutch law mandates that every secondary special education school develops post-secondary transition plans for their students. Currently, there are no established guidelines for creating these transition plans. This study aimed to investigate two potential factors that could be considered, specifically for students with autism: IQ and social-emotional functioning. To examine the relationship between IQ, social-emotional functioning, and transition plans, this research assessed the correlation between IQ and transition plans, the correlation between social-emotional functioning and transition plans, and whether IQ or social-emotional functioning more strongly predicted transition plans. Recruitment resulted in a sample of n= 14 participants: with n= 13 boys and n= 1 girl. N= 7 was assigned the transition profile Labor and n= 7 was assigned the transition profile Post-Secondary Education, none of the participants were assigned the transition profile Daytime Occupation. This study utilized the developmental prospect plans of the students. Upon data analysis, it was found that there was no significant correlation between IQ and transition planning (p = .428), no significant correlation between social-emotional functioning and transition planning (p = .855), and neither IQ nor social-emotional functioning emerged as a stronger predictor for transition planning. The limitations of the current research were a small sample size, the variability of entries in the developmental prospect plans and the multidimensionality of the variables IQ and social-emotional functioning. Future research should be done to investigate the replicability of the current findings within a bigger sample and the potential of alternative variables that may be associated. Teachers working with students with autism may need additional training to understand the complexities of transition planning beyond the intellectual or social-emotional functioning. Considering these findings, it is concluded that neither IQ nor social-emotional functioning should be used as sole criteria for transition plans for autistic students in secondary special education.Show less
There are many instruments available to measure parental sensitivity, however each has its own limitations. In search of a more efficient instrument, an adapted mini-MBQS is proposed, in which...Show moreThere are many instruments available to measure parental sensitivity, however each has its own limitations. In search of a more efficient instrument, an adapted mini-MBQS is proposed, in which parents sort the cards instead of professionals. In this study, parent’s accuracy to report about their own parental sensitivity with this adapted Q-sort was explored. Additionally, it has been explored whether sex of the parent and parental reflective functioning influence parent’s accuracy on the Q-sort. To answer these questions, two online home visits were conducted with twenty parent-child pairs. During the home visits parent and child played together. Afterwards, the parent sorted the Q-sort about how sensitive s/he thought s/he was to the child during the play task. The play task was recorded and later coded on parental sensitivity with the Ainsworth Maternal Sensitivity Scale by a professional. Furthermore, parents filled in a questionnaire between the two online home visits, which contained questions about the family’s background and parental reflective functioning. The results from parent-reported and observed sensitivity were compared, which showed a positive, but weak and non-significant correlation of .22, suggesting a mismatch between parent’s own judgement and that of a professional about the level of sensitive parenting. Next, two ANCOVAs were conducted and showed that sex of the parent (F (1,16) < .01; p = .95) and parental reflective functioning (F (1,16) = .06; p = .81) did not moderate the relationship between observed and parent-reported sensitivity. From these results, it can be concluded that parents are not accurate when reporting about their parental sensitivity with the Q-sort. In addition, the results showed that gender or self-reported level of parental reflective functioning do not influence this accuracy. Therefore, it is not recommended to use the current form of the adapted MBQS as an instrument to measure parental sensitivity.Show less
Parental sensitivity refers to the degree to which parents are aware of their child’s signals, and respond quickly and appropriately to those signals. This parental sensitivity plays an important...Show moreParental sensitivity refers to the degree to which parents are aware of their child’s signals, and respond quickly and appropriately to those signals. This parental sensitivity plays an important role in raising children. In this study, correlations between sensitive parenting, parental self-confidence in raising children, child temperament and child age were investigated. Twenty-one parents participated in an online meeting in which they played for eight minutes with their 3-5 year-old child. Two to four weeks after the first meeting, parents participated in a second online meeting in which they also played for eight minutes with their child. After the first meeting, parents filled in a questionnaire about their sensitivity, their self-confidence in raising their child, and child temperament. The following questions were investigated: ‘are parental self-confidence in raising children and parental sensitivity correlated?’; ‘is child temperament or parental self-confidence in raising children more closely correlated with parental sensitivity?’; and ‘to what extent does child temperament affect the correlation between child age and parental sensitivity?’. Using a correlation, multiple regression and moderator analysis, no correlations were found. Parental sensitivity was not correlated to parental self-confidence in raising children, child temperament or child age. These results indicate that interventions for increasing parental sensitivity must not focus on parental self-confidence or child temperament, but for example on how parents can practice sensitive parenting or how parents can react sensitively when their child is angry.Show less
Teenagers spend a lot of time online, which may cause worry to their parents as the internet can bring a lot of risks. To protect their children from these dangers, parents might implement rules or...Show moreTeenagers spend a lot of time online, which may cause worry to their parents as the internet can bring a lot of risks. To protect their children from these dangers, parents might implement rules or restrictions of phone use for their teenagers. These restrictions can keep them away from risky apps or reduce their time online. However, it is unknown if these restrictions result in less encounters of dangerous situations. This study focusses specifically on exposure to sexual content online. The aim of this study is to find out if there is a relation between phone restrictions someone might have had while growing up and exposure to sexual online content. Participants were asked to anonymously fill in an online questionnaire about their online experiences and possible phone restrictions. Using this data, an ordinal regression analysis was used to examine the relation between the presence of phone restrictions and the exposure to sexual content online. In addition, this study looks if there is a relation between what type of restriction someone might have had and the type of online exposure to sexual content: unwanted exposure and wanted exposure for the participant. The results of this study have found no significant effect, implying there is no relationship between the presence of phone restrictions and exposure to online sexual content. Furthermore, no evidence was found to indicate a relationship between the type of restrictions and wanted exposure to online sexual content. Only a significant, positive relationship was found between a limited screen time and wanted exposure to online sexual content.Show less
During this study, the decision-making process of ‘de Jeugdbeschermingstafel’ in complex divorce was examined. ‘De Jeugdbeschermingstafel’ from the Netherlands is a multidisciplinary meeting there...Show moreDuring this study, the decision-making process of ‘de Jeugdbeschermingstafel’ in complex divorce was examined. ‘De Jeugdbeschermingstafel’ from the Netherlands is a multidisciplinary meeting there professionals from various fields and parents come together to assess and discuss the well-being and safety of a child or young person who may be at risk. At ‘de Jeugdbeschermingstafel’, an assessment is conducted to determine the necessity of conducting a counsil investigation (‘raadsonderzoek’). It was examined whether this decision-making differs between families with a high or low socioeconomic status who are going through a complex divorce. The main question of study was: ‘To what extent is a complex divorce related to a custody investigation, and is this relationship moderated by the socioeconomic status of parents?’ To investigate this question a correlational research design was used. For this study, various research requests from ‘de Jeugdbeschermingstafel’ across the Netherlands were investigated. These research requests had been anonymized, read and coded. Seventy-one requests of investigations have been utilized. The distribution between complex divorce and non-complex divorce cases, as well as between socio-economic disadvantage and no socio-economic disadvantage could be improved. It was expected that a counseling investigation would be chosen more often for families going through complex divorce than for families without complex divorces, particularly in cases of high socioeconomic status, as these divorces tend to be more prolonged. Results showed that ‘de Jeugdbeschermingstafel’ does not indicate custody investigation more often for families with complex divorces, than it does in families without complex divorces. Furthermore, this relationship is not moderated by the socioeconomic status of families. However, due to the use of a small sample, this conclusion may be challenging to generalize to the broader population.Show less
In the Netherlands, children are interrogated using the Dutch child interrogation method ‘the scenariomodel’. Surprisingly, this method does not consider the impact of children's personality traits...Show moreIn the Netherlands, children are interrogated using the Dutch child interrogation method ‘the scenariomodel’. Surprisingly, this method does not consider the impact of children's personality traits, despite literature indicating that these traits play a central role in their perspectives and can therefore influence the course of the interrogation and their testimony. This correlational study investigated the extent to which the personality trait 'shyness' plays a role in the course of the child interrogation according to the scenariomodel and in the quality of the witness statement. The research target group are children under the age of 12 who are victims of online sexual abuse. Participants (N = 23) underwent an ethically responsible simulation of online sexual abuse and a simulation of a child interrogation according to the scenariomodel. The transcripts of the interrogations were coded to first examine the quality of the testimony based on three indicators: accuracy of the statement, completeness of the statement and the amount of forensic information. And second to investigate the course of the interrogation based on the resistance that children show. Shyness was measured with a questionnaire. The study anticipated that shy children exhibit more resistance and provide lower quality testimonials due to their susceptibility to suggestiveness and social discomfort during interrogations. However, the results showed no significant correlations between shyness and the quality indicators of the testimony, nor between shyness and resistance. A mediating effect of resistance on the quality of the testimony was therefore also excluded. This suggests that the scenariomodel may be resistant to the negative influences of this personality trait and can be used without concern for interrogating shy children who have been victims of online sexual abuse. However, due to important limitations of the study, firm conclusions cannot be drawn and follow-up research is necessary.Show less
The current study examined to what extent the quality of the sibling relationship and the quality of the parent-child relationship is linked to aggressive behavior between siblings during conflicts...Show moreThe current study examined to what extent the quality of the sibling relationship and the quality of the parent-child relationship is linked to aggressive behavior between siblings during conflicts. In addition, it was examined whether the quality of the parent-child relationship would moderate the relation between the quality of the sibling relationship and aggressive behavior between siblings during conflict. These relations were examined with a sample of 26 families, of which two siblings aged 8-15 years old and one parent participated. The amount of aggressive behavior during conflicts between siblings, quality of the sibling relationship and the quality of the parent-child relationship were measured by questionnaires. The results of this study showed a negative relation between the sibling relationship quality and aggressive behavior during conflicts between siblings, a positive relation between the quality of the sibling relationship and the quality of the parent-child relationship and a negative relation between the quality of the parent-child relationship and aggressive behavior during conflicts between siblings. The quality of the parent-child relationship did not act as a moderator for the relationship between the quality of the sibling relationship and the degree of aggressive behavior in conflicts between siblings. These results indicate a possible indirect role of the parent-child relationship quality in the degree of aggressive behavior in conflicts between siblings.Show less
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that still holds many uncertainties regarding the etiology. In order to provide the most effective assistance to children with ASD,...Show moreAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that still holds many uncertainties regarding the etiology. In order to provide the most effective assistance to children with ASD, understanding the cognitive foundation of this disorder is crucial. There are several theories on this subject, yet there is limited research delving deeper into the potential connections between these theories. This research focused on the Central Coherence Theory and the Executive Dysfunction Theory and investigated whether there is a relation between these factors in explaining ASD. For this purpose, the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Task, Tower of Hanoi, Picture Span and Autism Spectrum Questionnaire were administered to 89 children aged between 8 and 11 from six different primary schools in the Netherlands. Correlation analyzes were conducted to examine whether performance on central coherence, planning, and working memory correlated with the level of ASD traits. Using the PROCESS Macro, a mediation analysis was conducted to investigate whether executive functions could mediate the relationship between central coherence and ASD characteristics. The results of this study indicated that neither central coherence nor planning nor working memory were associated with the number of ASD characteristics. Moreover, no mediating effect of planning or working memory could be found. The fact that the results were not in line with the expectations could possibly be related to the non-clinical sample used in the current study, among other things. Future research should continue to focus on further investigation into the relationship between central coherence and executive functions, carefully taking into account the heterogeneity of ASD.Show less
Competency-based intervention is an approach in youth services focusing on enhancing skills aligned with age-appropriate developmental tasks. It is employed across various contexts and for diverse...Show moreCompetency-based intervention is an approach in youth services focusing on enhancing skills aligned with age-appropriate developmental tasks. It is employed across various contexts and for diverse target populations. However, the extent of evidence supporting this method in literature is unclear. This thesis synthesizes multiple sources to provide a comprehensive overview of to which extend this topic has been researched: What is known about this methodology, its strengths and weaknesses, and the specific target groups under investigation? Through a narrative review, ten evidence-based and seven non-evidence-based sources have been integrated to present a holistic perspective on the field of competency-based intervention. Several sources have indicated that the application of this model is effective in improving behavior and psychosocial conditions, including youth residing in residential facilities, high-risk families, adolescents with severe psychiatric/behavioral issues, and elementary school children with antisocial behavior. Although indications have been found that this method brings many advantages in practice, it was concluded that there is not enough evidence for competence-based work in the literature due to limitations in the studies. There is a need for further research to assess the effectiveness of this widely used approach.Show less
Aim: In recent years, a lot of attention has been paid to improving the care and support of people with intellectual disabilities. A consequence is that many studies have been conducted into the...Show moreAim: In recent years, a lot of attention has been paid to improving the care and support of people with intellectual disabilities. A consequence is that many studies have been conducted into the effects of support on the well-being of people with an intellectual disability. But research into groups that have improved, deteriorated or remained the same in terms of quality of life in combination with support needs was lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of the forward, backward and equal groups and to discover whether the groups differ in support needs. This is relevant because it can improve care and support. Method: Over a period of 4 years, 234 participants with an intellectual disability between the ages of 17 and 71 took part. To measure the quality of life of people with an intellectual disability, the San Martin Scale was used, completed by a supervisor. The support needs were identified with the Contextual Interview, this was done with the help of family, psychologist and supervisors. Both measuring instruments were administered three times in 4 years. Results: the results show that the quality of life differs over time. The forward, backward and equal groups differ in the domains: housing, communication, attachment, self-determination and physical needs. This research suggests that housing, communication, attachment and (physical) needs influence the progression of quality of life. Conclusion: the findings show that there are differences between the forward, backward and equal groups on domains of support needs. This research suggests that good support per domain leads to improvement or stabilization of the quality of life of people with an intellectual disability.Show less
Conduct Disorder (CD) is a common psychiatric disorder of childhood and adolescence characterized by severe aggressive and antisocial behaviors that often result in impaired social, academic, or...Show moreConduct Disorder (CD) is a common psychiatric disorder of childhood and adolescence characterized by severe aggressive and antisocial behaviors that often result in impaired social, academic, or occupational functioning. The subtype CD with callous-unemotional (CU) traits has been suggested to be part of the developmentary trajectory of psychopathy, with both being linked to amygdalar volume deficits. Research into the neurodevelopmental perspective of CD/CU+ has been inconsistent due to methodological, demographic and cultural factors. Therefore, the current study examined amygdala morphology in two matched juvenile groups: CD offenders (N = 51) and healthy control subjects (HC; N = 36). In an additional set of analyses, the CD group was divided in two subgroups: CD with CU traits (CD/CU+; N = 26), CD without CU traits (CD/CU-; N = 25), and compared to HC participants. Additionally, the influence of CU traits on brain morphology was assessed in a dimensional manner across all participants (N = 87). Analyses revealed significant lower left amygdalar volumes in all CD youth compared to HC youth, while no significant differences emerged in the right amygdalar volumes. Furthermore, no significant differences in amygdalar volumes emerged between CD/CU- vs. CD/CU+ vs. HC youths. Moreover, the severity of CU traits did not relate to brain morphology in a dimensional manner across all participants. The current findings reflect the complexity and inconsistency of research into the relationship between brain morphology and CD diagnosis, and add to the research into the neurodevelopmental perspective of CD/CU+Show less
Central coherence is the ability to perceive, process and integrate incoming information to put it in the right context and give it meaning. Central coherence is an important skill that aids people...Show moreCentral coherence is the ability to perceive, process and integrate incoming information to put it in the right context and give it meaning. Central coherence is an important skill that aids people in understanding situations they encounter in daily life but is also an important skill to support the process of learning. After all, new information has to be processed, organised and integrated, taking into account overall context and meaning. Research into autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the past 4 decades has provided multiple findings that indicate that people with ASD have weak central coherence skills and therefore lack the ability to create meaningful or coherent wholes, but research findings have been mixed. In this study a process-oriented dynamic version of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF), in which the training part was built up according to the ‘graduated prompts’ method, was used to measure and train central coherence. Furthermore, the potential relationship between ASD characteristics of the children in this study and central coherence or improved central coherence following training was assessed. The participants in this study consisted of 49 pupils in grade 5 or 6 of regular Dutch primary school education (M = 8.96 years, SD = .76 years). The dynamic test, including training based on the ‘graduated prompts’ method, lead to significantly more progression in structuring the drawing of the complex figure compared to the unguided control group. Regarding a potential relationship between ASD characteristics and central coherence or improved central coherence, no relationship was found in this study.Show less
