ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY BY MASH
PRACTICE SET 2026 LEARNING REVIEW
QUESTIONS ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ How does the child's progress toward developmental milestones
inform our assessment of whether the child's behavior or thinking is
normal or abnormal? Answer: Many child and adolescent problems
involve failure to show expected developmental progress.
Determining the problems requires familiarity with normal, as well
as abnormal development.
Not just how much maladaptive stuff they do but also if they do the
normal stuff
Developmental tasks: conduct (how well a person follows rules of
society), academic achievement.
◉ What contributions did psychoanalytic theory make to
contemporary conceptualizations of child psychopathology?
Answer: Freud thought that roots of disorders were from early
childhood. People with mental disorders could be helped
Anna discovered that children's symptoms more related to
developmental stages than adults. Melanie Klein: meaning of
children's play, terms of unconscious fantasy.
,◉ How do children with psychological disorders differ from those
with normal development (e.g., type of symptoms, degree or severity
of symptoms, impairment)? Answer: Early signs of mental health
problems:
-behavior problems
-child difficulty controlling emotions
Good mental health:
-Curious
-Can sit and reflect
-Experience love and affection
-Get upset when reasonable and then bring themselves back on their
own without intense interference.
◉ Name several risk and protective factors for child
psychopathology. Answer: Risk: Minority and poverty, harsh,
inconsistent parenting & elevated exposure to stressors (Community
violence, parental divorce. Parental mental illness, homelessness,
racial prejudice).
Protective: Strengths of indiv, family, community Better learning
environment, community safety.
, Close relationship to caring parent. Authoritative parenting, warmth,
structure, high expectations, socioeconomic advantages, extended
family. Adults outside the family who take an interest in promoting
child's welfare. Social organizations, effective schools.
◉ Define the construct of resilience. What does resilience look like
in a child who has experienced challenges or stressors? Answer:
Survive risky environments by using their strong self-confidence,
coping skills, and abilities to avoid risk situations. Not a universal or
fixed attribute, varies according to stressor.
◉ Why might poverty confer added risk for psychological problems?
What other risk factors for psychological disorders does poverty
influence? Answer: Minority children and families, as well as those
with socioeconomic disadvantages, must cope with multiple forms
of racism, prejudice, discrimination, oppression, and segregation, all
of which significantly influence a child's adaption and development.
◉ In general, how do sex differences influence the prevalence of
psychological disorders? How does this association change as
children age? Answer: Differences could be from definitions,
reporting biases, differences in the expression of the disorder.
Sex differences are neglibe in children under the age of 3 but
increase with age. Externalizing disorders, wide gap at age 4,
converge by age 18. Internalizing disorders, same at age 5, wide gap
at age 18.
PRACTICE SET 2026 LEARNING REVIEW
QUESTIONS ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ How does the child's progress toward developmental milestones
inform our assessment of whether the child's behavior or thinking is
normal or abnormal? Answer: Many child and adolescent problems
involve failure to show expected developmental progress.
Determining the problems requires familiarity with normal, as well
as abnormal development.
Not just how much maladaptive stuff they do but also if they do the
normal stuff
Developmental tasks: conduct (how well a person follows rules of
society), academic achievement.
◉ What contributions did psychoanalytic theory make to
contemporary conceptualizations of child psychopathology?
Answer: Freud thought that roots of disorders were from early
childhood. People with mental disorders could be helped
Anna discovered that children's symptoms more related to
developmental stages than adults. Melanie Klein: meaning of
children's play, terms of unconscious fantasy.
,◉ How do children with psychological disorders differ from those
with normal development (e.g., type of symptoms, degree or severity
of symptoms, impairment)? Answer: Early signs of mental health
problems:
-behavior problems
-child difficulty controlling emotions
Good mental health:
-Curious
-Can sit and reflect
-Experience love and affection
-Get upset when reasonable and then bring themselves back on their
own without intense interference.
◉ Name several risk and protective factors for child
psychopathology. Answer: Risk: Minority and poverty, harsh,
inconsistent parenting & elevated exposure to stressors (Community
violence, parental divorce. Parental mental illness, homelessness,
racial prejudice).
Protective: Strengths of indiv, family, community Better learning
environment, community safety.
, Close relationship to caring parent. Authoritative parenting, warmth,
structure, high expectations, socioeconomic advantages, extended
family. Adults outside the family who take an interest in promoting
child's welfare. Social organizations, effective schools.
◉ Define the construct of resilience. What does resilience look like
in a child who has experienced challenges or stressors? Answer:
Survive risky environments by using their strong self-confidence,
coping skills, and abilities to avoid risk situations. Not a universal or
fixed attribute, varies according to stressor.
◉ Why might poverty confer added risk for psychological problems?
What other risk factors for psychological disorders does poverty
influence? Answer: Minority children and families, as well as those
with socioeconomic disadvantages, must cope with multiple forms
of racism, prejudice, discrimination, oppression, and segregation, all
of which significantly influence a child's adaption and development.
◉ In general, how do sex differences influence the prevalence of
psychological disorders? How does this association change as
children age? Answer: Differences could be from definitions,
reporting biases, differences in the expression of the disorder.
Sex differences are neglibe in children under the age of 3 but
increase with age. Externalizing disorders, wide gap at age 4,
converge by age 18. Internalizing disorders, same at age 5, wide gap
at age 18.
