Neuropsychological functioning of girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder followed prospectively into adolescence: Evidence for continuing deficits?

The current study prospectively followed girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), along with a matched comparison sample, 5 years after childhood neuropsychological assessments. Follow-up neuropsychological measures emphasized attentional skills, executive functions, and language abilities. Paralleling childhood findings, the childhood-diagnosed ADHD group displayed moderate to large deficits in executive/attentional performance as well as in rapid naming relative to the comparison group at follow up (Mage 14.2 years). ADHD-inattentive versus ADHD-combined contrasts were nonsignificant and of negligible effect size, even when a refined, sluggish cognitive tempo subgroup of the inattentive type was examined. Although ADHD versus comparison group differences largely withstood statistical control of baseline demographics and comorbidities, control of childhood IQ reduced executive function differences to nonsignificance. Yet when the subset of girls meeting diagnostic criteria for ADHD in adolescence was compared with the remainder of the participants, neuropsychological deficits emerged even with full statistical control. Overall, childhood ADHD in girls portends neuropsychological and executive deficits that persist for at least 5 years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental Problem Drinking and Children's Adjustment: Attachment and Family Functioning as Moderators and Mediators of Risk.

Children's perceived attachments with parents, and family cohesion and adaptability were examined as predictors, mediators, and moderators in the parental problem drinking-child outcomes link. A total of 216 6- to 12-year-olds (110 boys, 106 girls) participated. Data were obtained from children and their mothers, fathers, and teachers. A higher level of family cohesion and adaptability functioned as (a) a robust protective factor against adjustment and cognitive difficulties otherwise associated with problem drinking and (b) a mediator of adjustment problems. Children's perceptions of attachments to mothers and fathers were consistent predictors of behavioral, social, and cognitive problems and further moderated relations between problem drinking and child functioning. The results support that child-parent and family functioning variables act as either pathways and/or vulnerability and protective factors for children exposed to a high-risk environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acculturation, Familism, Parental Monitoring, and Knowledge as Predictors of Marijuana and Inhalant Use in Adolescents.

The authors investigated relationships between marijuana and inhalant use and several cultural and demographic factors in Anglo American and Hispanic American adolescents (N=1,094). Outcome measures assessed lifetime and 30-day marijuana and inhalant use. Predictors and covariates used in logistic regression analyses were region, grade, gender, knowledge, acculturation, familism, and parental monitoring. Hispanic Americans exhibited higher usage across all measures. In this group, high acculturation was associated with low marijuana, but high inhalant, use. Across all participants, positive family relations and parental monitoring were strongly associated with attenuated marijuana use hut only among those most knowledgeable about drugs. Familism and monitoring were not associated with diminished usage among the less knowledgeable. For inhalants, monitoring combined with high knowledge or high familism was associated with diminished usage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Media ratings for violence and sex: Implications for policymakers and parents.

This article reviews research on the implementation of media-rating systems, parents' use and evaluation of them, and the impact of ratings on children. Although half or more of parents report using media-rating systems, understanding of various components of the systems is low, particularly for television ratings. A meta-analysis of national polls shows that parents overwhelmingly prefer that ratings specify content, rather than giving age recommendations. A second meta-analysis, of experiments testing the effects of ratings on children's interest in programs, shows that ratings indicating restricted or controversial content have a deterrent effect for children under age 8 but that, by age 11 and especially for boys, the ratings show a small enticement effect. This effect occurs for both age-based and content-based ratings. Implications for policymakers and parents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns of Fos-like immunoreactivity in the brains of parent ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) given tactile and nontactile exposure to their young.

Neuronal activation was examined by fos immunohistochemistry in ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) reunited with their young after overnight separation. In an initial study, squab-exposed parents showed more fos immunoreactivity (ir) in the preoptic area (POA) and lateral hypothalamus (LH) than squab-deprived parents. In a 2nd study, parents allowed free access to young and those separated from young by a wire mesh partition showed more fos-ir in the POA, LH, and lateral septum than box-exposed controls. Contact with young also increased fos-ir in the medial preoptic nucleus and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, but noncontact exposure did not. Conversely, nontactile squab exposure stimulated more fos-ir in the POA than did free access to young, which suggests POA involvement in appetitive aspects of parenting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Telomere Length in Metaphase Chromosomes of Human Triploid Zygotes

The human lifespan is strongly influenced by telomere length (TL) which is defined in a zygote—when two highly specialised haploid cells form a new diploid organism. Although TL is a variable parameter, it fluctuates in a limited range. We aimed to establish the determining factors of TL in chromosomes of maternal and paternal origin in human triploid zygotes. Using Q-FISH, we examined TL in the metaphase chromosomes of 28 human triploid zygotes obtained from 22 couples. The chromosomes’ parental origin was identified immunocytochemically through weak DNA methylation and strong hydroxymethylation in the sperm-derived (paternal) chromosomes versus strong DNA methylation and weak hydroxymethylation in the oocyte-derived (maternal) ones. In 24 zygotes, one maternal and two paternal chromosome sets were identified, while the four remaining zygotes contained one paternal and two maternal sets. For each zygote, we compared mean relative TLs between parental chromosomes, identifying a significant difference in favour of the paternal chromosomes, which attests to a certain “imprinting” of these regions. Mean relative TLs in paternal or maternal chromosomes did not correlate with the respective parent’s age. Similarly, no correlation was observed between the mean relative TL and sperm quality parameters: concentration, progressive motility and normal morphology. Based on the comparison of TLs in chromosomes inherited from a single individual’s gametes with those in chromosomes inherited from different individuals’ gametes, we compared intraindividual (intercellular) and interindividual variability, obtaining significance in favour of the latter and thus validating the role of heredity in determining TL in zygotes. A comparison of the interchromatid TL differences across the chromosomes from sets of different parental origin with those from PHA-stimulated lymphocytes showed an absence of a significant difference between the maternal and paternal sets but a significant excess over the lymphocytes. Therefore, interchromatid TL differences are more pronounced in zygotes than in lymphocytes. To summarise, TL in human zygotes is determined both by heredity and parental origin; the input of other factors is possible within the individual’s reaction norm.     

Social class, child age, and parental socialization values.

Upper-, middle-, and lower-class parents were asked to explain a proverb which had both "growth" and "stability" interpretations to their 11- and 16-yr-old sons. The growth interpretation was overwhelmingly endorsed by most parents. With 16-yr-olds, lower-middle-class parents continued to endorse the growth interpretation; most upper-class parents endorsed the stability interpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent Adjustment Before and After HIV-Related Parental Death.

The impact of HIV-related parental death on 414 adolescents was examined over a period of 6 years. The adjustment of bereaved adolescents was compared over 4 time periods relative to parental death and was also compared with the adjustment of nonbereaved adolescents. Bereaved adolescents had significantly more emotional distress, negative life events, and contact with the criminal justice system than nonbereaved youths; these behaviors did not remain significantly higher after parental death. Depressive symptoms and passive problem solving increased soon after parental death, as compared with nonbereaved adolescents. One year subsequent to parental death, depression and passive problem solving were similar to the levels of nonbereaved peers. Only sexual risk behaviors increased following parental death. These results suggest the importance of early family intervention soon after parental HIV diagnosis, prior to parental death, and sustained over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reciprocal Associations Between Adolescent Sexual Activity and Quality of Youth-Parent Interactions.

The authors examined differences in adolescents' relationships with their parents before and after adolescent first sexual activity. Participants were 13,570 members of the core sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health) Waves 1 and 2. Path analyses examined changes in parent-adolescent closeness, shared activities, and problem-focused interactions associated with changes in sexual activity separately for sons and daughters and for mothers and fathers. Race, religion, age, urbanicity, and parents' education were controls. Results confirm that increased problem-focused interactions and decreased parental closeness and shared activities both precede and follow adolescent sexual activity. Maintaining positive parental relations after adolescent first sexual activity is discussed as a means to reduce risks associated with sex. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)