Association of socio-demographic factors and parental education with depressive symptoms among older African Americans and Caribbean Blacks

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine ethnic variation in the relationship between individual socio-demographic factors, parental educational level, and late-life depressive symptoms in older African Americans and Caribbean Blacks.

Method: This cross-sectional study used data from the National Survey of American Life. A subsample of older African Americans (N = 837) and Caribbean Blacks (N = 271) was analyzed using multiple regression analysis.

Results: Findings suggest differences in predictors of depressive symptoms for the two ethnic groups. Among older African Americans, lower educational attainment and lower income were predictive risk factors for higher depressive symptoms. Findings among older Caribbean Blacks suggest that nativity and income were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. This study did not find support for any association between parental education and late-life depressive symptoms.

Conclusion: This study adds new information by considering ethnic variation in an examination of depressive symptoms in older Black Americans. The results contribute to the growing awareness of the older Caribbean Black population in the United States.     

Recollections of Parental Rejection,Self-Criticism and Depression in Suicidality

The present study examines whether self-criticism and depressive symptoms mediate the relationship between recollections of parental rejection and suicidality. A community sample of 200 Portuguese adults completed, in counterbalanced order, a socio-demographic questionnaire, the short form of the Inventory for Assessing Memories of Parental Rearing Behaviour (EMBU), the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and reports of any suicide intention and/or ideation and suicide attempts. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) indicated that recollections of parental rejection are significantly associated with depressive symptoms and suicidality. Recollections of parental rejection are indirectly associated with depressive symptoms and suicidality through self-criticism. The association between self-criticism and suicidality is mediated by depressive symptoms. In addition to a significant direct association between recollections of parental rejection and suicidality, the final model indicated that recollections of parental rejection are significantly associated with self-criticism. That same self-criticism is significantly associated with depressive symptoms which, in turn, are significantly associated with suicidality. Individuals with recollections of parental rejection are at greater risk for suicide ideation and behavior, possibly because such experiences predispose them to intense self-criticism which is a risk factor for depression associated with suicidal ideation and behavior.     

Intervention Programs for Children of Parents with a Mental Illness: A Critical Review

There is widespread acknowledgement that children in families affected by parental mental illness are at risk for a range of poor life outcomes. There is also a growing number of interventions to meet the needs of this group of young people. This review evaluates the quality of the existing evidence for such intervention programs. Five hundred and twenty articles were reviewed, and twenty-six studies were judged to be relevant. The majority of the studies were randomised trials (n=8) and pre-post interventions with no comparison or control groups (n=8). None of the studies measured cost-effectiveness or included consumer or carer consultation, and few outlined the theoretical basis for the development of the intervention program. Seven studies were rated as methodologically strong, four as of moderate quality and fifteen as methodologically weak. This data provides very limited evidence of program effectiveness as determined by well-being or illness outcomes for the child. Practitioners should use a recognised theory in developing intervention programs, link program components to identified risk factors for this target group, select intervention components from across the public health spectrum and incorporate greater intersectoral collaboration. Future programs should be rigorously evaluated and widely disseminated, with long-term follow-up of participants.     

西安市1002名家长对儿童牙科全身麻醉技术认知及接受度调查

目的：了解家长对儿童牙科全身麻醉技术（dental general anesthesia,DGA）的认知和接受程度并分析其可能的影响因素。方法：向2011年11月．2012年3月间前来第四军医大学121腔医学院儿童口腔科就诊的1002名初、复诊患儿家长解释DGA后由家长完成调查问卷,数据采用SPSSll．0软件行统计学分析。家长对DGA的接受度采用相对数形式统计,利用X^2检验明确不同因素是否影响家长对DGA的接受。结果：儿童口腔治疗常见的行为诱导方法中,家长对DGA的熟悉程度较低,仅有6．69％的家长听说并对其有所了解。在医生提出建议时,20．76％的家长会接受该技术,61．98％的家长担心麻醉药物的副作用,同时分别有超过33．33％的家长认为全麻技术会对患儿大脑及身体发育产生影响。经统计学分析,家长对DGA的接受度与家庭月收入,家长最高学历及地域因素有关P〈0．05）。结论：DGA在国内儿童口腔医学领域是一种新兴牙科行为诱导技术,患儿家长对其了解较少,接受度普遍偏低。医生在选择该方法时应做好解释工作并获得家长的知情同意。     

Current status and actual need for pediatric liver transplantation in Southern Vietnam

Liver transplantation (LT) has considerably improved the outcome of patients with end‐stage liver disease, especially in children. The first pediatric LT in Vietnam was performed in 2004. To assess the current need for pediatric LT in Southern Vietnam, a total of 280 patients with chronic liver disease followed at Children's Hospital 2 (Ho Chi Minh City), the only pediatric LT center in this region, were evaluated from January 2009 to June 2014. Sixty‐seven patients satisfied criteria for LT but only one transplant surgery occurred since 2009. Parental consent for LT was obtained only in 28.4% of patients. The main reasons for the small number of LTs were financial costs, far distance from home, lifelong follow‐up and treatment, and shortage of organ donors. We conclude that the current need for pediatric LT in Southern Vietnam is high. Efforts should be made to develop the liver transplant program in this developing country.     

Interactions between breast-feeding, specific parental atopy, and sex on development of asthma and atopy

BACKGROUND: The influence of breast-feeding on the risk of developing atopy and asthma remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To examine asthma and atopy outcomes by sex, reported specific parental history of atopy, and breast-feeding. METHODS: In a birth cohort, we examined childhood asthma and atopy (positive skin prick tests) by sex and breast-feeding in relation to maternal and paternal atopy. Interactions were explored in logistic regression models. RESULTS: For boys, breast-feeding (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% CI, 0.93-2.87; P = .09) and maternal atopy (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 0.93-4.08; P = .08) were each associated with atopy at age 13 years. Breast-feeding increased the risk for atopy among boys with paternal atopy (OR, 7.39; 95% CI, 2.21-24.66) compared with non-breast-fed boys with paternal atopy, but did not significantly further increase risk among subjects with maternal atopy. For girls, breast-feeding (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.41-1.31) and maternal and paternal atopy were not independent risk factors for atopy at age 13 years. However, breast-feeding increased the risk for atopy in girls with maternal atopy (OR, 3.13; 95% CI, 1.20-8.14) compared with non-breast-fed girls with maternal atopy. There was no such effect among subjects with paternal atopy. Results for the outcome of asthma followed a similar pattern. CONCLUSION: The influence of breast-feeding on development of atopy and asthma differs by sex and by maternal and paternal atopy, and is most significant among subjects at lower baseline risk. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Analyses of environmental risk factors for asthma and atopy should be stratified by specific parental atopy and sex.     

The roles of age, gender, inhibitory control, and parental supervision in children's pedestrian safety

OBJECTIVE: Thousands of American children are injured or killed each year as pedestrians, but behavioral factors in pedestrian injury etiology remain poorly understood. We examined the roles of children's individual differences (age, gender, and inhibitory control) and parental supervision in children's pedestrian behaviors. METHODS: Using the pretend road method, a sample of 85 children and 26 adults crossed a pretend crosswalk set adjacent to a real road. Safety of crossing the pretend road was determined based on actual traffic on the real road. Adults also crossed the real road. RESULTS: Adults' behavior on the real road paralleled that on the pretend road, supporting validity of the method. On the pretend road, younger children, boys, and children with less behavioral control engaged in riskier pedestrian behaviors. Children with less behavioral control responded more noticeably to increases in parental supervision. CONCLUSION: Results are discussed in relation to children's development and injury prevention.