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Democracy implies that students have to learn to deal with controversial issues. For teachers, it is difficult to teach issues that are considered controversial in society, or by some participants in schools, like students, parents, other teachers and principals. It is particularly difficult when there are opposing groups and perspectives in the classroom itself. Controversial issues are at stake in many subjects, but especially in subjects, like history, social studies and religious studies. However, more technical subjects, like biology, are alsofull of controversial issues. Addressing controversial issues, in a pedagogical setting, requires paying attention to different perspectives and their social, cultural and political foundations. Learning from different perspectives can be best developed if teachers use multiple perspectives with all kind of topics, as a regular way of learning and teaching. Such a pedagogical mode can train students to have open dialogues, before issues really become controversial, and are also useful in the midst of heated controversial debates.

Dyadic network data occur when each member in a group provides data about each other member in the group (e.g., how much they like each other person). Such data have a complex nesting structure, such that bivariate responses (e.g., Person A’s liking of B and vice versa) are dependent upon out-going and in-coming random effects that are correlated within individuals. Dyadic network models for such data include the social relations model for normal data and the p2 and j2 models for dichotomous data, but we have seen no application or generalization to accommodate a rarely discussed type of variable from this framework: variables that are constant within a dyad. Dyad-constant variables could include background variables such as whether a dyad is same or opposite sex or how many years two friends have known each other, which require no special modification to use as predictors (Jorgensen et al., Soc Netw 54:26–40, 2018). But they could also be outcomes, such as the difference in a married couple’s relationship satisfaction or the similarity in symptoms of a (set of) psychological disorder(s). We explore how such dyad-constant outcomes can be modeled, demonstrating on a data set from a clinic for patients with eating disorders.

IntroductionThis paper outlines the study protocol for the Dutch Tackle Your Tics study in youth with tic disorders. Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders are prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, placing considerable burden on youth and their families. Behavioural treatment is the first-line, evidence-based intervention for tic disorders, but tic reduction and availability remain relatively low. Patient associations stress the need for more accessible high-quality treatments, also focusing on improving quality of life. Therefore, the brief, intensive group-based treatment Tackle Your Tics was developed.Methods and analysisTackle Your Tics is a 4-day intensive and comprehensive group-based intervention for children and adolescents (9–17 years) with Tourette syndrome or a chronic tic disorder. The programme encompasses exposure and response prevention treatment and additional supporting components (coping strategies, relaxation exercises and parent support). To study the effectiveness of Tackle Your Tics and identify predictors/moderators at baseline, a single-blinded randomised controlled trial (n=104) is conducted, comparing Tackle Your Tics (n=52) with a waiting list condition lasting 3 months (n=52). Assessments are performed at similar time points for both groups: at baseline, after 4 weeks, and at 3 and 6 months of follow-up, on tic severity, quality of life and other psychosocial variables.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been obtained from the medical ethical committee of the Amsterdam Medical Centre (METC nr NL66340.018.18, v3 June 2020). Findings will be presented on national and international conferences, peer-reviewed scientific journals, patient organisation meetings and public media. Patient representatives are fully integrated as part of the research team. If Tackle Your Tics proves to be effective, it can expand evidence-based treatment possibilities for children and adolescents with tic disorders. Identifying the psychosocial predictors/moderators for the effectiveness of this intervention can provide personalised treatment advice in the future.Trial registration numberNL8052.

We introduce the special section on nonparametric item response theory (IRT) in Quality of Life Research. Starting from the well-known Rasch model, we provide a brief overview of nonparametric IRT models and discuss the assumptions, the properties, and the investigation of goodness of fit. We provide references to more detailed texts to help readers getting acquainted with nonparametric IRT models. In addition, we show how the rather diverse papers in the special section fit into the nonparametric IRT framework. Finally, we illustrate the application of nonparametric IRT models using data from a questionnaire measuring activity limitations in walking. The real-data example shows the quality of the scale and its constituent items with respect to dimensionality, local independence, monotonicity, and invariant item ordering.

Background Both the presence of psychological problems and the absence of an employment contract are related to long-term sickness absence, prolonged work disability and unemployment. Studies researching the effectiveness of return-to-work interventions on these non-permanent workers, including unemployed and temporary agency workers and workers with an expired fixed-term contract, are lagging behind. Therefore, a return-to-work intervention called “Brainwork” was developed. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the ‘Brainwork Intervention’ in reducing the duration of sick leave compared to usual care over a 12-month follow-up. Methods In a multicenter controlled clinical trial, using a quasi-randomization procedure, we compared the Brainwork Intervention (n = 164) to usual care (n = 156). The primary outcome was the duration of sick leave. Secondary outcomes were the duration of sick leave starting from Social Security Agency transfer; the proportion of workers returned to work; the number of hours of paid employment during the follow-up period; the degree of worker participation; the level of psychological complaints; and the self-efficacy for return to work. Protocol adherence (Brainwork Intervention) was considered sufficient when at least three of the five protocol steps were followed. Cox regressions, linear and ordinal regression, and Mixed Model analyses were performed. Results All 320 participants were analyzed. The Brainwork Intervention resulted in a non-significant reduction of the duration of sick leave compared to usual care (269 days versus 296 days; HR = 1.29; 95% CI 0.94–1.76; p = 0.11). For those working (46%) during the 12-month follow-up, the mean number of hours of paid employment was non-significantly higher in the usual care group (682 h versus 493 h; p = 0.053). No significant differences were found for other secondary outcomes. Protocol adherence was 10%. Conclusions The Brainwork Intervention as performed with a low protocol adherence did not result in a significant reduction of the duration of sick leave compared to usual care. It remains unclear what the results would have been if the Brainwork Intervention had been executed according to protocol. Trial registration The Netherlands Trial Register (NTR); NTR3976 (old registration number NTR4190). Registered September 27th 2013.

Previous research has shown that youth consider school-based child abuse prevention programs as one of the most important strategies for preventing child abuse and neglect. This study asked young child abuse survivors how school-based child abuse prevention programs should be shaped and what program components they perceive as essential. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 Dutch young adults that were a victim of child abuse or neglect. A literature review that resulted in 12 potential program components was used to guide the interviews. All young adults agreed that school-based child abuse prevention programs are important and have positive effects on children’s awareness of child abuse. Teaching children that they are never to blame for child abuse occurrences was considered one of the most important components of school-based programs, next to teaching children how to escape from threatening situations and to find help, increasing children’s social–emotional skills, promoting child abuse related knowledge, recognizing risky situations, and increasing children’s self-esteem. Further, the participants found it important to provide children with aftercare when a school program has ended. Overall, young child abuse survivors have a strong view on what should be addressed in school-based child abuse prevention programs to effectively prevent child abuse.

Contains fulltext : 285191.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Background: Psychological interventions targeting children with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF) are suggested to be effective in reducing their externalizing problem behavior, but less is known about the specific treatment processes that may be associated with these effects. Aims: The current study investigated whether the treatment processes of observed treatment adherence (i.e., the degree to which a therapist sticks to the protocol of a treatment and provides the treatment as intended) and observed therapist alliance-building behavior (TA-BB; i.e., behavior contributing to the affective bond between the therapist and the client) predicted treatment outcomes in a group behavioral parent training combined with group child cognitive behavior therapy targeting externalizing problem behavior in children with MID-BIF. Methods and procedures: Seventy-two children (aged 9–18; Mage = 12.1) and their parents in The Netherlands received the intervention program. They reported on children’s externalizing behavior, parenting practices and the parent-child relationship by questionnaires at pre-test and post-test, and the observed treatment processes were coded by audio tapes of therapeutic sessions. Outcomes and results: The results showed high levels of both treatment adherence (M = 2.49; SD = 0.20; range 1 - 3) and TA-BB (M = 4.11; SD = 0.32; range 1 - 5). Additionally, repeated measures analyses revealed that levels of treatment adherence significantly predicted the improvement of the parent-child relationship (F(1, 66) = 5.37; p = .024) and that levels of TA-BB significantly predicted the decrease of parent reported externalizing problem behavior (F(1, 66) = 9.89; p = .002). Conclusions and implications: The current study suggested that optimal treatment processes are important for treatment outcomes in an intervention targeting children with MID-BIF. 10 p.

School-based programs seem promising for child abuse prevention. However, research mainly focused on sexual child abuse and knowledge is lacking on how individual program components contribute to the effectiveness of school-based prevention programs for any form of child abuse. This study aimed to examine the overall effect of these school-based programs on (a) children’s child abuse-related knowledge and (b) self-protection skills by conducting two three-level meta-analyses. Furthermore, moderator analyses were performed to identify how program components and delivery techniques were associated with effectiveness. A literature search yielded 34 studies (158 effect sizes; N = 11,798) examining knowledge of child abuse and 22 studies (99 effect sizes; N = 7804) examining self-protection skills. A significant overall effect was found of school-based programs on both knowledge (d = 0.572, 95% CI [0.408, 0.737], p d = 0.528, 95% CI [0.262, 0.794], p d = 0.909 for programs with this component versus d = 0.489 for programs without this component) and self-blame (d = 0.776 versus d = 0.412), and when puppets (d = 1.096 versus d = 0.500) and games or quizzes (d = 0.966 versus d = 0.494) were used. The second meta-analysis on children’s self-protections skills revealed that no individual components or techniques were associated with increased effectiveness. Several other study and program characteristics did moderate the overall effects and are discussed. In general, school-based prevention programs show positive effects on both knowledge and self-protection skills, and the results imply that program effectiveness can be improved by implementing specific components and techniques.

Many established parenting programs for children's conduct problems are delivered in groups. Various, and at times conflicting, beliefs exist about whether families fare better in groups with parents that are more similar to them, or in groups that are more diverse. We set out to test these beliefs empirically. We integrated data from four trials of the Incredible Years parenting program in the Netherlands, including 452 families (children age 2-10 years) participating in 44 parenting groups. We used multilevel regression to test whether families benefit more (or less) when they participate in a group with parents that are more similar to them in terms of ethnic background, educational level, and children's baseline conduct problems, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms, and emotional problems. In addition, we tested whether relative group position effects were stronger for some families than for others (e.g., whether especially ethnic minority families benefit from groups that are more ethnically diverse). Families with more severe conduct problems benefited more, but they did not fare better (or worse) in groups where other families were more similar to them. Regarding the other group characteristics, families' relative group position did not predict parenting program effects on children's conduct problems. Our findings held across families with different sociodemographic backgrounds and different levels of children's ADHD symptoms and emotional problems. We found no evidence that parenting group composition impacts the effectiveness of the Incredible Years parenting program for children's conduct problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Interrater reliability (IRR) is often estimated by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation of Bayesian hierarchical models to estimate ICCs has several benefits over traditional approaches such as analysis of variance or maximum likelihood estimation. However, estimation of ICCs with small sample sizes and variance parameters close to zero, which are typical conditions in studies for which the IRR should be estimated, remains problematic in this MCMC approach. The estimation of the variance components that are used to estimate ICCs can heavily depend on the hyperprior distributions specified for these random-effect parameters. In this study, we explore the effect of a uniform and half-t hyperprior distribution on bias, coverage, and efficiency of the random-effect parameters and ICCs. The results indicated that a half-t distribution outperforms a uniform distribution but that slightly increasing the number of raters in a study is more influential than the choice of hyperprior distributions. We discuss implications and directions for future research.

Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) is a statistical technique to fit hypothesized models on the combined data of multiple independent studies. Lv and Maeda (2019) present a simulation study on the performance of three fixed-effects correlation-based MASEM methods with varying levels of data missing completely at random (MCAR). In this commentary, we discuss several coding errors and other issues that we identified, which demonstrate that Lv and Maeda did not evaluate any of the three intended methods. Furthermore, the authors report very surprising results and offer specific recommendations for the application of the three methods; these actions compel us to express our concerns regarding the validity of the conclusions provided by Lv and Maeda.

Objective: This study investigated how genetic susceptibility may affect children's sensitivity to parenting practices in their development of externalizing behavior. We created a continuous polygenic index composed of 5 dopamine polymorphisms to investigate the moderating role of dopamine-related genes in shaping parent-child gene-by-environment (Gc×E) interactions. Accumulating research supports that differences in children's dopamine neurotransmission make certain children more susceptible to both negative and positive parenting practices, a “for-better and for-worse” effect.Methods: Data from a 3-wave longitudinal study (4 months between waves) on 190 at-risk families with children aged 4 to 8 were used to investigate whether a heightened polygenic index score amplified the associations between negative and positive parenting and later children's externalizing behavior. Parenting practices and child externalizing behavior were assessed by parent-reported questionnaires.Results: Findings were not in line with the expectation that there was a stronger association between positive and negative parenting and later externalizing behavior for children with higher scores on the polygenic susceptibility index. Rather, children with a lower score on the polygenic susceptibility index showed more later externalizing behavior in response to positive parenting behavior, whereas for children with a higher score on the polygenic index, positive parenting was predictive of relatively lower levels of later child externalizing behavior.Conclusion: The results indicate that not only are children with higher but also lower scores on the polygenic index sensitive to parenting, they suggest that different phenotypical characteristics related to reward processing might underlie these genetic susceptibilities to parenting practices.

Little is known about the effect of diverging pedagogies on the development of interactional oral skills in a foreign language. In a controlled study, we evaluated three newly developed instructional programmes that were situated in the same training context, but that differed in instructional focus and type of task. These were compared to the effects of business-as-usual instruction. Multilevel analysis revealed that all experimental groups outperformed the ‘business-as-usual’ control group on oral interaction skills (N = 199), with similar results for the programmes. Positive effects were found on interaction skills for trained contexts of use only. No transfer was found to tasks in other contexts of use. We conclude that receiving contextualised oral interaction instruction is beneficial to the development of pre-vocational learners’ interaction skills.

IntroductionLoss of sensation due to diabetes‐related neuropathy often leads to diabetic foot ulceration. Several test instruments are used to assess sensation, such as static and moving 2‐point discrimination (S2PD, M2PD), monofilaments, and tuning forks.MethodsMokken scale analysis was applied to the Rotterdam Diabetic Foot Study data to select hierarchies of tests to construct measurement scales.ResultsWe developed 39‐item and 31‐item scales to measure loss of sensation for research purposes and a 13‐item scale for clinical practice. All instruments were strongly scalable and reliable. The 39 items can be classified into 5 hierarchically ordered core clusters: S2PD, M2PD, vibration sense, monofilaments, and prior ulcer or amputation.DiscussionGuided by the presented scales, clinicians may better classify the grade of sensory loss in diabetic patients’ feet. Thus, a more personalized approach concerning individual recommendations, intervention strategies, and patient information may be applied.

We used the Dutch–Flemish version of the USA PROMIS adult V1.0 item bank for Anxiety as input for developing a computerized adaptive test (CAT) to measure the entire latent anxiety continuum. First, psychometric analysis of a combined clinical and general population sample ( N = 2,010) showed that the 29-item bank has psychometric properties that are required for a CAT administration. Second, a post hoc CAT simulation showed efficient and highly precise measurement, with an average number of 8.64 items for the clinical sample, and 9.48 items for the general population sample. Furthermore, the accuracy of our CAT version was highly similar to that of the full item bank administration, both in final score estimates and in distinguishing clinical subjects from persons without a mental health disorder. We discuss the future directions and limitations of CAT development with the Dutch–Flemish version of the PROMIS Anxiety item bank.

BACKGROUND: In the clinical field, the use of questionnaires is ubiquitous, and many different methods for constructing them are available. The reason for using a specific method is usually lacking, and a generally accepted classification of methods is not yet available. To guide test developers and users, this article presents a taxonomy for methods of questionnaire design which links the methods to the goal of a test.METHODS: The taxonomy assumes that construction methods are directed towards psychometric aspects. Four stages of test construction are distinguished to describe methods: concept analysis, item production, scale construction, and evaluation; the scale construction stage is used for identifying methods. It distinguishes six different methods: the rational method utilizes expert judgments to ensure face validity. The prototypical method uses prototypicality judgments to ensure process validity. In the internal method, item sets are selected that optimize homogeneity. The external method optimizes criterion validity by selecting items that best predict an external criterion. Under the construct method theoretical considerations are used to optimize construct validity. The facet method is aimed at optimizing content validity through a complete representation of the concept domain.CONCLUSION: The taxonomy is comprehensive, constitutes a useful tool for describing procedures used in questionnaire design, and allows for setting up a test construction plan in which the priorities among psychometric aspects are made explicit.

We investigated whether early algebra lessons that explicitly aimed to elicit mathematical discussions (shift-problem lessons) invoke more and qualitatively better mathematical discussions and raise students’ mathematical levels more than conventional lessons in a small group setting. A quasi-experimental study (pre- and post-test, control group) was conducted in 6 seventh-grade classes (N = 160). An analysis of the interaction processes of five student groups showed that more mathematical discussions occurred in the shift-problem condition. The quality of the mathematical discussions in the shift-problem condition was better compared to that in the conventional textbook condition, but there is still more room for improvement. A qualitative illustration of two typical mathematical discussions in the shift-problem condition are provided. Although students’ mathematical levels were raised a fair amount in both conditions, no differences between conditions were found. We concluded that shift-problem lessons are powerful for eliciting mathematical discussions in seventh-grade shift-problem early algebra lessons.

Objective: To examine the behavioral functioning of children prenatally exposed to carbamazepine (CBZ), lamotrigine (LTG), levetiracetam (LEV), or valproate (VPA) monotherapy. Methods: In collaboration with the European Registry of Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy (EURAP), the Dutch EURAP & Development study was designed, a prospective observational study. Between January 2015 and March 2018, the Child Behavior Checklist and the Social Emotional Questionnaire were used to examine the nature and severity of behavioral problems. VPA-exposed children were compared to children exposed to CBZ, LTG, or LEV, taking potential confounders into account. A direct comparison was also made between LTG and LEV, as these are first-choice treatments for many women with epilepsy of childbearing potential.Results: Of the 405 invited, 181 children were included; 26 were exposed to VPA, 37 to CBZ, 88 to LTG, and 30 to LEV. For most children, both parents completed the behavioral questionnaires. Across all four antiepileptic drug (AED) exposure groups, high percentages of children with clinically relevant behavior problems were found, with behavioral problems occurring in 32% of VPA-exposed children, 14% of CBZ, 16% of LTG, and 14% of LEV. After controlling for potential confounders, VPA-exposed children had significantly more social problems than those exposed to LTG (−2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −5.2 to −0.4; P = 0.022) or LEV (−3.2, CI: −6.1 to −0.3; P = 0.028), and significantly more attention problems than LEV-exposed children (−3.7, CI: −6.7 to −0.8; P = 0.013). LTG-exposed children had significantly more attention deficit (−9.2, CI: −17.3 to 1.1; P = 0.026), but significantly less anxious behavior when compared to LEV-exposed children (9.0, CI: 0.3-17.6; P = 0.042). Significance: Compared to population norms, a high proportion of children of mothers with epilepsy exposed prenatally to monotherapy with four common AEDs had clinical behavioral problems reported by parents. Different patterns were seen, with some but not all subscales raised for all AED exposure groups. It is important that prenatally AED-exposed children are regularly screened for behavioral problems so that appropriate help can be provided.

Significant attention has been paid in the international literature to the effect of in-service training on the interaction skills of teachers in early childhood education and care. The growth of pre-service teachers during teacher education has received relatively little attention to date, however. In a mixed-methods longitudinal study, we monitored the development of interaction skills among a group of Dutch pre-service teachers with repeated measures for 3years and structured interviews. The results of a linear mixed-effects model revealed an impressive growth of interaction skills during the pre-service training. The qualitative interview data revealed progress of pre-service teachers' professional reflection on their interaction with young children. These outcomes show the effectiveness of pre-service training for the development of interaction skills and professional reflection in early childhood education and care. However, progress is relatively modest for instructional skills and this domain needs further investment in pre-service training.

Two-level Mokken scale analysis is a generalization of Mokken scale analysis for multi-rater data. The bias of estimated scalability coefficients for two-level Mokken scale analysis, the bias of their estimated standard errors, and the coverage of the confidence intervals has been investigated, under various testing conditions. It was found that the estimated scalability coefficients were unbiased in all tested conditions. For estimating standard errors, the delta method and the cluster bootstrap were compared. The cluster bootstrap structurally underestimated the standard errors of the scalability coefficients, with low coverage values. Except for unequal numbers of raters across subjects and small sets of items, the delta method standard error estimates had negligible bias and good coverage. Post hoc simulations showed that the cluster bootstrap does not correctly reproduce the sampling distribution of the scalability coefficients, and an adapted procedure was suggested. In addition, the delta method standard errors can be slightly improved if the harmonic mean is used for unequal numbers of raters per subject rather than the arithmetic mean.

This mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis sheds more light on the role parenting practices play in children’s adjustment after war exposure. Specifically, we quantitatively examined how war exposure shapes parenting behavior, and whether parenting behavior explains some of the well-known associations between war exposure and children’s adjustment. In addition, we meta-synthesized the qualitative evidence answering when and why parenting practices might change for war-affected families. We searched nine electronic databases and contacted experts in the field for relevant studies published until March 2018, identifying 4,147 unique publications that were further screened by title and abstract, resulting in 158 publications being fully screened. By running a meta-analytic structural equation model (MASEM) with 38 quantitative studies (N = 54,372, Mage = 12.00, SDage = 3.54), we found that war-exposed parents showed less warmth and more harshness towards their children, which partly mediated the association between war exposure and child adjustment, i.e., more post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression and anxiety, social problems, externalizing behavior, and lower positive outcomes. War exposure was not associated with parents’ exercise of behavioral control. Through meta-synthesizing ten qualitative studies (N = 1,042, age range = 0-18), we found that the nature of war-related trauma affected parenting differently. That is, parents showed harshness, hostility, inconsistency and less warmth in highly dangerous settings, and more warmth and overprotection when only living under threat. We conclude that it is not only how much but also what families have seen that shape parenting in times of war.

Restricted factor analysis (RFA) is a powerful method to test for uniform differential item functioning (DIF), but it may require empirically selecting anchor items to prevent inflated Type I error rates. We conducted a simulation study to compare two empirical anchor-selection strategies: a one-step rank-based strategy and an iterative selection procedure. Unlike the iterative procedure, the rank-based strategy had a low risk and degree of contamination within the empirically selected anchor set, even with small samples. To detect nonuniform DIF, RFA requires an interaction effect with the latent factor. The latent moderated structural equations (LMS) method has been applied to RFA and has revealed inflated Type I error rates. We propose using product indicators (PI) as a more widely available alternative to measure the latent interaction. A simulation study, involving several sample-size conditions and magnitudes of uniform and nonuniform DIF, revealed that PI obtained similar power but lower Type I error rates, as compared to LMS.

Het verkrijgen van inzicht in risicofactoren voor zowel spijbelen als schooluitval is essentieel voor de preventie en vermindering van schoolverzuim. Dit onderzoek geeft een overzicht van de belangrijkste risicofactoren voor spijbelen en schooluitval aan de hand van een omvattende meta-analyse. Een uitgebreid literatuuronderzoek in wetenschappelijke databases leverde 75 bruikbare onderzoeken op, waaruit 1.416 potentiële risicofactoren werden gehaald. Factoren die min of meer gelijk van aard zijn, werden voor spijbelen in 44 en voor schooluitval in 42 wederzijds uitsluitende categorieën van risicofactoren geclassificeerd. Vervolgens werd een reeks drie-level-meta-analyses uitgevoerd om voor elk van deze categorieën een schatting te maken van een gemiddeld effect. Er was een significant effect voor 29 risicofactoren voor spijbelen, variërend van r= 0,099 tot r= 0,509, en voor 23 risicofactoren voor schooluitval, variërend van r = 0,062 tot r = 0,348. Veel verschillende kind-, gezins-, school- en peerfactoren hangen positief samen met spijbelen en schooluitval, en kunnen als risicofactoren aangemerkt worden. De resultaten van dit onderzoek zijn belangrijk voor het succesvol terugdringen en voorkomen van schoolverzuim. Implicaties voor zowel risico- en behoefte-taxatie, als interventiestrategieën om (herhaling van) schoolverzuim te voorkomen worden besproken.

Progress feedback is an intervention aimed at enhancing patient outcomes in routine clinical practice. This study reports a comprehensive multilevel meta-analysis on the effectiveness of progress feedback in psychological treatments in curative care. The short- and long-term effects of feedback on symptom reduction were investigated using 58 (randomized and non-randomized) studies, analyzing 110 effect sizes in a total of 21,699 patients. Effects of feedback on dropout rate, percentage of deteriorated cases, and treatment duration were also examined. Moderation analyses were conducted for study and feedback characteristics. A small significant effect of progress feedback on symptom reduction (d = 0.15, 95% CI: [0.10, 0.20]) was found, compared to control groups. This was also true for not-on-track cases (d = 0.17, 95% CI: [0.11, 0.22]). In addition, feedback had a small favorable effect on dropout rates (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: [1.03, 1.38]). The moderation analyses identified several potentially interesting variables for further research, including feedback instrument, outcome instrument, type of feedback, feedback frequency, treatment intensity, and country in which the study was conducted. Future studies should report on these variables more consistently so that we can obtain a better understanding of when and why feedback improves outcomes.

BackgroundHome visiting programs are widely endorsed for preventing child maltreatment. Yet, knowledge is lacking on what and how individual program components are related to the effectiveness of these programs.ObjectiveThe aim of this meta-analysis was to increase this knowledge by summarizing findings on effects of home visiting programs on child maltreatment and by examining potential moderators of this effect, including a range of program components and delivery techniques.MethodsA literature search yielded 77 studies (N=48,761) examining the effectiveness of home visiting programs, producing 174 effect sizes. In total, 35 different program components and delivery techniques were coded.ResultsA small but significant overall effect was found (d=0.135, 95 % CI (0.084, 0.187), pConclusionsIn general, home visiting programs can prevent child maltreatment only to a small extent. However, implementing specific components and techniques can improve program effectiveness.

Education and healthcare professionals are crucial in detecting and reporting child abuse and neglect. However, signs of child abuse are often undetected, and professionals tend to underreport their suspicions of abuse and neglect. This qualitative study aimed to examine experiences, attitudes, perspectives, and decision-making skills of healthcare and education professionals with regard to identifying and reporting child abuse and to gain insight into how detection and reporting can be improved. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 49 Dutch professionals working in child health care, mental health care, primary schools, and secondary schools. The I-Change model was used as a theoretical framework to organize the results. Many professionals believe they miss child abuse signs in their daily work, partially due to a lack of focus on child abuse. Further, professionals indicated having insufficient knowledge of child abuse, and lack communication skills to detect or discuss signs indicative of child abuse in conversations with parents or children. As for risk assessment, professionals barely use structured instruments even though these are regarded as very helpful in the decision-making process. Finally, professionals experience deficits in the cooperation with child welfare organizations, and in particular with Child Protective Services (CPS). Various directions for improvement were discussed to overcome barriers in child abuse detection and reporting, including developing tools for detecting and assessing the risk of child abuse and improving communication and information transfer between organizations.

Tourette syndrome (TS) and other chronic tic disorders (CTD) are prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, which can have a huge burden on families and society. Behavioral treatment is a first-line intervention for tic disorders. Despite demonstrated efficacy, tic reduction and utilization rates of behavioral treatment remain relatively low. Patient associations point to an urgent need for easy-to-undergo treatments that focus both on tic reduction and improvement of quality of life. To enhance treatment outcome and overcome treatment barriers, this pilot study’s aim was to investigate the feasibility and preliminary results of a brief, intensive group-based treatment. Tackle your Tics is a 4-day intensive and comprehensive group-based program for children and adolescents (9–17 years) with a tic disorder, consisting of exposure and response prevention (ERP) treatment and additional supporting components, such as coping strategies, relaxing activities and parent support. Assessments were performed pre- and post-treatment and at 2 months follow-up, to test outcomes on tic severity and quality of life, and explore premonitory urges, emotional and behavioral functioning and treatment satisfaction (N = 14, of whom 13 completed the treatment). Parents and children rated this treatment positive on a treatment satisfaction questionnaire. On tic severity (Yale Global Tic Severity Scale) and quality of life (Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome Quality of Life Scale for children and adolescents), improvements between pre-treatment and follow-up were found. Intensive ERP in group format is promising as a feasible treatment to improve both tic severity as well as quality of life. Larger controlled trials are needed to establish its effectiveness.

Adolescents' school engagement is related to continuities and discontinuities in learning notions between various contexts (e.g., school, home, peer groups). Learning notions are the prevalent ideas in a context about appropriate learning goals, contents and means. It has remained unclear how adolescents' learner identities mediate the role that (dis-)continuities play in adolescents' school engagement. To advance insight into adolescents' school engagement, we examined what relations could be found between various contextual (dis-)continuities in learning notions adolescents with diverse levels of school engagement experience and their learner identities. Our comparative case study suggests that especially (dis-)continuities regarding notions of what it entails to be a good learner and the importance of being one between the school context on the one hand, and the contexts of home and peer groups on the other inform students' school-related learner identities. The present study implies that adolescents' school engagement can be fostered by building continuities between school and home in the appreciation of students' efforts and by making them resilient to unconstructive learning notions in home and peer group contexts.

De coronacrisis zorgt voor een abrupte transitie naar jeugdhulp op afstand. Van professionals vergt deze nieuwe manier van werken veel extra inzet en flexibiliteit en vooral: creativiteit. Wat gaat er goed en wat niet? En zijn er zelfs voordelen die we willen behouden? We vroegen 48 professionals naar hun ervaringen tijdens 'de eerste golf'.

Globally, one in four women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at some point in their life. This is particularly prevalent in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), highlighting the need to understand how IPV can be reduced. Our aim was to summarize the evidence base for interventions to reduce IPV in LMICs. We searched for studies published in peer-reviewed journals in PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science from January 1st 2012 to November 29th 2021, and included studies that evaluated interventions directed at IPV in LMIC, targeted at individuals in intimate relationships. Effect sizes were analyzed in a three-level meta-analysis. Forty-eight interventions were identified and the approaches employed fall within five of the seven domains of the WHO RESPECT Framework. The overall effects of interventions on participants' attitudes towards IPV and on IPV behavior were small and non-significant (attitudes: d = −0.302, 95% CI −0.635–0.032; behavior: d = −0.077, 95% CI −0.165–0.009). Heterogeneity in effects was substantial, suggesting that some interventions were more effective than others. The number of interventions available show that progress is being made to generate evidence in LMICs, but a lot more needs to be done in developing and implementing effective interventions to reduce IPV.

Emotional mimicry, the tendency to automatically and spontaneously reproduce others&rsquo, facial expressions, characterizes human social interactions from infancy onwards. Yet, little is known about the factors modulating its development in the first year of life. This study investigated infant emotional mimicry and its association with parent emotional mimicry, parent-infant mutual attention, and parent dispositional affective empathy. One hundred and seventeen parent-infant dyads (51 six-month-olds, 66 twelve-month-olds) were observed during video presentation of strangers&rsquo, happy, sad, angry, and fearful faces. Infant and parent emotional mimicry (i.e., facial expressions valence-congruent to the video) and their mutual attention (i.e., simultaneous gaze at one another) were systematically coded second-by-second. Parent empathy was assessed via self-report. Path models indicated that infant mimicry of happy stimuli was positively and independently associated with parent mimicry and affective empathy, while infant mimicry of sad stimuli was related to longer parent-infant mutual attention. Findings provide new insights into infants&rsquo, and parents&rsquo, coordination of mimicry and attention during triadic contexts of interactions, endorsing the social-affiliative function of mimicry already present in infancy: emotional mimicry occurs as an automatic parent-infant shared behavior and early manifestation of empathy only when strangers&rsquo, emotional displays are positive, and thus perceived as affiliative.

In the Netherlands, mathematical modelling has become a major subject in the higher secondary education curriculum. However, it is absent from the greater part of lower secondary education. To improve the vertical coherence in the curriculum, this study explores the mathematical modelling proficiency in both primary school and lower secondary school. Additionally, this study also gains insight into the difficulties that students encounter while solving modelling tasks. The study includes two modelling tasks on three difficulty levels for 248 learners ranging from 11 to 15 years old. At each level, learners encounter difficulties when constructing a meaningful representation of the described modelling problem or may even fail to understand the problem. These representation problems are qualitatively analysed and are shown to be partially related to learners’ language problems.

Mokken’s scalability coefficients take values on the interval (−∞, 1]. The sampling distribution of scalability coefficients is skewed near the boundary, so Wald-based confidence intervals and significance tests may be biased. We introduce a transformation of the scalability coefficients and their standard errors, which can be used to construct range-preserving confidence intervals and significance tests. We demonstrated that for scalability coefficients away from the boundary, the properties of this range-preserving method are similar to the properties of the Wald-based method, but the range-preserving method outperforms the Wald-based method when the coefficient is close to unity. The range-preserving method can be applied to all types of scalability coefficients. Its implementation in software is discussed.

Textbook narratives of a nation’s past often present a limited frame of reference, which impedes the aim of teaching history from multiple perspectives. This study aims to explore the use of multiperspectivity in teachers’ lesson designs for 10th grade students based upon a text that includes multiple perspectives (HP) (N=8) compared to a text that hardly includes multiperspectivity (LP) (N=10). The lesson designs were analyzed on multiperspectivity regarding aims, instruction, materials and learning activities, and also on actors, elements of scale, dimensions, historians interpretations and students’ perspectives. We found that different dimensions (for example, political, economic) were more often incorporated in the lesson designs based upon text HP, but that students’ perspectives were more often included in the designs based upon text LP. Only one fifth of the lesson designs reflected a high overall level of multiperspectivity. Nevertheless, text HP generated more multiperspectivity with respect to aims and instruction, dimensions, scale and historiography than text LP. Interviews with the teachers showed that the interpretation of the exam program – either a focus on learning historical reasoning or acquiring a chronological overview of knowledge – seemed decisive in the design of the lessons. This study calls for careful incorporating multiperspectivity in textbook by authors, and in their lessons by teachers who seek to do justice to multiple perspectives.

Although anti-bullying programs often include a component that focuses on strengthening teachers’ abilities in identifying and addressing bullying, it is not clear which bullying situations teachers find difficult to address and what type of support is needed. In the current qualitative study, we investigated what teachers considered difficult bullying situations, how they responded to these situations, and which barriers they encountered. We used data from individual in-depth interviews conducted with 38 Dutch elementary school teachers. Qualitative analysis showed that teachers experienced difficulties in (a) identifying bullying that happens out of sight, (b) estimating the seriousness of a reported incident, (c) addressing persistent aggressive and bullying behavior, and (d) finding solutions with parents to reduce bullying. Teachers used a variety of strategies in their efforts to address these situations. The results give insight into teachers’ needs regarding specific training and support in anti-bullying programs and preservice teacher programs.

This study investigates the effectiveness of the PRIMA antibullying program for elementary education using a cluster-randomized trial with two experimental conditions (with and without student lessons) and a control group. Students of 31 schools participated in the study (N = 3,135; Mage = 10 years). Multilevel regression analyses demonstrated positive effects of the program on peer-reported victimization and reinforcing behavior. Implementing multiple program components was related to stronger program effects. The results provide partial experimental evidence for the beneficial effects of combining student lessons and teacher training in antibullying programs. Future experimental research is needed to investigate other approaches that reduce not only peer-reported victimization, but also self-perceived bullying and victimization.

Background Effectiveness of psychological treatment is often assessed using patient-reported health evaluations. However, comparison of such scores over time can be hampered due to a change in the meaning of self-evaluations, called ‘response shift’. Insight into the occurrence of response shift seems especially relevant in the context of psychological interventions, as they often purposefully intend to change patients’ frames of reference. Aims The overall aim is to gain insight into the general relevance of response shift for psychological health intervention research. Specifically, the aim is to re-analyse data of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of psychological interventions targeting different health aspects, to assess (1) the occurrence of response shift, (2) the impact of response shift on interpretation of treatment effectiveness, and (3) the predictive role of clinical and background variables for detected response shift. Method We re-analysed data from RCTs on guided internet delivered cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT) for insomnia in the general population with and without elevated depressive symptoms, an RCT on meaning-centred group psychotherapy targeting personal meaning for cancer survivors, and an RCT on internet-based CBT treatment for persons with diabetes with elevated depressive symptoms. Structural equation modelling was used to test the three objectives. Results We found indications of response shift in the intervention groups of all analysed datasets. However, results were mixed, as response shift was also indicated in some of the control groups, albeit to a lesser extent or in opposite direction. Overall, the detected response shifts only marginally impacted trial results. Relations with selected clinical and background variables helped the interpretation of detected effects and their possible mechanisms. Conclusion This study showed that response shift effects can occur as a result of psychological health interventions. Response shift did not influence the overall interpretation of trial results, but provide insight into differential treatment effectiveness for specific symptoms and/or domains that can be clinically meaningful.

In Nederland is sprake van een steeds toenemend lerarentekort in het basisonderwijs. Deze tekorten worden deels toegeschreven aan het vroegtijdig verlaten van beginnende leraren. Op basis van 37 studies biedt deze literatuurreview een inzicht in factoren die specifiek een rol spelen bij de uitval van beginnende leraren in het primair onderwijs. Daarbij zijn factoren op leraar-, schoolorganisatie- en interventieniveau onderscheiden. De resultaten laten zien dat zowel factoren op leraarniveau (waaronder self-efficacy en een gevoel van betrokkenheid), als op het niveau van de schoolorganisatie (waaronder een ondersteuningscultuur in de school) van invloed zijn op de uitval van starters. Daarnaast spelen specifieke interventies een rol, zoals ondersteuning door een mentor. Deze studie laat tegelijkertijd zien dat de uitval wordt veroorzaakt door een complex samenspel van deze factoren, en inzet op een enkele afzonderlijke factor niet voldoende lijkt om de uitval te voorkomen. Op basis van de bevindingen worden concrete aanbevelingen voor de praktijk en suggesties voor vervolgonderzoek geformuleerd. Schoolleiders, leraren, beleidsmakers en onderzoekers kunnen de uitkomsten van deze studie gebruiken om bij te dragen aan de vermindering van de uitval van starters, wat met het oog op de lerarentekorten in deze sector van groot belang is.

Research into interprofessional collaboration (IPC) has predominantly focused on health care and special-ized care settings, but there is an increasing interest in interprofesssional ‘teams around the child’ in community-based settings. We conducted a realist synthesis of empirical studies into IPC between youth professionals, often in regular community settings, to explore barriers and facilitators of IPC. Included studies were coded with an elaborated scheme to chart the focus of studies and to identify moderators and context-mechanism-outcome configurations of IPC. Professional and normative integration was the main focus of the included studies. Most studies emphasized the challenges of IPC in practice, like unclear roles of self and others, lack of trust and inadequate communication. Other perceived barriers are exclud-ing others in the planning of interventions, taking ownership of plans (vs. sharing) and different modes of communication. Interprofessional education, co-location of staff, acting as a mediator in the team, organising formal and informal meetings, conflict resolutions, self-sacrifice, and conceptualizing practice were perceived as facilitators of IPC. Future IPC research into community-based settings should include all professional stakeholders and the children and their families to evaluate outcomes at both interprofes-sional and clinical level.

In 2018 startte – in het kader van het actieplan Lerarentekort Amsterdam – een project met als doel de aantrekkelijkheid van het beroep van leraar in Amsterdam te versterken om daarmee te stimuleren dat Amsterdamse leraren met plezier en passie in het (Amsterdamse) onderwijs blijven werken. Het belangrijkste aangrijpingspunt hiervoor is het vergroten van de mogelijkheden voor loopbaanontwikkeling van leraren, daarbij geïnspireerd door het Beroepsbeeld voor de leraar1 . In CIMO2 -termen zien de beoogde uitkomsten van de leergangen er als volgt uit: [outcome] Projectdoel: docenten behouden voor het beroep… [mechanisme] door het (creëren en) doen ervaren van (meer) mogelijkheden voor loopbaanontwikkeling… [interventie] door een aantal leergangen te organiseren… [context] in de complexe context van onderwijs in Amsterdam Het hier gepresenteerde monitoronderzoek dient ter evaluatie van de inspanningen: doen de leergangen wat ze moeten doen; wat leveren ze daadwerkelijk op in termen van het ervaren van meer mogelijkheden voor loopbaanontwikkeling? Ze worden – waar relevant – verslagen in CIMO-termen, zodat er ook zicht ontstaat op de mechanismes onder de opbrengsten. De uitkomsten van dit onderzoek worden daarmee bruikbaar voor het vervolg van het project.

Background: The division of non-paid labor in heterosexual parents in the West is usually still gender-based, with mothers taking on the majority of direct caregiving responsibilities. However, in same-sex couples, gender cannot be the deciding factor. Inspired by Feinberg’s ecological model of co-parenting, this study investigated whether infant temperament, parent factors (biological relatedness to child, psychological adjustment, parenting stress, and work status), and partner relationship quality explained how first-time gay, lesbian, and heterosexual parents divided labor (childcare and family decision-making) when their infants were 4 and 12 months old. We also tested whether family type acted as a moderator. Method: Participants were drawn from the new parents study. Only those who provided information about their biological relatedness to their child (N = 263 parents) were included. When infants were 4 months (T1), parents completed a password-protected online questionnaire exploring their demographic characteristics including work status and standardized online-questionnaires on task division (childcare and family decision-making), infant temperament, parental anxiety, parental depression, parental stress, and partner relationship satisfaction. When infants were 12-months-old (T2), parents provided information about task division and their biological relatedness to their children. Results: Linear mixed models showed that no factor explained the division of family decision making at T1 and T2. For relative time spent on childcare tasks at T1, biological relatedness mattered for lesbian mothers only: biologically related mothers appeared to spend more time on childcare tasks than did non-related mothers. Results showed that, regardless of family type, parents who were not working or were working part-time at T1 performed more childcare tasks at T1. This was still true at T2. The other factors did not significantly contribute to relative time spent on childcare tasks at T2. Conclusion: We had the opportunity to analyze the division of non-paid tasks in families where parenting was necessarily planned and in which gender could not affect that division. Although Feinberg’s model of co-parenting suggests that various factors are related to task division, we found that paid work outside the home was most important during the first year of parenthood in determining caregiving roles.

This study aimed to validate a Religious Collective Self-Esteem Scale (RCSES) that assesses children’s evaluations and judgments about their belonging to a religious group. The RCSES includes 3 subscales: Private Religious Self-Esteem (PrRSE), Public Religious Self-Esteem (PuRSE), and Importance to Religious Identity (RI). Data were gathered from students in 39 primary schools (9 Reformed Protestant, 9 Islamic, 3 Hindu and 18 public schools) across five regions in the Netherlands. Students were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire containing measures of variables of interest. Subjects were 1,437 6th graders (Mage = 11.72, SD = 0.61; 51.7% girls. 680 Students identified themselves as Muslim (47.3%), 442 (30.8%) as Christian, 278 (19.3%) as Hindu, and 37 (2.6%) children had another religion. Results indicated sufficient internal consistency of RCSES (α = .80), PrRSE (α = .77), PuRSE (α = .73), and RI (α = .60), moderate to high correlations between the subscales and moderate to large test–retest reliability across 1 year (r = .57). Three-factor model fitted the best. Overall, findings support partial measurement and structural invariance across religious groups. Convergent validity was supported by small to moderate correlations with other scales (Individual Self-Esteem Scale, r = .29; Private Ethnic Self-Esteem Scale (PESES), r = .40). Divergent validity was supported by positive small significant correlations with school well-being (r = .18) and social school motivation (r = .19). RCSES and its subscales significantly predicted, over and above PESES, school well-being and school motivation scores. Findings support the reliability and validity of the RCSES for assessing religious collective self-esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

This study provides an overview of components of teacher identity that are found in quantitative measurement instruments; and reports on the psychometric quality of these measurement instruments. Our search included studies that assessed components of teacher identity published in English-written, peer-reviewed articles between 2000 and 2018. We analyzed a total of 59 components in 20 studies. After we categorized the components on the basis of a substantive analysis, six main domains of teacher identity became apparent: Self-image, Motivation, Commitment, Self-efficacy, Task perception, and Job satisfaction. Whereas the overall psychometric properties of the measurement instruments used in the different studies were acceptable to good, our systematic overview revealed several conceptual and methodological issues that need to be resolved. The results may contribute to the further operationalization of the complex construct of teacher identity.

Recent studies suggest that mind-mindedness is an important element of caregiver–child interactions in family and childcare context. This study investigated caregivers’ mind-mindedness in a nationally representative Dutch sample and its relation with structural quality factors (i.e., group size, caregivers’ education and work experience, group type, and situation) and caregivers’ interactive skills. Participants were 99 caregivers recruited in 50 childcare centers. Mind-mindedness was assessed with observations during free-play and lunch situations in infant, preschool, and mixed-age groups (0–4-year-olds). Caregivers’ appropriate and nonattuned mind-related comments were coded as individual (over/toward one child) or group related (over or toward more than one child). Caregivers’ interactive skills were assessed using the Caregiver Interaction Profile (CIP) scales. Research Findings: Caregivers generally refer to children’s desires, thoughts, and emotions in about 10% of their verbal interactions, with a low incidence rate of nonattuned comments (< 1%). Mind-mindedness was found to be significantly associated with structural quality characteristics and caregivers’ interactive skills. Caregivers with greater interactive skills produced fewer individual and more group appropriate mind-minded comments in mixed-age groups. Practice or Policy: We discuss the relevance of mind-minded comments at individual and group level for the future study of mental-state talk in early childhood education and care.

Objective:With increasing numbers of children growing up with conditions that are associated with acquired brain injury, efficient neuropsychological screening for cognitive deficits is pivotal. Brief self-report measures concerning daily complaints can play an important role in such screening. We translated and adapted the pediatric perceived cognitive functioning (PedsPCF) self- and parent-report item bank to Dutch. This study presents (1) psychometric properties, (2) a new short form, and (3) normative data for the short form.Methods:A general population sample of children and parents was recruited. Dimensionality of the PedsPCF was assessed using confirmatory factor analyses and exploratory bifactor analyses. Item response theory (IRT) modeling was used to evaluate model fit of the PedsPCF, to identify differential item functioning (DIF), and to select items for the short form. To select short-form items, we also considered the neuropsychological content of items.Results:In 1441 families, a parent and/or child participated (response rate 66% at family level). Assessed psychometric properties were satisfactory and the predominantly unidimensional factor structure of the PedsPCF allowed for IRT modeling using the graded response model. One item showed meaningful DIF. For the short form, 10 items were selected.Conclusions:In this first study of the PedsPCF outside the United States, studied psychometric properties of the translated PedsPCF were satisfactory, and allowed for IRT modeling. Based on the IRT analyses and the content of items, we proposed a new 10-item short form. Further research should determine the relation of PedsPCF outcomes with neurocognitive measures and its ability to facilitate neuropsychological screening in clinical practice.

Foster care is the preferred type of out-of-home placement for children and youth when they are not able to live with their own parents. However, placement instability, and its effect on children's behavioral well-being, remains a major issue in foster care. Ten multilevel meta-analyses were performed to examine factors that can affect instability of foster care placement. We included 42 studies (published between 1990 and 2017) examining putative factors associated with placement instability, which yielded 293 effect sizes. Indications of publication bias were found, but the trim and fill procedure confirmed the main findings. Medium significant effects were found for child behavioral problems (r = 0.35), (non-)kinship care (r = 0.31), and quality parenting (r = 0.29). Smaller effects were found for age of the child (r = 0.25), placement with(out) siblings (r = 0.16), and history of maltreatment of the child before placement (r = 0.14). The effects were generally modest, but showed generalizability across continents and time. The findings can be used to improve interventions for the prevention of placement instability in foster care, and further investigations.

Little is known about the effects of different instructional approaches on learner affect in oral interaction in the foreign language classroom. In a randomized experiment with Dutch pre‐vocational learners (N = 147), we evaluated the effects of 3 newly developed instructional programs for English as a foreign language (EFL). These programs differed in instructional focus (form‐focused vs. interaction strategies‐oriented) and type of task (pre‐scripted language tasks vs. information gap tasks). Multilevel analyses revealed that learners’ enjoyment of EFL oral interaction was not affected by instruction, that willingness to communicate (WTC) decreased over time, and that self‐confidence was positively affected by combining information gap tasks with interactional strategies instruction. In addition, regression analyses revealed that development in learners’ WTC and enjoyment did not have predictive value for achievement in EFL oral interaction, but that development in self‐confidence did explain achievement in EFL oral interaction in trained interactional contexts.