An effective measure of childhood adversity that is valid with older adults

Childhood adversity (CA) has life-long effects that we are just beginning to understand. The Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) data is a rich resource that could contribute to the knowledge of the impact of CA in the later years but, while a number of CA items are included in MIDUS, a cumulative CA scale based on those items has not been created. Development of a CA scale would create numerous research opportunities within MIDUS and overcome some of the challenges of using a secondary dataset. The present study aimed to demonstrate that a cumulative measure of CA that is valid with older adults could be created using retrospective MIDUS Refresher study data (Ryff et al., 2016); analysis included data collected from 2011 to 2014 from 2542 adults ages 23–76 (1017 adults 55–76). The present study provided a rationale for which measures of CA to include in a cumulative scale. The distribution of eight types of CA and the cumulative CA scale were consistent with findings from past studies of CA. The factor structure of the cumulative CA scale was similar to the original ACE study and included two factors: household dynamics and child abuse/neglect. Consistent with past studies, the CA scale predicted a negative association with life satisfaction and a positive association with number of chronic conditions. This study demonstrated that an effective cumulative measure of CA could be created that would be of value to other studies using MIDUS data to explore outcomes with older adults.     

A longitudinal investigation of protective factors for bereaved maltreated youth

BackgroundMaltreated youth are at an elevated risk for the development of problem behaviors. Coping with the death of a family member or close friend during adolescence, referred to as bereavement, is a stressful event that could potentiate risk linked to maltreatment. However, developmental research suggests that youth adjustment is a product of multiple risk and protective factors. Although maltreated youth who experience loss may be particularly vulnerable to behavior problems, personal and contextual factors may attenuate or exacerbate youths’ risk for internalizing and externalizing psychopathology.ObjectiveThe overarching goal of this study is to examine individual, family, and community-level protective factors for maltreated youth who experience bereavement. Specifically, we aim to examine the effect of age 12 bereavement on age 16 internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and to investigate the moderating role of multi-level protective factors at ages 14 and 16.MethodsThe study consisted of a sample of 800 youth (52.4% female, 45.1% African-American) drawn from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), collected from 1998 to 2011.ResultsMaltreated youth who experienced significant loss were at increased risk for externalizing symptoms, compared to non-bereaved maltreated youth (β = 0.085, p < .05). Individual future orientation (β = 0.103, p < .05) family future orientation (β = −0.120, p < .05), parental monitoring (β = −0.123, p< .01), and neighborhood collective efficacy (β = −0.126, p < .01) each significantly moderated the association between bereavement and externalizing symptoms.ConclusionsThese results have implications for future interventions aimed towards reducing problem behaviors in adolescents with a history of child maltreatment and who experience bereavement.     

Being bullied at school as a child,worse health as an adult? Evidence from China

This paper examines the long-run relationship between school bullying exposure and later adult health using a nationally representative household survey data from China. Our results show that victims are more likely to have low self-reported health, chronic diseases, physical functional limitations, and mental health problems even after several decades. The negative health consequences are more concentrated on the disadvantaged who come from low-income households or lack family support. The main findings are also consistent with qualitative evidence of our online survey.     

逆境中的生存智慧——解读元散曲的另一视角

文学是供人阅读、欣赏、感悟的，从文学阅读学的角度来说，当我们走进作品的情感世界，便会获得一种现实意义。元散曲作家仕途受阻，生存状态艰难，但其作品却体现着一种幽默旷达的情怀。他们在对历史的反思与对现实的观照中。感悟到人生价值并不在于功名富贵的占有，而是身心的自由与安宁，于是重新设计生存方式。他们更加关爱生命本身，在山水、田园、情爱中享受世俗生活的真趣，化解了不良情绪，体现出一种逆境中的生存智慧，给遭遇挫折的人们以启迪。     

Screening for hearing loss in early childhood programs

This study assessed the feasibility of doing hearing screening in Migrant, American Indian and Early Head Start programs using otoacoustic emissions (OAE) technology. Staff members were trained to screen 0–3-year-old children for hearing loss using hand-held OAE equipment and a multi-step screening and referral protocol. Of the 3486 children screened as a part of the study, 77% passed an OAE screening at the first step, 18% more passed an OAE screening at the second step, and 5% were ultimately referred for medical or audiological follow-up. Eighty children were identified as having a hearing loss or disorder of the outer, middle or inner ear requiring treatment. Of these 80, six had permanent bilateral or unilateral hearing loss. Although the protocol suggested that the multi-step screening procedure should be completed within a 4-week time period or less, analysis of the data showed that for children requiring more than an initial OAE screening, the length of time over which the screening was completed ranged from 7 to 12 weeks. The median time required to complete a single OAE screening session was 4 minutes per child. The results demonstrate that OAE screening of young children using this protocol is practical and effective. The implications for conducting periodic hearing screening throughout early childhood are discussed.     

Children’s Beliefs about Learning and Physical Difficulties

Beliefs about learning and physical difficulties were explored in 50 younger children (M = 5.6, SD = 1.0 years) and 50 older children (M = 9.5, SD = 1.1 years). Participants were asked why they thought some children had learning or physical difficulties and whether children with these difficulties would always have them. The majority of older children were able to generate one or more ideas about the causes of learning and physical difficulties, but 58% of the younger children did not know the causes of learning difficulties and 42% did not know the causes of physical difficulties. Younger and older children thought that learning difficulties could be overcome with increased effort on the part of parents, teachers, and child, whereas physical difficulties were believed to be beyond anyone’s control. Results suggest that some aspects of children’s knowledge about causes and outcomes of learning and physical difficulties are limited. Research is needed to determine whether beliefs and misconceptions about learning and physical difficulties are associated with the quantity and quality of interpersonal interactions, and to determine the sources of children’s information as well as the accuracy of these sources.     

Childhood trauma as a mediator between emotional intelligence and recidivism in male offenders

BackgroundPrior researches have implicated a relationship of recidivism with childhood trauma (CT) and emotional intelligence (EI). However, the internal mechanism by which CT and EI influence the recidivism has not been examined.ObjectiveThis study aimed to map the road from CT and EI to recidivism in Chinese male offenders.Participants and settingThree thousand one hundred and eighty-one Chinese adult male offenders participated in this study and completed Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). Recidivism was quantified by the number of convictions according to official records.MethodsAfter controlling for age, education levels, family criminal history, and nature of offence, logistic regression sanalysis was performed to examine the effects of CT and EI on severity of recidivism. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to explore the mediation model between CT, EI and recidivism.ResultsLogistic regression model shows a significant effect of CT (OR = 1.008, p < 0.01), rather than EI, on recidivism. SEM supported a full mediating effect of CT in the relationship between EI and severity of recidivism.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that EI has no direct effect on the recidivism, but exerts indirect influence on the recidivism through the mediating role of childhood trauma.     

Emotional and behavior problems in adopted children – The role of early adversities and adoptive parents’ regulation and behavior

BackgroundEarly adversity and negative experiences in the adoptive family can put adopted children at risk for emotional and behavior problems.ObjectiveThis study analyzes the influence of children’s preadoptive history and adoptive parents’ characteristics on the psychosocial adjustment of nationally and internationally adopted children in Germany.Participants and settingThe survey included 172 adopted children aged between 24 and 145 months and their adoptive parents.MethodsParents provided information about preadoptive history. Information about emotional and behavior problems was obtained from the parental version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Parental well-being was obtained through a composite score of three standardized measures (self-efficacy questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale PSS-4, Brief Symptom Inventory BSI); parenting behavior was assessed with the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (DEAPQ).Results12.5% of the adopted children scored in the clinical range of the SDQ. In a multiple regression analysis, the experience of maltreatment and neglect was the most important predictor of emotional and behavior problems at time of assessment, followed by pre- and perinatal risk and parental stress regulation difficulties, R² = .423, F(4, 128) = 28.539. Increases in the number of risk factors present were associated with a greater odd of children scoring in the clinical range of the SDQ.ConclusionsMost of the nationally and internationally adopted children in this sample were well-adjusted. Prenatal and preadoptive risk as well as stress regulation capacities of the main caregiver contributed to the child’s development. An accumulation of risks increased the likelihood of adjustment problems in adopted children.     

Childhood maltreatment,cognitive emotion regulation strategies,and alcohol craving and dependence in alcohol-dependent males: Direct and indirect pathways

ObjectivesChildhood maltreatment (CM) and cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERSs) may be important in alcohol craving and dependence in alcohol-dependent individuals. The aim of this study was to evaluate direct effects of CM on the subscales of alcohol craving and alcohol dependence and its indirect effects via CERSs in individuals with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence.MethodsIn a cross-sectional design, 329 alcohol-dependent males completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Short version (CERQ-Short), the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS), the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II).ResultsParticipants with alcohol dependence had early age of onset of alcohol use (mean = 20.78 years), relatively long duration of alcohol use (mean = 11.14 years), and low education (mean = 9.55 years). Indirect effects were observed from CM to the subscales of alcohol craving and dependence only through maladaptive CERSs after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. No direct effect was observed through CM on the subscales of alcohol craving and dependence.ConclusionsAlthough drawing causal conclusions from the current research is impossible, the findings suggest that maladaptive CERSs may be a possible mechanism relating CM to alcohol craving and dependence in treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent individuals, while adaptive CERSs may be less important regarding this relation. However, the findings of the current study need longitudinal research.