The temperament profiles of school-age children

Maternal reports of child temperament were used to develop temperament profiles of school-age children. The subjects were 883 children who were between 4 and 12 years of age. The children's families varied substantially in their socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. To develop the profiles, the dimensions derived from the School-Age Temperament Inventory were subjected to a second order principal factor analysis with varimax rotation. Pearson chi-squares were used to determine whether sociodemographic variables were proportionally represented among the profiles. Forty-two percent of the children were classified into four temperament profiles. High maintenance and cautious/slow to warm up were deemed as challenging temperaments. Industrious and social/eager to try were mirror images of those profiles and were labeled easy. Some children were both types of challenging or easy profiles. The generalizability of the profiles in relation to the sociodemographic variables of gender, age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status was also examined. Challenging temperament profiles were disproportionately represented by boys, Hispanic children, and those from lower socioeconomic families. Girls were over represented in the group that included both types of easy temperaments. Social/eager to try children were more often from higher rather than lower socioeconomic status families. Clinical applications and research implications for the profiles are discussed. The profiles can be used as exemplars that parents can use to recognize their child's temperament. Further research is needed to explore whether different developmental outcomes are associated with the profiles.     

Stress and coping responses to proficiency testing in school-age children

Nurses encounter school-age children experiencing multiple stressors and stress symptoms. Performance on proficiency tests is viewed as stressor. The purpose of this repeated measures study was to assess 53 fourth grade children's appraisal of proficiency tests, concurrent stressors, stress symptoms, and coping strategies. During October, February, March, and April, children completed a ranking of their stress associated with proficiency testing and also reported their stressors, stress symptoms, and coping strategies. Results indicated that children appraised proficiency tests as most stressful at the beginning of the school year but less stressful at the time of the test. Stressors and stress symptoms increased from baseline to 1 month before testing then declined. The number of coping strategies used by the children decreased throughout the year. Nurses can work with parents and teachers to identify children with test anxiety and target these children for interventions to improve their coping strategies.     

The effects of child temperament,maternal characteristics,and family circumstances on the maladjustment of school-age children

Eighty-nine mothers with children between the ages of 8 and 11 years reported perceptions of their child's adjustment and temperament, and described concurrent family circumstances such as socioeconomic status, level of parental distress, major life events experienced, maternal hassles, and their own psychiatric symptoms. A conceptual model hypothesizing the direct and indirect effects of family circumstances, maternal characteristics, and child temperament on the maladjustment of school-age children was tested using causal modeling with residual analysis. Fifty-six percent of child externalizing behavior was directly explained by the negative reactivity and nonpersistence of the child's temperament, and maternal hassles. A total of 33% of the variance of internalizing behavior was explained by the direct effects of negative reactivity of the child's temperament and maternal hassles. For both externalizing and internalizing behavior, a total of 54% of the variance in maternal hassles was explained by three variables: maternal psychiatric symptoms contributed 34%, major life events added 15%, and the intensity of the mother's temperament added an additional 5%. These three variables have a direct effect on maternal hassles and together had an indirect effect of .24 on child externalizing behavior through maternal hassles. Likewise, they have a direct effect on maternal hassles and together had an indirect effect of .31 on child internalizing behavior through maternal hassles.     

The relationship between prayer, health behaviors, and protective resources in school-age children

The purpose of this study was to examine (1) the relationship between children's use of prayer as a coping strategy and other protective resources, and (2) whether children who prayed frequently and those who never prayed exhibited different levels of perceived stress and health behaviors. Prayer was found to be positively related to the protective resources of social connectedness and sense of humor. In addition, children who prayed frequently reported significantly higher levels of positive health behaviors than children who never prayed. These two groups of children did not significantly differ in their levels of perceived stress.     

心理行为干预对学龄期哮喘儿童自我概念水平的影响效果研究

目的 探讨心理行为干预对学龄期哮喘儿童自我概念水平的效果.方法 干预组和对照组各取样本50例.干预组在门诊随访和吸入治疗的同时采取为期6个月的心理行为干预,对照组仅接受门诊随访和吸入治疗.分别在于预前、干预3,6个月采用Piers-Harris儿童自我概念量表(PHCSS量表)对2组患儿进行自我概念水平的评价,并收集2组患儿在6个月干预期内哮喘发作次数、缺课天数和住院天数的资料. 结果干预6个月时,干预组患儿哮喘发作次数和缺课天数显著少于对照组患儿,住院天数2组患儿差异不明显,干预组患儿的总体自我概念和大部分分量表(智力与学校情况、躯体外貌与属性、焦虑、合群)得分较对照组显著提高.结论 心理行为干预可有助于减少哮喘对于学龄期哮喘儿童的身心影响,提高学龄期哮喘儿童的自我概念水平,促进其身心全面健康.     

The use of antidepressants in school-age children.

Approximately 5% of the pediatric population suffers from depression. Children suffering from depression should be treated first with some type of psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, and/or education. Pharmacotherapy (medications) should be used only as a last resort for those children suffering from severe, chronic, or recurring depression. The only antidepressant approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of depression in children is fluoxetine (Prozac), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. In the school setting, children should be monitored closely upon the initiation of antidepressant therapy and changes in dosing or medication. They also should be monitored for side effects of the medication, response to therapy, and new signs of depression or worsening symptoms. After starting an antidepressant, children must be monitored closely for any changes in behavior, especially increased preoccupation with suicide. Any changes should be reported to the physician immediately for follow-up.     

Newborn behavioral and physiological responses to circumcision

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of preoperative acetaminophen given as analgesia before circumcision on newborns' behavioral response. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A convenience sample of 53 male newborn infants (GA 35 to 42 weeks) who were.24 hours of age and whose parents had consented to circumcision were enrolled in the study. All of the infants enrolled were the patients of providers who did not routinely use anesthesia for circumcision. They were assigned to two groups based on physician standing order for preoperative acetaminophen. The first group received oral acetaminophen during the preoperative period; the second group received no preoperative analgesia. No further analgesia or anesthesia was given, as was the customary policy. Behavioral observations using the Neonatal Inventory Pain Scale (NIPS) and physiologic monitoring occurred at 5 minutes preoperatively, during application of restraints, at 1-minute intervals intraoperatively and at 5, 15, 30, and 60 minutes postoperatively. RESULTS: There were no differences in the demographic variables between groups. The overall mean NIPS scores for the following characteristics were lower (indicating more relaxation) in newborns who received preoperative analgesia: arm movements (0.27 vs 0.52); leg movements (0.27 vs 0.59); facial expression (0.24 vs 0.27); state of arousal (0.15 vs 0.46); and breathing quality (0.20 vs 0.38). However, newborns who received pre-op analgesia had higher crying scores (0.42 vs 0.33), although both groups had mean crying scores in the lowest range. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Despite its small sample size, this study suggests that preoperative analgesia before circumcision could be helpful in managing the pain of circumcision. Nurses have a responsibility to advocate for policy and practices changes that provide interventions for pain relief for all newborns.     

Assent of school-age bilingual children

This article discusses the issue of assent of school-age bilingual children to participate in a research study. The article reviews cognitive, cultural, and linguistic factors influencing verbal and nonverbal concept formation in bilingual children. At the applied level, the focus of the article is on methodological considerations in using this information to obtain assent from a child who is bilingual and speaks English as a second language. Recommendations for the assessment of the child's language dominance, language proficiency, and the development of the assent form are provided. Language diversity and its potential effects on the assent process need to be formally acknowledged and appropriately addressed.     

The effect of behavioral parent training on sleep problems of school-age children with ADHD: A parallel randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the effect of behavioral parental training (BPT) on sleep problems in children diagnosed with ADHD.MethodsThis parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted in a psychiatric clinic in an urban area of Iran. Participants of this study were 58 school-age children who were diagnosed with ADHD, were receiving methylphenidate and had at least one problem in sleeping. They were randomly assigned into BPT or control groups. Participants' parents in the BPT group underwent a 5-week behavioral intervention program. Data were collected at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and two months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, independent sample t-test, and repeated measure ANOVA test via the SPSS software.ResultsChildren in the intervention group experienced a significant improvement in total sleep scores two months after the intervention compared to the control group (p = 0.03). Also, the findings showed a significant decline in total sleep problems in the intervention group compared to the control group over time (p = 0.01).ConclusionThe results suggest that BPT could be an effective method in improving sleep problems of school-age children diagnosed with ADHD undergoing methylphenidate treatment.     

The effective management of atopic dermatitis in school-age children

The terms atopic eczema and atopic dermatitis (AD) are synonymous. In this article, the latter term is used. AD can affect all age groups but is most commonly associated with children. It is a dry-skin condition, the severity of which can vary from person to person. It is not contagious. In mild forms of the condition the skin is dry, hot and itchy, while in more severe cases the skin can be broken, raw and bleeding, or produce vesicles and papules that may become eroded.     

实施学龄期住院患儿无陪伴的做法与成效

传染源属于传染病流行的一个主要环节。为减少传染源,控制病房的交叉感染,减少住院患儿陪伴引发护患矛盾,实施学龄期住院患儿无陪伴制度,建立良好的护患关系,加强护患成效沟通,营造温馨的住院环境,家长对护理工作满意率达97.5%,确保了病房空气监测合格。     

Physiologic and behavioral responses to stress,temperament, and incidence of infection and atopic disorders in the first year of life: a pilot study

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore relationships among physiologic and behavioral responses to a standardized stressor (routine immunization), parent-reported temperament, and numbers of infections and atopic disorders in the first year of life. Infants were studied during 2- (n = 30) and 4-month (n = 24) routine clinic visits. Behavioral data were coded from videotapes filmed for 90 seconds after immunizations. Salivary cortisol measured physiologic arousal; specimens were obtained before and after immunizations. Two-month-old infants with higher levels of cortisol required more time to calm after immunization. Relationships were found between the temperament characteristics of persistence and adaptability and infections at 12 months.     

Sudden cardiac death of school-age children

Approximately 60 to 80 cases of childhood sudden death occur under school supervision every year in Japan and about 71% of them are sudden cardiac death. The incidence of sudden death among school-age children increases with age. 0.3 per 100,000 for elementary schoolchildren, 0.8 per 100,000 for junior high school children and 0.9 per 100,000 for high school children, approximately. Boys are remarkably more prone to sudden death than girls. Cardiac sudden death is often related to physical exercise and 70% of cases occur during running exercise. Although it is usually difficult to prevent the actual occurrence of sudden cardiac death, efforts to decrease sudden cardiac death should be reinforced by the cardiac screening examination and by ensuring in cooperation with children themselves, their parents, school staffs, and medical professionals. In particular, it is recommended that all teachers at junior high schools and high schools should have more knowledge about diseases related to sudden death.