Children, television and violence]

The relationships between children and television are a source of heated debate. Several studies, mainly conducted in North America, have found a correlation between television violence viewing and aggressive behavior, preadolescents appearing as the most vulnerable. However, in France opinions are more nuanced and one generally considers that television-induced violence in children mainly depends upon individual and educative socio-familial factors.     

The relationship between children's threats of violence and violent behaviors

BACKGROUND: We sought to examine the relationship between students' threats of interpersonal violence and self-reported violent behaviors. METHODS: Anonymous self-report questionnaires were administered to students in grades 3 through 12 in schools located in Colorado, Arizona, and Ohio. A survey of 9487 students from 33 public schools was performed. Ages ranged from 7 to 19 years. Across the 3 samples, the percentage of African Americans ranged from 6% to 35%, whites from 31% to 57%, and Hispanics from 5% to 51%. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that threatening others infrequently or frequently (compared with not threatening others) was significantly associated with violent behaviors. Students who infrequently threatened were about 3 to 4 times more likely to report exhibiting each of the violent behaviors than students who did not threaten others (odds ratio [OR] = 4.08-5.86). The relationship between frequently threatening others and violent behaviors was especially strong (OR = 7.19-24.30) and highest for the most severe forms of violence, knife attacks (OR = 15.39-24.30) and shootings (OR = 18.42). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that students' threats of harm toward others should be taken seriously, and that policies and procedures should be developed to ensure that children who threaten others receive proper assessment and management. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:785-790     

Factors distinguishing youth who report self-injurious behavior: a population-based sample

ObjectiveTo identify factors distinguishing adolescents across 3 groups: no self-harm, nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) only, and NSSI and suicide attempt (NSSI + SA).MethodsData were from the 2007 Minnesota Student Survey. The sample included 61,330 students in grades 9 and 12. Logistic regression analysis determined factors that best distinguished adolescents who reported NSSI from those who reported no self-harm, and adolescents who reported NSSI + SA. Final models were developed over 3 stages of analysis that tested the importance of variables within risk factor, protective factor, and co-occurring health-risk behavior domains.ResultsFor male and female subjects, factors that consistently distinguished youth who reported NSSI from those who reported no self-harm included depressive symptoms, hopelessness, physical abuse, less parent connectedness, running away from home, and maladaptive dieting behavior. Factors that distinguished the NSSI + SA group from the NSSI only group for both sexes were a mental health problem, depressive symptoms, hopelessness, physical abuse, and running away from home. Other factors, such as sexual abuse, were significant in models for males or females only. Hopelessness constituted the leading factor to increase the likelihood that youth who self-injured also attempted suicide.ConclusionsYouth engaging in NSSI experience diverse psychosocial stressors and significant distress. Clinicians and school personnel are well-positioned to offer support to these youth. Furthermore, they can help address NSSI among youth by identifying those who self-injure early, assessing for hopelessness and suicidality, facilitating connections to prosocial adults, addressing maladaptive dieting behavior, and supporting runaway youth.     

Experiences of Dutch families who parent an adopted Romanian child

The pilot phase of a longitudinal study of 83 children (response 86%) adopted from Romania is reported; the present status of the children is compared with the past status on the basis of parental recollection. At placement, the average age of the children was 2.9 years; at the time of the interview of the adoptive parents, the average age of the children was 6.8 years. At placement, 67% of the adoptive parents needed professional help, and 10% of the children were infected with Hepatitis B. Only 13% did not show any important psychosocial problems. The number of psychosocial problems reported by the parents at placement predicts 69% of the lag of development observed 4 years later; the age of arrival adds up to 72%. Most problems still exist 4 years after placement; however, no disruptions of the adoption have taken place yet.     

Children with cough: who needs antibiotic therapy,and who needs admission to hospital?

Pneumonia is one of the commonest causes of death in children in the world. However, lung aspiration studies have shown that most cases of severe pneumonia in children in developing countries are caused by bacteria, so mortality could be substantially reduced by antibiotic therapy. Although most children with penumonia present with cough, most children with cough do not have pneumonia, so it is important to develop clear guidelines about how to manage children who have a cough. Prospective studies suggest that, although most children with a cough do not need antibiotics, children less than 5 years old with cough and a respiratory rate over 50 breaths per minute should be treated as outpatients with either procaine penicillin intramuscularly, or ampicillin, amoxycillin or cotrimoxazole orally. Children with intercostal recession (chest indrawing) should be admitted to hospital for more intensive therapy with benzyl penicillin. Children who are cyanosed or too sick to feed have a very high mortality, and should be treated with chloramphenicol. Use of these guidelines would decrease the unnecessary use of antibiotics in children with mild respiratory infections, while reducing the very high mortality from pneumonia in young children.     

Constructive and destructive marital conflict, emotional security and children's prosocial behavior

Background:  This study addresses the gaps in understanding the relationship between constructive and destructive marital conflict and children's prosocial behavior from a process-oriented perspective.
Method:  Data were drawn from a three-wave study of 235 families with children ages 5–7 at wave 1. Relations between constructive and destructive marital conflict, children's emotional security, warm parenting and children's prosocial behavior were examined through the use of structural equation modeling.
Results:  Even after controlling for prior levels of children's prosocial behavior at wave 1, children's emotional security acted as an intervening variable between both constructive and destructive marital conflict and children's prosocial behavior over time.
Conclusions:  These findings advance the relationship between marital conflict and children's adjustment by focusing on children's prosocial behavior and highlight the need to further investigate the impact of positive dimensions of marital conflict on dimensions of children's positive social functioning.