CHILD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
🔹 Chapter 1: What Is Child Psychopathology?
Definition
Psychological disorders = patterns of behavioral, emotional, cognitive, or physical symptoms associated with distress and impairment.
Diagnoses describe behaviors — not the child
Many problems exist on a continuum
🔹 Key Developmental Concepts
Multifinality
Same starting point → different outcomes
Example: Maltreatment → depression, conduct disorder, or normal functioning.
Equifinality
Different starting points → same outcome
Example: Conduct disorder from genetics OR environment.
🔹 Risk & Protection
ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, 1995)
Early trauma strongly predicts:
Mental health problems
Substance abuse
Physical illness
Reduced life expectancy
Protective factors (Resilience):
Strong coping skills
Supportive family
Authoritative parenting
Caring adults outside family
🔹 Theoretical Perspectives
1. Biological
Brain development & neuroplasticity
Gene × environment interaction
2. Psychological
Behavior (ABC model)
Cognition
Emotion regulation
3. Social/Cultural
Family system
Community
Culture
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model
👉 Best approach = multi-theoretical
🔹 Attachment Theory
Attachment forms 6–12 months.
Styles:
Secure
Avoidant
Resistant
Disorganized
Insecure attachment = ↑ risk for psychopathology.
🔹 Assessment & Diagnosis
Purposes:
Describe
Diagnose
Predict (prognosis)
Guide treatment
Tools:
Clinical interviews
Behavioral ABC assessment
Psychological testing (e.g., WISC)
CBCL
Classification:
Categorical (DSM)
Dimensional (continuum approach)
DSM Pros:
Shared language
Validation for families
DSM Cons:
Stigma
Oversimplifies complexity
📘 Chapter 5: Intellectual Disability (ID)
Definition
Deficits in:
Intellectual functioning (IQ)
Adaptive functioning
Onset before age 18
Adaptive functioning = conceptual, social, practical skills
Severity Levels
Mild (85%)
Moderate (10%)
Severe (3–4%)
Profound (1–2%)
Global Developmental Delay = under age 5 when severity unclear.
Causes
Prenatal: genetic, maternal illness, poverty
Perinatal: prematurity, birth complications
Postnatal: TBI, malnutrition, abuse
Treatment
Early intervention is key
Enriched environments (e.g., Abecedarian Project)
Support adaptive skills
📘 Learning Disorders (SLD)
Specific Learning Disorder:
Reading
Writing
Math
Discrepancy between IQ and achievement.
Often associated with:
Anxiety
Depression
📘 ADHD
Definition: Persistent inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity causing impairment.
Presentations:
Predominantly Inattentive
Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive
Combined
Criteria:
Before age 12
In multiple settings
Causes impairment
Treatment:
Stimulants
Parent training
School interventions
Combined approaches best
📘 Prosocial Lie-Telling Study (Williams et al., 2015)
Authors: Shanna Williams, Kelsey Moore, Angela M. Crossman, Victoria Talwar
Key Question
What predicts children’s ability to tell prosocial lies?
Key Concepts
Prosocial Lie
Lie told to benefit someone else (e.g., “I like the gift”).
Executive Function
Working memory (Digit Span)
Inhibitory control (Stroop)
Theory of Mind (ToM)
Understanding others’ mental states
Second-order false belief = “She thinks that he thinks…”
Findings
59.5% told a prosocial lie
Executive function predicted lying
Second-order ToM predicted maintaining the lie
Age did NOT predict initial lie
Age DID predict semantic leakage control
Big Takeaway
Prosocial lying is linked to:
Working memory
Inhibitory control
Perspective-taking ability
It reflects social and cognitive development, not simply dishonesty.
🔥 Most Testable Themes Overall
Multifinality & equifinality
ACEs & resilience
Attachment patterns
DSM strengths & weaknesses
ID = IQ + adaptive functioning
ADHD presentations & treatments
Executive function + ToM in prosocial lying