Detailed Study Notes on Child Psychopathology

Sign-up process involves:
- Moodle platform → Presentation Sign-Up
- Google Document to be posted after class

Accessibility Services: Students with needs beyond test-taking must inform the instructor as soon as possible to receive appropriate accommodations.

Dynamics of Teaching: Appraoch includes a balance of:
- Dynamic and Structured approach
- Warm and Fair interactions
- Flexible yet Boundaried conduct

Definition of Psychological Disorders:
- Patterns of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and/or physical symptoms.
- Key Characteristics:
- Associated with distress and impairment.
- Sometimes behaviors are adaptive to unusual circumstances.
- Diagnostic Labels:
- Describe a constellation of behaviors/symptoms—not the person (Mash & Wolfe, 2018).

Problems are often nebulous when adults (e.g., parents) seek services.
Example: A 6-year-old refusing to sleep could be:
- Oppositional
- Depressed
- Anxious
Many child and adolescent issues exist on a continuum.
Interventions aim to promote development and increase functioning (Mash & Wolfe, 2018).

John Locke (17th Century):
- Advocated for kindness and education in child-rearing.
Jean-Marc Itard (19th Century):
- Pioneered documented efforts with special needs children, initiating a helping orientation toward children (Mash & Wolfe, 2018).
Benjamin Rush (Physician):
- Identified children with normal cognitive abilities but disturbing behavior as suffering from “moral insanity.”
- This led to the organic disease model, transitioning from moral to medical understandings of behavior.

Late 19th Century:
- Bias existed attributing deviant or abnormal behavior to individual fault.
Early 20th Century:
- Mental disorders were viewed as progressive “diseases,” often seen as irreversible and resistant to treatment.
- Led to social fears about contamination and implementation of eugenics and segregation (Mash & Wolfe, 2018).
Sigmund Freud (1853-1939):
- Founder of psychoanalysis; linked mental disorders to childhood experiences and proposed therapy as a viable intervention for mental disorders (Mash & Wolfe, 2018).

1930-1950: Psychodynamic approaches were dominant, with institutionalization of mentally ill children prevalent.
1940s: Research by Rene Spitz highlighting the detrimental effects of institutional life on child development led to reductions in institutionalization and increases in foster care.
1950s-1960s: Emergence of Behavior Therapy as a systematic treatment for child disorders followed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) in the 1970s.

Actively educated parents and the community about discussing feelings with children.
- Addressed the normalization of feelings, including negative emotions, emphasizing a developmental framework.
- Explored imaginary play, modelled secure attachment behaviors, and balanced complexities of feelings.

Circle of Security Model:
- Key concept illustrated through the secure attachment framework:
- Secure Base: Parent supports child’s exploration.
- Safe Haven: Parent comforts and protects the child.
- Always maintain a position of being “Bigger, Stronger, Wiser, and Kind.”
Nosologies in DSM-5:
- Efforts to classify disorders into categories can lead to stigmatization and challenges in separating the child from their disorder (Mash & Wolfe, 2018).

Multifinality: Different outcomes can arise from similar starting points.
Equifinality: Similar outcomes can arise from different beginnings (Mash & Wolfe, 2018).

Multifinality:
- Early childhood maltreatment can lead to outcomes like eating disorders, mood disorders, conduct disorders, or normal adjustment.
Equifinality:
- Conduct disorder can stem from a genetic pattern, familial characteristics, or environmental features.

ACEs Study (1995): Conducted to evaluate significant childhood trauma among those seeking treatment for obesity, revealing behaviors linked to prior abuse or neglect.
Impact of ACEs: Strong correlation with various negative outcomes, including increased susceptibility to mental health issues, substance abuse, and overall life expectancy reductions.

Abuse: Physical, emotional, sexual.
Neglect: Physical, emotional.
Household Dysfunction: Instances of mental illness, incarceration, domestic violence, or substance abuse.

Definition: Protective factors are variables that help mitigate the chances of developing a disorder, often rooted in resilience (Mash & Wolfe, 2018).

Individual Characteristics:
- Good intellectual functioning, appealing disposition, self-esteem.
Family Environment:
- Authoritative parenting, warmth, structure, and socioeconomic advantages.
School and Community Support:
- Engagement with caring adults outside the family and connections to effective social organizations.

Nearly 1 million cases of child abuse and neglect occur annually in the U.S.
Shockingly, over one-third of children aged 10-16 face physical/sexual assaults leading to mental health issues such as PTSD, major depression, or substance abuse (Mash & Wolfe, 2018).

Role: Assistant professor at McGill, specializing in the intersection of educational and counseling psychology.
Focus on children as witnesses and victims of crime, emphasizing developmentally tailored forensic interviewing.

Mash, E., & Wolfe, D. (2018). Abnormal Child Psychology. Nelson Education, 7th Edition.
Wilmshurst, L. (2014). Essentials of Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. John Wiley & Sons.