Week 2: Protective Factors and Positive Psychology

What can hinder experiencing flow?

Anxiety and depression

What is flow?

Mental state of being fully immersed in an activity

Protective Factors

Any factor that makes it less likely that a child has adverse outcomes in the context of adversity.

What is hope and optimism?

Belief that things will work out fine in the future

What is overestimating the frequency of positive outcomes?

Believing positive outcomes occur more often than they actually do.

What is moderation?

Changes the strength of relationships

What is the moderating role of child age?

Child age affects the relationship between divorce and child outcomes

How does child age play a role in child outcomes?

Child age is a moderator in the relationship between divorce and child outcomes

How does temperament contribute to child focused protective factors?

Children with easy-going temperaments are less vulnerable to mental illnesses.

How does talents contribute to child focused protective factors?

Children with talents are more likely to receive increased investments and mentoring.

What are some characteristics of early childcare programs?

Community-based, daily interaction with parents, child-friendly culture

What is the mediating role of parenting in the relationship between postpartum depression and child outcomes?

Contingent parenting mediates the relationship.

What is the impact of saying people need to be hopeful in horrible outcomes with structural barriers to achievement?

Controversial, may or may not be helpful.

How does temperament interact with societal stress?

Difficult temperament can be an advantage in times of societal stress.

Promotive Factors

Factors related to better outcomes regardless of the context, such as IQ.

What are Family-Focused Protective Factors?

Factors that contribute to a healthy family environment.

What are Community-Based Protective Factors?

Factors that contribute to a supportive community environment.

Child-Focused Protective Factors

Factors that primarily benefit the child's development and resilience.

What are protective factors for parents in the context of divorce?

Factors that reduce the negative impact of divorce on parents

What is the role of faith in child focused protective factors?

Faith refers to a family endorsing organized religion as a protective factor.

What are the special features of postpartum depression?

Fear of harming the baby, lack of interest in baby, guilt & isolation.

What is the role of goodness of fit in temperament?

Goodness of fit involves matching a child's temperament with the demands of their environment.

What is the potential effect of overestimating positive outcomes?

Greater motivation, but controversial.

How does high IQ interact with other protective factors?

High IQ can enhance other protective factors and make a child more socially accepted.

How does high IQ contribute to child focused protective factors?

High IQ is the most powerful protective factor and can offset other challenges.

What is a risk factor for postpartum depression?

History of depression and sources of stress.

Types of child focused protective factors

IQ, Temperament, Self-efficacy, coping, talents, fam

What is the best intervention for helping children of divorce?

Interventions directed towards the parents

How can helping parents cope with adversity change broader adversity for children?

It can help the kids by indirectly reducing the negative impact of adversity

What is the significance of low family conflict and/or high conflict-resolution?

It creates a more stable and harmonious family environment.

What is the importance of close relationship with primary caregivers?

It promotes a sense of security and emotional well-being.

How do depressed mothers tend to respond to infants?

Less sensitive & contingent, less involved in reciprocal play, more hostile speech & negative touch.

What is the pathway from maternal depression to child's negative cognitive style?

Maternal depression leads to hostility, which in turn contributes to the development of child's negative cognitive style.

How does maternal hostility contribute to child's negative cognitive style?

Maternal hostility partially accounts for the link between maternal depression and child's negative cognitive style in response to threat of losing a card game.

What are the different age groups that can moderate the link between divorce and child outcomes?

Middle childhood (8-11), adolescence, young adults

Who did extensive work on flow?

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

What are some other factors that may explain child's negative cognitive style?

Neglect from the child, imitating parents' negative cognitive style, and genetic predisposition to depression may also contribute to child's negative cognitive style.

What is postpartum depression?

Occurs in 7-13% of new mothers, characterized by MDD symptoms.

What is the mediating role of parenting?

Parenting behaviors that explain the relationship between certain factors and child outcomes.

What are some risk factors for child maltreatment?

Parents' social isolation, fewer adults in household, lack of social support

What does partial mediation mean?

Partial mediation means that the middle factor (maternal hostility) does not explain all of the relationship between maternal depression and child's negative cognitive style.

What is the physiological reason for predisposing mothers to postpartum depression?

Plummeting estrogen levels after giving birth.

What are the domains of positive psychology? (martin seligman)

Positive subjective experience, positive individual traits, positive institutions

What type of intervention/prevention programs are effective in helping children of divorce?

Programs that support and help parents

What is positive psychology?

Scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive - Promotive and protective what's associated with thriving

What are Pro social peer networks?

Social groups that promote positive behaviors and values.

What are Extended family connections?

Strong bonds with relatives beyond immediate family.

How does self-efficacy/coping strategies contribute to child focused protective factors?

Teaching coping strategies can enhance a child's ability to handle challenges.

What fully explains postpartum depression?

The relationship between contingent parenting and poorer learning ability.

What did the study find about postpartum depression and poorer learning ability in children at 3 months old?

The relationship between postpartum depression and poorer learning was present only when parents were less contingent in their parenting.

How do extracurricular activities contribute to protective factors?

They foster connections with positive adult figures and peers, and promote a sense of agency and leadership.

What is the role of effective schools in community-based protective factors?

They provide a nurturing and conducive learning environment.

Why are connections to teachers, coaches, and other adults important?

They provide guidance, support, and positive role models.

Why is it important to embed social connections into existing institutions?

To build trust and community

What is positive subjective experience?

Well-being, flow, hope and optimism

When is divorce associated with delinquency in offspring?

When offspring are adolescents at the time of divorce

When is divorce not associated with delinquency in offspring?

When offspring are in middle childhood or young adulthood

What are the two types of responses depressed mothers exhibit towards their infants?

Withdrawn or intrusive.