The relationship between family poverty and children's psychological distress is well-established, often assessed through income-based measures. However, a child-centric perspective is lacking, particularly regarding the roles of teacher neglect and peer bullying as potential mediators, and the impact of cultural differences. This study explores…

Background: Youth involved in the U.S. child welfare system (CWS) are at risk for mental health problems, including suicidal ideation (SI). However, the relationship between preteen suicidal ideation and academic outcomes has not been considered. Methods: This study uses data from two nationally representative longitudinal surveys of CWS-involved…

The purpose of this study was to examine how the members of children's peer groups resemble each other in terms of behavioural and emotional strengths, academic achievement and behaviour at school. The participants were 739 9- to 10-year-old children (354 boys, 385 girls) from 30 Finnish elementary schools. 431 children (241 girls, 190 boys) were…

Children's ego-resilience (within-person capacities that facilitate psychological resistance) and irritability (increased proneness to experience negative affective states following environmental stressors) are critical determinants of their mental health. Here, we investigated how ego-resilience engages with irritability when linked to symptoms…

Parental stress among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is well-documented in the literature. This study used the mediation model to investigate the relationship between the phenomenon of affiliate stigma and parental stress among parents of children diagnosed with ASD. This cross-sectional study involved 196 parents between…

The main aim of this study was to investigate a conceptual model linking subtypes of social withdrawal, social/asocial dissatisfaction, and internalizing problems in late childhood and early adolescence. Participants were N = 459 students (n = 247 girls) aged 8-14 years (M = 11.24, SD = 1.66), who completed self-reports assessments of social…

Children's early experiences have potential to shape their development through early childhood, middle childhood, and into adolescence. Family structure at birth and material hardship may offer insight into how children's health and well-being are shaped within their family of origin. The current paper examined (a) the association between family…

Hope has a powerful influence on individuals, especially those battling critical illness. The problem is the Make-A-Wish wish-granting experience was never designed to improve the health care of children being granted a wish; thus, hope was a mere by-product of the wish experience. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to…

The purpose of the study was to characterize the relationships between behavior problems, academic achievement, and loneliness of students in the upper and lower thirds of a social skills classification. Participants were 733 students (359 boys and 374 girls) ages 9 to 14 years, 642 without learning disabilities (LDs) and 91 with LDs. Their…

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between parental stress and parental depression symptoms. A total of 67 mothers took part in this study, of whom 39 mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 28 mothers of typically developing children. The self-reported measures of the Parental Stress Index III and the…

Objective: To investigate associations between risk in family environments and health-relevant outcomes in college and the role of loneliness. Participants: College students at a state university (N = 360). Methods: We utilized linear regression to examine relationships between risk in family environments and loneliness, perceived stress, affect,…

To investigate the contribution made by autistic children's Challenging Behaviour (CB) to their parents' anxiety and depression, parents of 32 autistic boys and 32 autistic girls (aged 6 to 18 years) completed standardised instruments on their children's behaviour and their own anxiety and depression. Significant associations were found between…

Elevated salivary cortisol levels have been documented in individuals who engage in self-injurious behavior (SIB), indicating acute physiological stress. Less is known about the chronicity of stress and SIB. We analyzed the relationship between parent ratings of problem behavior and hair cortisol concentrations (an index of chronic adrenocortical…

Social relationships are of vital importance for children's and adolescents' development, and disruptions in these relationships can have serious implications. Such disruptions play a central role in both loneliness and social anxiety. Although both phenomena are closely related, they have largely been studied separately, and important questions…

This research brief draws on data from the 2021-2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Programs (the 2021-2022 Study) to investigate associations between the well-being of Head Start children and families and factors related to the pandemic. Based on data collected from October 2021 to January…