Parent involvement in a child's education is consistently found to be positively associated with a child's academic performance. However, there has been little investigation of the mechanisms that explain this association. The present study examines two potential mechanisms of this association: the child's perception of cognitive competence and the quality of the student-teacher relationship. This study used a sample of 158 seven-year old participants, their mothers, and their teachers. Results indicated a statistically significant association between parent involvement and a child's academic performance, over and above the impact of the child's intelligence. A multiple mediation model indicated that the child's perception of cognitive competence fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and the child's performance on a standardized achievement test. The quality of the student-teacher relationship fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and teacher ratings of the child's classroom academic performance. Limitations, future research directions, and implications for public policy initiatives were discussed. KeywordsParent Involvement; academic performance; student-teacher relationships Parent involvement and student academic performance: A multiple mediational analysis Parent involvement in a child's early education is consistently found to be positively associated with a child's academic performance (Hara & Burke, 1998;Hill & Craft, 2003;Marcon, 1999;Stevenson & Baker, 1987). Specifically, children whose parents are more involved in their education have higher levels of academic performance than children whose parents are involved to a lesser degree. The influence of parent involvement on academic success has not only been noted among researchers, but also among policy makers who have integrated efforts aimed at increasing parent involvement into broader educational policy initiatives. Coupled with these findings of the importance of early academic success, a child's academic success has been found to be relatively stable after early elementary school David R. Topor, David_Topor@Brown.Edu; Susan P. Keane, Spkeane@Uncg.Edu; Terri L. Shelton, Tlshelto@Uncg.Edu; Susan D. Calkins, Sdcalkin@Uncg.Edu. Note. Dr. Topor is currently affiliated with the VA Boston Healthcare System, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. (Entwisle & Hayduk, 1988;Pedersen, Faucher, & Eaton, 1978). Therefore, it is important to examine factors that contribute to early academic success and that are amenable to change. NIH Public AccessResearchers have reported that parent-child interactions, specifically stimulating and responsive parenting practices, are important influences on a child's academic development (Christian, Morrison, & Bryant, 1998; Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy, 2000). By examining specific parenting practices that are amenable to change, such as parent involvement, and the mechanisms by which these practices influence academic performance, programs may be develo...

Objectives To determine the longitudinal impact of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) on the course and outcome of Bipolar Disorder (BP) in a pediatric BP sample. Method Participants (N=271) and parents from the Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth (COBY) study were administered structured clinical interviews and self-reports on average every 8.7 months over a mean of 93 months starting at age 13.0 +/- 3.1 years. The Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders (SIDP-IV) was administered at the first follow-up after age 18 to assess for symptoms of BPD. BPD operationalized at the disorder, factor, and symptom level, was examined as a predictor of poor clinical course of BP using all years of follow-up data. Results The number of BPD symptoms was significantly associated with poor clinical course of BP, above and beyond BP characteristics. Affective dysregulation was most strongly associated with poor course at the factor level; the individual symptoms most strongly associated with poor course were dissociation/stress-related paranoid ideation, impulsivity, and affective instability. Conclusions BPD severity adds significantly to the burden of BP illness and is significantly associated with a more chronic and severe course and outcome beyond what can be attributable to BP characteristics.

Background Factor analysis has been used to identify potential clinical subtypes of mania in pediatric bipolar disorder. Results vary in the number of factors retained. The present study used a formal diagnostic instrument to examine how symptoms of mania in young people are expressed, depending on age of symptom onset and current age. Methods Trained clinicians completed the Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS) Mania Rating Scale (MRS) with parents of 163 children with child-onset of symptoms (before age 12), 94 adolescents with child-onset of symptoms, and 90 adolescents with adolescent-onset of symptoms (after age 12). Factor analysis of symptom ratings during the most severe lifetime manic episode was performed for each age group. Results Symptom factor structures were established for each age group. Two factors were evident for children with child-onset of symptoms (“activated/pleasure seeking” and “labile/disorganized”), one factor was present for adolescents with child-onset of symptoms (“activated/pleasure seeking/disorganized”) and two factors were evident for adolescents with adolescent-onset of symptoms (“activated/pleasure seeking” and “disorganized/psychotic”). The factor structures for children with child-onset and adolescents with adolescent-onset of symptoms were highly similar, with the latter factor structure including psychotic symptoms. Limitations Limitations include reliance on retrospective parent report and potential issues with generalizability. Conclusions Findings suggest mania symptomatology is largely similar when examined by both age of onset and current age, with some notable differences. Specifically, psychotic symptoms begin emerging as a distinct factor in adolescents with adolescent-onset of symptoms.