The Impact of Child Behaviour Problems on Maternal Employment: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

This prospective population-based study examined associations between children’s behaviour problems and maternal employment. Information on children’s behaviour problems at 3 years from 22,115 mothers employed before pregnancy and participating in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study were linked to national register data on employment and relevant social background factors, mothers’ self-reported susceptibility to anxiety/depression and mother-reports of day-care attendance and fathers’ income. Mothers reporting their child to have severe (>2 SD) internalizing or severe combined behaviour problems (5 %) had excess risk of leaving paid employment irrespective of other important characteristics generally associated with maternal employment (RR 1.24–1.31). The attributable risk percent ranged from 30.3 % (internalizing problems) to 32.4 % (combined problems). Externalizing behaviour problems were not uniquely associated with mothers leaving employment.     

Effects of Parental Divorce on Teenage Children’s Risk Behaviors: Incidence and Persistence

It is generally difficult to separate the effects of divorce from selection when analyzing the effects of parental divorce on children’s risk behaviors. We used propensity score matching and longitudinal data methods to estimate the effects of parents’ divorce on their children’s binge drinking, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, marijuana use, and hard drug use. The children were between 12 and 18 years old in the first survey and between 18 and 24 years old in the second survey. Our results suggest that parental divorce significantly increased the probability of risk behaviors in their children. Moreover, many of these adverse impacts persisted over time, especially among teenage girls.     

Spacing Between Births in Odisha,India

Birth spacing is of considerable importance to study the tempo and quantum of fertility. Using data from the National Family Health Survey III, this study explored the birth interval dynamics in Odisha, an eastern state of India. The life table analysis of spacing between births clearly suggests that birth spacing in the recent past has increased and the proportion of women moving to the second, third, and fourth parity has declined, leading to the decline in fertility in Odisha. From the proportional hazards model, educational level of women, age of women at previous birth, sex and survival status of the previous child, and the period effect are found to be important determinants of birth spacing at higher parities. Socioeconomic differences do not show a large effect at lower order births. This highlights the fact that most women in Odisha, regardless of their background characteristics, tend to have second births.     

Controlling Anxiety Mediates the Influence of Childhood Adversities on Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Emerging Adults

Relatively little research has assessed the exposure-response relationship of childhood adversities on engaging in risky sexual behaviors. Also, no previous research has examined the interrelationship among childhood adversities, adult anxiety and depressive symptoms, and risky sexual behaviors. This study aimed to investigate their interrelationships. We used data from a multisite survey of emerging adults aged 18 to 29 studying at four universities in Hong Kong between September and December 2015. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the pathways from childhood adversities to risky sexual behaviors. Participants who had higher childhood adversity scores reported more severe adult anxiety symptoms (β = 0.20, p = 0.002); and adult anxiety symptoms were associated with significantly more risky sexual behaviors (β = 0.46, p < 0.0001). The model with adult anxiety symptoms as the mediator between childhood adversities and risky sexual behaviors showed good fit (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.04, comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.96, Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.94 and standardized root mean square residual [SRMSR] = 0.04). However, adult depressive symptoms failed to mediate between childhood adversities and risky sexual behaviors. This study demonstrates the link between childhood adversities and risky sexual behaviors via adult anxiety but not adult depressive symptoms. It is essential to reduce anxious symptoms in dealing with emerging adults who have risky sexual behaviors to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy.     

Sexual Assault Risks Among Gay and Bisexual Men

The goal of this study was to examine lifetime patterns of sexual assault and associated risks among a purposive sample of gay and bisexual men (N = 183; 18 to 35 years old, M = 24.3). Cross-sectional data were collected via written, self-administered questionnaires and face-to-face, event-based qualitative interviews. Alcohol severity scores indicated high rates of hazardous drinking (53.0%) and possible dependence (14.2%) among participants. One-half of men (50.8%) reported childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and 67.2% reported adult sexual assault (ASA). Average age at most recent ASA was 21 years. Most perpetrators (83.9%) of recent ASA incidents were male; 67.0% of participants reported consuming alcohol and/or drugs prior to the most recent incident. Regression findings indicated more severe CSA experiences and past alcohol-related problems predicted recent severe ASA. Although we found similarities between gay and bisexual men in lifetime sexual assault history, we found some distinct differences in ASA risk factors. Bisexual men reported higher alcohol severity scores, more female ASA perpetrators, higher internalized homophobia scores, and fewer male sexual partners than gay men. Findings suggest the need for interventions that reduce ASA risk among sexual minority men—and the potential benefits of focusing on alcohol consumption in risk reduction efforts.     

Intergenerational Childhood Maltreatment in Persons with DSM-IV Pathological Gambling and Their First-Degree Relatives

This study investigates the characteristics of individuals with DSM-IV pathological gambling (PG) who experienced childhood maltreatment and rates of maltreatment occurring in their first-degree relatives (FDRs). 94 subjects with DSM-IV PG, 91 controls, and 312 FDRs were assessed for childhood maltreatment as part of a family study of PG. Maltreatment was evaluated using the Revised Childhood Experiences Questionnaire. The Family Assessment Device was used to evaluate the functionality of the PG subject’s (or control’s) family of origin. Data were analyzed using logistic regression by the method of generalized estimating equations. Rates of maltreatment were significantly higher in subjects with PG than controls (61 vs. 25 %, P < 0.001). Subjects with PG who experienced maltreatment were more likely to be female, had more severe PG symptoms, had co-occurring mood and anxiety disorders, and reported greater early family life dysfunction than those with PG who did not experience maltreatment. Rates of maltreatment were higher in FDRs of PG subjects than controls (41 vs. 24 %, P = .002). Rates in FDRs of individuals with PG who experienced maltreatment themselves were still higher that in FDRs of those with PG who did not experience maltreatment (50 vs. 28 %, P = .009). The former were also more likely to have anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and suicide attempts. The results suggest that childhood maltreatment in persons with PG is common and intergenerational. Rates of maltreatment in FDRs of PG subjects are high, particularly among those who experienced abuse. The implications of the findings are discussed.     

Developmental Processes in African American Families: An Application of McLoyd’s Theoretical Model

In accordance with McLoyd’s model of African American children’s development, we examined the linkages among family income, maternal psychological distress, marital conflict, parenting, and children’s outcomes in early and middle childhood, using a sample of 591 African American children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Income during early childhood had a direct effect on behavior problems and reading recognition in middle childhood. Income also had an indirect effect on the child outcomes via maternal psychological distress and parenting. In a comparison of African American and White families, marital conflict predicted children behavior problems only in White families. Findings suggest that family psychological and material resources influence parenting as well as behavioral and cognitive outcomes for African American children.     

Does Child Sex Moderate Vulnerability to Postpartum Risk among Infants of Mothers at Risk for Psychopathology?

Early childhood behavior problems may indicate risk for subsequent psychopathology (Shaw, Gilliom, Ingoldsby, & Nagin, Developmental Psychology, 39, 2003, 189). There is some evidence to suggest that boys and girls may be differentially susceptible to postpartum risk factors that predict problem behaviors in early childhood (Kochanska, Coy, & Murray, Child Development, 72, 2001, 1091; Martel, Klump, Nigg, Breedlove, & Sisk, Hormones and Behavior , 55, 2009, 465). The main aim of this study is to examine whether child sex moderates the effect of infant and maternal predictors of toddler problem behaviors in a unique sample of high‐risk mother–child dyads. Analyses were based on data collected for 198 mother–child dyads (52% male offspring) followed longitudinally from birth to 18 months. Maternal and infant variables, including maternal PTSD and depression symptoms, maternal maltreatment history, observed maternal parenting quality, demographic risk, and infant negative emotionality and night waking, were used to predict toddler behavior problems. Although boys and girls displayed similar levels of total problem behaviors at 18 months overall, the specific set of infant and maternal variables that predicted toddler problems varied by child sex. The significant predictor for boys was maternal PTSD symptoms, whereas significant predictors for girls were infant negative emotionality and sleep problems. Results suggest that sex‐differentiated transmission of risk can be identified as early as 18 months postpartum. These differences suggest a gender‐specific biological sensitivity to maternal psychopathology, or alternatively, a gender‐specific reporting bias among mothers with childhood maltreatment histories.     

The impact of maternal education on children's enrollment in early childhood education and care

This study examined the influence of maternal education and other child and family characteristics on the enrollment of children in early childhood education and care. Data come from the National Household Education Survey for a 14-year period and include children ages 0-5 years old. Multinomial logit analysis was employed to show the effect of maternal education on the likelihood of being enrolled in a specific type of care arrangement including both formal and informal settings. Findings suggest that more advantaged children, even those under 3 years of age, enroll in higher quality settings, thereby granting them an advantage when they begin school.     

Familial Patterning and Prevalence of Male Androphilia in Samoa

Previous research established that male androphilia (i.e., sexual arousal and attraction to adult males) clusters in families. Some studies find that male androphilia clusters in both the paternal and maternal lines, while others find that it clusters only in the latter. Most of the research investigating the familial nature of male androphilia has taken place in Western cultural contexts that are problematic for such research because they are characterized by low fertility. To address this, our previous work has examined familial patterning of male androphilia in Samoa, a high-fertility population in which androphilic males are readily identified due to their public status as fa’afafine (a third gender category). Building on this work, the present study replicated the familial nature of male androphilia in Samoa using a sample size that was ~122% larger than the one we previously employed (N = 382, M ±SD age: 29.72 years ±10.16). Samoan fa’afafine had significantly more fa’afafine relatives in their maternal and paternal lines compared to Samoan gynephilic males (p < .001). The prevalence of male androphilia was equivalent across both the paternal and maternal lines (all p > .15). The revised prevalence estimate of male androphilia in Samoa falls between 0.61% and 3.51%.     

Anxiety,Depression and Fraternal Experiences on the Birth Child in a Foster Home

If foster care primarily concerns foster children displaced from a family to another, it also constitutes a singular event for the entire family, including the children of the foster parents. The aim of this study was to examine anxiety and depressive symptoms in foster families’ birth children and to explore the statistical associations between the different types of horizontal relations (with a sibling or a foster child) and the psycho-affective equilibrium of the birth children. Self-evaluation scales on the quality of sibling relations, anxiety and depressive symptoms were used. Forty five birth adolescents, aged from 11 to 18 years old, took part in the study. These participants showed more balanced scores of anxiety and depression than the population of the same age. Post-hoc tests additionally suggest that these ones vary depending on the gender, possibly due to specific role expectations. The relations between siblings or with the foster child present differentiated outcomes on anxiety and depression scores. This study confirms that the quality of horizontal relations is important for the psycho-affective equilibrium of the birth child. The relationships between birth and foster children need to be more systematically considered in order to promote successful fostering.     

An investigation on rural birthrates in Hubei Province

In 1981, the Population Research Section of the Department of Economics of Wuhan University joined forces with personnel sent by family planning institutions of communes, countries, and prefectures of concern in Hubei Province to form a joint investigation group and went down for 4 months to conduct a representative survey of the rural birthrate in 15 production brigades. This paper states the results of the investigation. The marriage rate was 18.14/1000 when calculated on the basis of the 1980 average population. Since the new marriage law provides that women can get married when they reach the age of 20, at present the number of rural women applying for marriage certificates beginning at age 20 has been increasing day by day. 90% of the married women had a 1st birth within 4 years of marriage; the 2nd year of marriage is the peak period of reproduction during which 1/2 of the married women gave birth. Other results show that 1) on the basis of an average interval of 2 years between 1st marriage and 1st birth, the average interval between births from the 2nd through the 5th is about 3 years each; 2) the birthrate by age groups is 2.99395; 3) the gross reproduction rate was as high as 2.5 before Liberation and the net reproduction rate reached 1.7; and 4) among the 728 persons investigated, those who wished to have 1 child accounted for only 5% of the total, 2 children 51%, 3 children 28%, and 4 children 15%. The peasants' ideology of having many births is intricate; it is the comprehensive reflection of socioeconomic, ideological, and traditional factors. To guide the peasants' birth-related thinking onto a track in line with the family planning policy of the state calls for painstaking work and further improvement of the birth control policy.     

The Interaction Between Child Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Early Sensitive Parenting in the Prediction of Children's Executive Functions

This study investigated the interaction between children's parasympathetic functioning and maternal sensitive parenting behaviors during infancy and toddlerhood in the prediction of children's executive functions (EF) at the age of 5 years. Participants included 137 children and their mothers who were followed from the age of 3 months to 5 years. Children's cardiac activity was recorded at rest at multiple times from ages 3 to 36 months, and estimates of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA; a measure of parasympathetic functioning) were calculated. Sensitive parenting was assessed during a mother–child play task at ages 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, and 5 years. Children completed age appropriate EF tasks at the age of 5 years. The link between sensitive parenting during toddlerhood (ages 24 and 36 months) and children's later EF was moderated by children's RSA such that this positive link was evident only among children who had low levels of baseline RSA, and not among those who had high levels of baseline RSA. These findings were obtained while controlling for concurrent sensitive parenting and maternal and child verbal abilities. Results from this study provide evidence for the significant role of biopsychosocial processes in early childhood in the development of EF.     

Long-Term Effects of a Parenting Preventive Intervention on Young Adults’ Attitudes Toward Divorce and Marriage

This study examined whether the New Beginnings Program (NBP), a parenting-focused preventive intervention designed to reduce children’s postdivorce mental health problems, affected attitudes toward divorce and marriage in young adults whose mothers had participated 15 years earlier. Participants (M = 25.6 years; 50% female; 88% White) were from 240 families that had participated in a randomized experimental trial (NBP vs. literature control). Analyses of covariance showed that program effects on both types of attitudes were moderated by gender. Males in the NBP reported more positive attitudes toward marriage and less favorable attitudes toward divorce than males in the literature control.     

Difficulties with age estimation of internet images of south‐east Asian girls

Community paediatricians are increasingly asked to provide expert opinion on internet child pornography related to ‘sex tourism’, mostly in south‐east Asian countries. The girls involved are often prepubertal, and the main legal question is to establish whether they are under 13 years of age. This paper provides a review of the literature related to this question. Although there are limited data of age of menarche from the countries at risk of ‘sex tourism’, one recent study from the Philippines showed that the mean age of menarche was similar to the mean age of British girls born between 1982 and 1986. There are no data in the above countries on the early pubertal changes in breast development, but studies from India and China suggested that these might be more prolonged than for British girls. In particular, the interval between B2 stage (early pubertal breast development) and menarche was nearly 3 years in these developing countries, compared with 2 years for the British girls. Maternal malnutrition and girls small for gestational age at birth resulted in an earlier menarche, while chronic malnutrition, severe enough to cause stunting in preschool years, caused a delay in menarche. Taking into account information from the existing studies, we estimated that 97.5% of south‐east Asian girls will show pubertal changes of B2 stage by the age of 13.7 years. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gambling Behavior and Problem Gambling Reflecting Social Transition and Traumatic Childhood Events Among Greenland Inuit: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Large Indigenous Population Undergoing Rapid Change

An increase in social pathologies is a key feature in indigenous populations undergoing transition. The Greenland Inuit are a large indigenous population constituting a majority in their own country, which makes it possible to investigate differences within the population. This led us to study gambling behavior and problem gambling among Greenland Inuit in relation to the ongoing social transition and traumatic events during childhood. A large representative cross-sectional study was conducted among Greenland Inuit (n = 2,189). Data was collected among adults (18+) in 9 towns and 13 villages in Greenland from 2005 to 2010. Problem gambling, gambling behavior and traumatic childhood events were measured through a self-administered questionnaire. The lie/bet screen was used to identify past year and lifetime problem gambling. Social transition was measured as place of residence and a combination of residence, education and occupation. The lifetime prevalence of problem gambling was 16 % among men and 10 % among women (p < 0.0001); and higher in towns (19 %) compared to the capital of Nuuk (11 %) and in villages (12 %) (men only, p = 0.020). Lifetime problem gambling was associated with social transition (p = 0.023), alcohol problems in childhood home (p = 0.001/p = 0.002) and sexual abuse in childhood (women only, p = 0.030). A comparably high prevalence of lifetime problem gambling among Greenland Inuit adds problem gambling to the list of social pathologies in Greenland. A significant association between lifetime problem gambling, social transition and traumatic childhood events suggests people caught between tradition and modern ways of life are more vulnerable to gambling problems.     

Long‐Term Effects of Fathers' Depressed Mood on Youth Internalizing Symptoms in Early Adulthood

While an accumulating body of research has documented increased risk of psychopathology among children of depressed fathers, most studies have used cross‐sectional design, and little is known about offspring outcomes beyond childhood. Using prospective data from a community sample (N = 395), we found that paternal depressive symptoms when children were in early adolescence (age 13) predicted offspring depressive and anxiety symptoms at age 21, controlling for baseline youth symptoms, maternal depressive symptoms, and other known correlates of internalizing problems in early adulthood. Associations were not moderated by maternal depressive symptoms or child gender. These results suggest that the unique and long‐term effects of paternal depression on children's risk of mood disorders may persist into adulthood.     

Cognitive function in toddlers with congenital heart disease: The impact of a stimulating home environment

Infants born with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at increased risk of neurodevelopmental difficulties in childhood. The extent to which perioperative factors, cardiac physiology, brain injury severity, socioeconomic status, and home environment influence early neurodevelopment is not clear. Sixty-nine newborns with CHD were recruited from St Thomas’ Hospital. Infants underwent presurgical magnetic resonance imaging on a 3-Tesla scanner situated on the neonatal unit. At 22 months, children completed the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-3rd edition and parents completed the cognitively stimulating parenting scale to assess cognitive stimulation at home. Level of maternal education and total annual household income were also collected. Hospital records were reviewed to calculate days on the intensive care unit post-surgery, time on bypass during surgery, and days to corrective or definitive palliative surgical intervention. In the final analysis of 56 infants, higher scores on the cognitively stimulating parenting scale were associated with higher cognitive scores at age 22 months, correcting for gestational age at birth, sex, and maternal education. There were no relationships between outcome scores and clinical factors; socioeconomic status; or brain injury severity. Supporting parents to provide a stimulating home environment for children may promote cognitive development in this high-risk population.