The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Child Telomere Length: Examining Self-Regulation as a Behavioral Mediator

Childhood adversity is linked to shortened telomere length (TL), but behavioral indicators of telomere attrition remain unclear. This study examined the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and child TL, and if ACEs were indirectly associated with TL through children’s self-regulatory abilities (i.e., effortful control and self-control). Hypotheses were tested using national data from teachers, parents, and their children (N = 2,527; M_age = 9.35, SD = .36 years). More ACEs were uniquely associated with short TL, and low self-control mediated the association between more ACEs and short TL. While longitudinal studies are needed to strengthen claims of causation, this study identifies a pathway from ACEs to TL that should be explored further.     

Perceived competence and self-worth during adolescence: a longitudinal behavioral genetic study

This investigation is the first longitudinal behavioral genetic study of self-concept during adolescence. It is a follow-up of a previous study examining genetic and environmental contributions to children's perceived self-competence and self-worth using a twin/sibling design. The study investigated adolescents' reports 3 years later and stability across two time points. Participants included 248 pairs of same-sex twins, full siblings, and stepsiblings between 10 and 18 years old. The results showed that six of the seven subscales were heritable at the second time point. None of the scales showed significant shared environmental effects. Longitudinal analyses revealed genetic contributions to stability for perceived scholastic competence, athletic competence, physical appearance, and general self-worth. Social competence, on the other hand, showed nonshared environmental mediation across time. These findings highlight the importance of genetically influenced characteristics and unique experiences as correlates of individual differences in self-concept during adolescence.     

Essay review

E. Wendy Saul is Associate Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and is Associate Editor ofThe New Advocate, a journal for those involved with young people and their literature. Her recent work focuses on science tradebooks.     

A survey investigating school psychologists' measurement of treatment integrity in school‐based interventions and their beliefs about its importance

A survey of individuals holding the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential was conducted via the Internet to gather information regarding their measurement of treatment integrity in school‐based interventions and their beliefs about its importance. A sample of 806 self‐selected professionals holding the NCSP credential provided data about the extent to which they measure treatment integrity and the methods they used to measure it when developing interventions via one‐to‐one and group/team consultation. Results showed that 97.6% agreed that measurement of treatment integrity was a key factor to consider and to include when evaluating interventions and when using intervention data for special education eligibility decisions. Few, however, reported regularly documenting it in one‐to‐one (only 11.3%) or group/team consultation (only 1.9%). Recommendations for how school psychologists and other school staff can increase their measurement of treatment integrity in school‐based interventions are offered. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Safely Giving Birth

In this column, the editor of the Journal of Perinatal Education discusses the growing challenge of assuring a safe birth. The editor also describes the contents of this issue, which offer a broad range of resources, research, and inspiration for childbirth educators in their efforts to promote, support, and protect normal birth.     

An Evaluation of Oral Presentation Competency in Interior Design Education

As digital modelling programmes become increasingly prevalent in interior design education, there is concern that graduates are entering the workforce relying too much on strong graphic presentation skills while lacking the basic ability to speak about design. This study explores the gap between practitioners’ perceptions of importance regarding oral presentation competency and students’ perceptions of their oral presentation performances. Additionally, the study explores correlations between in‐class activities and students’ perceptions of their oral presentation competency. Mixed‐methods of investigation include a Delphi study with a panel of interior design practitioners and a survey questionnaire of both practitioners (n = 102) and currently active interior design students (n = 91) in the USA. An Importance‐Performance framework is employed for comparison. Results identify performance criteria for evaluating oral presentation competency and indicate variances between students’ perceptions of their performance and industry perceptions of importance. Furthermore, students’ in‐class activities including studio critiques and written peer assessments show significant correlation with student oral presentation performance indicating activities already frequently incorporated into a design curriculum may have a greater impact on improving performance than specific oral presentation instruction alone.     

Exploring the challenges in obtaining physical activity data from women using hip-worn accelerometers

Quality objective physical activity data are required to inform physical activity-based health improvement initiatives, however, various challenges undermine acquisition of such data. We examined the efficacy and challenges of a hip-worn accelerometry protocol in women. Specific objectives included determining accelerometer-wear-compliance rates and understanding the barriers and acceptability of wearing accelerometers. Healthy New Zealand women (n?=?406) of three ethnicities (Māori (indigenous New Zealander), Pacific, European) aged 16–45 years (30.9?±?8.7 y) wore hip-mounted Actigraph wGT3X+ accelerometers for 7 consecutive days under a 24-h wear protocol. Post hoc, a sub-sample (n?=?45; age: 29.4?±?9.0 y) was interviewed to investigate comfort/convenience and burdens of accelerometer-wear. Wear-compliance (≥10?h/day, ≥4 day) was 86%. European women returned more valid data (92.7%, p?<?.04) than Pacific (73.0%) or Māori women (82.1%). Twenty-two participants (5.4%) had completely missing data; 13 due to lost accelerometers. Burden of accelerometer-wear was greatest during sleeping (66.7%) due to discomfort. Embarrassment of accelerometer visibility through clothing and consequent restricted clothing choices caused high burden in social settings (45.2%). Discomfort during sleeping, embarrassment due to perceived appearance in social settings and ethnicity are key factors affecting the efficacy of collecting physical activity data from women using hip-worn accelerometers. Refining accelerometer design to reduce size and subsequently participant burden should improve acceptability and wear-compliance. Increasing overall participant compliance by reducing burden and ensuring appropriate understanding of study aims and relevance should reduce attrition and improve wear-compliance and data quality when collecting accelerometry data from women of different ethnicities.