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"In this article I examine the effects of state autonomy, regime type, and the capacity of governments on the formulation and implementation of social development and family planning policies which in turn affect patterns of fertility behavior in poor third world countries." The author concludes that the state has to become actively involved if the rate of population growth is to be brought under control.
Following social disruption (SDR) stress in male mice, corticosterone resistance of splenocytes was accompanied by enhanced LPS-stimulated interleukin (IL)-6 secretion. The present study examined the role of IL-6 in the development of corticosterone resistance. Addition of IL-6 to control splenocyte cultures did not induce corticosterone resistance. SDR also elevated IL-6 in plasma and liver, but not in spleen. IL-6 deficient mice that were exposed to SDR developed glucocorticoid resistance despite the absence of systemic IL-6. These findings suggest that although SDR enhanced IL-6 responses, IL-6 was not essential for the development of stress-induced splenocyte corticosterone resistance.
Cornelia-de-Lange syndrome is a dysmorphogenic disorder characterized by multiple congenital abnormalities, and in most cases, severe cognitive limitations. Parents of 27 children with Cornelia-de-Lange syndrome completed psychological questionnaires concerning communicative and social-emotional behaviours, and reported on their parenting stress. Only four children were able to use speech, but most of the older children expressed needs through non-verbal means. Feeding problems, over-activity, irritability and stereotyped behaviours were characteristic for the majority of the group. Self-injurious behaviours occur in more than 40%. Parenting stress is very high, especially in parents of older children.
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Steven Barnett and Clive Belfield examine the effects of preschool education on social mobility in the United States. They note that under current policy three- and four-year-old children from economically and educationally disadvantaged families have higher preschool attendance rates than other children. But current programs fail to enroll even half of poor three- and four-year-olds. Hispanics and children of mothers who drop out of school also participate at relatively low rates. The programs also do little to improve learning and development. The most effective programs, they explain, are intensive interventions such as the model Abecedarian and Perry Preschool programs, which feature highly qualified teachers and small group sizes. State preschool programs with the highest standards rank next, followed by Head Start and the average state program, which produce effects ranging from one-tenth to one-quarter of those of the best programs. Typical child care and family support programs rank last. Barnett and Belfield point out that preschool programs raise academic skills on average, but do not appear to have notably different effects for different groups of children, and so do not strongly enhance social mobility. In such areas as crime, welfare, and teen parenting, however, preschool seems more able to break links between parental behaviors and child outcomes. Increased investment in preschool, conclude Barnett and Belfield, could raise social mobility. Program expansions targeted to disadvantaged children would help them move up the ladder, as would a more universal set of policies from which disadvantaged children gained disproportionately. Increasing the educational effectiveness of early childhood programs would provide for greater gains in social mobility than increasing participation rates alone. The authors observe that if future expansions of preschool programs end up serving all children, not just the poorest, society as a whole would gain. Benefits would exceed costs and there would be more economic growth, but relative gains for disadvantaged children would be smaller than absolute gains because there would be some (smaller) benefits to other children.
Four experiments were conducted to determine how experience around the time of natal emergence affected the development of litter-mate preferences in juvenile Belding's ground squirrels, Spermophilus beldingiSocial preferences were ascertained by observing six captive groups, each housed in outdoor enclosures beginning at natal emergence, and recording the frequency of dyadic play. Juveniles preferred their litter-mates as play partners on day 1 above-ground, demonstrating that pre-emergent interactions influenced social development. Whether cross-fostered young displayed play-partner preferences based on relatedness and rearing history depended on when young were exchanged with respect to natal emergence, which suggests that social development is especially sensitive to experience shortly before natal emergence. Juveniles do not display litter-mate preferences if they emerge into an environment from which dams have been removed, but in the present study, if juveniles interacted for 1 week before dams were withdrawn from enclosures, then litter-mate preferences were manifested both before and after dams were withdrawn. These results suggest that a foundation for litter-mate preferences is laid before natal emergence, and that preferences are solidified by interactions between litter-mates on their first few days above-ground. Finally, non-litter-mates that interacted with each other shortly after natal emergence were preferred social partners during later encounters compared with non-litter-mates denied the opportunity to interact shortly after emergence. Collectively, the four experiments demonstrate that social experience around the time of natal emergence is crucial to the developmental process that generates litter-mate preferences in S. beldingi1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Commentary is provided on 2 papers published in this issue, which suggest some risks in nonmaternal or out-of-home care (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD] Early Child Care Research Network, this issue; Watamura, Donzella, Alwin, & Gunnar, this issue). In light of the findings, 2 child care policy options are examined: first, support for in-home care in the early years; and second, changes in the nature of out-of-home care. From ethnographic and experimental research, it is argued that out-of-home pre-elementary care can contribute positively to social development if it emphasizes (a) children's attachment to school and peer group, (b) constructivist rather than didactic learning, (c) intrinsic and internalized motivation, and (4) group structures that support social development.
The increasing amount of time children are spending on computers at home and school has raised questions about how the use of computer technology may make a difference in their lives--from helping with homework to causing depression to encouraging violent behavior. This article provides an overview of the limited research on the effects of home computer use on children's physical, cognitive, and social development. Initial research suggests, for example, that access to computers increases the total amount of time children spend in front of a television or computer screen at the expense of other activities, thereby putting them at risk for obesity. At the same time, cognitive research suggests that playing computer games can be an important building block to computer literacy because it enhances children's ability to read and visualize images in three-dimensional space and track multiple images simultaneously. The limited evidence available also indicates that home computer use is linked to slightly better academic performance. The research findings are more mixed, however, regarding the effects on children's social development. Although little evidence indicates that the moderate use of computers to play games has a negative impact on children's friendships and family relationships, recent survey data show that increased use of the Internet may be linked to increases in loneliness and depression. Of most concern are the findings that playing violent computer games may increase aggressiveness and desensitize a child to suffering, and that the use of computers may blur a child's ability to distinguish real life from simulation. The authors conclude that more systematic research is needed in these areas to help parents and policymakers maximize the positive effects and to minimize the negative effects of home computers in children's lives.
The present safe motherhood status in Sri Lanka has been achieved by a series of activities for health and social development during the past century. While ancient and traditional religious, as well as cultural concepts provided a sound foundation, it was the policies that focused on human development that resulted in reducing the maternal mortality rate to 2.4 per 10000 live births, and the infant mortality rate to 16.5 per (1000) live births. Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services were initially closely linked to improvements in the healthcare infrastructure and social development, while family planning introduced in 1953 enhanced its progress further. With MCH integrated into reproductive health, the march towards a safer motherhood in Sri Lanka will require the implementation of new policies and strategies.
Undergraduate inter- and multi-professional education has traditionally aimed to develop health professionals who are able to collaborate effectively in comprehensive healthcare delivery. The respective professions learn from and about each other through comparisons of roles, responsibilities, powers, duties and perspectives in order to promote integrated service. Described here is the educational rationale of a multi-professional course with a difference; one that injects value to undergraduate health professional education through the development of critical cross-field knowledge, skills and attitudes that unite rather than differentiate professions. The aim of this course, offered at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, is to lay an integrated, pan-professional foundation for the advancement of collective commitment to and understanding of national health and social development objectives such as primary health care, human rights and professionalism. Pan-professional refers to curriculum content that is core and of critical relevance to all participating professions. What is learned, how it is learned, how learning is facilitated and how it is applied, has been co-constructed by a multi-professional design team representing a range of health professions (audiology, medicine, occupational therapy, nursing, physiotherapy and speech therapy) and academic disciplines (anthropology, sociology, psychology, history, African studies and social development, information technology and language literacy). Education specialists facilitate the ongoing design process ensuring that the structure and content of the curriculum complies with contemporary adult learning principles and national higher education imperatives. Designing the original curriculum required the deconstruction of intra-professional and disciplinary canons of knowledge and ways of 'doing things' in order to identify and develop shared interpretations of critical epistemology and axiology for health professional practice in the South African context. This enabled the alignment of the learning objectives, at first year level, of all the represented professions. The educational rationale guiding the curriculum design process is discussed in Part 1 of two articles. Part 2 describes the 'nuts and bolts' or practicalities of the curriculum design process.
The relationship between symbolic play and other domains, such as degree of autistic symptomatology, nonverbal cognitive ability, receptive language, expressive language, and social development, was investigated. The assessment files of 101 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder were studied. Nonverbal cognitive ability and expressive language were both significantly and uniquely related to symbolic play, although receptive language was not. Autistic symptomatology ceased to be significantly related to symbolic play when controlling for two or more other variables. Social development was related to symbolic play in those children with high nonverbal cognitive ability but not those with low nonverbal cognitive ability. The diagnostic and treatment implications of these results are discussed.
With the disinteglation of social ties in the community, the role of environmental stimulation as an important function in children's health has been recognized and social services to evaluate the environmental stimulation are important. The Evaluation of Environmental Stimulation (EES) is a questionnaire which directly evaluates the interaction between the child and caregiver, and its effectiveness as a support system. The purpose of this study is to clarify characteristics of the EES by using statistical analysis. The subjects were 388 children of about 18 months who came for the compulsory health examinations. Caregivers were asked to answer the questionnaire. The results are as follows; 1) Children at risk for physical, mental and social development scored low for the 'social stimulation' subscale and in total score. 2) Children at the risk of medical and social diagnosis got fewer points in 'independence' subscale, 'physical stimulation' subscale, and total score than children without risk. 3) By ANOVA statistics, risk for development and risk for medical and social diagnosis had interactions according to child's sex. These results show that EES is effective in finding the risk of environment for children and for development of prevention measures, and appears to be useful as a screening system for health social services.
Social status in randomly constituted groups of male CFLP mice was predictable from early suckling behaviour and rate of weight gain in natal litters. High-ranking males were those that had suckled on more anterior teats and gained weight more quickly. Rank was not predicted by any measures of sibling interaction or hormone (testosterone, corticosterone) concentration. Aggressiveness in eventual high-rankers was associated negatively with the proportion of males in the litter at birth and the amount of maternal attention received. Aggressive social relationships within natal litters did not predict polarized rank relationships in randomized groups. Nevertheless, while still in their natal litters, and in the absence of aggressive rank relationships, eventual rank categories showed the same difference in modulation of testosterone concentration in relation to current immunocompetence (low-rankers modulating, high-rankers not), as has repeatedly been found in randomized groups by earlier studies. The role of maternal condition in determining rank-related life-history development in male mice is discussed.
As increasing numbers of women have entered the labor force, increasing numbers of children, particularly infants and toddlers, have become active participants in child care. Research and opinion regarding the effect of child care on infant emotional and social development is conflicting. Most infants in child care are securely attached to their parents; however, there is an increased risk of insecure attachment in infants in child care when compared to infants in home care. Participation in child care has been associated with both positive and negative outcomes in relation to social development. High-quality child care is associated with improved child outcome. The quality of child care can be assessed by characteristics such as low child-to-staff ratio, small group size, and training of child care providers. Families are in need of a greater variety of options to meet goals of economic stability and child rearing. It is the role of the pediatrician to monitor child well-being, to objectively advise parents as consumers of child care, and to encourage the availability of high-quality care to all children.
Polynomial regression was used to construct linear descriptive models for age-related behavioral changes among socially-living, captive vervet monkeys. Seventeen social acts were divided by gender into performer (director) and recipient to produce 68 predictive equation. The aptness of these models was examined by an analysis of residuals, including a lack-of-fit F test. Consistency was further validated by a sign test comparison of predicted and observed means. A log10 (Y + 1) transformation produced satisfactory fits for 51 of the 68 parameters. Only 1 behavior (male gape D) had a nonsignificant cumulative F value and low coefficient of multiple determination. Although the remaining 16 acts did show age relationships, they exhibited a significant lack of fit to the proposed model. A table of predictive equations is presented as a mathematical model of behavioral development in vervet monkeys.
BACKGROUND: Historically, Wisconsin has received refugees from 3 large geographic areas: Southeast Asia, the Former Soviet Union, and the former Republic of Yugoslavia. However, recent trends demonstrate a dramatic increase in the number of countries from which current refugees originate. Further, state migration patterns show that most counties in Wisconsin have sizable per capita refugee populations and can expect more. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes past and current refugee resettlement trends and their ramifications on health care delivery, health policy, and social development in Wisconsin. METHODS: Statistical data on national, regional, and state refugee resettlement trends was obtained from the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Additional data was obtained from Milwaukee-based refugee service agencies. Further, discussions were held with health officials in Barron County and around the Midwest. FINDINGS: Beginning in the 1980s, with the influx of Laotian Hmong refugees, and continuing through the late 1990s with the end of the Balkan Wars, Wisconsin has provided safe refuge for thousands of refugees. Over the last 5 years the diversity of refugees being resettled in Wisconsin has accelerated to include an array of countries. This phenomenon has led to an increase in the range of health behaviors and health needs characteristic of these populations. The new face of refugee immigration has profound implications on Wisconsin's health landscape, not only in terms of clinical disease, but also in health policy, planning, and social development.
OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between tooth decay and dental treatment needs in 5-12-year-old schoolchildren in São Paulo with area-level indicators of social development. METHODS: The present study refers to a representative sample of children from the city of São Paulo, Brazil, comprising 2491 girls and boys attending public and private schools in different areas of the city. The assessment of caries and treatment needs followed the international methodological standards prescribed by the World Health Organization. We used spatial data analysis to describe epidemiological measures distributed by small areas, and to explore hypotheses of ecological association between caries indexes and indicators of social development. RESULTS: Schoolchildren in central districts were less affected by tooth decay and presented fewer dental treatment needs when compared to those in peripheral deprived areas. At the spatial level, average family income, unemployment rate, household overcrowding, and an index of inequality of income distribution were significantly correlated with variables measuring children's caries experience. CONCLUSIONS: The heterogeneous distribution of caries indexes by areas of the city indicates higher levels of dental decay in areas of social deprivation. The delimitation of areas with increased risk of caries and greater dental treatment needs should be helpful to public health services for the formulation of policies and the targeting of resources to address these problems.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) affects the physical, psychological and social development of children and adolescents. Illness characteristics such as visibility, pain and uncertainty may influence the development of independence and social adjustment. Children can suffer from growth deficiencies, school problems, social isolation, sometimes psychopathology. International research does not yield consensus on the incidence of psychopathology in chronically ill children. The psychosocial effects of the illness are partly determined by the ways the child and the family react to the illness and its physical consequences. The functioning of child and family ultimately depends upon the balance between burdens and strengths. Reciprocal influences between illness and daily living can be understood through modern psycho-neuroimmunologic theories. These concepts ask for a multidisciplinary team-approach for suitable, individualized care.