Long-term physical and mental health consequences of childhood physical abuse: results from a large population-based sample of men and women

OBJECTIVE: Child maltreatment has been linked to negative adult health outcomes; however, much past research includes only clinical samples of women, focuses exclusively on sexual abuse and/or fails to control for family background and childhood characteristics, both potential confounders. Further research is needed to obtain accurate, generalizable estimates and to educate clinicians who are generally unaware of the link between childhood abuse and adult health. The purpose of this project is to examine how childhood physical abuse by parents impacts mid-life mental and physical health, and to explore the attenuating effect of family background and childhood adversities. METHODS: We analyzed population-based survey data from over 2,000 middle-aged men and women in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study using self-reported measures of parental childhood physical abuse, mental health (depression, anxiety, anger), physical health (physical symptoms and medical diagnoses), family background, and childhood adversities. RESULTS: Parental physical abuse was reported by 11.4% of respondents (10.6% of males and 12.1% of females). In multivariate models controlling for age, sex, childhood adversities, and family background, we found that childhood physical abuse predicted a graded increase in depression, anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, and medical diagnoses. Childhood physical abuse also predicted severe ill health and an array of specific medical diagnoses and physical symptoms. Family background and childhood adversities attenuated but did not eliminate the childhood abuse/adult health relationship. CONCLUSIONS: In a population-based cohort of middle-aged men and women, childhood physical abuse predicted worse mental and physical health decades after the abuse. These effects were attenuated, but not eliminated, by age, sex, family background, and childhood adversities.     

Resilience to adult psychopathology following childhood maltreatment: evidence from a community sample

OBJECTIVE: Child abuse is an important risk for adult psychiatric morbidity. However, not all maltreated children experience mental health problems as adults. The aims of the present study were to address the extent of resilience to adult psychopathology in a representative community sample, and to explore predictors of a good prognosis. METHODS: Data are drawn from a follow-up of the Isle of Wight study, an epidemiological sample assessed in adolescence and at midlife. Ratings of psychiatric disorder, peer relationships and family functioning were made in adolescence; adult assessments included a lifetime psychiatric history, personality and social functioning assessments, and retrospective reports of childhood sexual and physical abuse. RESULTS: Ten percent of individuals reported repeated or severe physical or sexual abuse in childhood. Prospective measures revealed increased rates of adolescent psychiatric disorders in this group. Rates of adult psychopathology were also high. A substantial minority of abused individuals reported no mental health problems in adult life. Resilience of this kind was related to perceived parental care, adolescent peer relationships, the quality of adult love relationships, and personality style. CONCLUSION: Good quality relationships across childhood, adolescence and adulthood appear especially important for adult psychological well being in the context of childhood abuse.     

Individual, family, and neighborhood factors distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children: a cumulative stressors model

OBJECTIVE: Children who are physically maltreated are at risk of a range of adverse outcomes in childhood and adulthood, but some children who are maltreated manage to function well despite their history of adversity. Which individual, family, and neighborhood characteristics distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children? Do children's individual strengths promote resilience even when children are exposed to multiple family and neighborhood stressors (cumulative stressors model)? METHODS: Data were from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Study which describes a nationally representative sample of 1,116 twin pairs and their families. Families were home-visited when the twins were 5 and 7 years old, and teachers provided information about children's behavior at school. Interviewers rated the likelihood that children had been maltreated based on mothers' reports of harm to the child and child welfare involvement with the family. RESULTS: Resilient children were those who engaged in normative levels of antisocial behavior despite having been maltreated. Boys (but not girls) who had above-average intelligence and whose parents had relatively few symptoms of antisocial personality were more likely to be resilient versus non-resilient to maltreatment. Children whose parents had substance use problems and who lived in relatively high crime neighborhoods that were low on social cohesion and informal social control were less likely to be resilient versus non-resilient to maltreatment. Consistent with a cumulative stressors model of children's adaptation, individual strengths distinguished resilient from non-resilient children under conditions of low, but not high, family and neighborhood stress. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that for children residing in multi-problem families, personal resources may not be sufficient to promote their adaptive functioning.     

Child forensic interviewing in Children's Advocacy Centers: empirical data on a practice model

OBJECTIVE: Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) aim to improve child forensic interviewing following allegations of child abuse by coordinating multiple investigations, providing child-friendly interviewing locations, and limiting redundant interviewing. This analysis presents one of the first rigorous evaluations of CACs' implementation of these methods. METHODS: This analysis is part of a quasi-experimental study, the Multi-Site Evaluation of Children's Advocacy Centers, which evaluated four CACs relative to within-state non-CAC comparison communities. Case abstractors collected data on investigation methods in 1,069 child sexual abuse cases with forensic interviews by reviewing case records from multiple agencies. RESULTS: CAC cases were more likely than comparison cases to feature police involvement in CPS cases (41% vs. 15%), multidisciplinary team (MDT) interviews (28% vs. 6%), case reviews (56% vs. 7%), joint police/child protective services (CPS) investigations (81% vs. 52%) and video/audiotaping of interviews (52% vs. 17%, all these comparisons p<.001). CACs varied in which coordination methods they used, and some comparison communities also used certain coordination methods more than the CAC with which they were paired. Eighty-five percent of CAC interviews took place in child-friendly CAC facilities, while notable proportions of comparison interviews took place at CPS offices (22%), police facilities (18%), home (16%), or school (19%). Ninety-five percent of children had no more than two forensic interviews, and CAC and comparison differences on number of interviews were mostly non-significant. CONCLUSIONS: Relative to the comparison communities, these CACs appear to have increased coordination on investigations and child forensic interviewing. The CAC setting was the location for the vast majority of CAC child interviews, while comparison communities often used settings that many consider undesirable. CACs showed no advantage on reducing the number of forensic interviews, which was consistently small across the sample.     

桂林街9号

作为这座城市最陈旧的居民区,承载了林囡囡十九年心事的桂林街终于要拆了。林囡囡踩着一双破了个洞的帆布鞋,一遍遍反复丈量着街道,在每一棵桃树下收集着失落的往事、失落的老林、失落的赵小春．和失落的母亲。     

夏日欢乐派对

夏天到,夏天到,小朋友们哈哈笑。吃西瓜,吃玉米,去郊游,去戏水。快快乐乐多热闹！     

美国优质网络课程的案例介绍

近十年来,我国高校网络课程建设成果显著,但其中暴露出的理论与实践相脱离的现象也比较严重。通过介绍美国德克萨斯A&M大学Dooley教授开设的网络课程《远程教育的高级方法》,尝试剖析其作为优质网络课程在管理平台、教学设计、交互安排、评价方法以及支持服务等方面所具有的特征,以期与国内远程教育的研究者和实践者分享经验。     

引导基金参股方式对创投机构后续募资的影响

本文通过私募通数据库搜集数据构造匹配样本,使用logit模型、Cox模型和多元线性回归模型,从后续募资的可能性、时间间隔、募资规模三个方面,实证分析引导基金单独参股和联合参股这两种参股方式对创投机构后续募资的影响。研究发现:(1)引导基金联合参股可以促进创投机构后续募资,而单独参股则不能。(2)引导基金无论联合参股高声誉创投机构还是低声誉创投机构,都会促进其后续募资。(3)引导基金联合参股非国有背景创投机构可以促进其后续募资,但联合参股国有背景创投机构则不能促进其后续募资。     

‘灿烂’品种兔眼蓝莓花青素提取物在体内的抗氧化活性（英文）

蓝莓富含花青素等酚类化合物,具有良好的保健功能。本研究旨在研究从‘灿烂’品种兔眼蓝莓中提取的蓝莓花青素在小鼠体内的抗氧化活性。C57BL/6J健康雄性小鼠被分成不同剂量组,各组蓝莓花青素提取物（BAE）浓度分别为100、400和800 mg/kg。在不同时间点（0.1、0.5、1、2、4、8和12 h）将小鼠处死,收集其血浆、眼球、肠、肝和脂肪组织,比较其抗氧化活性,测定指标包括总抗氧化能力（T-AOC）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-PX/GPX）含量,以及氧化应激标志物丙二醛（MDA）水平。结果表明：蓝莓花青素在小鼠体内具有良好的抗氧化活性,并呈浓度依赖性,BAE浓度越高,T-AOC值越高,MDA水平越低。抗氧化酶SOD活性、GSH-PX含量以及Cu,Zn-SOD、Mn-SOD和GPX的m RNA水平均证实,BAE在小鼠消化后通过改善其抗氧化防御系统发挥抗氧化作用。蓝莓花青素提取物的体内抗氧化活性表明,蓝莓花青素可以被开发成功能性食品或营养配料,用于预防或治疗氧化应激相关的疾病。