Temperament Moderates Associations Between Exposure to Stress and Children's Externalizing Problems

The interaction between a temperament profile (four groups determined by high vs. low resistance to control [unmanageability] and unadaptability [novelty distress]) and family stress in predicting externalizing problems at school in children followed from kindergarten through eighth grade (ages 5–13) was investigated. The sample consisted of 556 families (290 boys). At Time 1 just prior to kindergarten, mothers retrospectively reported on their child's temperament during infancy. Each year, mothers reported stress and teachers reported children's externalizing problems. Temperament profile was tested as a moderator of the stress–externalizing association for various time periods. Results indicated that the combination of high resistance to control and high unadaptability strengthens the stress–externalizing association. Findings are discussed in terms of possible underlying mechanisms.     

Reciprocal Associations Between Inhibitory Control and Early Academic Skills: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Sample of Head Start Children

Research Findings. The present study examined patterns of longitudinal associations between inhibitory control (IC) and early academic skills during the preschool and kindergarten years. Using data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Cohort 2009 (FACES 2009) (N = 939), a national data set of predominantly low-income children attending Head Start, two models were compared: (1) a lagged path model predicting subsequent academic skills based on prior IC skills and (2) a cross-lagged path model predicting reciprocal associations between IC and academic skills. Our results showed a better model fit for the cross-lagged path model with bidirectional associations. Prior IC predicted subsequent early reading and math skills during the preschool and kindergarten years; simultaneously, prior early math skills, but not reading skills, predicted subsequent IC. The reciprocal associations between IC and early math were consistently identified for multiple groups of children, regardless of their gender or home-language use (i.e., monolingual versus dual language learners). Practice or Policy. This study showcases group-general patterns of reciprocal relationships between IC and early math. The findings suggest that stimulation of both skills could lead to stronger skill sets and successful school outcomes. Early education and intervention programs may provide integrated developmental opportunities of IC and academic skills for successful school readiness.     

DNA Methylation: A Mechanism for Embedding Early Life Experiences in the Genome

Although epidemiological data provide evidence that early life experience plays a critical role in human development, the mechanism of how this works remains in question. Recent data from human and animal literature suggest that epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, are involved not only in cellular differentiation but also in the modulation of genome function in response to early life experience affecting gene function and the phenotype. Such modulations may serve as a mechanism for life‐long genome adaptation. These changes seem to be widely distributed across the genome and to involve central and peripheral systems. Examining the environmental circumstances associated with the onset and reversal of DNA methylation will be critical for understanding risk and resiliency.     

Epigenetic Vestiges of Early Developmental Adversity: Childhood Stress Exposure and DNA Methylation in Adolescence

Fifteen‐year‐old adolescents (N = 109) in a longitudinal study of child development were recruited to examine differences in DNA methylation in relation to parent reports of adversity during the adolescents’ infancy and preschool periods. Microarray technology applied to 28,000 cytosine–guanine dinucleotide sites within DNA derived from buccal epithelial cells showed differential methylation among adolescents whose parents reported high levels of stress during their children’s early lives. Maternal stressors in infancy and paternal stressors in the preschool years were most strongly predictive of differential methylation, and the patterning of such epigenetic marks varied by children’s gender. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of prospective associations between adversities in early childhood and the epigenetic conformation of adolescents’ genomic DNA.     

弱智儿童父母心理压力与应付方式、生活质量的相关研究

目的 :探讨弱智儿童父母的心理压力与应付方式、生活质量的相关性。方法 :对 1 0 1位弱智儿童的父母采用残疾儿童父母心理压力问卷、应付方式问卷和生活质量综合评定问卷 (GQOLI)进行测评。结果 :父亲的心理压力的总分与自责和幻想的应付方式正相关 ;母亲的心理压力总分与自责和退避的应付方式有正相关。弱智儿童父亲和母亲的心理压力与生活质量呈显著负相关。多元回归结果表明 ,对父亲的心理压力贡献最大的因素是心理功能状态和采用退避的应付方式 ,对母亲的心理压力的总分贡献最大的因素是心理功能状态、采用退避和自责的应付方式以及生活质量     

A Prospective Study of Life Stress, Social Support, and Adaptation in Early Adolescence

This study employed a 2-year longitudinal design to examine the relation of stressful life events and social supports to psychological distress and school performance among 166 early adolescents (mean age = 13.5 years). A prospective approach was utilized to control for initial levels of adjustment when examining the relation of Time 1 stress and support variables to Time 2 psychological distress and school performance. Both stress and support variables made significant contributions to the prediction of subsequent psychological distress. Stresses, but not supports, made a significant contribution to the prediction of subsequent school performance. Evidence for reciprocal and interactive linkages was also found, including effects of psychological distress and school performance on subsequent stresses and supports, and greater adaptive impact of school-based supportive resources under conditions of heightened risk outside of school. Implications for ecological and transactional models of development relating to the targeting and efficacy of preventive efforts are discussed.     

Quantifying Stress in Children

Today there is a greater awareness than hitherto of the existence and effects of pupil stress. There is also the recognition that the causes of pupil stress may be increasing in number and seriousness. However, recognition of this situation does not necessarily increase our understanding of it. In this paper, Ewen Rennie provides an example of the ways in which greater understanding might be achieved. A group of teachers were asked to rate the degree of stress engendered by a number of events. Though the results revealed significant differences from those of similar work undertaken in the past, their real value would be as a basis for comparison with the perceptions of parents and pupils.     

Quantifying Stress in Children

Today there is a greater awareness than hitherto of the existence and effects of pupil stress. There is also the recognition that the causes of pupil stress may be increasing in number and seriousness. However, recognition of this situation does not necessarily increase our understanding of it. In this paper, Ewen Rennie provides an example of the ways in which greater understanding might be achieved. A group of teachers were asked to rate the degree of stress engendered by a number of events. Though the results revealed significant differences from those of similar work undertaken in the past, their real value would be as a basis for comparison with the perceptions of parents and pupils.     

Associations Between Classroom Environment and Academic Efficacy

Research was conducted on associations between classroom psychosocial environment and academic efficacy. A sample of 1055 mathematics students from Australian secondary schools responded to an instrument that assessed ten dimensions of mathematics classroom environment (viz. Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Investigation, Task Orientation, Cooperation, Equity, Involvement, Personal Relevance, Shared Control, Student Negotiation). These scales were from two existing instruments, namely, What Is Happening In This Classroom? (WIHIC) and the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES). A seven-item scale assessed students' academic efficacy at mathematics-related tasks. Simple and multiple correlation analyses revealed statistically significant correlations between these classroom environment dimensions and academic efficacy. Results showed that classroom environment relates positively with academic efficacy. A commonality analysis showed that the three scales from the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey scales did not contribute greatly to explaining variance in academic efficacy beyond that attributed to the seven scales in the What Is Happening In This Classroom? questionnaire.     

Exploring Trajectories of Young Mothers’ Parenting Stress in Early Childhood: Associations with Protective Factors and Psychological Vulnerabilities

SYNOPSIS

Objective . Most parents manage some degree of parenting stress without serious concerns, but young mothers experience parenting stress at higher levels than adult mothers; high parenting stress is problematic due to its association with children’s socioemotional and behavior problems and the increased likelihood of maltreatment. Understanding the circumstances that precipitate or mitigate parents’ stress can have lasting impacts for child well-being. Extant research fails to account for both longitudinal and individual variation in young mothers’ parenting stress, leading to equivocal findings about the nature of mothers’ parenting stress trajectories across early childhood. Design . The present study used growth mixture modeling (GMM) to model the trajectories of 544 first-time young mothers’ parenting stress from children’s infancy to school-age. We considered how protective factors (i.e., social support) and psychological vulnerabilities (i.e., depression) experienced during the transition to parenthood were associated with parenting stress trajectories and variation within trajectories when children were of school-age. Results . GMM identified three trajectories of parenting stress: “low stable”, “high increasing”, and “high decreasing.” Protective factors were related to low and decreasing patterns of parenting stress, whereas psychological vulnerabilities were associated with higher parenting stress patterns. Conclusions . This study has implications for programs and services that help young mothers cope with the demands of parenting and reduce parenting stress.     

艺术与生活的“距离”

艺术是用形象反映现实生活,但比生活更集中、更深刻、更具典型性的意识形态。艺术源于生活又高于生活。典型形象并不等同于生活原形,这就是一种＂距离＂。只有拉开距离,才能更准确地把握生活,更艺术地表现生活的本质,达到艺术的真实。艺术艺术实践证明,正是有了这种＂距离＂,才塑造了众多不朽的艺术典型。而对创作主体来讲,这种＂距离＂,就是对创作者思想深度、道德情操、生活积累、艺术修养等综合素质的检验。     

艺术与生活的“距离”

艺术是用形象反映现实生活,但比生活更集中、更深刻、更具典型性的意识形态.艺术源于生活又高于生活.典型形象并不等同于生活原形,这就是一种“距离”.只有拉开距离,才能更准确地把握生活,更艺术地表现生活的本质,达到艺术的真实.艺术艺术实践证明,正是有了这种“距离”,才塑造了众多不朽的艺术典型.而对创作主体来讲,这种“距离”,就是对创作者思想深度、道德情操、生活积累、艺术修养等综合素质的检验.     

Understanding Associations Between Low-Income Mothers' Participation in Education and Parenting

Maternal education is one of the strongest predictors of children's academic outcomes. One possible explanation for this is that more highly educated mothers more frequently engage in parenting practices that may promote children's later cognitive development; however, most of this evidence is correlational. This study uses Head Start Impact Study data (N = 1,953) to explore whether low-income mothers' participation in education affects their parenting practices and beliefs. Principal scores, which predict maternal educational participation based on covariates, were used for analysis. Principal score matching was used to identify mothers who we predicted participated in education because their children were randomly assigned to Head Start. We compared these mothers' outcomes to those of mothers we predicted would have participated in education if they were assigned to Head Start. For these mothers, participation in maternal education was associated with children watching fewer hours of TV, having more types of printed media at home, and more frequent participation in cultural activities, but it was not associated with a host of other parenting outcomes. Changing parenting is one potential pathway by which maternal educational participation may influence children's later academic outcomes.     

流动儿童与城市儿童社会认知特点比较

采用整群抽样的方法,对浙江省某市450名城市儿童和434名流动儿童的社会认知进行问卷调查.结果表明:流动儿童社会认知三个因子得分均低于城市儿童(P值均0.05);两组儿童总体,男生社会认知三个因子得分均低于女生(P值均0.05),流动男生归因和社会认知结构两个因子得分均低于城市男生(P值均0.05),流动女生社会认知三个因子得分均低于城市女生(P值均0.05);两组儿童总体,社会认知三个因子得分均存在年级差异(P值均0.05).三个年级流动儿童均有单个因子得分低于城市儿童的现象(P值均0.05);两组儿童总体,社会认知三个因子得分均不存在抚养人差异(P值均0.05),但当抚养人是父母时,流动儿童社会认知三个因子得分均低于城市儿童(P值均0.05).因此,应加强对流动儿童,尤其是流动男性儿童社会认知方面的教育和引导.     

特殊儿童父母亲职压力与婚姻质量关系研究

通过问卷调查法,分析特殊儿童父母亲职压力与婚姻质量的关系,重点探究发展性障碍儿童父母与感官障碍儿童父母在亲职压力与婚姻质量上的差异,并为特殊儿童父母降低压力、提升婚姻质量提供科学干预措施。结果发现:特殊儿童父母亲职压力与婚姻质量出现显著负相关,其中发展性障碍儿童父母与感官障碍儿童父母在亲职压力上存在显著差异,在婚姻质量上差异不显著。     

DNA甲基化异常与肿瘤间关系的研究进展

DNA的甲基化及甲基化异常在人体发育和肿瘤的发生中起着至关重要的作用。文中主要综述了几十年来人们对 DNA甲基化异常与基因转录及肿瘤发生之间关系的研究进展 ,尤其是最近的研究突破。     

利用日常生活教育幼儿

如何利用日常生活中丰富的教育资源教育幼儿,笔者认为,应在日常生活中培养幼儿的生活自理能力,激发幼儿对自然界和社会的认识兴趣、求知欲,对幼儿进行常识教育,数学启蒙,培养幼儿具有良好的个性品质以及社交能力。     

法律生活和道德生活的冲突与协调

每个人都生活在自己独特的心灵世界里.心灵世界的不同使入的生活可划分为法律的生活、道德的生活和宗教的生活.比较法律的生活和道德的生活,揭示其人生意义而非社会功能,可以从另一角度反省什么是人性化的制度.法律的生活和道德的生活存在内在矛盾,这种矛盾就是理性与情感、公正与和谐的矛盾.克服和协调这种矛盾应当是现代法治着力解决的重大问题,对此我们可以借鉴吸收中国传统法律文化的资源.