Biomaterial Database

Evaluating summer camps 1979 - problems of measuring behaviour change in children. 1981

J Gerrard, and T Heins

To develop experience in assessing behaviour change in children, sixteen children attending week-long summer camps run by the Department of Psychiatry, Adelaide Children's Hospital in January 1979, were assessed every two months for six months. Target complaints, symptom checklists and measures of social behaviour were chosen as being most likely to be sensitive to behaviour change. Hypotheses about the summer camp experience having an influence on severity of target behaviour problems, symptoms indicating child psychiatric disorder, peer group participation, mastery of aggression and development of conscience and social values were not convincingly supported. Agreement between camp staff and parents rating the children's social behaviour using the same instrument a week apart was poor. Simple ranked adjective scales have advantages over goal attainment scaling for rating target complaints, Implications for treatment evaluation in child psychiatry are discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011998	Recreation	Activity engaged in for pleasure.	Recreations
D012112	Residential Facilities	Long-term care facilities which provide supervision and assistance in activities of daily living with medical and nursing services when required.	Facilities, Residential,Facility, Residential,Residential Facility
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002652	Child Behavior	Any observable response or action of a child from 24 months through 12 years of age. For neonates or children younger than 24 months, INFANT BEHAVIOR is available.	Behavior, Child
D002666	Psychology, Child	Branch of psychology involving the study of normal and abnormal behavior of children.	Child Psychology,Infant Psychology,Pediatric Psychology,Psychology, Infant,Psychology, Pediatric
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D001523	Mental Disorders	Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function.	Mental Illness,Psychiatric Diseases,Psychiatric Disorders,Psychiatric Illness,Behavior Disorders,Diagnosis, Psychiatric,Mental Disorders, Severe,Psychiatric Diagnosis,Illness, Mental,Mental Disorder,Mental Disorder, Severe,Mental Illnesses,Psychiatric Disease,Psychiatric Disorder,Psychiatric Illnesses,Severe Mental Disorder,Severe Mental Disorders
D012919	Social Behavior	Any behavior caused by or affecting another individual or group usually of the same species.	Sociality,Behavior, Social,Behaviors, Social,Social Behaviors