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The present study examines the role of neglect potential in adolescent mother-child dyads, both in terms of antecedents and its consequences for children's development. Participants were 100 adolescent mother-child dyads who were part of a larger, longitudinal study. Data were collected from the third trimester of pregnancy until the children's 10th year Histories of maternal neglect and the quality of mother-child interactions during early childhood were found to predict neglect potential during middle childhood. Mothers with high neglect potential had children who exhibited more externalizing problems and fewer adaptive behaviors, with neglect potential mediating the effects of both early abuse potential and the quality of parenting on children's later externalizing behaviors. Results suggest that neglect potential may be a mechanism through which early potential for child abuse and insensitive maternal interactions affect later externalizing problems in children of adolescent mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Prenatal parenting attitudes and parenting behaviors during infancy and early childhood were used as predictors of attachment in children of adolescent mothers at ages 1 and 5. Design. Seventy-eight adolescent mother - child dyads participated. Data were collected at five time points from the third trimester of pregnancy through the children's 5th year. Results. A high percentage of children exhibited disorganized and insecure attachment during both infancy and early childhood; only 30% were securely attached at 1 year and 41% at 5 years. Quality of maternal interactions and cognitive readiness to parent predicted attachment stability; however, only verbal encouragement-stimulation predicted the transition from insecure to secure attachment. Prenatal cognitive readiness to parent independently predicted attachment security at 1 year and accounted for the relation between early maternal interactions and 1-year attachment. Maternal interactions during infancy but not early childhood, predicted 5-year attachment security. Conclusions. Early parenting had a unique and persistent effect on attachment security. However, verbal stimulation during early childhood attenuated the effects of early maternal unresponsiveness on attachment security at age 5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editors of archival psychological and educational journals were asked to rate the importance of 38 potential standards that can be used to judge publishability of a paper. The standards included classic internal and external validity standards as well as writing standards and criteria pertaining to the visibility of issues in the paper and the author of the paper. The editors rated most of the standards as at least somewhat important, although some were rated as very important to absolutely essential. There was a significant correlation between editor''s ratings of criterial importance and the likelihood of standards being met in published studies. Some potential publication standards are more critical than others in determining publishability, with the ratings generated here providing some guidance about which standards are especially important to meet in preparing a paper for publication consideration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The current study offers a new way to ascertain information about child neglect by evaluating a self-report measure of neglectful behaviors, the Mother-Child Neglect Scale (MCNS). The scale was modified from an existing self-report measure, the Neglect Scale (NS), which was originally designed to measure personal histories of neglect. One hundred adolescent mothers were administered the MCNS and NS in two occasions via phone interviews. In addition, maternal abuse potential and the quality of mother-child interactions were assessed when children were age 3 and 5 years. The MCNS had high internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability. Convergent validity was found between the MCNS and maternal histories of neglect as well as observed parenting behaviors and child abuse potential; those relationships remained after social desirability was controlled. This research tool may prove useful, in conjunction with existing assessment instruments, in determining the type and severity of past neglectful behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined change prospectively in autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors during a 4.5 year period in 241 adolescents and adults with an autism spectrum disorder who were 10–52 years old (mean = 22.0) when the study began. Although many individuals’ symptoms remained stable, a greater proportion of the sample experienced declines than increases in their level of autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors, and there were significant improvements in mean levels of symptoms. Individuals with mental retardation had more autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors than those without mental retardation, and they improved less over time. Compared to adolescents, older sample members (31 and older) had fewer maladaptive behaviors and experienced more improvement in these behaviors over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on the life course studies of siblings with developmental disabilities. The sibling relationship constitutes the longest lasting family tie, beginning with the birth of the younger sibling and ending with the death of one member of the sibling pair. Siblings share a common family heritage, both genetically and experientially, and perhaps for this reason, the sibling relationship is normatively characterized as egalitarian, reciprocal, and mutual. In addition, there may be less genetic and experiential similarity between members of the sib-pair and less egalitarianism and reciprocal exchange due to unequal abilities and patterns of life course outcomes. However, there may also be greater continuity in contact across the life course when the sibling has a developmental disability. A growing body of research on adult sibling relationships when one individual has a developmental disability suggests that, in general, these siblings tend to maintain high levels of involvement across the life course, although there is variability in the degree of contact and closeness.