Assessing the interrelatedness of multiple types of adverse childhood experiences and odds for poor health in South Carolina adults

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to negative health outcomes in adulthood, but little research has been done on the effect of ACEs on the health and well-being of adults in South Carolina (SC). This study analyzed a sample of 9744 respondents who participated in the 2014 South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to examine the relationship among childhood experiences of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as witnessing household violence, on mental and physical health outcomes in adulthood among SC residents. Twenty-two percent of survey respondents reported poor general health (22.1%), and a smaller proportion reported high frequent mental distress in the past month (13.1%). Each category of childhood experiences was associated with an increase in the risk of poor general health. Individuals reporting three or more types of experiences were more likely to report poor health (aOR 2.89; 95% CI 2.86–2.92) than adults without such experiences. Respondents reporting three or more types of childhood adverse experiences were more likely to report frequent mental distress (aOR 3.29; 95% CI 3.26–3.33) compared to adults who did not report three or more types of adversity. Findings from the SC BRFSS highlight a connection between ACEs and negative health outcomes later in life. Given that results of this study also demonstrated that increased exposure to ACEs was associated with greater odds of negative health in adulthood, preventing adverse events such as experiencing abuse or witnessing domestic violence in childhood will have significant effects on later adult health.     

Spanking and subsequent behavioral problems in toddlers: A propensity score-matched,prospective study in Japan

Harsh or frequent spanking in early childhood is an established risk factor for later childhood behavioral problems as well as mental disorder in adulthood in Western societies. However, few studies have been conducted in Asian populations, where corporal punishment is relatively accepted. Moreover, the impacts of occasional spanking on subsequent behavioral problems remain uncertain. This study sought to investigate prospectively the association between the frequency of spanking of toddlers and later behavioral problems in Japanese children using national birth cohort data. We used data from the Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21st Century, a population-based birth cohort data set collected by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (N = 29,182). Frequency of spanking (“never”, “sometimes” and “always”) and child behavioral problems were assessed via a caregiver questionnaire when the child was 3.5 years old and again at 5.5 years. Propensity score matching was used to examine the association between frequency of spanking and child behavioral problems, adjusting for parental socioeconomic status, child temperament and parenting behaviors. Compared to children who were never spanked, occasional spanking (“sometimes”) showed a higher number of behavioral problems (on a 6-point scale) (coefficient: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.07–0.15), and frequent spanking (“always”) showed an even larger number of behavioral problems compared with “sometimes” (coefficient: 0.08, 95% CI:0.01–0.16). Spanking of any self-reported frequency was associated with an increased risk for later behavioral problems in children.     

Violence against children perpetrated by peers: A cross-sectional school-based survey in Uganda

Violence against children by peers is a global public health problem. We aimed to assess factors associated with peer violence victimization among primary school children in Uganda. We conducted multilevel multivariable logistic regression analyses of cross-sectional data from 3706 primary students in 42 Ugandan primary schools. Among primary school students, 29% and 34% had ever experienced physical and emotional violence perpetrated by their peers, respectively. Factors strongly associated with both physical and emotional violence were similar and overlapping, and included exposure to interparental violence, having an attitude supportive of violence against children from school staff, not living with biological parents, working for payment, and higher SDQ score. However, we found that younger age, sharing sleeping area with an adult and achieving a higher educational performance score, were specifically associated with physical violence. On the other hand, being female, walking to school, reporting disability and eating one meal on the previous day, were particularly associated with emotional violence. Interventions to reduce peer violence should focus on family contexts, school environments and those with poor socio-economic status may need extra support.     

Research priorities for a multi-center child abuse pediatrics network − CAPNET

Although child maltreatment medical research has benefited from several multi-center studies, the new specialty of child abuse pediatrics has not had a sustainable network capable of pursuing multiple, prospective, clinically-oriented studies. The Child Abuse Pediatrics Network (CAPNET) is a new multi-center research network dedicated to child maltreatment medical research. In order to establish a relevant, practical research agenda, we conducted a modified Delphi process to determine the topic areas with highest priority for such a network. Research questions were solicited from members of the Ray E. Helfer Society and study authors and were sorted into topic areas. These topic areas were rated for priority using iterative rounds of ratings and in-person meetings. The topics rated with the highest priority were missed diagnosis and selected/indicated prevention. This agenda can be used to target future multi-center child maltreatment medical research.     

Associations between motor proficiency in children with history of maltreatment and living in social economically vulnerability

Maltreatment and living in poor socioeconomic conditions during childhood may implicate in deficits on motor proficiency, nevertheless, the literature on this issue is still scarce. The goal of the study was to investigate the possible associations among manual dexterity, aiming and catching tasks, and balance tasks for children who suffers maltreatment and lived in social vulnerability. Eighty-two (82) children (08-09 years old) participated in the study. Forty-one (41) belong to the (SEV-M Group) children living in social economic vulnerability and were previously maltreated (lived in foster homes as results of parental neglect and domestic violence), and 41 belong to the (SEV Group) children living in social economical vulnerability with no history of childhood maltreatment. Children were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children –2nd Edition. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the data. The results suggest the existence of a variety of motor difficulties in the group of children who suffered from neglect and domestic violence. The statistics model showed a negative effect for children in at-risk environments (regression coefficient = −0.30) and only showed a significant effect (p = 0.04) for balance abilities. Traumatic experiences may have a negative effect on children’ balance proficiency.     

The allure of ‘easy’: reflections on the learning experience in private higher education institutes in Egypt

Private institutions are increasingly visible in the higher education landscape of Egypt. Many of these institutions, however, are within the ‘demand-absorbing’ category, offered at relatively lower fees and requiring lower test scores for admission. Building on interview data, this paper looks at how the graduates of some of these institutes reflect on their learning experience. In the discourse of these graduates, the learning experience is described as ‘easy’ and less demanding. This ‘easy’ education is accepted, justified and even celebrated. Credential fetish and the social status associated with a higher education degree are central to the perpetuation of the allure of ‘easy’. However, ‘easy’ education is also condemned for its compromised quality and low status. The paper seeks to situate these competing and overlapping discourses on private institutes within the analysis of the structure of the education system in Egypt and the global neoliberal tide for education reform.     

Upwardly mobile working-class adolescents: a biographical approach on habitus dislocation

Habitus dislocation is a much debatable term. By presenting life-histories of working-class adolescents, this article argues (i) that not all upwardly mobile working-class adolescents experience habitus dislocation and, (ii) that habitus dislocation has its roots in the self-initiated ruptures that face some of those who want to be upwardly mobile and who are trying to replace ‘second-nature’ dispositions with newly made schemes of action and with self-understandings disconnected from their childhood socialisation. It is not that social mobility produces habitus dislocation but that social mobility feeds and intensifies something that existed prior to their educational achievement. For this reason the authors consider that biographical method is an extremely powerful tool for grasping the way adolescents deal with the discontinuities created in their teen life-world experiences.     

Clout or doubt? Perspectives on an infant mental health service for young children placed in foster care due to abuse and neglect

Despite knowledge about the profound effects of child abuse and neglect, we know little about how best to assess whether maltreated children should return home. The effectiveness of the New Orleans Intervention Model (NIM) is being tested in a randomized controlled trial where the comparison is social work ‘services as usual.’ The future trial results will tell us which approach produces the best outcomes for children; meanwhile qualitative process evaluation is generating intriguing findings about the perceived impact of NIM on decision-making about childrens’ futures. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with social workers, foster carers, legal decision-makers and the NIM team (n = 63). Data were analysed thematically. Findings suggest that NIM is seen as bringing greater influence (‘clout’) to decision-making due to its depth of focus, provision of treatment for the family, health professional input and perceived objectivity. Simultaneously, the NIM approach and the detailed information it produces potentially throws judgments into doubt in the legal system. Clout/doubt perceptions permeate opinions about NIM and are inter-related with a historical discourse about ‘health versus social’ models of information gathering, with implications for assessment of child abuse and neglect that extend beyond the study context. The juxtaposition of ‘clout versus doubt’ both highlights and is strengthened by an intense focus among social workers and legal professionals on how evidence will be regarded within legal fora when making decisions about children. There is continuing uncertainty in the child welfare system about the best ways of assessing maltreated children, underscoring a continued need for the trial.