Extended the findings from previous meta-analytic work by comparing the effectiveness of behavioral parent-training (BPT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth with antisocial behavior problems. Youth demographic variables were also examined as potential moderators of the effectiveness of these 2 types of interventions. Thirty BPT studies and 41 CBT studies met inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. The weighted mean effect size (ES) for all interventions was 0.40. Youth age was found to moderate the outcome of the 2 interventions, with BPT having a stronger effect for preschool and school-aged youth and CBT having a stronger effect for adolescents. The results also indicate that there may be systematic differences in the outcomes associated with BPT and CBT when the setting of the intervention is considered, suggesting the need to carefully consider the effect of setting in future research. This study also highlights the need for outcome research dealing with more diverse populations and the better classification of research participants on different developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior.

Controlled study of critical parent and family factors in the obesigenic environment. Obesity. 2007;15:126 -136. Objective: Critical gaps remain in our understanding of the obesigenic family environment. This study examines parent and family characteristics among obese youth presenting for treatment in a clinic setting. Research Methods and Procedures: Families of 78 obese youth (BMI z-score ϭ 2.4; age, 8 to 16 years; 59% girls; 49% African-American) were compared with 71 non-overweight (BMI z-score ϭ Ϫ0.02) demographically matched comparisons. Parents completed measures assessing family demographics, psychological distress (Symptom Checklist 90-Revised), and family functioning both broadly (Family Environment Scale: Conflicted, Support, Control) and at mealtimes (About Your Child's Eating-Revised: Mealtime Challenges, Positive Mealtime Interaction). Height and weight were obtained from all participants. Results: Compared with mothers and fathers of non-overweight youth, parents of obese youth had significantly higher BMIs (p Ͻ 0.001). Mothers of obese youth reported significantly greater psychological distress (p Ͻ 0.01), higher family conflict (p Ͻ 0.05), and more mealtime challenges (p Ͻ 0.01). Less positive family mealtime interactions were reported by both mothers (p Ͻ 0.01) and fathers (p Ͻ 0.05) of obese youth. These group differences did not vary by child sex or race. Logistic regression analyses indicated that maternal distress and mealtime challenges discriminated between obese and non-overweight youth after controlling for maternal BMI. Family conflict was explained, in part, by maternal distress. Discussion: Obese youth who present for treatment in a clinic setting are characterized by psychosocial factors at the parent and family level that differ from non-overweight youth. These data are critical because they identify factors that may be serving as barriers to a family's or youth's ability to implement healthy lifestyle behaviors but that are potentially modifiable.

A normative sample of 1,114 children was contrasted with a sample of 620 sexually abused children and 577 psychiatric outpatients on the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI), a 38-item behavior checklist assessing sexual behavior in children 2 to 12 years old. The CSBI total score and each individual item differed significantly between the three groups after controlling for age, sex, maternal education, and family income. Sexually abused children exhibited a greater frequency of sexual behaviors than either the normative or psychiatric outpatient samples. Test-retest reliability and interitem correlation were satisfactory. Sexual behavior problems were related to other generic behavior problems. This contributed to the reduced discrimination between psychiatric outpatients and sexually abused children when compared to the normative/sexually abused discrimination.

Children with cancer currently receiving chemotherapy were remarkably similar to case controls on measures of emotional well-being and better on several dimensions of social functioning. These findings are not supportive of disability/stress models of childhood chronic illness and suggest considerable psychologic hardiness.

Adolescents who make negative attributions about reactions of friends and/or non friend peers are likely to find adherence difficult in social situations and have increased stress, with the latter associated with metabolic control. Results are discussed in terms of a social information processing model of adjustment.