SEARCH · Search PubMed
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
The authors studied the immunological influences of maternal or peer separation in adult monkeys. Monkeys with early separation experiences were found to have reduced proliferative responses to B and T cell mitogens but no differences in other immunological parameters compared with nonseparated control subjects.
The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which 160 mothers who care for an adult child with mental retardation differ in respect to undesired daily life events, instrumental functioning, social support and well-being from a comparably matched group of age peers. Findings indicated that caregivers for adult children with mental retardation reported more undesired daily life events in comparison to the matched group. However, no differences were found in respect to their instrumental functioning, social support and well-being. A detailed analysis showed significant variations in measures of undesired daily life events and social support.
This article examines the effectiveness of an evidence-based behavioral treatment package for children with inattentive and disruptive behavior problems when delivered in the context of a school-based mental health program. Child symptomatology and functioning are assessed in a treatment group (n = 30) and a waitlist control group (n = 12) across multiple time points (fall, winter, and spring). Treatment includes a daily report card procedure, year-long teacher consultation, and parenting sessions. According to the parent report, treated children show marked reductions in hyperactive and impulsive, oppositional or defiant and aggressive behavior, and marked improvement in peer relationships. Teachers observe treatment-related group differences in inattention, academic functioning, and the student-teacher relationship. Feasibility and acceptability data have implications for transporting evidence-based treatments to community settings and for integrating mental health services into the culture of the school community.
This study describes the development and initial validation of the Peer-report Measure of Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior (PMIEB), a peer-nomination inventory that assesses internalizing (anxiety, depression, somatic complaints) and externalizing (aggression, delinquency, hyperactivity/attentional problems) psychopathology in school-aged children. Peer nomination inventories such as the PMIEB can provide an important perspective on children's behavioral and emotional functioning, for purposes ranging from descriptive psychopathology to outcome assessments of school-based treatment programs. However, although there currently are peer-nomination inventories for several specific domains of behavioral and emotional problems, the PMIEB represents the first broadband peer-nomination assessment instrument that can efficiently provide peer-report information across a wide range of child emotional and behavioral problems. Results of this study provide support for the reliability and validity of both broadband PMIEB subscales, as well as 5 of the 6 narrowband PMIEB subscales.
BACKGROUND: The behavioural function of handmouthing has been assessed across various studies utilising analogue functional analyses. The aim of the current study was to expand upon research on this relatively understudied behaviour by examining the relationship between handmouthing and Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD), and the potential variables maintaining this challenging behaviour in 30 individuals with intellectual disability. METHOD: First, the relationship of GERD to handmouthing was examined. Second, the behavioural function of handmouthing was assessed with an indirect functional assessment, the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF). RESULTS: We found that a diagnosis of GERD was present with greater frequency among individuals with handmouthing than among matched peers who did not engage in handmouthing. Non-social reinforcement was most frequently endorsed as a behavioural function of this challenging behaviour. DISCUSSION: Although individuals with handmouthing exhibited more GERD than those who did not handmouth, the findings suggest that handmouthing was most often maintained by non-social reinforcement. The importance of utilising functional assessment methodology for the assessment and treatment of handmouthing is discussed.
BACKGROUND: The incidence of cystic fibrosis (CF) in Asians is rare. How these patients fare in terms of morbidity and mortality in the UK compared to their non-Asian peers is not well documented. AIMS: To retrospectively study annual reviews of 31 Asian CF patients from three London paediatric CF centres. METHODS: Disease severity was assessed by lung function, age at first infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and body mass index (BMI). The Asian children were compared with 143 matched non-Asian patients with CF. Matching criteria used were same sex and treatment centre as the Asian index patient. In addition, the controls were matched so that their date of birth, date of diagnosis, and date at annual review were within 12 months of the index patient. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in age at diagnosis or age at annual review between the Asian and non-Asian children. Mean Z-scores for FEV1 and FVC were significantly lower for the Asian girls. There was no significant difference in Z-scores for BMI between the Asian children and their controls. Age at first isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Asian girls was significantly later than for their controls (8.3 years compared to 5.6 years for non-Asian girls). CONCLUSIONS: While the Asian boys' lung function seems comparable with that of their non-Asian peers, the Asian girls emerge as a potentially vulnerable group and more work is required to discover why this is the case.
The behavioral patterns associated with peer ratings of aggression and withdrawal were explored. First, a discriminant function analysis (N = 74) using seven observational variables was found to significantly identify groups of Aggressive, Withdrawn, and Contrast fourth- and fifth-grade girls and boys. Aggressive/Withdrawn children were not distinguishable from Contrasts. In subsequent analyses comparing the behaviors of children in the four groups at two schools (total N = 117), children in the Aggressive and Withdrawn groups each showed distinctive patterns of social behavior, which were consistent across the two schools. The behavior of the Aggressive/Withdrawn children was not significantly different from that of Contrast children. However, results from one school suggested that Aggressive/Withdrawn children may receive a disproportionate amount of aggression from peers. Finally, the behavior patterns displayed by the deviant groups were similar for girls and boys, allowing for sex differences in base rates of playground behavior. These results confirm the observability of peer-identified patterns of aggression and withdrawal, and provide a detailed description of the behavior of such children in a free-play situation.
Both autonomy and attachment are positively related to psychosocial adjustment during adolescence. The aim of the present study was to examine the assumption that a high level of autonomy within a context of attachment provides the best constellation for psychosocial adjustment. Subjects were 400 adolescents. Attitudinal, emotional and functional autonomy were connected with attachment to father, mother and peers to predict indices of psychosocial adjustment: social competence, academic competence, self-esteem, problem behaviour and depressive mood. Only main effects of autonomy and attachment were found. There was no evidence for an extra positive effect of being both autonomous and strongly attached.
In an attempt to directly investigate later consequences of the early mother-infant relationship, several measures of social-emotional and cognitive-motivational development at 12 months of age were correlated with two measures of preschool adjustment for 26 children. Results indicated that both of our measures of early social functioning were related to more optimal adjustment in a peer-setting at three-and-a-half years of age. Taken together, the results of the study provide empirical support for the widely held, but seldom tested, hypothesis that the quality of the early mother-infant tie has important consequences for the child's subsequent development in most areas.
RATIONALE: Noradrenaline (NA) is implicated in arousal. Working memory is dependent upon prefrontal cortex, and moderate levels of NA are thought to facilitate working memory whereas higher levels during extreme stress may impair working memory and engage more posterior cortical and sub-cortical circuitry. The NA system also influences emotional memory via modulation of the amygdalae and related mediotemporal structures. NA dysfunction and abnormalities in arousal-dependent memory functions are evident in a variety of neuropsychiatric illnesses. OBJECTIVES: The authors provide a concise overview of pharmacological studies that have investigated effects of selective NA manipulations on working memory and emotional memory functions in healthy human volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Selection of relevant peer-reviewed publications was based on a PubMed search. RESULTS: Studies to date indicate that: (1) the beta-blocker propranolol impaired working and emotional memory, (2) clonidine frequently impaired working memory, and (3) reboxetine, a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, enhanced emotional memory for positive material. CONCLUSIONS: Improved understanding of coupling between NA, cortico-subcortical circuitry and human mnemonic functions will suggest novel therapeutic directions for the treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Future research directions are discussed in relation to neuroimaging techniques, functional central nervous system polymorphisms and study designs.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
This article reviews evidence relating to the development of competence in decision-making during adolescence. The review focuses on cognitive aspects of decision-making and discusses nine indicators of competence: choice; comprehension; creativity; compromise; consequentiality; correctness; credibility; consistency; and commitment. The evidence suggests that by the age of 15 years many adolescents show a reliable level of competence in metacognitive understanding of decision-making, creative problem-solving, correctness of choice, and commitment to a course of action. Young adolescents (12-14 years) are less able to create options, identify a wide range of risks and benefits, foresee the consequences of alternatives, and gauge the credibility of information from sources with vested interests. No evidence is available relating to age differences in willingness to make choices, devise compromises, and show consistency of choices. Barriers to achieving competence in decision-making during adolescence include attitudinal constraints (e.g. beliefs about the proper age for making decisions), peer group pressures to conformity, breakdowns in family structure and functioning, and restricted legal rights to make important personal decisions (e.g. to donate blood or body tissue).
This study evaluated the effectiveness of early orthodontic treatment with the Twin-block appliance for the developing Class II Division 1 malocclusion. This multicenter trial was carried out in the United Kingdom. A total of 174 children, aged 8 to 10 years old, with Class II Division 1 malocclusion were randomly allocated to receive treatment with a Twin-block appliance or to an untreated, control group. Data were collected at the start of the study and 15 months later. Results showed that early treatment with Twin-block appliances resulted in reduction of overjet, correction of molar relationships, and reduction in severity of malocclusion. Most of this correction was due to dentoalveolar change, but some was due to favorable skeletal change. Early treatment with the Twin-block appliance is effective in reducing overjet and severity of malocclusion. The small change in the skeletal relationship might not be considered clinically significant.
The present study examined child, parent, and family factors that predict dropping out from therapy among children (ages 4-13) referred for the treatment of oppositional, aggressive, and antisocial behavior. It was proposed that factors predicting attrition would vary as a function of whether families dropped out early or late in treatment. Several factors related to family (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage, adverse child-rearing practices), parent (e.g., stress, life events, history of antisocial behavior), and child functioning (e.g., severity and chronicity of antisocial behavior, lower IQ, peer relations) predicted premature termination from treatment. A different pattern was evident in the factors predicting early and late termination from therapy. The findings have implications for conceptualizing the process of engaging and retaining families in treatment and for preventing premature termination.
Integrating children with disabilities into mainstream schools has been an active policy in Britain since the 1981 Education Act. 26 children with spina bifida, 13 of whom were educated in mainstream schools, and 13 in special schools were assessed to clarify the relative importance of the following factors 1) IQ, 2) Mobility, 3) Hand function, 4) Bladder and bowel function, and 5) Behaviour. A marked difference was found between those attending mainstream and special schools. 11/13 of the former attained scores within the normal range as compared to only 2/13 of the latter. Neither mobility nor hand function alone were found to influence school placement and a marked correlation was found between the two. Whilst those educated in special schools had more marked problems, all children functioned poorly compared with the norms for able-bodied peers. Neither bladder nor bowel incontinence hindered attendance at mainstream school, but faecal soiling was considered the more serious problem. The frequency of behavioural problems showed a similar distribution amongst the two groups. Comments from parents highlighted their reservations about both special and mainstream schooling which indicates the policy for integration needs considerably more commitment from Government and Education Authorities in order to succeed.
The effects of cooperative versus individualistic reward on students' intrinsic motivation were investigated. The controlling aspects of extrinsic reward may be heightened or produce greater ego threat in the individualistic situation when compared with a group situation. We predicted that students in the cooperative social situation would show higher levels of intrinsic motivation. Fifth-grade students from existing cooperative groups were assigned randomly to receive a tangible reward based on either cooperative or individualistic achievement for completing pattern block designs. Cooperation affected intrinsic motivation positively. Students in the cooperative dyad solved the block designs more quickly, interacted positively, and viewed the task as easier than did those in the individualistic situation, and they reported that their peers were helpful. There was little evidence that the controlling functions of reward or ego-threat were factors in producing the outcome. Some evidence supporting the importance of the social nature of cooperation was provided.
Good meetings are rare in many organizations. The purposes of meetings include sharing information, decision making, problem solving, education, planning, evaluation, and peer support. The structure of meetings flows from the basic function(s) of the group. Consideration is given to membership, degree of formality, limits of authority, and responsibility. Suggestions for successful meetings focus on establishing an agenda, sticking to the time schedule, appropriately using visual aids, and doing necessary post-meeting follow-up. Responsible and meaningful participation in the group process is an essential aspect of meeting effectiveness and efficiency. When all the elements are managed skillfully, the meeting can be GREAT.
STUDY DESIGN: Patients completing a multidisciplinary pain treatment were contacted to obtain 13-year follow-up information on pain, mood, employment, and general health. OBJECTIVES: Study objectives were to determine if post-treatment improvements were maintained over a lengthy follow-up period and to compare patients' general health to norms of comparably aged persons. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although many studies have demonstrated the short-term effectiveness of multidisciplinary pain treatment programs for chronic low back pain, few studies have documented that these treatment gains are maintained over time. Only two studies have reported patient outcomes on a long-term basis (10+ years). Those studies have documented that patient gains during treatment are generally maintained during follow-up. METHODS: An attempt was made to contact all patients completing an inpatient chronic back pain rehabilitation program at the University of Iowa's Spine Diagnostic and Treatment Center. Of the 45 participants, 28 were located and 26 agreed to participate in a telephone interview. Analyses of pretreatment and posttreatment data revealed these follow-up participants did not differ from the larger study sample. RESULTS: Patients maintained their treatment gains in all areas (pain intensity and interference, negative mood). Additionally, patients showed levels of general health comparable to similarly aged peers with the exceptions of pain (more pain) and physical functioning (lower functioning, more pain interference). More than half the sample was employed; of those not employed, few reported this was due to pain. CONCLUSIONS: The data lend support to the long-term effectiveness of multidisciplinary treatment programs for chronic low back pain.