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Many adolescents who sexually offend commenced problematic sexual behaviors as children. There is little evidence to indicate which children may be at risk to continue problematic sexual behaviors and which children will desist once identified. The goal of this study was to determine variables that differentiate children who repeated problematic sexual behaviors following adult reprimand from those who did not. Predictive accuracy of 33 risk variables was investigated using 62 children assessed for problematic sexual behaviors. Eight individual variables were related to group membership, and a total score based on the combination of these variables was predictive of group membership. The results indicate variables that may assist in identifying children requiring intervention versus those likely to discontinue problematic sexual behaviors once they are identified and reprimanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Variations in parenting within the family (i.e. differential parenting) are associated with various domains of child adjustment, whereby disfavoured siblings exhibit poorer social and emotional outcomes. To date there is no research examining the effects of differential parenting on children''s general health, or the way in which differential parenting interacts with socioeconomic markers to predict general health over time. The present study assessed 501 Canadian families at 2 time points separated by 18 months. Differential maternal negativity predicted worse health 18 months later. Moreover, the association between maternal education and child health was strongest when children were also exposed to high levels of differential negativity. Findings indicate that multiple forms of social disadvantage (i.e. between families and between siblings) can operate independently or in a cumulative fashion to predict health across early childhood. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study the associations between mothers' and fathers' differential parenting and children's oppositional and emotional problems were examined. A curvilinear relationship between differential parenting and children's outcomes was hypothesized, as well as the combined effect of mothers' and fathers' parenting. Data came from a community sample of 599 two-parent families with multiple children per family and were analyzed using a cross-classified multilevel model. Results showed that both family average parenting and differential parenting explained unique variance in children's outcomes. The curvilinear hypothesis was supported for oppositional behavior but not for emotional problems. The effects of mother and father positivity were found to be additive for both family average parenting and differential parenting, but for negativity there was evidence for multiplicative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The current study examined the influence of the placement on academic outcomes in youth receiving out-of-home care. A two-level multilevel model was used to partition variance in youth in care''s academic success scores into placement and child-specific levels of influence. Associations between caregiver involvement and academic success in youth in care were also examined. Assessment and Action Record (AAR) data from the Ontario Looking after Children (OnLAC) project were analyzed. The sample included data from 687 youth between 10 and 15years of age (M age=12.99years, SD =1.68), with slightly more boys (n =389) than girls (n =298). While individual differences in academic success were primarily attributable to child-specific effects (85%), 15% of the variance can be attributable to differences between placements. Results also suggested that caregivers who provided more academic support at home and a more positive literacy environment were also more likely to care for youth with higher levels of academic success. Surprisingly, caregiver school-based involvement was not significantly associated with academic achievement in youth in care. Lastly, higher levels of caregiver expectations within the placement and youth''s own differential experience were both associated with more academic success. These results suggest that academic outcomes of youth in care may be influenced by the placement in which they live. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Maternal depression is a serious condition that affects up to 1 in 7 pregnancies. Despite evidence linking maternal depression to pregnancy complications and adverse fetal outcomes, there remain large gaps in its identification and treatment. More work is needed to define the specific timing and severity of depression that most urgently requires intervention, where feasible, to protect maternal health and the developing fetus., Objective: This study aimed to examine whether the timing and severity of maternal depression and/or anxiety during pregnancy affect child executive functioning at age 4.5 years. Executive functioning in the preschool years is a strong predictor of both school readiness and long-term quality of life., Study Design: This longitudinal observational pregnancy cohort study included a sample of 323 mother-child dyads taking part in the Ontario Birth Study, an open pregnancy cohort in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed at 12 to 16 and 28 to 32 weeks of gestation and at the time of child testing at age 4.5 years using the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire. Child executive functioning was measured during a home visit using standardized computerized administration of the Flanker test (a measure of attention) and the Dimensional Change Card Sort (a measure of cognitive flexibility). Stepwise linear regressions, controlling for possible confounding variables, were used to assess the predictive value of continuous measures of maternal depression and/or anxiety symptoms at each assessment time on the Flanker test and Dimensional Change Card Sort. Posthoc general linear models were used to assess whether maternal depression severity categories (no symptom, mild symptoms, or probable major depressive disorder) were helpful in identifying children at risk., Results: Across all children, after controlling for potential confounds, greater maternal depressive symptoms at weeks 12 to 16 weeks of gestation predicted worse performance on both the Flanker test (ΔR 2 =0.058; P<.001) and the Dimensional Change Card Sort (ΔR 2 =0.017; P=.018). Posthoc general linear modeling further demonstrated that the children of mothers meeting the screening criteria for major depression in early pregnancy scored 11.3% lower on the Flanker test and 9.8% lower on the Dimensional Change Card Sort than the children of mothers without maternal depressive symptoms in early pregnancy. Mild depressive symptoms had no significant effect on executive function scores. There was no significant effect of anxiety symptoms or maternal antidepressant use in early pregnancy or pandemic conditions or maternal symptoms in later pregnancy or at the time of child testing on either the Flanker or Dimensional Change Card Sort results., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that fetal exposure to maternal major depression, but not milder forms of depression, at 12 to 16 weeks of gestation is associated with impaired executive functioning in the preschool years. Child executive functioning is crucial for school readiness and predicts long-term quality of life. This emphasizes an urgent need to improve the recognition and treatment of maternal major depression, particularly in early pregnancy, to limit its negative effects on the patient and on child cognitive development., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)