Longitudinal Associations of Childhood Parenting and Adolescent Health: The Mediating Influence of Social Competence

The current study examined a process through which parenting during the primary school transition contributes to cardiovascular health in adolescence, a foundational period for adult health trajectories. Using path analyses, social competence was tested as a mediator between parental sensitivity and adolescent health among 884 families. Results indicated that mothers’ and fathers’ sensitivity was associated with increasing social competence from first grade (age 7) to sixth grade (age 12), which was associated with higher awakening cortisol in ninth grade (age 15) and decreasing blood pressure from sixth to ninth grade. Results suggest that social competence mediates associations between childhood parenting and adolescent cardiovascular risk, and may be protective to children's health over time.     

PRESENTATION OF THE ELDERLY IN THE SUNDAY NEWS

To determine the amount of newsspace devoted to articles about aging and the elderly 254 Sunday issues of 22 daily newspapers in 3 circulation groups published in 1983 were examined. A content analysis of the age‐related articles was also done. A total average of .87% of the news‐space was allocated to aging. This figure varied only slightly with circulation size, the ratio of elderly residents in the areas, or with the independence or affiliation of the newspapers. There were, however, differences among individual papers in space allocation. More articles were event—rather than issue—oriented. Metropolitan papers published significantly more issue articles than did papers in the lower circulation groups. Metropolitan papers significantly more often depicted the elderly in active rather than passive roles, whereas the opposite was true for papers in the lowest circulation group. Males were predominantly the subjects of articles in all papers. Recommendations for further study and implications for educational gerontologists are discussed.