Children with SCT have an increased vulnerability for adverse neurobehavioral outcomes and an increased risk for neurocognitive difficulties in the language and communication domain. This... Show moreChildren with SCT have an increased vulnerability for adverse neurobehavioral outcomes and an increased risk for neurocognitive difficulties in the language and communication domain. This vulnerability starts from a young age and may increase when children get older. Neurocognitive functions within the language and communication domain serve as early markers of at-risk pathways with unfavorable neurobehavioral outcomes. These findings come with important clinical implications for the SCT population andwill ideally fuel the implementation of early monitoring, and implementation and development of preventive support and intervention. Show less
Adolescence is characterized by considerable changes in cognitive and socio-emotional skills. There are considerable differences between adolescents with regards to the development of these skills.... Show moreAdolescence is characterized by considerable changes in cognitive and socio-emotional skills. There are considerable differences between adolescents with regards to the development of these skills. However, most studies examine adolescents’ average functioning, without taking into account this heterogeneity. The current study applies network analysis in order to examine heterogeneity of cognitive and socio-emotional functioning in adolescents on-track or delayed in their school progression. Data was collected at two time-points for on-track (n = 320) and delayed (n = 69) adolescents (Mage = 13.30 years, SDage = 0.77). Repeated measures ANOVA showed no significant differences between the groups in cognitive and socio-emotional functioning (p’s > 0.05). Network analysis revealed that executive functions play a key role in the network of cognitive, social, and emotional functioning. This is especially the case in the delayed group where executive functions are even more central, both at T1 (inhibition and shifting) and T2 (shifting). Subsequent community analysis revealed three profiles in both groups: a well-adapted and well-balanced group, a group with high levels of need for arousal and risk-taking, and a group with regulation problems. Compared to on-track adolescents, delayed adolescents showed even higher levels of risk-taking in the second profile and higher levels of executive function problems in the third profile at T1. These differences were leveled out at T2, indicating adolescents in the delayed group catch up with their peers. This study highlights the intricate balance between cognitive, social and emotional functioning in adolescents in relation to school performance and provides preliminary evidence of the importance of taking individual differences within groups into account. Show less
The aim of this thesis is to highlight social environmental and neural pro-cesses at play during adolescent prosocial development using an integrative approach of multiple levels of social... Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to highlight social environmental and neural pro-cesses at play during adolescent prosocial development using an integrative approach of multiple levels of social functioning and relationships. This approach integrates adolescent peer relations research with prosocial development perspectives using behavioral, sociometric and neuroimaging techniques. The evidence provided by this thesis and previous studies supports a model that highlights interactions between the peer context, individual prosocial functioning and brain development. In this neuro-ecological model of prosocial development, the morphology of social brain regions develops in interaction with social experiences. Positive experiences could be responsible for the motivation that is necessary for the recruitment of regions that support social cognition skills and thereby facilitate prosocial behavior. Show less
The objective of this socio-historical study is to contribute to a better and fuller insight in the development of Curaçao society in the twentieth century. The question that lies at the heart of... Show moreThe objective of this socio-historical study is to contribute to a better and fuller insight in the development of Curaçao society in the twentieth century. The question that lies at the heart of this study was: What was the influence of the Catholic Church in the development of Curaçao society in the period in which this society was strongly in the process of industrialization and modernization and that subsequently made the transition to democracy, self-government and therewith to citizenship? A considerable part of this study is based on literature and archival research, conducted in both Curaçao and the Netherlands, supplemented with the analysis of existing oral history material and the execution of targeted additional interviews. These additional interviews were conducted for greater knowledge and to illustrate, substantiate or clarify a specific situation. The study focuses on the development of society and therein specifically on the position of the Catholic, predominantly Afro-Curaçaoan, population. Show less
Adolescence, defined as the transition phase between childhood and adulthood, is a time of many physical, cognitive and social-emotional changes. It is a natural time of exploring, thrill seeking,... Show moreAdolescence, defined as the transition phase between childhood and adulthood, is a time of many physical, cognitive and social-emotional changes. It is a natural time of exploring, thrill seeking, and for eventually setting long-term goals and aspirations. One of the most prominent findings is that adolescents take more risks than children or adults. The focus of this thesis is on adolescent risk taking behavior. The goal is to identify individual difference factors that are related to risk taking behavior and assess how these variables change over development. Adolescence is associated with major changes in hormonal levels, brain function and social environment. In this thesis it is tested how changes in pubertal development, brain function and social environment together influence real life risk taking. The studies in this thesis show that neural responses to rewards in the striatum are elevated during adolescence. This response is influenced by chronological age, pubertal development, personality and the social context. Importantly, the striatum response to rewards is related to real life risk taking behavior and therefore has functional relevance. The results of this thesis provide vital insight in the complex relationship between reward processing and real life risk taking behavior. Show less
This dissertation aims to address the gap in family research concerning the role of siblings in children’s social development. Firstborns’ interactions with their younger sibling and parenting... Show moreThis dissertation aims to address the gap in family research concerning the role of siblings in children’s social development. Firstborns’ interactions with their younger sibling and parenting towards all children in the family are investigated in a four-year longitudinal study following families with two children from the first birthday of the youngest child. In Chapter 2 the prediction of individual differences in sharing with a younger sibling by family and situational factors was investigated. In Chapter 3 the association between parental sensitivity towards both children and compliance and sharing behavior of the firstborn child was investigated. Chapter 4 focuses on sibling discipline and sibling support during parental limit-setting, and associations with inhibitory control, empathy, and gender. Finally, the effect of birth order on toddlers’ social development was examined with a longitudinal within-family design in Chapter 5. Show less
The first study of this thesis (Chapter 2) showed that the majority of the internationally adopted children are well adjusted, although a relatively large minority of adopted children had behavior... Show moreThe first study of this thesis (Chapter 2) showed that the majority of the internationally adopted children are well adjusted, although a relatively large minority of adopted children had behavior problems of clinical significance or were referred to mental health services compared with non-adopted children. Nevertheless, adoption may often be the best solution for a child who would otherwise be raised in an institution or in other adverse environments (see also Juffer, 2002; Van IJzendoorn et al., 2005). The second and third study (Chapters 3 and 4) showed several longitudinal and concurrent influences on the behavioral and social development of adopted adolescents. The second study (Chapter 3) showed that early-onset delinquency was associated with stress hyporeactivity. The differentiation between delinquency and aggression, and between childhood-onset and adolescence-onset delinquency (Moffitt, 1993) appeared to be important for our understanding of the development of externalizing problem behaviors. The third study (Chapter 4) showed that individual development from infancy through middle childhood to adolescence was rather stable and that concurrent environmental experiences and child characteristics were essential influences on middle childhood and adolescent social development. Early parent-child relationships did not determine in final form social development in adolescence, but they provided the basis for healthy social development through the influence on earlier social development, even in the absence of genetic similarities between children and parents. Bowlby__s (1973, 1980) thesis that adaptation is always a product of both developmental history and current circumstances was supported. Show less
