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This study examined the association between perceived parenting factors and symptoms of social anxiety, generalized anxiety and depression. Participants rated experiences with their mothers and fathers with regard to parental care, overprotection, criticism, parent-adolescent attachment, and family sociability. Regression analyses examined the contribution of perceived parenting to participant anxiety and depression scores. Maternal and paternal parenting practices accounted for 9 to 20% of the variance in internalizing concerns. In particular, maternal sociability, paternal care, and maternal and paternal criticism made unique contributions to the prediction of social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and depression scores. Parenting styles characterized by low levels of care and high levels of protection were associated with elevated internalizing symptoms. Suggestions for future research and implications for early intervention are discussed. (Contains 5 tables.)

A national sample of 1515 university administrators (academic deans, directors, associate deans, and department chairs) completed a survey of leadership skills, preparedness for administrative role, and job satisfaction. Overall, participants felt least well prepared in the areas of developing entrepreneurial revenue, developing metrics to document progress, and handling grievances and appeals. Leaders who had taken courses in business administration, human resources/leadership, industrial-organisational psychology, and behavioural psychology reported feeling more prepared for their administrative role than those who had not. Indications of role strain were evident. The majority of participants had become less interested and less enthusiastic about their work since beginning their administrative appointment. Approximately half reported that duties of the administrative role regularly interfered with well-being and quality of life. Only 20.5 per cent of participants reported feeling good at their job every day. Women reported feeling more overwhelmed and less well compensated than men--yet also more skilled in inspiring others and addressing poor performance. Our findings highlight the need for continued leadership development and management training, as well as mechanisms to support leaders in maintaining wellness behaviours. This study provides baseline measures on how academic administrators experience their roles and is part of an ongoing longitudinal investigation of leadership in higher education.

The present study utilised naturalistic observation to assess the impact of parental departure during daily drop-off at preschool on children's settling into daily preschool routines. Forty-six 3-5-year-old children and their parents/caregivers were observed during morning drop-off at preschool. Longer latencies of parent/caregiver leaving were associated with less child-peer engagement, solitary active play, and onlooking and were associated with more child-caregiver proximity-seeking, hugging and kissing, and picking up and holding. Mothers and other female caregivers were slightly more likely to pick up and hold their children during drop-off than fathers and other male caregivers. Findings suggest that continued parental involvement may initially hinder children's daily settling into the preschool classroom environment through facilitation of escape or avoidance. Additional research is needed to better understand individual differences that may serve as protective factors or vulnerabilities affecting children's daily adaptation to the preschool environment.

Persons with developmental disabilities are at an increased risk for becoming victims of sexual abuse. Research has revealed that the largest group of identified perpetrators of sexual abuse is developmental disability service providers. The purpose of the present study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a sexual abuse prevention training program. Participants were administered a survey assessing knowledge and attitudes before and after the training workshop. Small improvements in knowledge and attitudes about sexual abuse and the sexuality of persons with developmental disabilities were found; however, general attitudes about individuals with developmental disabilities did not change. Suggestions for future directions in this area are provided. (Contains 2 tables.)

The purpose of the present study is to determine the association of parenting behaviors and social anxiety in children. Three parental factors--including parental socialization, control, and warmth--were investigated in a sample of 31 two-parent families. Rather than solely relying upon retrospective questionnaires, this study incorporated direct observation and a Daily Activity Log to assess the qualities of social interaction. Moderate associations between parental control and child anxiety symptoms were found, with no support for the association between parental warmth and child anxiety. More specifically, maternal overprotection and observed negative commands related to child social anxiety, and paternal overprotection related to child general anxiety. Several gender differences were found regarding the impact of parent behaviors on child anxiety. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

As part of a three-phase study, 18 items were developed to measure aspects of a student's willingness to seek help from and/or work with peers and teachers when studying college mathematics. In the first phase, 24 items were developed and administered to 165 undergraduate college students. During the second phase, 20 items, modified from the first instrument, were completed by a sample of 314 undergraduate college students. The sample was randomly divided in half and principal factor analysis with varimax rotation was performed on the first half. Two factors emerged and were interpreted as: Willingness to Work with Students (nine items); and Willingness to Seek Help from Teachers (nine items). Based on the results of the exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the second half of the sample. Coefficient [alpha] estimates were calculated to assess internal consistency. In the third phase, the final 18-item survey was given to 140 undergraduate college students and confirmatory factor analysis was again performed based on the results of the exploratory factor analysis from Phase II. Recommendations for future uses of these scales are given.

Childhood social anxiety consistently has been linked with low levels of peer acceptance, yet little is known about the factors contributing to this association. We therefore examined the mediating and moderating role of social skills and close friendships, two conceptually and empirically relevant variables which were hypothesized to contribute to the social anxiety-peer acceptance relationship. Fifty teachers and 333 children (M = 9.54 years) participated in this study. Sociometric procedures and standardized questionnaires were used to assess: (a) self-reported social anxiety and friendship quality, (b) teacher-rated social skills, and (c) peer-derived acceptance and friendship quantity scores. As expected, childhood social anxiety was associated with low levels of peer acceptance, and this relation was mediated in part by social skills difficulties. Friendship quality (but not quantity) moderated this process for girls, suggesting that high negativity within girls' best friendships may exacerbate risk for undesirable peer outcomes. Interestingly, friendship quantity and positive friendship quality did not serve a protective function for boys or girls. Some implications, methodological limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Social anxiety affects children across the developmental spectrum. Early-onset social phobia may be particularly impairing because of its disruptive effects on social and academic functioning during a child's formative years and because of the elevated risks of childhood adversity in anxious individuals. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to the early identification and assessment of social anxiety in young children. The ability to recognize and monitor or remediate social anxiety early in development would be of great advantage in reversing this potentially debilitating course. This article reviews various methods available to assess social anxiety and associated conditions. Particular emphasis is placed on the description and assessment of behavioral inhibition in infants and very young children as an early marker or precursor to the development of social anxiety. For school-aged children and adolescents, a greater range of assessment options is available including behavioral observation, clinician ratings, child self-report questionnaires, and parent and peer reports. In an effort to advance our understanding of the developmental psychopathology of social anxiety, further research is necessary to determine the equivalency of various assessment strategies across developmental periods.

Examined the discriminant validity of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (C. Spielberger, 1973) and the Children's Depression Inventory (M. Kovacs, 1992) using a sample of 240 clinic-referred and non-clinic-referred children aged 8 to 14 years. Factor analysis yielded distinct factors of anxiety and depression. (SLD)

Replicates and extends the authors' previous research on instructor attire on classroom dynamics. Indicates lesser effects of attire on person perceptions in live interaction as opposed to photographs. Reports that the influence of attire was limited to ratings of instructor extroversion, with no statistically significant interaction between attire and immediacy. (DSK)

Gruel has been a victim of bad public relations. While other characters in Charles Dickens' novel 'A Christmas Carol' sit down to a dinner of goose and pudding, stingy Ebenezer [...]

Psychometric properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C) were determined using a sample of 254 children. External validity was examined by comparing children's SPAI-C scores with (a) independent observers' ratings of skill and anxiety in social interaction and social performance tasks and (b) parental report of social anxiety. Discriminative validity was determined by examining the ability of the SPAI-C to differentiate children with social phobia from those with other anxiety disorders. Finally, race and gender differences were examined. The results indicated that SPAI-C scores for the entire sample differed by gender but not by race. However, African American children with social phobia had significantly lower scores than Caucasian children with this disorder. Regarding external validity, SPAI-C scores correlated significantly with parental reports of children's social fears and with independent observer ratings of behavioral skill. Finally, SPAI-C scores successfully differentiated children with social phobia from children with other anxiety disorders. The results are discussed in terms of the SPAI-C's external and discriminative validity and children's performance based on race and gender.