It has long been observed that disabled children are at risk for maltreatment. In this proposal, it is suggested that children who are physically or medically challenged--depending upon their parenting history--may show elevated """"""""promise"""""""" as well as """"""""problems."""""""" The possibility of positive (as well as negative) responses to adversity reflects an emerging paradigmatic shift within the social and health sciences away from sickness/helplessness/risk to health/optimism/resilience. In the proposed research, we are concerned with the specific mechanisms (including both cognitive and neurohormonal processes) that foster positive versus negative outcomes for """"""""challenged"""""""" children. We will study child characteristics (e.g., the apparent unresponsiveness of a hearing impaired child; the apparent dependence of a visually impaired child) and parents' attributional biases that lead them to focus either on problems or promise associated with their physically or medically challenged children. We will assess the future outcomes of """"""""challenged"""""""" infants as a function of their early experiences, and the current outcomes of """"""""challenged"""""""" young adults as a function of their past experiences. Hypotheses are tested with respect to the interactive effects of parents' attributions/expectations and offspring characteristics on (1) parental practices (creation of efficacy-promoting experiences vs. abuse/neglect), (2) children's neurohormonal adaptation to stress (habituation vs. sensitization), and (3) children's social/emotional and cognitive/creative outcomes. Children's hormonal patterns and parental practices will be explored as mediators of later outcomes. Finally, we will study the benefits of an attribution-based home visitation program for new parents of """"""""challenged"""""""" children as a means of reducing risk and fostering opportunity.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH051773-09
Application #
6866445
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-RPHB-4 (01))
Program Officer
Boyce, Cheryl A
Project Start
1996-04-01
Project End
2009-03-31
Budget Start
2006-04-01
Budget End
2009-03-31
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$405,917
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Santa Barbara
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
094878394
City
Santa Barbara
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
93106
Bugental, Daphne Blunt; Corpuz, Randy; Schwartz, Alex (2012) Preventing children's aggression: outcomes of an early intervention. Dev Psychol 48:1443-9
Bugental, Daphne Blunt; Beaulieu, David A; Silbert-Geiger, Amelia (2010) Increases in parental investment and child health as a result of an early intervention. J Exp Child Psychol 106:30-40
Bugental, Daphne Blunt; Schwartz, Alex; Lynch, Colleen (2010) Effects of an Early Family Intervention on Children's Memory: The Mediating Effects of Cortisol Levels. Mind Brain Educ 4:156-218
Bugental, Daphne Blunt; Beaulieu, David; Schwartz, Alex (2008) Hormonal sensitivity of preterm versus full-term infants to the effects of maternal depression. Infant Behav Dev 31:51-61