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Papers by Karen Bierman

We are grateful for the close collaboration of the Durham Public Schools, the Metropolitan Nashvi... more We are grateful for the close collaboration of the Durham Public Schools, the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, the Bellefonte Area Schools, the Tyrone Area Schools, the Mifflin County Schools, the Highline Public Schools, and the Seattle Public Schools. We greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication of the many staff members who implemented the project, collected the evaluation data, and assisted with data management and analyses. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to E. Michael Foster, The

Under optimal conditions, children learn core social-emotional skills during the preschool years ... more Under optimal conditions, children learn core social-emotional skills during the preschool years that enable them to establish and maintain their first friendships and get along well as members of their peer communities. Children who are delayed in their acquisition of these social-emotional competencies are at heightened risk for significant peer problems

Springer eBooks, Dec 31, 2022

Developmental Psychology, Mar 1, 2020

Children with externalizing symptoms typically show dysregulated arousal when facing emotional ch... more Children with externalizing symptoms typically show dysregulated arousal when facing emotional challenges and are at risk for antisocial outcomes later in life. The model of emotion socialization (Eisenberg, Cumberland, & Spinrad, 1998) points to supportive emotion-related parenting as central to promoting children's regulatory capability and behavioral adjustment. However, the role of emotion-related parenting is less clear for children living in disadvantaged conditions and already displaying behavioral problems, and little is known about how these parenting practices shape the physiological underpinnings of behavioral adjustment. This study examined the relation between supportive emotion-related parenting and the trajectories of physiological regulation and externalizing symptoms across early school years among 207 children (66% male) from high-risk urban communities, who showed aggressive/oppositional behaviors at school entry. Mothers' supportive emotion-related parenting was observed in kindergarten during structured interactions. Children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an indicator of parasympathetic influence over cardiac arousal, was measured at rest and during an anger scene each year from kindergarten to the 2nd grade. Teacher ratings of externalizing symptoms were also obtained every year. Over time, supportive emotion-related parenting was related to a developmental trend from RSA augmentation toward RSA withdrawal during the anger scene as well as lower risk for escalating externalizing symptoms. The developmental changes of RSA reactivity partially accounted for the relation between parenting and trajectories of externalizing symptoms. Findings underscore the potential of supportive emotion-related parenting for diverting at-risk children from antisocial trajectories by shaping their physiological regulation and behavioral adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Child Abuse & Neglect, Aug 1, 2023

BACKGROUND Cross-sectional studies link adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with school disengag... more BACKGROUND Cross-sectional studies link adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with school disengagement, contributing to chronic absenteeism and underachievement. OBJECTIVE This prospective longitudinal study explored malleable mediators that might account for the developmental progression from early childhood ACEs to preadolescent school disengagement. Negative cascades were tested that explored student-teacher relationship quality and child behavior problems (internalizing and externalizing) as potential mediators. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING 556 children were recruited from Head Start preschool classrooms (Mage = 4.67 years old, SD = 0.32; 51% female; 58% European American, 25% African American, 19% Latinx) at which time parents reported on ACEs. METHODS Children were followed longitudinally; kindergarten and third grade teachers rated student-teacher relationship quality and classroom behavior problems. Students described their school engagement (i.e., academic involvement, school bonding, and teacher affiliation) in fifth grade as they prepared for the transition into middle school. RESULTS Path models documented a mediated cascade linking early childhood ACES through poor kindergarten student-teacher relationship quality to elevated third grade internalizing problems (mediation path β = 0.018, SE = 0.009, p < 0.05) which, in turn, led to reduced fifth-grade school engagement (mediation path β = 0.027, SE = 0.014, p = 0.05). Early childhood ACEs also predicted elevated externalizing problems in elementary school, but without mediation by student-teacher relationship quality or link to fifth-grade school engagement. CONCLUSION Results are discussed in light of understanding developmental processes that link early ACEs with school difficulties and informing the design of preventive interventions for children at risk.

Elsevier eBooks, 2020

Abstract Children who experience serious and chronic difficulties establishing and maintaining po... more Abstract Children who experience serious and chronic difficulties establishing and maintaining positive peer relationships in elementary school are at high risk for lifelong maladjustment in areas of social, emotional, and behavioral health. A majority of these children exhibit social skill deficits and problematic social behaviors that alienate peers, making it difficult for them to make friends and avoid peer rejection. Over time, their problems often escalate as negative reputations develop, leading to social exclusion and peer victimization. This chapter describes the Fast Track Friendship Group program ( Bierman et al., 2017 ), a small-group social-emotional skills training program that was developed to address the social-emotional skill deficits and negative peer interactions experienced by peer-rejected children. Targeted skill domains include prosocial interaction, communication, emotion regulation, behavioral self-control, coping with social stress, and social problem-solving skills. Programming includes the use of peer partners and therapeutic strategies that foster positive peer group dynamics and enhance self-regulation skills. Program content and implementation are described, along with a review of the research base that informed the design of the program and the set of studies that have validated its efficacy.

Early Education and Development, Jan 17, 2021

Children’s readiness to handle the expectations of elementary school depends heavily on their sel... more Children’s readiness to handle the expectations of elementary school depends heavily on their self-regulation skills. Self-regulation includes both cognitive and behavioral elements; however, past studies have typically looked at cognitive and behavioral self-regulation in isolation or as a composite score rather than examining self-regulation profiles. Conceptually, a profile characterized by pervasive cognitive and behavioral self-regulation difficulties may have different developmental roots than a profile limited to behavioral regulation difficulties and children displaying these different profiles likely require different intervention supports. In the current study, latent profile analysis (LPA) with cognitive and behavioral self-regulation indicators revealed four unique self-regulation profiles for preschool children (N=566): Pervasive Dysregulation (cognitively and behaviorally dysregulated), Behavioral Dysregulation (behaviorally dysregulated only), Average Self-Regulation, and High Self-Regulation. Latent moderational analyses testing the interaction between latent profile membership and preschool teacher-student relationship indicated that while both the Pervasive and Behavioral Dysregulation group were at increased risk for less desirable kindergarten and 2nd grade outcomes, this risk was offset to a greater extant for children from the Behavioral Dysregulation profile when they experienced a close, non-conflictual teacher-student relationship in preschool.

Journal of School Psychology, Oct 1, 2018

Longitudinal research suggests that student-teacher relationships characterized by elevated (or i... more Longitudinal research suggests that student-teacher relationships characterized by elevated (or increasing) conflict and low (or decreasing) closeness promote heightened aggression in elementary school. However, prior research has not explored fluctuations in the quality of student-teacher relationships across school years, which may also impact students. This study applied a new methodology to determine whether year-to-year fluctuations in student-teacher conflict or closeness also predicted increased student aggression. 154 children were followed from Head Start preschools through elementary school. Early elementary teachers (kindergarten through third grade) rated the quality of conflict and closeness with students. Fifth grade teachers rated student aggression. Regression analyses revealed that year-to-year fluctuations in student-teacher conflict, along with mean levels of student-teacher conflict, each made unique contributions to fifth grade aggression, controlling for baseline aggression. In addition, for students with low aggression at kindergarten entry, year-to-year fluctuations in student-teacher closeness predicted increased aggression. Possible mechanisms accounting for the detrimental effects of fluctuations in student-teacher relationship quality are discussed, along with implications for practice.

Journal of Attention Disorders, Feb 9, 2016

Objective-Measurement reliability is assumed when executive function (EF) tasks are used to compa... more Objective-Measurement reliability is assumed when executive function (EF) tasks are used to compare between groups or to examine relationships between cognition and etiologic and maintaining factors for psychiatric disorders. However, the test-retest reliabilities of EF tasks have rarely been examined in young children. Further, measurement invariance between typicallydeveloping and psychiatric populations has not been examined. Method-Test-retest reliability of a battery of commonly-used EF tasks was assessed in a group of children between the ages of 5-6 years old with (n=63) and without (n=44) ADHD. Results-Few individual tasks achieved adequate reliability. However, CFA models identified two factors, working memory and inhibition, with test-retest correlations approaching 1.0. Multiple indicator multiple causes (MIMIC) models confirmed configural measurement invariance between the groups. Conclusion-Problems created by poor reliability, including reduced power to index change over time or to detect relationships with functional outcomes, may be mitigated using latent variable approaches. There is increasing recognition that behaviorally-based diagnostic categories, such as those used in DSM-5, result in the creation of groups that are phenotypically and mechanistically heterogeneous (Insel et al., 2010; Sanislow et al., 2010). To resolve the issues created by diagnostic heterogeneity, researchers have increasingly turned to endophenotype measures and biomarkers (Kendler & Neale, 2010; Lenzenweger, 2013; Nolen-Hoeksema & Watkins, 2011). Neurocognitive processes, such as working memory, inhibition, and other executive functions (EF), have been specifically highlighted by the recent NIMH Research Domain Criteria Initiative (RDoC) as potential endophenotypes or biomarkers that may help elucidate mechanisms of psychiatric disorders, aid in treatment matching, and facilitate development of novel treatments (Insel et al., 2010; Nolen-Hoeksema & Watkins, 2011; Sanislow et al., 2010). However, the psychometric properties of these measures may limit their use for these purposes, especially when used with young children.

Aggressive Behavior, Jun 8, 2017

While most research on the development of antisocial and criminal behavior has considered nonviol... more While most research on the development of antisocial and criminal behavior has considered nonviolent and violent crime together, some evidence points to differential risk factors for these separate types of crime. The present study explored differential risk for nonviolent and violent crime by investigating the longitudinal associations between three key child risk factors (aggression, emotion dysregulation, and social isolation) and two key adolescent risk factors (parent detachment and deviant peer affiliation) predicting violent and nonviolent crime outcomes in early adulthood. Data on 754 participants (46% African American, 50% European American, 4% other; 58% male) oversampled for aggressive-disruptive behavior were collected across three time points. Parents and teachers rated aggression, emotion dysregulation, and social isolation in fifth grade (middle childhood, age 10-11); parents and youth rated parent detachment and deviant peer affiliation in seventh and eighth grade (early adolescence, age 12-14) and arrest data was collected when participants were 22-23 years old (early adulthood). Different pathways to violent and nonviolent crime emerged. The severity of child dysfunction in late childhood, including aggression, emotion dysregulation, and social isolation, was a powerful and direct predictor of violent crime. Although child dysfunction also predicted nonviolent crime, the direct pathway accounted for half as much variance as the direct pathway to violent crime. Significant indirect pathways through adolescent socialization experiences (peer deviancy) emerged for nonviolent crime, but not for violent crime, suggesting adolescent socialization plays a more distinctive role in predicting nonviolent than violent crime. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

American Psychological Association eBooks, 2016

Promoting executive function (EF) skills is currently a "hot topic" in early childhood education.... more Promoting executive function (EF) skills is currently a "hot topic" in early childhood education. EF refers to a complex set of cognitive regulatory processes, including working memory and attention control skills which enable children to organize their thinking and behavior with increasing intentionality and flexibility (Barkley, 2001; Hughes & Graham, 2002). These skills develop rapidly during the preschool and early elementary years (ages 3-7) and provide a neural foundation to support school readiness, facilitating both self-regulated behavior and academic learning (Blair, 2002; McClelland, et al., 2007). At school entry, higher levels of EF skills promote accelerated literacy and math skills acquisition (Blair & Razza, 2007; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, 2010) and enhance the resilience of children who experience early adversity (e.g., reducing school difficulties among maltreated children; Pears, Fisher, Bruce, Kim, & Yoerger, 2010). EF development is often delayed among children growing up in poverty (Noble, McCandliss, & Farah, 2007), as are the learning behaviors that support academic achievement, reflected in low levels of classroom engagement and elevated teacher-rated attention problems (Bodovski & Youn, 2011; McClelland, et al., 2007). Based on recent developmental neuroscience research, practitioners and policymakers alike are intrigued by the possibility of strengthening early education and preventive interventions by targeting EF development (Diamond & Lee, 2011). Most of the empirical

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Sep 17, 2020

Students with or at high risk for emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD) often find it difficult... more Students with or at high risk for emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD) often find it difficult to meet the social and behavioral demands of school (Gresham et al., 2004). In addition to their behavioral adjustment difficulties, children with or at high risk for EBD often demonstrate poor interpersonal relationships reflected in significant peer problems and poor student-teacher relationships (Magg, 2006). Poor social competence and the social-emotional and selfregulatory skill deficits associated with it represent transdiagnostic difficulties that characterize many children with EBD (Clifford et al., 2020), including those who display elevated conduct problems (Waas, 2006), attention deficits (Mikami & Hinshaw, 2006), internalizing problems (LaGreca & Landoll, 2011), or autism spectrum disorders (Ratcliffe et al., 2014). These children find it difficult to initiate and sustain high-quality friendships, interact comfortably in the social context of the classroom and playground, and avoid peer exclusion or victimization (Magg, 2006). Some struggle to cooperate and collaborate with others and get into frequent conflicts with peers and teachers (Bierman, 2004). Many experience significant emotional distress including social anxiety and loneliness that can fuel escalating depression and isolation over time (LaGreca & Landoll, 2011). Although teachers can provide an important source of social-emotional support for students with EBD, teachers often find it challenging to form close and nonconflictual relationships with these students (Hughes & Im, 2016). Children who experience chronic social maladjustment during the elementary school years are at elevated risk for amplified adjustment problems in adolescence, including social alienation, school disengagement, truancy, risky adolescent behaviors, and early dropout (Jones et al., 2015; Ve'ronneau et al., 2010). For these reasons, school-based interventions to support children with or at high risk of EBD should include efforts to address the skill deficits that undermine their social-emotional functioning, as well as addressing the behaviors that interfere with their productive classroom engagement (Clifford et al., 2020). Research documenting the importance of social-emotional competence to school success has produced a growing interest in the use of universal (Tier 1) classroom-level curriculum-based efforts to promote social-emotional learning, especially in the elementary school years, as part of a coordinated multitiered system of positive behavioral 957623E BXXXX10.

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Jan 7, 2022

A latent profile analysis was applied to explore heterogeneity in the social and classroom behavi... more A latent profile analysis was applied to explore heterogeneity in the social and classroom behaviors of 224 peer-rejected elementary school students (56% White, 68% male, Grades 1–4, M age = 8.1 years). Profile indicators included teacher ratings of social skills and problem behaviors on the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) and peer nominations of prosocial, aggressive, and withdrawn behavior. Four profiles emerged. Two profiles where characterized by elevated externalizing problems by peer and teacher report, one with multiple co-occurring difficulties (multiproblem, 21% of the sample) and one characterized primarily by aggression (domineering, 32% of the sample). Another profile was characterized by deficits in social skills and viewed by teachers as internalizing and disruptive (internalizing-dysregulated, 26% of the sample.) The final profile was nondistinct on teacher ratings but defined by low rates of prosocial behavior by peers (teacher preferred, 21% of the sample.) Group comparisons revealed that students in the multiproblem and internalizing-dysregulated profile classes had lower-quality relationships with teachers and more academic difficulties than students in the other two profile classes. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for identifying peer-rejected students for Tier 2 interventions and tailoring those interventions to enhance impact.

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, Jul 15, 2023

Springer eBooks, 2014

Children with conduct disorder [CD] repeatedly violate the rights of others and the basic expecta... more Children with conduct disorder [CD] repeatedly violate the rights of others and the basic expectations of society, often exhibiting violent and destructive behaviors that cause great harm to others. Most of these children experience significant adversity in their personal lives, and many show severe deficits in multiple aspects of development and adjustment, including academic underachievement, emotional distress, and troubled interpersonal relationships (Lahey & Waldman, 2011). When CDs persist into adolescence and adulthood, they are extremely costly. Estimates suggest that a severely antisocial youth costs society two to five million dollars, considering the costs of justice system involvement and damages to victims (Cohen & Piquero, 2009), and the yearly cost of youth violence in the United States is estimated at $158 billion (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). As such, CD represents a serious public health problem, negatively affecting the children and adolescents involved, and their families, schools, and communities. Prevalence estimates suggest that between 4 and 10% of all children display symptoms severe enough to warrant a diagnosis of CD, with estimates ranging from 6-16% for boys and 2-9% for girls (Offord, Boyle, & Racine, 1991). CDs disproportionately affect socioeconomically disadvantaged families and ethnic minority youth, resulting in serious health disparities (Lahey & Waldman, 2011). Hence, gaining a better understanding the causes of CD and the nature of its developmental course is critically important, in order to inform effective prevention and intervention efforts. Conduct Disorder 2 Definition and Characteristics of Conduct Disorder Based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV), CD is diagnosed when youth show a chronic pattern of problem behaviors that involve violations of the basic rights of others and/or of age-appropriate social norms (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Defining characteristics include aggression (e.g., bullying, threatening, fighting, physical cruelty toward other people or animals), destructive behavior (e.g., vandalism, fire-setting), covert antisocial activity (e.g., lying, fraud, theft), and rule-breaking (e.g., running away from home, truancy). To warrant a diagnosis of CD, the behaviors must occur for at least a six-month period and must be severe enough to cause significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning. Developmentally-linked disorders. In the DSM-IV, CD is grouped together with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a broad-band category labeled "attention deficit and disruptive behavior disorders." ODD and ADHD are sometimes considered developmental precursors of CD (Lahey, McBurnett, & Loeber, 2000). ODD involves a chronic pattern (at least six months) of argumentative, noncompliant, and defiant behavior, and includes emotional volatility, irritability, and frequent anger outbursts. Although many of the children diagnosed with CD share the emotional and behavioral characteristics of children diagnosed with ODD (e.g., argumentative, negativistic), CD is distinguished by the additional presence of serious aggressive and/or antisocial behaviors. The risk of a diagnosis of CD is four times higher in children who have a prior diagnosis of ODD, compared with children with no prior diagnosis (Burke, Loeber, & Birmaher, 2002). CD is also often accompanied by the hyperactive and impulsive behaviors (e.g., acting without thinking, excessive and intrusive behavior) that characterize ADHD, as well as problems Conduct Disorder 3 with attention control (e.g. difficulty sustaining attention, distractibility, forgetfulness). Epidemiological and clinical samples indicate that 30% to 50% of the children diagnosed with ADHD also meet criteria for CD or ODD and over 80% of those diagnosed with CD also meet criterion for ADHD (Greene et al., 2002). In turn, these three disorders (CD, ODD, and ADHD) have been implicated as developmental precursors to chronic delinquency, although CD has emerged as the primary unique predictor when all three are included together in predictive analyses (Broidy et al., 2003). For example, studying 503 boys from ages 7 to 25, Byrd, Loeber, and Pardini (2012) found that CD and interpersonal callousness in childhood and adolescence were higher among boys whose delinquency persisted into adulthood relative to those boys whose delinquency desisted across time. ADHD and ODD did not predict delinquency, once CD was taken into account. In addition, children with CD are at risk for stable psychopathology, and many are diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder in adulthood, a disorder that characterizes approximately 75% of the prison population (Hare, 1991). In one longitudinal study, 51% of the children diagnosed with CD attained a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder in adulthood, whereas only 15% of the children in the high-risk sample experienced this outcome without childhood CD (Simonoff et al., 2004). Further, the severity of CD behavior during childhood is an important factor predicting adult outcomes. For example, in another longitudinal study, the general rate of adult antisocial personality disorder among children diagnosed with CD in elementary school was approximately 35%, but the risk rate climbed to 71% among children who displayed the most severe conduct disorders (eight or more symptoms) (Robins & Price, 1991). These results are similar to those of Broidy et al. (2003) who found that, across six longitudinal data sets, the severity of childhood physical aggression was the primary predictor of Conduct Disorder 4 the stability of the aggression and the emergence of more violent behavior in adolescence. In addition, a growing data base suggests that the emotional, as well as the behavioral characteristics of youth with disruptive behaviors have predictive value (Pardini, Obradovic, & Loeber, 2006). Although not currently part of the DSM-IV definitions of ODD or CD, there is growing evidence suggesting that children who are emotionally insensitive (e.g., callous, unemotional), low in empathy, and lacking in guilt or remorse are at increased risk for more severe and aggressive forms of antisocial behavior, adolescent delinquency, and adult antisocial personality disorder than children without these features (see Pardini & Loeber, 2008). For this reason, in the upcoming revised DSM-V, the diagnosis of CD will include a specifier, indicating whether or not the youth also exhibits callous and emotional traits (Moffitt et. al., 2008; Scheepers, Buitelaar, & Matthys, 2011). Categorical vs. dimensional approaches to assessment. The DSM (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) diagnostic framework represents a "person oriented" clinical taxonomy. Children who fall above identified thresholds on key behavioral and emotional indicators are classified together as CD. Although there is heterogeneity among these children in the particular problematic behaviors they display, the assumption is that they have the same core difficulties, as well as commonalities in etiological processes, developmental course, and treatment needs. In the context of studying CD, this clinical approach focuses on children at the extreme end of the aggressive/antisocial behavioral spectrum, in the "disordered" range indicating need for intervention (Lacourse et al., 2010). In contrast, in the dimensional approach used in most developmental research on disruptive behavior problems, children are rated along continuous scales, providing a more precise estimate of their relative position on each of the key behavioral, emotional, and cognitive Conduct Disorder 5

Springer eBooks, Dec 31, 2022

Developmental Psychology, Mar 1, 2020

Child Abuse & Neglect, Aug 1, 2023

Elsevier eBooks, 2020

Early Education and Development, Jan 17, 2021

Journal of School Psychology, Oct 1, 2018

Journal of Attention Disorders, Feb 9, 2016

Aggressive Behavior, Jun 8, 2017

American Psychological Association eBooks, 2016

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Sep 17, 2020

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Jan 7, 2022

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, Jul 15, 2023

Springer eBooks, 2014

Forty-four Head Start classrooms were randomly assigned to enriched intervention (Head Start REDI... more Forty-four Head Start classrooms were randomly assigned to enriched intervention (Head Start REDI—Research-based, Developmentally Informed) or ''usual practice'' conditions. The intervention involved brief lessons, ''hands-on'' extension activities, and specific teaching strategies linked empirically with the promotion of: (a) social-emotional competencies and (b) language development and emergent literacy skills. Take-home materials were provided to parents to enhance skill development at home. Multimethod assessments of three hundred and fifty-six 4-year-old children tracked their progress over the course of the 1-year program. Results revealed significant differences favoring children in the enriched intervention classrooms on measures of vocabulary, emergent literacy, emotional understanding, social problem solving, social behavior, and learning engagement. Implications are discussed for developmental models of school readiness and for early educational programs and policies.