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The ecocultural context and child behavior problems: A qualitative analysis in rural Nepal.
Abstract
Commonly used paradigms for studying child psychopathology emphasize individual-level
factors and often neglect the role of context in shaping risk and protective factors
among children, families, and communities. To address this gap, we evaluated influences
of ecocultural contextual factors on definitions, development of, and responses to
child behavior problems and examined how contextual knowledge can inform culturally
responsive interventions. We drew on Super and Harkness' "developmental niche" framework
to evaluate the influences of physical and social settings, childcare customs and
practices, and parental ethnotheories on the definitions, development of, and responses
to child behavior problems in a community in rural Nepal. Data were collected between
February and October 2014 through in-depth interviews with a purposive sampling strategy
targeting parents (N = 10), teachers (N = 6), and community leaders (N = 8) familiar
with child-rearing. Results were supplemented by focus group discussions with children
(N = 9) and teachers (N = 8), pile-sort interviews with mothers (N = 8) of school-aged
children, and direct observations in homes, schools, and community spaces. Behavior
problems were largely defined in light of parents' socialization goals and role expectations
for children. Certain physical settings and times were seen to carry greater risk
for problematic behavior when children were unsupervised. Parents and other adults
attempted to mitigate behavior problems by supervising them and their social interactions,
providing for their physical needs, educating them, and through a shared verbal reminding
strategy (samjhaune). The findings of our study illustrate the transactional nature
of behavior problem development that involves context-specific goals, roles, and concerns
that are likely to affect adults' interpretations and responses to children's behavior.
Ultimately, employing a developmental niche framework will elucidate setting-specific
risk and protective factors for culturally compelling intervention strategies.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Attention deficit and disruptive behavior disordersChild development
Culture
Nepal
Qualitative research
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12065Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.04.020Publication Info
Burkey, Matthew D; Ghimire, Lajina; Adhikari, Ramesh Prasad; Wissow, Lawrence S; Jordans,
Mark JD; & Kohrt, Brandon A (2016). The ecocultural context and child behavior problems: A qualitative analysis in rural
Nepal. Soc Sci Med, 159. pp. 73-82. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.04.020. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12065.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Brandon A. Kohrt
Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Brandon Kohrt is a medical anthropologist and psychiatrist who completed his MD-PhD
at Emory University in 2009. He is currently Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Global
Health, and Cultural Anthropology at Duke University. Dr. Kohrt has worked in Nepal
since 1996 researching and aiding victims of war including child soldiers. Since 2006
has worked with Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) Nepal. Dr. Kohrt has
been a consultant to The Carter Center Mental Health Program Liberia Init

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