Parenting Styles, Psychological Assessments, & Mental Status Exam

What are the four types of parenting styles?

• Authoritarian (high demandingness, low emotional responsiveness)

• Authoritative (high demandingness & responsiveness)

• Permissive (low demandingness & high responsiveness)

• Neglectful (low demandingness & responsiveness)

What are the features of an authoritarian parenting style?

• Very high expectations, strict rules, punishment common

• One-way communication; rules rarely explained

What are the features of an authoritative parenting style?

• High expectations with flexibility and reasoning

• Two-way communication; rules explained; child input encouraged

What are the features of a permissive parenting style?

• Low expectations; few rules or limits

• Very open communication; parent acts more like a friend

What are the features of a neglectful parenting style?

• Very few expectations or rules

• Minimal communication; emotionally detached

What are the Socio-Emotional outcomes for a child under an authoritarian parenting style?

• Obedient and rule-following

• Higher risk of low self-esteem

• Anxiety, aggression, shyness

• Difficulty making independent decisions

• Possible rebellion in adolescence

What are the socio-emotional outcomes for a child under an authoritative parenting style?

• Confident, responsible, emotionally regulated

• Socially skilled, independent

• strong academic performance

• higher self-esteem

What are the socio-emotional outcomes for a child under a permissive parenting style?

• Good self-esteem and social skills

• May be impulsive

• Struggle with self-control and boundaries

• Poorer habits (sleep, diet, screen time)

• Lower persistence

• Substance use disorders

What are the socio-emotional outcomes for a child under a neglectful parenting style?

• Higher risk of poor emotional regulation, weak coping skills

• academic difficulties

• problems forming healthy relationships

• may develop independence and resilience out of necessity

What describes hostile/coercive parenting?

Parenting characterized by negative affect, indifference, and harsh control strategies (using threats, harsh physical punishment, and psychological manipulation)

What are behavioral examples of a hostile/coercive parenting?

• Threatening to hurt or abandon a child

• Slapping or rough physical handling

• Using guilt or ridicule

• Psychological intimidation or manipulation

What are the outcomes for a child under a hostile/coercive parenting?

• Higher levels of defiance and aggression

• Long-term behavioral difficulties across childhood and adolescence

What is a psychological assessment?

The process of gathering information about children and their families to form conclusions about their functioning.

What is the purpose of assessment in children?

To screen, diagnose, create a treatment plan, and monitor progress

What are some important considerations for assessing children and adolescents?

• Children rarely initiate the assessment

• Problems must be considered in a developmental context

• Their ability to reflect upon and talk about feelings or experiences is influenced by maturational factors

• Typically requires more time for children than adults

What is the first thing that a clinican does during the assessment?

Conducts hypothesis testing; hypotheses supported by data are retained and unsupported hypotheses are revised or discarded

What are the four pillars of psychological assessment?

• Diagnostic interviews

• Behavioral observations

• Norms-Referenced Tests

• Informal Data Gathering

What are diagnostic interviews?

Structured conversations with child and caregivers to understand concerns and history

What are behavioral observations?

Direct observation of the child’s behavior across settings and situations.

What are norms-referenced tests?

Standardized tests that compare the child’s performance to peers

What is informal data gathering?

Review of records, reports, and collateral information from teachers and other professionals

What are the two principles of assessment?

Multimethod assessment and multi-informant assessment

What are the features of a multimethod assessment?

• Gathering data in a few different ways to obtain the most comprehensive picture of the child’s functioning (i.e., interviewing, observing, collecting data, and administering tests)

What are the features of a multi-informant assessment?

• Data gathering from different people.

• Research suggests low correlations between teachers, parents, and children’s descriptions of behaviors. Needed for accurate picture of functioning

What are the key purposes of a diagnostic interview?

• Identify the presenting problem — the primary reason the family seeks treatment

• To begin building rapport and trust

• Gain a clear understanding of the child’s current developmental stage

• Obtain information about emotional functioning, trauma, delinquent acts, substance abuse, etc

What is a mental status exam?

A way to systematically examine the child’s thoughts, behavior appearance, and emotions

• Structured way of observing the psychological functioning at a given point in time

• Extremely valuable in identifying symptoms associated with disorders

• Core skill of mental health professionals and can set the tone of the relationship

What are some categories of the MSE?

• Appearance and actions

• Emotions

• Speech & language

• Memory & cognitive functioning

• Judgment and insight

What is mood vs affect?

Mood is how someone feels whereas affect is how someone portrays themself

What is one way to assess a child’s short-term memory?

Repeat a list of three items presented earlier in the interview

What is one way to assess a child’s long-term memory?

Ask questions like what did you get for your birthday? or ask the patient to draw a geometric figure from a sample and later from memory