Search

The present study aimed at examining the transactional effects between parental styles and adolescent externalizing problems. The total sample included 868 students, 410 preadolescents (Mage = 10.63, SD = 0.63) attending the last two grades of elementary school and 458 early adolescents (Mage = 12.65, SD = 0.67) attending the first two grades of high school. Participating schools (N = 15) were purposefully selected to be diverse in terms of urban/rural residence of families they serve, as well as their socioeconomic status, and came from three different Districts of Cyprus. In terms of gender, 451 (52.0%) were girls and 410 (47.5%) were boys. The self‐report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used for measuring externalizing problems and the Parental Authority Questionnaire was used for measuring parental style. A short‐term longitudinal design was used, with the data collected at two points in time having 5‐month intervals. By means of a cross‐lagged model, and in contrast to prior studies claiming that certain parental styles influence positively or negatively externalizing problems, the current study found that the opposite effect is true. That is, externalizing problems affected positively authoritarian parenting and negative authoritative style. Also, a multigroup analysis revealed that age/developmental phase moderated these relationships. Specifically, T1 authoritarian parenting seemed to be a risk factor for preadolescents, but not for adolescents. Practitioner Points: Even though both parenting and child effects were found, adolescent externalizing problems were the most important influencing variable.Authoritarian parenting was found to be a risk factor for preadolescents, but not for older adolescents.The externalizing behavior of the adolescent and his or her parents' rearing style reciprocally predicted each other over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and adolescents with externalizing problems show physiological hypo-reactivity toward affective stimuli, which may relate to their disruptive, antisocial, and thrill-seeking behaviors. This study examines differences in explicit and implicit emotion regulation between preadolescents with and without externalizing problems as well as the role of emotion regulation in subjective and autonomic responses to emotional stimuli. Preadolescents showing self- and other-reported externalizing psychopathology, and a control sample, without such difficulties, participated in a passive affective picture-viewing task with neutral, fearful, joyful, and sad images, while their heart rate and heart rate variability were measured. Participants also reported on their emotion regulation difficulties using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Compared to controls, youths scoring high on externalizing problems (1) reported greater emotion regulation difficulties, especially a lack of emotional clarity and difficulty in controlling impulsive actions, (2) showed higher resting heart rate variability and a lower resting heart rate, suggestive of higher emotion/autonomic regulation ability, and (3) showed both subjective and physiological hypo-arousal to emotional pictures. Heart rate variability and, to a lesser degree difficulties in emotional clarity, modulated the effects of emotional pictures on subjective and physiological arousal. Findings suggest that interventions to improve emotion regulation and awareness may help to prevent externalizing problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. In the sports field, core stability is crucial for maintaining balance during the execution of specific movements. Few studies have determined the relationship between sports performance, stability, and muscle activity. Objective. To explore the relationship be-tween maximum oxygen consumption and factors such as electrical activity of core muscles, body composition, and core stability in university athletes. Materials and Methods. This descriptive and correlational cross-sectional study involved athletes from fourteen sports disciplines. Five variables were measured, including the maximum amplitude of electromyography of core muscles, the area of static and dynamic stability, and the percentage of muscle mass. Instruments such as wireless surface electromyography sensors, 3D inertial sensors, and ergoespirometry equipment were used. The software Jamovi v 2.3.28.0 was utilized for variable calculation. Results. There was a significant and positive correlation between the percentage of muscle mass, amplitude, and maximum oxygen consumption. When discriminated by sports discipline, differences were found in the studied variables. A positive and significant correlation was observed between maximum amplitude and muscle percentage in all sports, except football and softball. In rugby, a positive and significant correlation was found between muscle percentage and maximum oxygen consumption. No correlation was found between voltage amplitude and stability in athletes, indicating that sports stability is more complex than simply focusing on the core. Conclusion. The study redefines the understanding of stability and its connection to sports performance, providing insights for developing effective training strategies. It is necessary to consider body composition in the evaluation and planning of training to achieve more effective workouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of past traumatic war experiences on preadolescents in the Gaza Strip, which could be useful for psychological intervention with current and future child victims. Participants were 521 preadolescents from United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools, aged 11 and 13 years old. Sections I to IV from Iraqi Version-Arabic of Harvard Trauma Questionnaire was used to assess trauma experiences and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The results show that the preadolescents in the Gaza Strip witnessed the destruction of their homes and the murder of family members and friends. A quarter of the individuals assessed either suffered torture or witnessed others undergoing it, including sexual assaults. Almost half of them experienced a lack of food and clean water. The traumatic and torture experiences seriously affected preadolescents' mental health as 26.29% met criteria for the diagnosis of PTSD. The data analysis revealed two PTSD modalities, with the severity of impact depending on whether social implications were involved. Further research is required to check whether these two modalities fit to PTSD and complex PTSD. Understanding the effects of past wars on preadolescents in Gaza and distinguishing between different PTSD types could enhance comprehension of the impacts of current attacks on child victims. It can also aid in determining the type of intervention needed to minimize the impact on the mental health of Palestinian youth, enhancing their resilience through psychological and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the direct effects of victimization on internalizing and externalizing symptoms among children have been well documented, not much is known about the buffering effect of humour styles. The aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of humour styles in the relationship between victimization and internalizing/externalizing symptoms among 155 Greek students (10–12 yrs), using an anonymous self-report questionnaire. Victimization was positively correlated to both internalized and externalized symptoms, while boys scored higher on self-defeating and aggressive humour. Finally, moderation analysis revealed that the effect of victimization on internalized symptoms was reduced at higher levels of aggressive humour. These findings provide additional evidence for the effect of different humour styles in the school context. As the beneficial impact of aggressive humour on victims may be short-termed, prevention efforts could help students learn how to avoid malign humour and use benign styles to cope with stressful situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether youth essentialize religiosity considering religious informants as more trustworthy. Participants (N = 181) from three age groups (preadolescents, early adolescents and young adults) were presented with vignettes and asked which informant the protagonist should trust. One protagonist was introduced as religious. Results showed that youth's essentialism for religiosity is limited, but those with proximity to religion preferred advice from a Priest over an expert. This suggests that youth's essentialism for the trustworthiness of religiosity may be limited to religious leaders and is present only among those close to religion. Participants also tended to trust the expert rather than the Priest and the informant whose advice aligned with their own preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the possibility of predicting changes in preadolescents’ subjective wellbeing (SWB)indicators, namely life satisfaction (LS), positive (PA) and negative affect(NA), based on how often they engage in different activities using digital technology (DT). Exploratory, it examines whether gender and age moderate links between DT usage and well-being. The study is conducted using self-report measures at two time points, with one year apart. Participants were 1379 elementary school pupils from Croatia (48% were boys), aged from 8 to 13 (M = 11.03, SD = 1.14) at the first time point. LS was assessed using BMSLSS (Seligson et al., 2003). PA and NA were assessed using PANAS-C scale (Ebesutani et al., 2012). Finally, participants indicated how often they engage in different activities using digital technology: use of social media (using social networks, texting with friends, posting online), playing video games, and watching TV. Only social media use predicted a small decrease in LS one year later. Different types of DT use did not predict changes in PA. These models were the same for boys and girls, and for younger and older preadolescents. Changes in NA were not related to any of the DT predictors. However, differential effects were observed for boys and girls with playing video games emerging as a positive predictor of NA for girls only. All observed effects were very small. These findings point to the importance of evaluating individual contribution of different activities that preadolescents engage in with the use of digital technology to their SWB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Repetitive shoulder movements during competitive training may cause changes in the strength of periarticular shoulder structures in preadolescent swimmers. Objective: To prospectively determine the effects of training on shoulder periarticular structures and muscle strength in preadolescent swimmers. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Community‐based natatorium. Participants: Twenty‐four preadolescent swimmers aged 10–12 years. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Measurements were repeated in three periods as preseason, midseason, and postseason. Ultrasonographic measurements (supraspinatus tendon thickness, humeral head cartilage thickness, deltoid muscle thickness, and acromiohumeral distance) were performed using a portable device and a linear probe. Shoulder (flexion, extension, abduction, internal and external rotation) and back (serratus anterior, lower, and middle trapezius) isometric muscle strength were measured with a handheld dynamometer. Results: Supraspinatus tendon thickness and acromiohumeral distance were similar in all periods (all p >.05); however, deltoid muscle and humeral head cartilage thicknesses increased throughout the season (p =.002, p =.008, respectively). Likewise, whereas shoulder muscle strength increased (all p <.05), back muscle strength was similar in all periods (all p >.05). Conclusions: In preadolescent swimmers, acromiohumeral distance and supraspinatus tendon thickness seem to not change; but humeral head cartilage and deltoid muscle thicknesses as well as shoulder muscle strength increase throughout the season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released clinical guidelines for the treatment of childhood obesity, including surgery being appropriate for children 13 years of age and older. The use of this age cut‐off was due to a lack of data for children younger than 13. To address this knowledge gap, the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) database was queried to compare outcomes in preteens to teens after bariatric surgery hypothesizing that there would be no difference in outcomes between the two groups. Methods: Patients from the MSAQIP database (2016–2021) were identified and divided into groups <13 years and 13–18 years and were matched using propensity scores based on race, sex, and preoperative BMI. Outcomes were compared including change in BMI, complication rates, 30‐day readmission or reoperation, and mortality. Additionally, the centers responsible for the bulk of the preteen patient entries queried their center‐specific databases to evaluate weight loss over time. Results: A total of 4755 patients were identified, 47 of whom were <13 years of age. Preteens had similar sex distribution (66% vs. 75% female), were more likely to be Black (27.7% vs. 18.3%) or Hispanic (21.3% vs. 7.6%) race, and weighed less (274 ± 58 vs. 293 ± 85 lb, p = 0.01), but they had similar BMI (46.9 ± 7 vs. 47 ± 13 kg/m2) as their teen counterparts. Preteens were more likely to suffer from sleep apnea (34% vs. 19%, p < 0.01) and insulin‐dependent type 2 diabetes (10.6% vs. 1.8%, p < 0.01). There were no complications in the preteens compared to teens (0% vs. 0.5%), and they did not undergo any unplanned readmissions (0% vs. 2.9%) or reoperations (0% vs. 0.8%) within 30 days of surgery. There were also no mortalities reported in preteens (0% vs. 0.1%). The risk‐adjusted decrease in BMI between preteens and teens was also comparable at 30 days (4.2 [95% CI: 3.0–5.4] vs. 4.6 [95% CI: 4.4–4.7], p = 0.6). Decrease in BMI in preteens was 7 ± 3 kg/m2 at 3 months and 9 ± 4 kg/m2 at 12 months after surgery, which represented a percentage BMI change of 16 ± 7 and 20 ± 8, respectively. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that bariatric surgery in preteens is safe and efficacious when performed at specialized centers, and that age criteria may not be required. The AAP and others are encouraged to include age cut‐offs in their guidelines for children with obesity and bariatric surgery only when data are available to support their inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides summaries of various studies and symposiums related to child development and psychology. The symposium focuses on topics such as the assessment and diagnosis of learning disabilities in children and the use of the Griffiths Scales of Child Development - Third Edition for child development assessment. The presentations discuss the importance of standardized assessment and the impact of screen use and social media on children. Other studies explore the relationship between narrative skills and emotion understanding, the impact of the birth of a new sibling on older siblings' physical and mental health, the differences in preteens' perception of difficult situations over time, the correlations among nutrition, sleep, emotion, and cognitive development in children, the effects of integrative play therapy on preschool children with behavior problems, and the impact of media multitasking on executive function in adolescents. These studies provide valuable insights for parents, policymakers, and researchers in understanding and supporting children's development. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) patients suffering of oligo‐anodontia require early dental treatment to improve oral functions and reduce social impairment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the skeletal growth, implant and prosthetic survival rate, success, and complications after the rehabilitation with a maxillary denture and an implant‐supported overdenture provided by a sliding bar in case of severe hypodontia/anodontia related to HED. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study began in 2009. Nine patients over 7 years old with HED and associated oligo‐anodontia who presented at the University of Bologna for dental treatment were included in the study. They were first treated with conventional dentures and then with a maxillary denture and an implant‐supported overdenture with a sliding bar connected to two implants placed in the anterior mandible. The subjects treated were followed for 3–12 years. In each case, orthopanoramic and lateral cephalometric radiographic exam were taken before implant placement and annually after prosthetic load. Vertical and transverse dimensions of the mandible in the symphysis area at implant sites were taken on the lateral cephalometric radiography at the time of implant placement and after 5 years from the prosthetic loading to assess the presence or absence of an anterior mandibular growth. Biologic and mechanical complications were also recorded at every visit. Results: A mandibular vertical growth under the implant apex, at the implant neck, and a sagittal growth of the symphysis after 5 years from the prosthetic loading were observed and measured. Implant and prosthetic success and survival rates were 100% after 8.1 years (mean) follow‐up period. No complications were reported except in one patient, where the repositioning of a retentive cap on the counter bar in the superstructure was necessary after 3 years from the prosthetic loading. Conclusions: The present study suggests that the growth of the mandible near implant sites continues even after their positioning. Implants can be successfully placed and provide support for prosthetic rehabilitation in preteens patients with HED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate whether prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) is related to poorer cognitive performance, abnormal brain morphometry, and whether poor cognitive performance is mediated by PTE-related structural brain differences. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study dataset was used to compare structural MRI data and neurocognitive (NIH Toolbox®) scores in 9-to-10-year-old children with (n=620) and without PTE (n=10,989). We also evaluated whether PTE effects on brain morphometry mediated PTE effects on neurocognitive scores. Group effects were evaluated using Linear Mixed Models, covaried for socio-demographics and prenatal exposures to alcohol and/or marijuana, and corrected for multiple comparisons using the false-discovery rate (FDR). Compared to unexposed children, those with PTE had poorer performance (all p-values <0.05) on executive function, working memory, episodic memory, reading decoding, crystallized intelligence, fluid intelligence and overall cognition. Exposed children also had thinner parahippocampal gyri, smaller surface areas in the posterior-cingulate and pericalcarine cortices; the lingual and inferior parietal gyri, and smaller thalamic volumes (all p-values <0.001). Furthermore, among children with PTE, girls had smaller surface areas in the superior-frontal (interaction-FDR-p=0.01), precuneus (interaction-FDR-p=0.03) and postcentral gyri (interaction-FDR-p=0.02), while boys had smaller putamen volumes (interaction-FDR-p=0.02). Smaller surface areas across regions of the frontal and parietal lobes, and lower thalamic volumes, partially mediated the associations between PTE and poorer neurocognitive scores (p-values <0.001). Our findings suggest PTE may lead to poorer cognitive performance and abnormal brain morphometry, with sex-specific effects in some brain regions, in pre-adolescent children. The poor cognition in children with PTE may result from the smaller areas and subcortical brain volumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Internalising disorders are highly prevalent emotional dysregulations during preadolescence but clinical decision-making is hampered by high heterogeneity. During this period impulsivity represents a major risk factor for psychopathological trajectories and may act on this heterogeneity given the controversial anxiety–impulsivity relationships. However, how impulsivity contributes to the heterogeneous symptomatology, neurobiology, neurocognition and clinical trajectories in preadolescent internalising disorders remains unclear. Aims: The aim was to determine impulsivity-dependent subtypes in preadolescent internalising disorders that demonstrate distinct anxiety–impulsivity relationships, neurobiological, genetic, cognitive and clinical trajectory signatures. Method: We applied a data-driven strategy to determine impulsivity-related subtypes in 2430 preadolescents with internalising disorders from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were employed to examine subtype-specific signatures of the anxiety–impulsivity relationship, brain morphology, cognition and clinical trajectory from age 10 to 12 years. Results: We identified two distinct subtypes of patients who internalise with comparably high anxiety yet distinguishable levels of impulsivity, i.e. enhanced (subtype 1) or decreased (subtype 2) compared with control participants. The two subtypes exhibited opposing anxiety–impulsivity relationships: higher anxiety at baseline was associated with higher lack of perseverance in subtype 1 but lower sensation seeking in subtype 2 at baseline/follow-up. Subtype 1 demonstrated thicker prefrontal and temporal cortices, and genes enriched in immune-related diseases and glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. Subtype 1 exhibited cognitive deficits and a detrimental trajectory characterised by increasing emotional/behavioural dysregulations and suicide risks during follow-up. Conclusions: Our results indicate impulsivity-dependent subtypes in preadolescent internalising disorders and unify past controversies about the anxiety–impulsivity interaction. Clinically, individuals with a high-impulsivity subtype exhibit a detrimental trajectory, thus early interventions are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological distress in preadolescents refers to a variety of symptoms that includes either internalized symptoms (depression, anxiety, panic), either externalized manifestations (eating disorders, substance abuse). In the recent years epidemiological studies revealed a growing tendency of children referral to treatment due to psychopathological conditions. The aim of this study was to screen a young population of student (middle schoolers) for different types of symptoms that could be described by psychological distress. The results revealed that anxiety symptoms tend to grow from the 5th grade to the 7th grade and then decrease in the 8th grade. Also, emotional-eating students tend to experience higher levels of anxiety compared to others. Implications for future research and functional mechanisms are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Impulsivity is a known risk factor for the development of substance use disorders and other psychiatric conditions that is influenced by both genetics and environment. Although research has linked parental mental health to children’s impulsivity, potential mediators of this relationship remain understudied. The current investigation leverages the large national Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study to assess the mediating role of family conflict – an important social context for youth development – in the relationship between parental mental health and youth impulsivity. Methods: Data were from the first three annual waves of the ABCD study (Baseline N  =  11,876 children, Mage  =  9.9  years; 48% female; 52% White). Parental mental health conditions were self-reported internalizing, externalizing, and total problems. Youth completed the family conflict scale, and Urgency, Planning (lack of), Perseverance (lack of), Sensation Seeking, and Positive Urgency (UPPS-P) scale to measure impulsivity. To determine if within-family change in conflict from baseline to year 1 explained changes in the strength of relations between baseline parental mental health and year 2 youth impulsivity, longitudinal causal mediation analyses were conducted, controlling for demographic factors (i.e., age, sex, race, household income, parental education, marital status), as well as baseline levels of family conflict and outcomes. Separate mediation models were run for each mental health condition and each UPPS-P subscale. Results: Above and beyond bivariate relations, longitudinal mediation models, which included covariates, showed family conflict significantly (ps  <  0.001) mediated relations between all three parental mental health conditions and all but one (i.e., sensation seeking) UPPS-P subscales. The proportion mediated through family conflict for internalizing problems and total problems on facets of impulsivity (except sensation seeking) ranged from 9% (for lack of perseverance) to 17% (for lack of planning). Proportion mediated via family conflict for externalizing problems on youth’s impulsivity (except sensation seeking) was slightly higher, ranging between 13% (lack of perseverance) to 21% (lack of planning). Discussion: Family conflict may be an important intergenerational factor linking parental mental health and youth’s impulsivity. Addressing parental mental health and family conflict may help curb increased impulsivity in youth, and in turn reduce adolescent substance use disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Characterize the dimensional spectrum of preadolescent (PA) irritability, a robust transdiagnostic vulnerability marker, using the youth version of the Multidimensional Assessment Profiles Temper Loss (MAPS‐TL‐Youth) scale including common and with developmentally specific items. Based on this, derive and validate a clinically optimized irritability screener to flag psychopathology risk in preadolescents. Methods: The normal:abnormal irritability spectrum was modeled using MAPS‐TL‐Youth data from the Multidimensional Assessment of Preschoolers Study (MAPS) Study PA wave (n = 340) via item response theory. Both cross‐cutting core items from the MAPS scales and developmentally specific items were used to generate this dimension. Stepwise logistic regression was then used to optimize MAPS‐TL‐Youth irritability items in relation to Kiddie Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia impairment to generate a clinically optimized irritability screener. Receiver operator characteristic analysis identified the irritability threshold for the screener. For the first time, youth self‐report of their own irritability on the MAPS‐TL was also modeled via the MAPS‐TL‐Youth‐Self‐Report (MAPS‐TL‐Youth‐SR). Results: Irritability was unidimensional and ranged from mild and common to severe and rare behaviors. Developmentally specific items allowed detection of more severe irritability. Items for the screener were identified in relation to concurrent impairment. These included low frustration tolerance and pathognomonic severe behaviors. The clinically optimized screener demonstrated very good sensitively (87%) and specificity (81%) in regard to concurrent irritability‐related DSM disorders. Modeling of the MAPS‐TL‐Youth‐SR yielded similar results. Conclusion: Characterizing the normal: abnormal spectrum of irritability in preadolescence advances application of Research Domain Criteria methods to this developmental period. This foundational work yielded two developmentally specified tools for irritability characterization in preadolescence: a nuanced dimensional scale to precisely characterize the full normal‐abnormal irritability spectrum, and a pragmatic, clinically optimized screener suitable for real world use. Future application in mechanistic and clinical studies will be important for establishing validity and incremental utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With this paper, we participate in the body of work seeking to develop ethically sustainable practices for addressing gender, sexuality and power in pre-teen peer cultures in an inclusive, non-normative and transformative manner. To do so, we draw on feminist new materialist and posthuman scholarship and a series of events from our school-based creative workshops with 10–12-year-old children. First, by analysing the gendered flows of forces of the workshop, we demonstrate how educational and research interventions on gender are entangled and fraught with heteronormative flows of force that circulate in peer cultures. Second, we argue that composing conditions for gender to be explored and addressed cannot be based on assumptions about how gender should matter when working with children but on how it does matter in the materially situated, affective and historically contingent practices of engagement. To achieve that aim, the paper proposes to 'work in-tensionally' to construct 'ethically enabling conditions' for school-based research and education on pre-teen gender and sexual cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to describe observed differences between the official Danish Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)-norms and data from a sample based on the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) including children born between 1996 and 2003. We compared the risk classification, cut-off bandings and the group sizes between the Danish norms and the values found in our sample at ages 7, 11 and 18 years. Two sets of norms are used in Denmark: Arnfred's norms, based on a sample from one single Danish municipality and Niclasen's norms, based on multiple Danish cohorts, including the DNBC. Inconsistencies were found between banding scores in the two existing norms and the banding scores identified in our sample from DNBC: discrepancies included banding scores for several of the problem scales for children and preadolescents. For adolescents, we found less apparent inconsistencies between Arnfred's sample and the DNBC. Results demonstrate that the existing SDQ norms do not apply well to a large-scale cohort sample in Denmark. The usefulness of the SDQ as a screening instrument for mental health problems depends on appropriate norms. We therefore urge that the current Danish SDQ norms are used with caution, and preferably they should be revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals with obesity tend to discount the future (delay discounting), focusing on immediate gratification. Delay discounting is reliably related to indicators of economic scarcity (i.e., insufficient resources), including lower income and decreased educational attainment in adults. It is unclear whether the impact of these factors experienced by parents also influence child delay discounting between the ages of 8 and 12-years in families with obesity. Methods: The relationship between indices of family income and delay discounting was studied in 452 families with parents and 6–12-year-old children with obesity. Differences in the relationships between parent economic, educational and Medicaid status, and parent and child delay discounting were tested. Results: Results showed lower parent income (p = 0.019) and Medicaid status (p = 0.021) were differentially related to greater parent but not child delay discounting among systematic responders. Conclusions: These data suggest differences in how indicators of scarcity influence delay discounting for parents and children, indicating that adults with scarce resources may be shaped to focus on immediate needs instead of long-term goals. It is possible that parents can reduce the impact of economic scarcity on their children during preadolescent years. These findings suggest a need for policy change to alleviate the burden of scarce conditions and intervention to modify delay discounting rate and to improve health-related choices and to address weight disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring and understanding the different views related to disability is essential for developing effective educational programs to reduce the related stigma and prejudice. Our study aimed to explore the spontaneous representations of disability and causal related beliefs in a sample of Romanian preadolescents and understand them through the lenses of the Social Learning and Social Dominance theories. Our study used a qualitative approach and included 407 participants aged 9 to 12 years (M = 9.88, SD = 0.66, 52.8% females). The participants were students enrolled in five public schools in four Romanian cities. The current findings suggested that participants' disability representations were mainly related to the medical model. The preadolescents in our sample primarily considered disability as a health issue, a defect, or a missing body part. Furthermore, the most frequent causal beliefs about disability were related to the medical model, followed by the social and religious models. Finally, we discuss the potential implications of our results concerning family and school-based strategies to reduce prejudice, stigma, and discrimination against people with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Inconsistent reports raise the question of the extent to which poor adult outcomes are associated with adolescent polysubstance use (PSU: alcohol, marijuana, other illicit drugs) above and beyond earlier risk factors. Methods: Early adulthood substance-related and psychosocial outcomes were examined in association with age 13 to 17 developmental patterns of PSU in boys from urban, low SES neighborhoods (N = 926). Three classes obtained by latent growth modeling described low/non-users (N = 565, 61.0%), lower risk PSU (later onset, occasional use, 2 ≤ substances; N = 223, 24.1%), and higher risk PSU (earlier onset, frequent use, 3 ≥ substances; N = 138, 14.9%). Preadolescent individual, familial and social predictors of adolescent PSU patterns were used as covariates. Results: Adolescent PSU contributed to both age-24 substance-related outcomes (frequency of alcohol, drug use, and getting drunk, risky behaviors under influence, and use-related problems) and psychosocial outcomes (no high school diploma, professional or financial strain, ASP symptoms, criminal record) over and above preadolescent risk factors. Controlling for preadolescent risk factors, adolescent PSU made a more important contribution to adult substance use outcomes (increasing the risk by about 110%) than to psychosocial outcomes (16.8% risk increase). PSU classes showed poorer adjustment for all age-24 substance use, and for various psychosocial outcomes than low/non-users. Higher risk polysubstance users also reported poorer outcomes than their lower risk peers for most substance use outcomes, and for professional or financial strain and criminal record. Conclusion: Findings highlight the contribution of adolescent PSU in a dose–response fashion, over and above preadolescent risk factors, on both homotypic and heterotypic outcomes in early adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engagement in mental health-focused preventive interventions is understudied. Demographic, child, and system-level predictors of engagement were explored in a study with children in foster care (N = 222, Mage = 10.3) who participated in a 30-week intervention. Attendance and engagement in mentor visits and skills groups were rated weekly. Only 4 of 21 predictors showed bivariate associations with attendance/engagement: child sex, IQ, behavior problems, and trauma symptoms. SEM models with these three variables and a measure of adverse childhood experience (ACEs), were used to develop a model of engagement. Males had poorer mentor visit and group engagement. Group attendance was positively associated with trauma symptoms and negatively associated with ACEs. Group engagement was associated with higher IQ and fewer behavior problems. A contextually-sensitive intervention can result in high engagement for a vulnerable and diverse population, yet a few child factors still impacted engagement, and when identified could be ameliorated. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifiers: NCT00809315 & NCT00810056. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a psychoanalytic lens, this article will examine some forms of contemporary narration, which develop in the virtual world and appear as phenomena related to mythopoiesis in preadolescence. Such forms put the body at the heart of the identity transformation. The body becomes a staple of the metamorphosis of suffering and drives the elaboration of pain. While always on the edge of ambiguity, these stories nurture persecution, fear, a state of permanent and ruleless alert, and a flood of primordial affects questioning the boundaries between the organic and the inorganic, which is a problem that the common sense of our time seems to feel with greater urgency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to examine whether sedentary digital media use in preadolescence increases the risk of being overweight 3 years later, and whether this association differs based on preadolescents' leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) levels. Methods: The authors conducted a 3-year follow-up study among 4661 participants with a mean (SD) age of 11 (1) years at baseline and 14 (1) years at follow-up. A web-based questionnaire assessed sedentary digital media use and LTPA. The authors categorized baseline LTPA duration into 3 levels: 0 to 5 (low), 6 to 8 (moderate), and ≥9 (high) hours per week. In addition, the authors categorized adolescents as normal weight or overweight/obese at follow-up. Results: Greater amounts of sedentary digital media use at baseline associated with an increased risk of being overweight 3 years later even after adjusting for confounders. This only held for preadolescents with low baseline LTPA (OR = 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.24), but not among those with moderate (OR = 1.02; 0.91–1.15) or high (OR = 0.96; 0.85–1.08) LTPA. Conclusions: Preadolescent LTPA modified the long-term association between sedentary digital media use and being overweight; specifically, 6 hours per week or more of LTPA mitigated the increased risk of being overweight associated with higher amounts of digital media use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the link between poor academic performance and rising smartphone use among students in the U.S. Topics discussed include the increase in teenage anxiety, depression and suicide which coincided with the rise in teenagers' adoption of smartphones, the relationship between less student learning and less sleep, and the decline in students' performance in mathematics and reading.

Visuospatial abilities are associated with children's performance in mathematics. However, little is known about the contribution of visual perception, especially during preadolescence. Here, we aimed to test the relationship between visual perception, mathematics and field-dependent/independent cognitive style (FDI). We also focused on preadolescence, during which cognitive style tends to structure itself. Ninety-eight pupils were recruited in a public school in Rome (Italy) and divided into two age groups: children (age range = 6–10) and preadolescents (age range = 11–14). The relationship between visual perception, mathematics and FDI was tested by computing bivariate correlations as a preliminary step and using mediation analysis to test the mediating role of FDI. We found that FDI mediated this relation during preadolescence, enhancing the positive correlation between variables. In addition to the theoretical advances, the results of the present study may have an educational impact. Future studies should better investigate which types of training lead to mathematical achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The language of Heritage Speakers (HS), or of early bilinguals of a minority language, is often seen as incomplete or less developed than that of Monolingual Speakers (MS). This study investigates whether 7- to 9-year-old English/Polish HS can be distinguished from MS in terms of linguistic skills when complexity and fluency are focal rather than accuracy. Data from 78 participants shows no significant differences between HS and MS in fluency on an overall measure in either of the languages, although HS produce more fillers and repetitions. On complexity measures, the results for English were similar across groups for Mean Length of T-Unit, but there was a statistically significant difference in Polish, with HS achieving higher values. On a more specific measure of syntactic complexity (Subordination Index), HS achieved higher scores in both languages. There were no significant differences for Lexical Diversity. Corresponding measures were positively correlated across languages, suggesting that the L1 does not impede L2 achievement. Overall, we observed substantial overlap between the groups, with the vast majority of HS falling within the MS norms and the MS falling within the HS norms. This emphasises the need to move away from the deficit approach towards HS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parvalbumin (PV)-positive GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic) cells provide robust perisomatic inhibition to neighboring pyramidal neurons and regulate brain oscillations. Alterations in PV interneuron connectivity and function in the medial prefrontal cortex have been consistently reported in psychiatric disorders associated with cognitive rigidity, suggesting that PV cell deficits could be a core cellular phenotype in these disorders. The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) regulates the time course of PV cell maturation in a cell-autonomous fashion. Whether p75NTR expression during postnatal development affects adult prefrontal PV cell connectivity and cognitive function is unknown. We generated transgenic mice with conditional knockout of p75NTR in postnatal PV cells. We analyzed PV cell connectivity and recruitment following a tail pinch by immunolabeling and confocal imaging in naïve mice or following p75NTR re-expression in preadolescent or postadolescent mice using Cre-dependent viral vectors. Cognitive flexibility was evaluated using behavioral tests. PV cell-specific p75NTR deletion increased both PV cell synapse density and proportion of PV cells surrounded by perineuronal nets, a marker of mature PV cells, in adult medial prefrontal cortex, but not visual cortex. Both phenotypes were rescued by viral-mediated reintroduction of p75NTR in preadolescent, but not postadolescent, medial prefrontal cortex. Prefrontal cortical PV cells failed to upregulate c-Fos following a tail-pinch stimulation in adult conditional knockout mice. Finally, conditional knockout mice showed impaired fear memory extinction learning as well as deficits in an attention set-shifting task. These findings suggest that p75NTR expression in adolescent PV cells contributes to the fine-tuning of their connectivity and promotes cognitive flexibility in adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the positive youth development perspective that emphasizes the importance of focusing on the positive assets of youth to be developed, this study examined the variables related with mental toughness, a trainable skill that is associated with psychological and academic well‐being outcomes, in preadolescent youth. The effect of self‐compassion on the mental toughness of preadolescents and the serial mediating effect of positive/negative affect and psychological resilience was explored for the first time in the literature to the best of our knowledge, via the causal‐comparative model. The study group consisted of a total of 263 preadolescents (ages 10–13). The results show that self‐compassion increases positive affect and this increases the mental toughness of preadolescents. As negative affect is negatively associated with mental toughness, by decreasing negative affect, self‐compassion positively influences mental toughness. Alternately, self‐compassion increases resilience, which in turn increases mental toughness. The findings of this study indicate that positive/negative affect and resilience play a serial mediating role in the relationship between self‐compassion and mental toughness. These relationships highlight the components to be included in interventions directed toward adolescents to improve the trainable skill of mental toughness, which can then lead to positive well‐being outcomes concurrently and through adulthood. Practitioner points: Based on the findings of this study, the following points can inform school counselors and other mental health professionals about mental toughness in adolescents: Mental toughness can be improved in a supportive environment.Self‐compassion is positively associated with mental toughness.Interventions aimed at increasing mental toughness through self‐compassion may focus on reducing negative affect, and increasing positive affect and psychological resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following trauma exposure, children are a vulnerable population and at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A large body of research has demonstrated the impactful role of genetics in vulnerability for PTSD in adult samples; yet very little research has examined genetic risk for PTSD in children. It is unknown whether genetic associations identified in adults are true for children; replication of findings from adult samples is needed in child samples. This study investigated an estrogen-responsive variant (ADCYAP1R1) that has been well-established to confer sex-specific risk for PTSD in adult samples, but is hypothesized to function differently in children, potentially due to pubertal changes in the estrogen system. Participants were children (n = 87; 57% female) ages 7 to 11 exposed to a natural disaster. Participants were assessed for trauma exposure and symptoms of PTSD. Participants provided a saliva sample, which was genotyped for the ADCYAP1R1 rs2267735 variant. In girls, the ADCYAP1R1 CC genotype was associated with PTSD (OR = 7.30). In boys, evidence for the opposite effect emerged, with the CC genotype attenuating risk for PTSD (OR = 8.25). When investigating specific PTSD symptom clusters, an association between ADCYAP1R1 and arousal emerged. This study is the first to investigate the relationship between ADCYAP1R1 and PTSD in trauma-exposed children. Findings for girls mirrored prior research on adult women, whereas findings for boys diverged from prior research on adult men. These potential differences between children and adults in genetic vulnerability for PTSD underscore the need for more genetic studies in child samples. • Estrogen-responsive variant in ADCYAP1R1 confers PTSD risk to adult women. • This variant is hypothesized to function differently in prepubescent children. • The relationship between ADCYAP1R1 and PTSD differed between boys and girls. • Findings for girls were similar to women, but findings for boys diverged from men. • This study shows the need to study genetic risk for PTSD specifically in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mindfulness meditation is a means of increasing awareness of the present moment. Mindfulness Mediation Interventions (MMI) positively impact psychological functioning, yet the neurocognitive mechanisms that mediate these effects have been less well-defined. Here, the primary aim was to evaluate whether the effects of a 10-week MMI were mediated by changes in attention and creativity performance, as well as resting-state theta/beta (TB) ratio and alpha power. We also sought to determine whether any of these measures at baseline were predictive of mindfulness success, as rated by the 7–11-year-old participants and their teachers. Reductions in depression from pre-to-post were mediated by reductions in TB ratio and increases in alpha power; however, they were not mediated by attention/creativity changes. Higher baseline attention and creativity scores predicted enhanced mindfulness success post-intervention but notably, follow-up analyses revealed that those scoring lower on these measures were more likely to have reduced depression from pre-to-post. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is little evidence to guide adaptation of interventions for acute mental health settings. • We adapted a transdiagnostic intervention for youth in partial hospitalization. • Implementation frameworks guided an iterative approach to cataloguing and piloting adaptations. • Case examples illustrate use of transdiagnostic treatment with acute, complex youth. Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) and other acute mental health treatment programs, which are becoming increasingly common, may help divert children and adolescents from inpatient psychiatric care and provide a concentrated dose of intervention to individuals living in low-resource areas. However, there have been relatively few examinations of the effectiveness of PHPs in addressing emotional concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression, irritability) and functional impairment in youth. Further, evidence-based treatments originally designed for delivery in an outpatient weekly format may require significant adaptation to be appropriate for delivery in acute mental health settings, which differ significantly from weekly outpatient care in program structure, patient acuity, and staffing. In this intervention development and adaptation report, we present the rationale for adapting a transdiagnostic approach to treating emotional disorders—the Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents (UP-C/A)—for a hospital-based, general psychiatric partial hospitalization program. We use implementation science frameworks to describe our iterative approach to treatment adaptation and testing and to describe in detail proactive, planned adaptations to the UP-C/A for partial hospitalization that occurred prior to initial implementation and pilot testing. Three case examples (child, preadolescent, adolescent) are presented to illustrate how a transdiagnostic approach to care such as the UP-C/A can be used intensively in an acute mental health setting to address emotional and behavioral concerns, including safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Adolescents who drop out of sport often report that it had become less 'fun' and 'enjoyable' over time. Although preadolescent sport typically emphasizes experiences of fun, emphases on competition and elite performance often dominate during adolescence. We theorized that adherence to adolescent sport might be improved if the overarching goal were to maximize repeated experiences of fun during sport and, subsequently, increase reflective evaluations of sport enjoyment. To that end, this manuscript reports on the rationale and design of the PlayFit Youth Sport Program (PYSP), as well as its preliminary feasibility and acceptability. The main objectives were to evaluate the feasibility of recruitment strategies and data collection procedures and the acceptability of the intervention. Setting: An outdoor, multipurpose grass field at a south-central Pennsylvania middle school. Methods: A mixed-methods, single-arm feasibility trial lasting for 8 weeks (August–October 2021) offered 3-times per week for 1-h per session. The equipment, ruleset, and psychosocial environment of the PYSP sport games were modified to reduce several of the constraints theorized to impair experiences of fun during sport and hamper reflective evaluations of enjoyment afterward. Results: Eleven healthy, but sedentary adolescents in grades 5–7 completed the program. The median number of sessions attended (of 16 possible) was 12 (range = 6–13). Post-intervention, 9/10 respondents indicated that they 'looked forward' to the PYSP, 8/10 would recommend it to a friend, and 8/10 were interested in continuing the program. Ten of 11 participant guardians expressed interest in reenrolling their children if the PYSP were offered again. Some changes recommended were to improve recruitment via advertising the positive aspects of the program and "word of mouth" techniques, offering the program immediately following the school day, having contingencies for inclement weather, and minor changes to the sport equipment to improve the experience among the population the PYSP intends to attract. Conclusions: The adjustments recommended in this preliminary work could be used to further refine the PYSP. A future efficacy trial could explore whether the PYSP may reduce attrition for adolescents who experience existing sport programs negatively by offering an alternative that better matches their unique needs and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: School closures and social distancing may have affected mental health among preadolescent and adolescent children, who are in a social developmental stage. Rates of anxiety, depression, and stress have been reported to have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic among teenagers worldwide. However, most studies have measured children's mental health in cross-sectional studies or short-term comparisons before and after lockdowns and school closures, and few studies have tracked the long-term effects on mental health among children and adolescents, despite the pandemic lasting more than 2 years. Methods: An interrupted time-series analysis was performed for longitudinal changes in the monthly number of new mental disorders (eating disorders, schizophrenia, mood disorders, and somatoform disorders). Using a nationwide multicenter electronic health records database in Japan, we analyzed data of patients aged 9 to 18 years from 45 facilities that provided complete data throughout the study period. The study period covered January 2017 to May 2021, defining a national school closure as an intervention event. We modeled the monthly new diagnoses of each mental disorder using a segmented Poisson regression model. Results: The number of new diagnoses throughout the study period was 362 for eating disorders, 1104 for schizophrenia, 926 for mood disorders, and 1836 for somatoform disorders. The slope of the regression line in monthly number of new diagnoses increased in the post-pandemic period for all targeted mental disorders (change in slope for eating disorders 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00–1.11; schizophrenia 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.07; mood disorders 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.07; and somatoform disorders 1.04 95% CI 1.02–1.07). The number of new diagnoses for schizophrenia and mood disorders increased early after school closure; while eating disorders showed an increasing trend several months later. Somatoform disorders showed a decreasing trend followed by an increasing trend. Time trends by sex and age also differed for each mental disorder. Conclusions: In the post-pandemic period, the number of new cases increased over time for eating disorders, schizophrenia, mood disorders, and somatoform disorders. The timing of increase and trends by sex and age differed for each mental disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the present study was to examine the social repercussions of preadolescents' SNS use by testing two differential pathways regarding the role of technology in interpersonal relationships. Specifically, we expected preadolescents' social media use to be associated with heightened self-disclosure, which we then predicted to relate to increased feelings of belonging to their friends. At the same time, we investigated whether such use would also hinder real-life peer interactions, thus constituting a negative indirect association with preadolescents' belonging. We examined both pathways for overall usage of SNS platforms as well as use specifically directed at communication-oriented activities, and SNS use that was nonsocial in nature. Results from a cross-sectional survey (n = 367/489, Mage = 10.94, SDage = 0.85, 52.4% girls) showed that social media played a predominantly beneficial role in the social lives of preadolescents: both overall and socially-oriented SNS use were positively and indirectly related to belonging through shared time with friends. Gender moderated the association between specific SNS activities and self-disclosure, however, such that social activities were positively related to self-disclosure for boys, but not for girls. Conversely, nonsocial activities were negatively related to girls' self-disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bullying has been identified as the most common form of aggression and a major source of stress among children and adolescents. The main objective of this study was to analyze the association that school context in general and bullying in particular might have with hair cortisol concentration (HCC), examining the effect of executive function and sex on this association. The study included 659 11-year-old preadolescents from the cohorts of Gipuzkoa and Sabadell of the INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente-Children and Environment) project. We gathered information about school-related factors (bullying, school environment, problems with peers and academic performance) and executive function (risky decision-making). Hair samples were collected to measure cortisol concentrations and Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine associations between school-related factors, executive function and HCC. Results showed that being involved as a bully/victim was related to higher HCC and, higher HCC was associated with poorer executive function. This study may contribute to a better understanding of the consequences that chronic exposure to a stressful factors may have on preadolescents' health and developmental outcomes. Besides, our results are relevant for designing programs for prevention and intervention, which could modify individual physiological responses to stress and reduce the effects of stress on the health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People often struggle to openly express their emotions. When asked, “How are you doing?” the typical response is a simple “Fine!” even when things may not be going well. How can we teach teenagers to articulate their feelings and navigate through new concepts such as FOMO, JOMO, cyberbullying, and the Gyges Effect, especially during the ample space and time “between school and home”? Microsoft has introduced a Chinese chatbot with the voice of a seventeenyear-old girl, serving as a confidant for millions of Chinese individuals daily. This program records users’ emotional histories and is set to be launched in Europe. The question arises: Why do young people prefer to communicate in this manner? Generația Zet. Story al unui Suferman cu Glugă a performance rooted in devised theatre principles, represents the culmination of a research process focused on depression among Generation Z pre-teens in the municipality of Iasi. Its objective is to employ theatre as an intervention in the community, fostering connections among people. This article details the construction of the mentioned performance, using practice-as-research and devised theatre methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social Psychology / Psihologie Socială is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Historically, little clinical and research attention has been focused on suicide in preadolescent children because of the commonly held view that children at this age do not possess the cognitive capacity fully to comprehend death (eg, its finality) and therefore are incapable of experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors.1 This view may result in expressions of suicidal thoughts by preadolescent children being interpreted and treated as momentary expressions of distress, but not of actual desire or intent to engage in suicidal behavior. There is accumulating evidence, however, to urge caution against such an interpretation. Although preadolescent suicide occurs at a low base rate, it has been increasing, rising from the 10th leading cause of death in this age group in 2008 to the 5th leading cause of death by 2019 in the United States according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.2 Furthermore, in the general community, suicidal thoughts and behaviors have been found to occur at concerningly high rates among preadolescent children in a recent systematic review, with lifetime prevalence of 2.6% for suicide attempts and 15.1% for suicidal thoughts.3 In this age group, another form of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs), nonsuicidal self-injury (ie, deliberate self-harm in the absence of suicidal intent), is also poorly understood and a significant concern, with a lifetime prevalence of 6.3% among preadolescent children in the general community. Accurate characterization of the psychiatric symptom and behavioral profiles of preadolescents with SITBs is an important step toward identifying children in need of intervention or preventive efforts to avoid these outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marginalized people often incur risk when interacting with information providers and institutions; they must weigh the risk of those interactions against the possible benefits of the knowledge or services gained. In this study, we analyze Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) teens and tweens' articulation of their information practices and their risk management through information seeking. Using data from group interviews with 58 Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian American youth ages 12–18 in North Carolina we describe a model of socially co-constructed information geography focused around identifying, avoiding, and managing risks, costs, and benefits in information-related 'danger zones.' Participants described and demonstrated an ongoing conflict between the desire to seek and share information and the desire to avoid social, economic, political, and personal costs of information seeking. When participants observed a possible danger zone, they frequently engaged in a process of cost–benefit analysis that ultimately resulted in a series of defensive information behaviors, including avoidance, confrontation and open resistance, feigned compliance and subversion, and progressive disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The quantity and context of children's nature experiences are undergoing significant changes, exacerbating a pervasive negative cycle that could impact future conservation efforts. Therefore, it is essential to conduct further studies on the potential impacts of these changes on children's willingness to engage in conservation practices. Methods: We surveyed 2,175 preadolescents (aged 9-12) from rural and city schools in Hangzhou, Kunming, and Xishuangbanna, China, regarding their nature experiences (direct, indirect, and vicarious) and self-reported nature connectedness and conservation behaviors. Results: We found that children in urban areas have higher frequencies of indirect and vicarious experiences than those in rural areas, with some direct nature experiences seldom reported among city respondents. Direct, indirect, and vicarious nature experiences significantly predicted children's conservation behavior and collectively provided the highest predictive power for conservation behavior. Direct and vicarious experiences were strongly correlated with pro-nature behavior, and the latter with pro-environmental behavior. Emotional and cognitive connection with nature positively predicted conservation behavior, influenced by location and residence type. Discussion: This study reveals that different types of nature experiences shape children's current conservation behaviors in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the child consumer market has often been criticised as the commercialisation of childhood. Marketers have been accused of targeting children and grooming them for a lifetime of consumerism. The maelstrom of marketing activities aimed directly at children has led to their being more active than ever in the consumer culture space. An unfortunate consequence of this has been children becoming materialistic because of the commercial pressures of modern childhood. This study sought to determine whether South African tweens are materialistic. Existing studies on child materialism have largely excluded African children, hence the need for the current study. Data were collected through a survey of 192 schoolchildren, aged 10-14 (tween cohort), using an adapted short material values scale (MVS-c). The results of the study revealed that while South African tweens are active in consumer culture, they are largely not materialistic. This research furthers the academic inquiry into children as consumers and active participants within consumer culture. It also addresses the paucity of research on African children within the consumer culture space. The results of the study have implications for marketers with regard to responsible marketing to child consumers, as well as for researchers with regard to acknowledging African children as a non-negotiable part of the study of consumption. The study also provides recommendations for further research on child consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies examining the etiology of problematic sexual behavior (PSB) among pre-teen children often rely on identifying correlational relationships without examining potential causal mechanisms. This study describes an exploratory analysis of a potential mediational model where child sexual abuse (CSA) and child physical abuse (CPA) predict the onset of PSB through their impact on the emergence of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and self-dysregulation. The caregivers of 189 children between the ages of 3 and 11 years presenting for mental health treatment in the United States completed a battery of measures designed to assess each of the variables in the model. Cross-sectional, regression-based mediational analyses showed that the overall model performed adequately (R = 0.33, R 2 = 0.11, F = 3.07, p =.004). CSA exerted a direct effect on PSB that was not mediated through either PTS or self-dysregulation. However, no direct effect for CPA was found. Rather, CPA exerted a significant effect on the display of self-dysregulation, which in turn was associated with PSB. These results are discussed in light of clinical implications and directions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mozambique has one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the world. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was introduced in 2021. This study evaluated the health and economic impact of the current HPV vaccine (GARDASIL® hereafter referred to as GARDASIL-4) and two other vaccines (CECOLIN® and CERVARIX®) that could be used in the future. A static cohort model was used to estimate the costs and benefits of vaccinating girls in Mozambique over the period 2022–2031. The primary outcome measure was the incremental cost per disability-adjusted life-year averted from a government perspective. We conducted deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Without cross-protection, all three vaccines averted approximately 54% cervical cancer cases and deaths. With cross-protection, CERVARIX averted 70% of cases and deaths. Without Gavi support, the discounted vaccine program costs ranged from 60 million to 81 million USD. Vaccine program costs were approximately 37 million USD for all vaccines with Gavi support. Without cross-protection, CECOLIN was dominant, being cost-effective with or without Gavi support. With cross-protection and Gavi support, CERVARIX was dominant and cost-saving. With cross-protection and no Gavi support, CECOLIN had the most favorable cost-effectiveness ratio. Conclusions: At a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold set at 35% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, HPV vaccination is cost-effective in Mozambique. The optimal vaccine choice depends on cross-protection assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]