This study investigated patterns of interrelated positive subject and environmental factors related to participation in school activities of pupils with different kinds of disabilities. Questionnaires concerning participation were collected from 472 pupils with disabilities and their teachers, parents and special education consultants. A person-oriented approach with the aim to identify patterns of variables related to a high degree of participation of pupils with disabilities was used. Cluster-groups were formed based on scores for individual subjects on factors identified as important for participation. Groups with a high degree of participation were characterized by high scores in autonomy and perceived interaction with peers and teachers and an internal locus of control. Type and degree of disability did not predict cluster group membership. A conclusion is that the outcome participation is better predicted by patterns of interrelated positive subject and environmental factors than by type of disability or any other single factor.
Preschool children's engagement/social interaction skills can be seen as aspects of positive functioning, and also act as protective aspects of functioning. On the other hand, hyperactivity/conduct problems are risk aspects that negatively affect children's everyday functioning. Few studies have investigated such orchestrated effects on mental health in young children over time. The aims of the study are first, to identify homogeneous groups of children having similar pathways in mental health between three time points. Second, to examine how children move between time points in relation to risk and protective factors. Alongitudinal study over 3 years, including 197 Swedish preschool children was used. Questionnaire data collected from preschool teachers. Statistical analysis using person-oriented methods with repeated cluster analyses. Children high in engagement/social skills and low in conduct problems continue to function well. Children with low engagement/social skills exhibiting both hyperactivity and conduct problems continue to have problems. Children with mixed patterns of protective factors and risk factors showed mixed outcomes. The stability of children's pathways was quite high if they exhibited many positive protective factors but also if they exhibited many risk factors. Children exhibiting a mixed pattern of protective and risk factors moved between clusters in a less predictable way. That stability in mental health was related to the simultaneous occurrence of either many protective factors or many risk factors supports the notion of orchestrated effects. The results indicate that early interventions need to have a dual focus, including both interventions aimed at enhancing child engagement and interventions focused on decreasing behavior problems.
The current study investigated the structural validity and internal consistency of the Strengths and Stressors (SSF) questionnaire. The SSF is used in Swedish habilitation services to measure the positive and negative consequences that the fostering of a child with a developmental disability can have on family functioning in six domains: parent's feelings and attitudes, social life, family finances, relationship to the other parent, siblings, and professional support. The proposed six-factor model was tested with confirmatory factor analysis with data collected from 291 parents of children with developmental disabilities. The six-factor model had an acceptable fit according to most fit indices, but two items were non-significant. Overall, the internal consistency was acceptable or good. The SSF, with the proposed six-factor solution, can be a useful tool when assessing parental perspectives on the impacts of having a child with a developmental disability in clinical settings and research.
Children's value systems develop through youth and influence attitudes and actions. But there is a lack of appropriate measures for children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to construct and validate a questionnaire that reveals distinct value systems among adolescents, and to evaluate the identified value systems’ relationship to degree of ego-development and moral development. A quantitative study in a Swedish School with ages 12 through 16 (grades 6 to 9) was performed (N = 204). A set of pattern recognition statistical analyses has been used to identify different profiles of values systems and demonstrate that these systems can be arranged in a hierarchical order similar to other development. Results revealed three value systems in this sample. The identified value systems reflect different degrees of moral and ego-development among children in the study. Three distinct value systems were identified: the first (n = 9) and the second value systems (n = 35) correspond to pre-conventional stages, and the third value system (n = 155) corresponds to early conventional stages of ego development. Ego development scoring of test statements to assess stages. The value system was significantly related to moral development in the personal interest and the maintaining norms schemas of the Defining Issues Test (DIT). However, many students did not complete the entire DIT, so those results should be looked at with caution. It appears that this new test (Test for Adolescent Value Systems – TAVS) does relate to an established ego development rating scale.