Class differences in the food rules mothers impose on their children: a cross-national study

Many studies indicate that children in middle-class families have healthier eating habits than children in lower class families. Class differences in food rules, which parents and especially mothers impose on their children, may underlie these social inequalities in food consumption. The present study uses education as a classifying variable and analyses whether mothers with higher education prescribe more "healthy" foodstuffs for their children and whether they restrict more "unhealthy" food items than less educated mothers. Moreover, the study examines whether higher class mothers consider health aspects more often and the preferences of their family members less often in their choice of food, and whether class differences in these considerations explain class differences in food rules. To answer these questions, questionnaires on the food practices of 849 women living in middle-class or lower class districts in Maastricht (the Netherlands), Liège (Belgium) and Aachen (Germany) were collected and analysed. The majority of mothers in each city prescribed primarily foods that were served at dinner like meat and vegetables, and most mothers limited their children's consumption of sweet foods, soft drinks and snacks. Higher class mothers restricted more foods, but prescribed as many food items as their lower class counterparts. Class differences in the number of restricted foods were partly, but not completely, explained by class differences in health and taste considerations. Despite national variations in dietary habits and possibly in the education of children, class differences in food rules and the explanatory power of health and taste considerations were comparable in the three cities.     

Feelings of inexperienced therapists in psychotherapy: a factor analytic study

The Therapy Session Report, a parallel-structured response questionnaire, was utilized to study the feelings of inexperienced therapists. 57 college student applicants at a university counseling center reported on their perceptions of their therapists' feelings immediately following an intake interview. The 19 therapists, clinical psychology graduate students in training, also reported what they felt during the intake session. Factor analysis of patients, perceptions of their therapists' feeling resulted in four factors, the first two accounting for 85% of the common variance. Factor analysis of therapists, perceptions of their own feelings resulted in nine factors. Results suggest that, while patients view their therapists in generally negative positive terms, inexperienced therapists experience considerable affective discomfort during their intake sessions.     

A study of nurses'' attitudes towards research: a factor analytic approach

Clostridium difficile diarrhea and colitis result from the actions of bacterial exotoxins on the colonic mucosa. This study examined the ability of hyperimmune bovine colostral antibodies to neutralize the biological effects of these toxins. Anti-C. difficile bovine immunoglobulin concentrate was prepared from the colostral milk of Holstein cows previously immunized with C. difficile toxoids. The anti-C. difficile bovine immunoglobulin concentrate contained high levels of bovine immunoglobulin G specific for C. difficile toxins A and B, as evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anti-C. difficile bovine immunoglobulin concentrate neutralized the cytotoxic effects of purified toxin A and toxin B on cultured human fibroblasts, whereas control bovine immunoglobulin concentrate had little toxin-neutralizing activity. Anti-C. difficile bovine immunoglobulin concentrate also blocked the binding of toxin A to its enterocyte receptor and inhibited the enterotoxic effects of C. difficile toxins on the rat ileum, as measured by an increased rat ileal loop weight/length ratio (63% inhibition; P < 0.01), increased mannitol permeability (92% inhibition; P < 0.01), and histologic grading of enteritis (P < 0.01 versus nonimmune bovine immunoglobulin concentrate). Thus, anti-C. difficile bovine immunoglobulin concentrate neutralizes the cytotoxic effects of C. difficile toxins in vitro and inhibits their enterotoxic effects in vivo. This agent may be clinically useful in the prevention and treatment of C. difficile diarrhea and colitis.     

Social-emotional behavior of preschool-age children with and without developmental delays

Differences in parent and teacher ratings of social-emotional behavior among young children with developmental delays and those without significant developmental problems were examined. Participants included 198 preschool-age children identified as having a developmental delay (DD group) and 198 preschool-age children without significant developmental problems (Comparison group) who were matched to the DD group by age and gender, using a randomized block procedure. Parent and teacher perceptions of social-emotional behavior of the participants were assessed using the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scale (PKBS), a social skills and problem behavior rating scale for the use with young children. PKBS scores were found to classify the participants into their respective groups with a substantial degree of accuracy. Statistically significant differences in social skills and problem behavior scores between the two groups were found, with the DD participants evidencing greater social skills deficits and problem behavior excesses than the Comparison group. Individuals in the DD group were found to be four to five times more likely to have significant social skills deficits and problem behavior excesses than individuals in the Comparison group. The critical social-emotional behaviors separating the two groups appeared to be social interaction and independence skills, and socially withdrawn and isolated behavior patterns. New validity evidence for the PKBS is discussed, as are future needs pertaining to research and clinical practice in the area of social-emotional behavior of young children with developmental delays.     

The relationship of partner support to outcomes for teenage mothers and their children: a review

OBJECTIVE: To examine the growth response over 3 years of growth hormone deficient (GHD) and non-GHD children who have received growth hormone (GH) in Australia. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective study of a group of patients (1362 children) who commenced GH prior to 1 September 1990. Data were collected at 12 growth centres located in major cities throughout Australia. The data were transferred after informed consent to the national OZGROW database located at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, NSW. Of the 1362 children, 898 had received 3 years or more GH therapy and were eligible for this analysis. This cohort was then categorized by diagnosis. Growth response was assessed using height standard deviation score, estimated mature height, growth velocity (GV), GH dose and bone age (years). RESULTS: For children who completed 3 years therapy, the baseline characteristics among diagnostic groups were similar with mean height standard deviation score (SDS) less than -3 SDS (except for the malignancy group) and mean GV ranging from 3.5 to 4.4cm/year. The GV during the first year improved in all groups (7.7-9.4cm/year)followed by an attenuated response during the second and third years of therapy. After 3 years GH therapy the GHD group with peak levels <10 mU/L demonstrated the greatest change in estimated mature height and height SDS. The GHD group with peak levels between > or = 10 but <2OmU/L had a growth response similar to the non-GHD children for all outcome parameters. Change in bone age ranged from 3.1 to 3.8 years with no differences being noted between the diagnostic groups, nor consistently with pubertal status. CONCLUSIONS: Australian GH guidelines have targeted very short children when compared to other series. This large cohort of non-GHD children has demonstrated short-term benefits of GH therapy; however, the long-term benefit remains unclear until these children reach final adult height.     

Excessive infant crying: a controlled study of mothers helping mothers

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of behavioral management counseling in the treatment of persistent, excessive infant crying (> 3 hours per day). DESIGN: Two treatments, one no treatment control group. Infants were group-matched according to baseline fuss/cry levels, sociodemographic, and infant variables. Treatments were carried out sequentially by the same counselors. SETTING: Telephone counseling by volunteers (mothers) of CRY-SIS, a national support group for the parents of crying infants. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTIONS: Sequential sample of 27 mother-infant pairs receiving treatment 1 (Tr1, empathy: talking through the problem), 21 receiving treatment 2 (Tr2, behavioral management: specific care taking suggestions) and 44 receiving no treatment (C, controls). Infants were between 1 to 5 months of age. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Mother-infant pairs had a pretreatment baseline assessment and a posttreatment follow-up (3 months after baseline) using 1-week diaries. Total fuss/cry duration reduced significantly more in the behavioral management group (by 51%) than the empathy group (37%) or the control group (35%). This was mainly due to significantly reduced evening fussing/crying in Tr2 (67%) compared with Tr1 (45%) and C (42%). No differences in total number of fuss/cry bouts/day were found. However, the number of fuss/cry bouts reduced significantly more in the evening in Tr2 (by 55%) compared with Tr1 (27%) and C (32%). Behavioral management mothers evaluated the same counselors as more sympathetic, knowledgeable, and understanding. Tr2 was also perceived by mothers to have helped them more in reducing the crying problem, coping with the infant, and improving the relationship with their infant than Tr1. No effects of treatment on infant difficult temperament were found. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral management was more effective in reducing fussing/crying than spending time with the mother talking through the problem or just waiting for spontaneous remission. Treatment by suitably but briefly trained lay counselors is an inexpensive and successful treatment option.     

Instruction by mothers and fathers during problem solving with their young children.

Mothers and fathers of 163 5-year-olds were observed interacting with their children in dyads on 2 separate occasions on a familiar and unfamiliar cognitive activity. Within- and between-family comparisons were conducted. Few differences in the instruction provided by mothers and fathers appeared, and those that did were on the unfamiliar task. On this task, instruction by mothers, within and across families, was more responsive to children's changing skill than was instruction by fathers. Directive and disapproving comments by parents were related to poorer posttest performance by the child. High level of instruction by both parents was related to better posttest performance than was low level of instruction by parents. Contributions of parents to their children's cognitive development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A factor analytic study of perceived occupational similarity.

Job perceptions and "occupational stereotypes" play leading roles in many current theories of occupational choice. Case II of Andrews' A-technique was used to explore the dimensions by which occupations are perceived. Factor analysis of perceived similarity among 22 occupational stimuli yielded results corresponding directly to 5 second-order factors obtained in an earlier study which had employed different Ss, a different procedure, and different occupational stimuli. Results also shed light on college students' perceptions of popular vocational objectives and on the relationship between job perceptions and interest factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological functioning among mothers of children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: A longitudinal study.

Mothers of children with newly diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were assessed repeatedly over a period of 6 years in order to determine the psychological correlates of managing this chronic illness. Both maternal depression and overall emotional distress after the 1st year of the IDDM increased slightly with illness duration and were also influenced by other factors. Mothers' adjustment shortly after their children were diagnosed with IDDM was a strong predictor of their long-term emotional symptomatology. However, mothers' symptoms over time were not related to medical aspects of IDDM (i.e., the extent of the children's metabolic control, number of rehospitalizations, or their compliance with the medical regimen) and were also unrelated to the levels of depression or anxiety reported by their children. Mothers generally found it easier to cope with the IDDM the longer their children had the illness. However, the degree to which mothers perceived the IDDM to be bothersome or difficult to manage at any given point in time was associated with their overall levels of emotional distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dissecting daily distress in mothers of children with ADHD: An electronic diary study.

It is well known that parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience elevated levels of caregiver stress, but little is known about the ebb and flow of parental distress as it happens, or the degree of synchrony between short-term oscillations in child behaviors and maternal distress. Electronic diaries (eDiaries) were used to dissect daily distress in natural settings. Across 7 days during nonschool hours, half-hourly eDiaries were completed independently by mothers and their 8- to 12-year-old children (51 receiving medication for ADHD and 58 comparison peers). Diary items tapped behaviors, moods, and contexts, with children reporting their own behaviors and mothers reporting on themselves and their children. Maternal distress and child ADHD-type behaviors exhibited moderate to strong associations “in the moment,” whether child behaviors were reported by mothers or children. This mother-child synchrony emerged for the comparison as well as the ADHD group, although the associations were stronger when the dyad included a child with ADHD. Because fixed-effects analyses were conducted, these patterns are not attributable to levels of psychopathology or other stable individual differences in mothers or children. Further moderation analyses revealed that the links between child behaviors and maternal distress were strengthened by maternal risk and attenuated by child behavioral self-esteem; these effects were modest but detectable. These findings can help guide not only interventions targeted on improving quality of life in families of children with ADHD, but also programs designed to help all parents identify and manage their own parenting stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A factor analytic study on the validity of a union commitment scale.

A 28-item version of the union commitment scale developed by M. E. Gordon et al (see record 1980-33572-001) and by R. T. Ladd et al (see record 1983-02449-001) was administered to 98 Black and 104 White South African miners. Using a factor analytic technique, 5 orthogonal factors were extracted: Union Loyalty, Responsibility to the Union, Organization/Work Loyalty, Belief in the Union, and Union Instrumentality. There were no significant racial differences in the dimensionality of union commitment, although Blacks showed lower Responsibility to the Union. The concurrent validity of the constructs of commitment was supported by correlations between the factors of union commitment and measures of behavioral participation. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Daydreaming and symptom patterns of psychiatric patients: A factor analytic study.

Studied the daydream activity of psychiatric patients, particularly the relation between symptom patterns and daydreaming styles. 113 male psychiatric patients responded to a daydream questionnaire derived from the Imaginal Processes Inventory. Interviewers rated patients on the presence and severity of hallucinations, delusions, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms. Little relation was evidenced, in general, between daydream styles and particular symptom pictures. Patients with psychotic symptomatology could not be distinguished from others on the basis of daydream style. Relations were observed, however, between daydreaming subscales and ratings of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The satisfactions and stresses of psychotherapeutic work: A factor analytic study.

60 psychotherapists were administered 3 Likert-type rating scales to examine job satisfaction, sources of stress, and stress-inducing patient behaviors. Findings reveal that the most satisfying aspects of therapeutic work included promoting growth and change, achieving intimate involvement in the lives of patients, and feeling professionally respected. The most stressful aspects included feeling personally depleted by therapeutic work, coping with pressures inherent in the therapeutic relationship, and dealing with difficult working conditions. Stressful patient behaviors were found to cluster into 2 distinct categories: overtly psychopathological symptoms and resistant behaviors. Patterns of satisfactions and stresses were also found to be related to certain therapist background variables such as gender, profession, case load, setting, and experience level. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time use of mothers with young children: the impact of a child's disability

This study examined the impact of children's disabilities on the time use of mothers of young children. 45 mothers of young children with multiple disabilities and significant functional impairments and 45 mothers of children with Down syndrome were compared with 45 mothers of typically developing children. The children were aged between six months and five years. Using a seven-day time diary (the CARE inventory), it was found that mothers of children with multiple disabilities spent significantly more hours on child-related activities than did mothers of children with Down syndrome and controls. There were no significant differences between groups in the amount of time that mothers spent in recreational leisure activities; however, control mothers spent significantly more time socializing with other people than did mothers of children with disabilities.     

Intellectual styles: A comparison of factor structures in gifted and average children and adolescents.

Describes and compares structures of intellectual activity in gifted and average children, as found in 2 studies. In Study 1, 307 gifted and 192 average children in Grades 5–10 gave self-reports about their curiosity and about their frequency of and attitudes toward daydreaming. Demographic information and IQ scores were obtained from school records. The intercorrelations of these variables were factor analyzed for the gifted and average groups separately. Results indicated the presence of independent intellectual power (general intelligence) and intellectual style (daydreaming and curiosity) factors in each group. Comparisons of the analyses indicate considerable similarity in the structures of intellectual style in the gifted and average groups. These results were cross-validated in Study 2, dealing with self-reported daydreaming in 98 gifted and 105 average children in Grades 9–12. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule: a factor analytic study in The Netherlands

The Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS) is a well-known instrument for assessing dental fear in children. Previous studies have shown that the scale has acceptable reliability and validity. Factor analysis using scores of a group of Finnish schoolchildren resulted in three factors. No other data on the factor structure have been published. In order to report on the factor structure of the Dutch parental version of the CFSS-DS, the present study was undertaken. Factor analysis using scores from a group of Dutch children (n= 150) demonstrated a factor pattern fairly similar to the results found in the Finnish study. Three factors were found: 1) fear of highly invasive dental procedures, 2) fear of less invasive aspects of treatment and 3) fear of medical aspects. Considering that almost all items load substantially (> or =0.20) on more than one factor, it seems that one primary underlying dimension exists: fear of invasive treatment aspects. The CFSS-DS is proposed as a reliable, one-dimensional measure of dental fear.     

Vitamin E and A deficiencies in children correlate with Chernobyl radiation loads of their mothers

Essential lipid bioantioxidants (BAO) (vitamins E and A) and catabolic products of the lipoperoxide cascade (LPC) (diene conjugates, ketodienes, and carbonyls) were determined in blood plasma of children aged 11 days to three years (n = 123) who are residents of regions contaminated with radionuclides (5-40 Ci/km2 of 137Cs) discharged during the Chernobyl power plant accident. Individual antenatal radiation loads Da of children and total radiation doses of their mothers Dm were also determined as external gamma-radiation loads, which correlate with internal radiation doses for permanent residents of contaminated regions. Before examination, therapy with multivitamins containing BAO determined in this work was administered to groups of pregnant women and their children (group I, n = 48) age-matched to a group that received no therapy (group II, n = 99). In group II, reduced concentrations of vitamins E and A decreased to levels indicating severe vitamin deficiency and displayed inverse correlations with Dm and Da. However, in group I these decreases and inverse correlation were only characteristic of initially normal levels of tocopherol. In group II, increases in Dm and Da caused stress-related increases in blood levels of diene conjugates and ketodienes (which was stronger than in group I with increases in Da) and, because of this, E and A vitamin deficiencies. In group I, LPC levels inversely correlated with Dm. We found nine significant correlations of radioloads of mothers with BAO and LPC pathologies of their children. The total pathogenic effectiveness of Dm in relation to LPC and BAO of children is comparable to the effectiveness of Da, which is the most hazardous radiation load. The possibility of existence of a radiation-induced protective response mobilizing BAO from depots into the blood stream is considered. BAO therapy increased the radiation resistance of children. A hypothesis was formulated that the uptake by children of their mother's radioactive Chernobyl isotopes in amounts adequate to their radiation loads is the mechanism of correlations of Dm with long-term pathogenic effects on BAO and LPC systems of children.     

Impact of maternal alcoholism on separation of children from their mothers: findings from a sample of incarcerated women

Research on achievement goal orientation in sport has relied primarily on traditional statistical methodology to examine group mean differences. Unfortunately, examination of the measurement model is generally ignored prior to means testing. This study reports an application of structural equation modeling (SEM) in testing measurement invariance and latent mean structure of the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ; Duda & Nicholls, 1989) using male and female college students. A confirmatory factor analysis for testing invariance revealed invariant measurement properties and factor structures across gender, indicating that task and ego orientation are similarly conceptualized by male and female students. Subsequent testing of latent mean structures, however, showed significant gender differences with respect to ego orientation, but no difference in task orientation. The SEM procedures used in the present study demonstrate additional construct validity and internal consistency reliability for the TEOSQ and, by confirming its factor structure, provide a sound psychometric basis for its continued use in substantive studies focusing on the comparison of achievement goal orientation across gender.