University of Massachusetts Boston ScholarWorks at UMass Boston Graduate Masters Theses Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses 6-1-2012 Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events, Emotional Adjustment, and Social Competence in Preschoolers Facing Economic Risk Hillary Hurst University of Massachusetts Boston Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.edu/masters_theses Part of the Clinical Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Hurst, Hillary, "Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events, Emotional Adjustment, and Social Competence in Preschoolers Facing Economic Risk" (2012). Graduate Masters Theses. This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses at ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at UMass Boston.
For more information, please contact library. EXPOSURE TO POTENTIALLY TRAUMATIC EVENTS, EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT, AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE IN PRESCHOOLERS FACING ECONOMIC RISK A Thesis Presented by HILLARY HURST Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS June 2012 Clinical Psychology Program ©2012 by Hillary Hurst All rights reserved EXPOSURE TO POTENTIALLY TRAUMATIC EVENTS, EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT, AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE IN PRESCHOOLERS FACING ECONOMIC RISK A Thesis Presented by HILLARY HURST Approved as to style and content by: __________________________________________________ Abbey Eisenhower, Assistant Professor Chairperson of Committee __________________________________________________ Joan H. Liem, Special Assistant to the Provost & Professor Member __________________________________________________ Alice S. Carter, Director of Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology & Professor Member ____________________________________ Alice S.
Carter, Director, Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology ____________________________________ Carol Smith, Acting Chairperson, Psychology Department ABSTRACT EXPOSURE TO POTENTIALLY TRAUMATIC EVENTS, EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT, AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE IN PRESCHOOLERS FACING ECONOMIC RISK June 2012 Hillary Hurst, B. University of Massachusetts Boston Directed by Assistant Professor Abbey Eisenhower The current study examined the relationship between exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), emotional adjustment, and social competence in a sample of economically-disadvantaged, racially and ethnically diverse preschool-aged children (n=63; 60% female; average age = 52 months, S. In this cross-sectional study, primary relationships between exposure to PTEs and emotional adjustment, and exposure to PTEs and social competence were examined. Additionally, parent affective symptoms were tested as a moderator of the relationship between child exposure to PTEs and emotional adjustment, and emotional adjustment was tested as a moderator of the relationship between child exposure to PTEs and social competence.
Gender effects of these relationships also were tested, on an exploratory basis. The results of the current study suggest that exposure to PTEs involving interpersonal violence are predictive of parent-reported emotional adjustment, and also that teacher- reported emotional adjustment moderates the relationship between exposure to PTEs and iv teacher-reported social competence. This research contributes to existing literature, particularly on the relationship between emotional adjustment and social competence, which is rarely studied through the lens of economic disadvantage and exposure to PTEs. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I extend my deepest thanks to Abbey Eisenhower, my research advisor, and to Joan Liem and Alice Carter, my master’s committee members.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and insightful feedback, encouragement, and support in my biggest research undertaking to date! I am so grateful for your research training and guidance, and I look forward to our future projects. I would also like to thank the past and present members of the Eisenhower, Carter, and Liem research teams, who are inspiring, supportive, and wonderful colleagues. I could not imagine a finer group of researchers, mentors, teachers, and friends. I would also like to thank Dr.
Kerim Munir for his generous financial support that allowed me to work on this thesis in the summer of 2011 and to receive advanced statistics training. Thanks are also due to Beverley Gilligan, who coordinated this support and my involvement with Children’s Hospital. The current study was supported in part by NIMH/NIH R25 MH071286 (Dr. Kerim Munir, PI) at the Division of Developmental Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston.
Finally, I would like to thank my parents, Louise and Peter, my grandmother, Neska, and my partner, Devon, for their unconditional encouragement, support, and love during the writing process, and always. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. vi LIST OF TABLES. ix LIST OF FIGURES.
xv CHAPTER Page 1. BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE. 1 Preschool-Age Children’s Exposure and Reactions to PTEs. 5 Parent Affective Symptoms as a Moderator of Exposure to PTEs and Emotional Adjustment.
6 Specific Aims and Conceptual Models. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS. 24 Rates of Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events (PTEs). 24 Relations Among Variables of Interest.
27 Tests of Specific Aim 1: PTE Exposure, Emotional Adjustment, and Social Competence. 31 Tests of Specific Aim 2: PTE Exposure and Emotional Adjustment Moderated by Parent Affective Symptoms. 41 Tests of Specific Aim 3: PTE Exposure and Social Competence, Moderated by Emotional Adjustment. 51 Tests of Specific Aim 4: Exploring Potential Moderating Effect of Child Gender on PTE Exposure, Emotional Adjustment, and Social Competence.
79 Strengths and Limitations. TRAUMATIC EVENTS SCREENING INVENTORY – PARENT REPORT REVISED (TESI-PRR)…. 90 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Rates of Child Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events (PTEs) by Category.
Descriptive Statistics of Emotional Adjustment, Social Competence, and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables. Correlation Coefficients for the Three Measures of Child Emotional Adjustment. Correlation Coefficients for the Three Measures of Child Social Competence. Correlation Coefficients for the Three Measures of Parent Affective Symptoms.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure Predicting Parent-Reported Total Problems T Score on the CBCL. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure Predicting Parent-Reported Total Problems T Score on the CBCL. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure Predicting Parent-Reported Total Problems T Score on the CBCL. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for PTE Exposure Predicting Teacher-Reported Total Problems T Scores on the CTRF.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for PTE Exposure Predicting Dysregulation. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for PTE Exposure Predicting Parent-Reported Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure Predicting Teacher-Reported Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. 38 ix Table Page 13.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure Predicting Teacher-Reported Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure Predicting Teacher-Reported Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for PTE Exposure Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables Predicting Parent-Reported Total Problems T Score on the CBCL.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables Predicting Parent-Reported Total Problems T Score on the CBCL. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables Predicting Parent-Reported Total Problems T Score on the CBCL. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables Predicting Teacher-Reported Total Problems T Score on the CTRF. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables Predicting Teacher-Reported Total Problems T Score on the CTRF.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables Predicting Teacher-Reported Total Problems T Score on the CTRF. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables Predicting Dysregulation. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables Predicting Dysregulation. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and Parent Affective Symptoms Variables Predicting Dysregulation.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and CBCL Total T Score Predicting Parent-Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and CBCL Total T Score Predicting Parent- Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and CBCL Total T Score Predicting Parent-Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and CTRF Total T Score Predicting Parent-Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and CTRF Total T Score Predicting Parent- Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and CTRF Total T Score Predicting Parent-Reported Total Social Skills Standard Scores on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and Dysregulation Predicting Parent-Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. 58 xi Table Page 32.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and Dysregulation Predicting Parent-Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and Dysregulation Predicting Parent- Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and CBCL Total T Score Predicting Teacher-Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and CBCL Total T Score Predicting Teacher- Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and CTRF Total T Score Predicting Teacher-Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and Dysregulation Predicting Teacher-Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and Dysregulation Predicting Teacher- Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and Dysregulation Predicting Teacher Reported Total Social Skills Standard Score on the SSRS.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and CBCL Total T Score Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and CBCL Total T Score Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and CBCL Total T Score Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and CTRF Total T Score Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and CTRF Total T Score Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and CTRF Total T Score Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Total PTE Exposure and Dysregulation Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale. Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal PTE Exposure and Dysregulation Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale.
Summary of Linear Regression Analysis for Interpersonal Violence PTE Exposure and Dysregulation Predicting Child-Reported Social Adjustment Raw Score on BPI Peer Acceptance and Rejection Scale. Summary of Significant Findings for Specific Aims…………………… 78 xiii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Child Exposure to PTEs Will Be Tested for Main Effects on Child Emotional Adjustment and Child Social Competence………………………………………………… 10 2. Parent Affective Symptoms Will Be Tested as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Child Exposure to PTEs and Child Emotional Adjustment.
Child Emotional Adjustment Will Be Tested as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Child Exposure to PTEs and Child Social Competence .