Nicola A. Conners Edge

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | UAMS · Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

Background We examined child and family factors associated with teacher-reported behavior problems in 79 children of substance abusers (COSAs). Method Using regression models, we examined the impact of four family risk factors, cumulatively and individually, on children's behavior and explored children's engagement of adults as a protective factor....

While maternal substance use problems increase the likelihood of behavior problems in children, child outcomes are varied, leading to interest in understanding additional family factors that contribute to the development of behavior problems in children impacted by maternal substance abuse. The purpose of this study is to examine harsh parenting an...

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between preschool children's social outcomes in the classroom (including hyperactivity, aggression, and social skills) and their media viewing habits (including the amount of television they watch and whether they watch videos/movies that are rated as inappropriate for you...

Children with histories of trauma exposure experience a wide-range of developmental, social, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. The effects of traumatic life experiences can impact children’s ability to learn and function within the school environment. Trauma-informed (TI) schools seek to create environments in which children with experiences of t...

Behavior disorders in early childhood are a major public health concern. A large percentage of young children spend their day in childcare settings, making early childhood educators a relevant population to target for behavior management interventions and training. Conscious Discipline® (CD®) is an evidence-based program targeting social emotional...

This paper focuses on outcomes for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) provided to early education teachers as part of a tiered statewide expulsion prevention initiative. In a sample of 360 children (83.3% male, 66.6% White, 88.1% with clinically elevated externalizing behavior at baseline) at risk for expulsion, outcomes...

Empirical evidence suggests young children who have experienced trauma are at risk of developing sleep problems and behavior difficulties, but it is unclear of the specific relation between these behavioral health concerns. The primary purpose of the study is to determine whether sleep problems moderate the relation between traumatic stress and beh...

Children who experience family violence are at heightened risk for a multitude of physical, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Fortunately, research has revealed several evidence-based ways to improve outcomes for this vulnerable population across child-serving systems. This manuscript highlights the collaborative efforts in [state- blinded fo...

This program evaluation study describes 3 years of implementation of Arkansas's BehaviorHelp (BH) system, a statewide expulsion prevention support system for early care and education (ECE). BH coordinates three tiers of supports to ECE professionals, including phone support, on-site technical assistance (TA), and infant and early childhood mental h...

Nearly half of child maltreatment victims are under the age of six, yet mental health providers are rarely trained in evidence-based treatments for this population. As interdisciplinary agencies that coordinate responses to child maltreatment, Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) are well-positioned to facilitate access to trauma-focused treatment fo...

Although nightmares are frequently endorsed symptoms in children who have experienced trauma, limited research has been conducted on how nightmares vary with different forms of trauma exposure. Our goal was to assess the relationship between nightmares, trauma exposure, and symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in youth. A total of 4440...

Background: Maternal Depression (MD) has been implicated in the etiology of obesity. The present study investigated MD and both child fruit/vegetable consumption (FVC) and household food insecurity (FI) in an early childhood population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Arkansas, United States, in 26 Head Start centers. Teachers...

Background and objectives: Untreated maternal depression negatively impacts both the mother and her children's health and development. We sought to assess family medicine program directors' (PDs) knowledge and attitudes regarding maternal depression management as well as resident training and clinical experience with this disorder. Methods: Data...

It is important for health care professionals to have a strong knowledge base of childhood sexual development, to know how to differentiate between problematic and normative sexual behaviors, and counsel parents accordingly given their assessment of the behaviors. A review of the literature suggests that sexual behaviors are a common occurrence in...

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: 1. Identify the extent of CD implementation for trained childcare teachers. 2. Explore teacher perspectives on the impact of CD. 3. Explore teacher perspectives on barriers and facilitators to full implementation of CD. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We conducted a survey with 267 childcare teachers who had been trained in CD a...

Objectives Improving family retention and engagement is crucial to the success of home visiting programs. Little is known about retaining and engaging depressed parents in services. The purpose of the study is to examine how home visit content moderates the association between depression and retention and engagement. Methods The sample (N = 1322) w...

The article "Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize: Focusing on Parenting Supports Depressed Parents' Involvement in Home Visiting Services", written by Lorraine M. McKelvey, Shalese Fitzgerald, Nicola A. Conners Edge and Leanne Whiteside‑Mansell, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 28 May...

This article describes the development, initial implementation, and formative evaluation of Arkansas’s plan to reduce suspensions and expulsion from early care and education (ECE) settings. We describe how Arkansas used multifaceted implementation strategies to facilitate change in six areas: policy, workforce development, specialized supports, fam...

Excessive television (TV) viewing by children can lead to negative health and developmental outcomes. Using structural equation modeling, this study tests a conceptual model to understand social and familial factors associated with TV exposure among a sample of 767 Head Start families with children between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Fit statistics...

Findings from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study articulated the negative effects of childhood trauma on long-term well-being. The purpose of the current study is to examine the associations between ACEs experienced in infancy and toddlerhood and adaptive behavior and academic status in middle childhood. We used data collected from a sam...

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: (1) Identify current barriers to coordinated care between behavior consultation and PCIT services. (2) Identify current facilitators to coordinated care between behavior consultation and PCIT services. (3) Utilize this knowledge to create and pilot a coordinated care model that will enhance PCIT and behavior consultation s...

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have lifetime consequences for health and development. This study examined whether there is evidence to support a screening approach that assesses children’s current exposures to risks that act as proxies for ACEs, measured in a way that falls below a threshold of explicit abuse, neglect, or illega...

Empirical evidence suggests maternal behavioral health problems are significant predictors of child behavioral health difficulties, but it is unclear of the specific relation of maternal alcohol use problems and depression symptoms with child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of mat...

This article provides a description of the development, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of feasibility and acceptability of the Managing Youth Trauma Effectively (MYTE) program and highlights perceptions of changes in mothers' trauma-informed parenting practices. The program consists of a training and consultation program for staff of th...

This paper describes the development, implementation and preliminary evaluation of the Reaching Educators and Children (REACH) program, a training and coaching intervention designed to increase the capacity of early childhood teachers to support children’s social and emotional development. We evaluated REACH with 139 teachers of toddler and prescho...

Objectives: Examine the association between mothers' low- and high-level depressive symptoms in early childhood and children's behavior problems in middle childhood. Methods: We used data from 1844 families in a multi-site, longitudinal study beginning when children were 14 months and continuing to age 11 years. Children's internalizing and exte...

The science of early childhood adversity has advanced in recent years, documenting long-term consequences of exposure to traumatic events and toxic stress for health and development. Sequelae of toxic stress exposure can be mitigated by the buffering effect of a caregiver who can help young children manage their reactivity to these early stressors....

Evidence suggests that children under the age of 6 years are affected by trauma, yet there are few studies available to determine how well their needs are addressed in the mental health system. Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) offer a promising avenue for expanding the system of care for very young children exposed to sexual and/or physical abuse. Thi...

The general aim of early intervention and home visiting programs is to support families to minimize Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). However, assessing children's exposure to these risks is complicated because parents serve as the conduit for both measurement and intervention. The primary aims of the study were to develop an assessment of chil...

For proficiency in an evidence-based treatment (EBT), mental health professionals (MHPs) need training activities extending beyond a one-time workshop. Using data from 178 MHPs participating in a statewide TF-CBT dissemination project, we used five variables assessed at the workshop, via multiple and logistic regression, to predict participation in...

Our objective was to examine how mothers’ warmth can protect children from the negative effects of maternal alcohol problems on children’s externalizing behavior and, alternately, how harsh parenting can exacerbate the problem. We used data from 1,563 families eligible for Early Head Start and assessed when children were age 5 and again at age 11....

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between low-level depressive symptoms in mothers and teacher-reported child behavioral outcomes. Participants included 442 low-income mothers of preschool-age children who were screened for maternal depression by their child's preschool teacher. Teacher reports of child be...

Objective The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between low-level depressive symptoms in mothers and their support for child cognitive development. Methods Participants included 913 low-income mothers of preschool-age children who were screened for maternal depression and interviewed about support for learning in the child's...

This study examined the moderating effects of family cohesion on the relationship between community violence and child internalizing and externalizing problems at age 18. The study sample consisted of 728 children and families who were part of the Infant Health and Development Program, an intervention study for low-birthweight, preterm infants. Six...

The use of trauma-informed practices in the child welfare system is critically important to prevent system-induced trauma and encourage timely assessment, triage and referral for care when indicated. Ultimately, such measures have the potential over time to decrease the risk for mental health problems in children exposed to a trauma. This study eva...

Parental tolerance has been defined as the degree to which a parent tends to be annoyed by his or her child's disruptive behavior. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relation of both parent and child gender to parental tolerance of child disruptive behaviors. Participants were 150 parents with 3–6 year-old at-risk children (47.5 % g...

The current study explored one component of a multicomponent model for training clinicians in an evidence-based treatment (EBT). National experts recommend a combination of web-based and face-to-face training, followed by formal case consultation for mental health professionals (MHPs) to become proficient in providing EBTs such as trauma-focused co...

The goal of the current study was to examine the impact of the frequency of two types of early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) activities (time spent in the class and time spent meeting with teachers) on teacher–child interactions, use of positive classroom-management techniques, and the intent to quit the childcare profession. We addr...

The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between characteristics of early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) and changes in the quality of teacher-child interactions. One hundred forty-one early childhood teachers, serving 3- to 5-year-olds in publically funded early education programs in the state of Arkansas, participated...

Objectives: Our objective was to examine the relationship between low- and high-level depressive symptoms in mothers' and children's risks in the areas of home and car safety, monitoring, and exposure to violence. Methods: Participants included 978 mothers of preschool-age children who were interviewed about their home environment and screened f...

We examined the impact of a home visiting intervention on 227 adolescent mothers' parenting attitudes. At enrollment, half of mothers were at risk for child maltreatment. Mothers assigned to intervention (n = 161) received home visits and case management. Intervention and comparison mothers (n = 66) participated in monthly peer group meetings. Regr...

The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) on teacher-level and child-level outcomes in the context of a partnership between community mental health centers in three regions of Arkansas and publically funded early education programs (14 intervention sites and 4 comparison sites). Fr...

The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of early childhood mental health consultation on teacher-level and child-level outcomes in the context of a partnership between community mental health centers in three regions of Arkansas and publically funded early education programs (13 intervention sites and 4 comparison sites).

This study examined the moderating effects of family conflict and gender on the relationship between community violence and psychosocial development at age 18. The study sample consisted of 728 children and families who were part of the Infant Health and Development Program study of low-birth-weight, pre-term infants. In this sample, adolescent psy...

The role of parenting in child disruptive behaviors has received substantial support; however, the findings as to differential effects of specific parenting behaviors (e.g., discipline) on boys’ and girls’ disruptive behavior problems have not been consistent. The current study examined the individual, unique, and interactive relation of two types...

Fathers play an important role in child development, particularly with respect to children's academic skills. Yet relatively little is known about the nature of fathers' teaching interactions with their young children that would produce such effects. The purpose of the current study was to understand the contribution that fathers' teaching interact...

This article reviews the findings from our assessments of children and their families in two Head Start programs using the Family Map. Specifically, we used the Family Map assessment tool to identify risks to children associated with alcohol and drug use in families with young children. Practical suggestions are offered to administrators about the...

This study examines the usefulness of a screening process implemented in the context of a Head Start home visit and compares families who screened positive for substance abuse with those who did not on an array of child and family indicators important for healthy child development. The sample included 1,105 low-income families with preschool-age ch...

Much is known about how to provide safe environments for preschool children (3–5years-of-age); however, many preschool children still experience preventable injuries—particularly children living in poverty. This study examined the use of an assessment tool used to identify children at risk for unintended injury in two large, federally funded Head S...

This article focuses on exposure to violence and violence-related activities (i.e., crime and drug use) in 70 children whose mothers are addicted to alcohol or other drugs and explores maternal characteristics associated with violence exposure. Results suggest that exposure to violence is relatively common for these children, with many exposed to r...

This study examines the degree to which support from parents and teachers buffers the level of depression for four groups of children involved in bullying (victim, bully, bully-victims, or not involved children). Nine hundred and seventy-seven 5th-, 9th-, and 11th-grade students in the rural South completed questionnaires on bullying, social suppor...

This study was designed to determine if treatment for substance abuse has an impact on child abuse potential. Sixty-three pregnant and parenting substance abusing women were tested using the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAP) at approximately 3-month intervals from intake into treatment through post-discharge follow-up. Growth curve analysis rev...

This study examined the impact of family conflict on internalizing and externalizing behavior at age 8 for children born low birth weight (LBW) and preterm (PT), with specific attention to the moderating role of early temperament. The sample included 728 families enrolled in the longitudinal study of the Infant Health and Development Program. The s...

The Family Map is a semistructured interview developed to assess important aspects of the family and home environment associated with well-being in 3- to 5-year old children. The measure is designed so that it can be used during home visits with Head Start families. Accordingly, it was developed in collaboration with Head Start providers and famili...

Few studies have examined maternal characteristics associated with heavy or inappropriate television viewing on the part of their children. We investigated the relationship between children’s television viewing habits and maternal depressive symptoms and parenting beliefs. The participants were 175 low income children (mean age = 62.1 months) and t...

Young children with high levels of acting out behaviors present a challenge for families, caregivers, and the childcare system. The Parenting the Strong-Willed Child (PSWC) parenting class curriculum program is a 6-week, group based parent education program designed for parents of children with noncompliance problems (ages 2–8). The PSWC program wa...

This article examines the treatment outcomes of 305 women enrolled in a comprehensive, residential substance abuse treatment program for pregnant and parenting women and their children. The women were assessed at intake and three times in the year after discharge. Analyses focused on change in client functioning over time, and investigating the imp...

The field of child protection needs reliable and valid methods of assessing the potential for child abuse and neglect. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory--2 (AAPI-2), Form B, using a sample of 309 low-income, rural families in a southern state. The AAPI-2 is a 40-item sur...

The current study examined ties between religious variables and mental health in a high-risk population: lower-income chemically dependent pregnant or parenting women participating in a residential treatment program. The primary goal of the study was to investigate the relationship between various facets of religiousness and mental health symptoms,...

The epidemic of drug and alcohol abuse in our nation impacts millions of women, mothers, and children. Addicted mothers with complex problems and numerous co-morbidities present unique treatment challenges. This intergenerational cycle of abuse and addiction is difficult to stop. Arkansas CARES (Center for Addictions Research Education and Services...

Participants were women (N=16) living with their children in a residential substance abuse treatment facility. In this within-subjects repeated measures study, a 1-week baseline was followed by a 4-week intervention and a 2-week follow-up (same as the baseline). The intervention consisted of exposure to an educational video and a smoking cessation...

This paper examines treatment needs of the children of women served in the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's Residential Women and Children and Pregnant and Postpartum Women (RWC/PPW) program. It integrates statistical information from CSAT's cross-site evaluation of the program and clinical insights obtained from one RWC treatment site, the A...

This study examines the life circumstances and experiences of 4084 children affected by maternal addiction to alcohol or other drugs. The paper will address the characteristics of their caregivers, the multiple risk factors faced by these children, their health and development, and their school performance. Data were collected from mothers at intak...

The unidimensionality and reliability of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS) for assessing child behavior with at-risk children was examined using a sample of 1,679 2- to 6-year-old children from nine Starting Early Starting Smart study sites. The unidimensionality of the eight PKBS scales was assessed using confirmatory factor an...

This article examines a comprehensive, residential substance abuse treatment program for women and their children. A majority of the 72 participants studied were African American single mothers, for whom crack/cocaine was the drug of choice. The women and their children were assessed repeatedly during treatment, and at 3, 6, and 12 months postdisch...

Often in studies of the program effectiveness of alcohol and drug treatment programs, behavioral outcomes are the only focus. While important, behavioral outcomes do not explore the viewpoint of the client about the success of the program, and evaluators are now recognizing the importance of measuring the performance of addictions treatment program...

This study examined the evolution of the Arkansas Center for Addictions Research, Education, and Services (AR-CARES) over a 5-year period and evaluated its impact on women and children. The program was designed to provide comprehensive substance use prevention and treatment services to low-income pregnant and parenting women and their children. The...

During the summer semester of 1997, six female graduate students participated in a qualitative research methods course specifically designed to facilitate peer and instructor research mentoring. This study explored the experiences of the six students as related to the qualitative research course and the attitudes of these women about graduate schol...

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Memphis, 2000. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-60) and abstract.