Associations between diurnal preference, sleep quality and externalizing behaviours: a behavioural genetic analysis

Background - Certain aspects of sleep co-occur with externalizing behaviours in youth, yet little is known about these associations in adults. The present study: (1) examines the associations between diurnal preference (morningness versus eveningness), sleep quality and externalizing behaviours; (2) explores the extent to which genetic and environmental influences are shared between or are unique to these phenotypes; (3) examines the extent to which genetic and environmental influences account for these associations. Method - Questionnaires assessing diurnal preference, sleep quality and externalizing behaviours were completed by 1556 young adult twins and siblings. Results - A preference for eveningness and poor sleep quality were associated with greater externalizing symptoms [r=0.28 (95% CI 0.23–0.33) and 0.34 (95% CI 0.28–0.39), respectively]. A total of 18% of the genetic influences on externalizing behaviours were shared with diurnal preference and sleep quality and an additional 14% were shared with sleep quality alone. Non-shared environmental influences common to the phenotypes were small (2%). The association between diurnal preference and externalizing behaviours was mostly explained by genetic influences [additive genetic influence (A)=80% (95% CI 0.56–1.01)], as was the association between sleep quality and externalizing behaviours [A=81% (95% CI 0.62–0.99)]. Non-shared environmental (E) influences accounted for the remaining variance for both associations [E=20% (95% CI −0.01 to 0.44) and 19% (95% CI 0.01–0.38), respectively]. Conclusions - A preference for eveningness and poor sleep quality are moderately associated with externalizing behaviours in young adults. There is a moderate amount of shared genetic influences between the phenotypes and genetic influences account for a large proportion of the association between sleep and externalizing behaviours. Further research could focus on identifying specific genetic polymorphisms common to both sleep and externalizing behaviours

Persistence of Problematic Sexual Behaviors in Children

The purpose of this study was to identify personal and family predictors and correlates of persistence of problematic sexual behaviors (PSB) in children. Participants were the families of 49 children (ages 4–11 years) referred by Child Protective Services in 4 administrative districts of Quebec. Caregivers completed interviews and questionnaires twice at a 1-year interval. Results showed that 43% of children persisted with PSB. When age was controlled, greater exposure to sexualized behaviors in the family proved both a correlate and a predictor of PSB persistence in children 12 months later.\ud Externalizing problems and somatic complaints emerged as correlates of PSB as well. Maltreatment subtypes did not predict PSB persistence

Theoretical and Experimental Investigations Regarding Open Volumetric Receivers of CRS

AbstractConcentrated sunlight is absorbed in solar thermal power plants by heat resistant absorbers and converted into usable heat which is transferred to a carrier medium. In solar tower power plants such as the plant in Jülich porous absorbers can reach temperatures up to 1000°C and higher. At this power plant air as heat transfer medium is sucked in through the absorber and heated up to about 700°C. The absorber is composed of highly porous ceramic or metal wire structures. The SIJ investigates the optimization of solar absorption and the convective heat transfer to the air using thermo and fluid mechanical calculations. In such simulations the key quantities are the penetration depth of solar radiation κ and the volumetric heat transfer coefficient αv, which indicates how much energy - depending on the volume and temperature difference - is transferred by convection between solid and fluid. The attenuation of the radiation into the depth of the absorber is described generally by an exponential function with parameter κ. This is accompanied by heat transfer to the structure. Existing models of the key quantities have been validated by experimental data

Early risk factors for adolescent antisocial behaviour: an Australian longitudinal study

Objective: This investigation utilizes data from an Australian longitudinal study to identify early risk factors for adolescent antisocial behaviour. Method: Analyses are based on data from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy, an on-going longitudinal investigation of women’s and children’s health and development involving over 8000 participants. Five types of risk factors (child characteristics, perinatal factors, maternal/familial characteristics, maternal pre- and post-natal substance use and parenting practices) were included in analyses and were based on maternal reports, child assessments and medical records. Adolescent antisocial behaviour was measured when children were 14 years old, using the delinquency subscale of the Child Behaviour Checklist. Results: Based on a series of logistic regression models, significant risk factors for adolescent antisocial behaviour included children’s prior problem behaviour (i.e. aggression and attention/restlessness problems at age 5 years) and marital instability, which doubled or tripled the odds of antisocial behaviour. Perinatal factors, maternal substance use, and parenting practices were relatively poor predictors of antisocial behaviour. Conclusions: Few studies have assessed early predictors of antisocial behaviour in Australia and the current results can be used to inform prevention programs that target risk factors likely to lead to problem outcomes for Australian youth

When one childhood meets another – maternal childhood trauma and offspring child psychopathology: a systematic review.

Background: Child maltreatment can have a long-term impact on mental health. Less is known about the consequences of child maltreatment on the next generation’s psychological wellbeing. Aim: This systematic review aimed to synthesise existing empirical literature on the association between a mother’s history of maltreatment in her own childhood and her children’s experience of psychopathology, and to characterise potential mediating pathways. Method: Electronic database and hand searches yielded 12 studies, with a combined sample size of 45,723 mother-child dyads, which met criteria for inclusion in the review. Results: There was evidence of an overall positive association between a mother’s history of child maltreatment and her child’s experience of emotional and behavioural difficulties across childhood and adolescence. Maternal psychological distress and poorer parenting practices were found to be key mediating pathways of this association. Conclusion: Children of mothers who were exposed to maltreatment in childhood appear to be at an increased risk for psychopathology. Mothers with traumatic childhood experiences should be offered improved access to psychological therapies and parenting programmes to help mitigate the potential impact of child maltreatment on future generations

Child Psychosocial Adjustment and Parenting in Families Affected by Maternal HIV/AIDS

Child adjustment and parenting were examined in 23 9-through 16-year-old youth from families affected by maternal HIV infection and 20 same-age peers whose mothers were not infected. Children whose mothers were seropositive reported significantly more externalizing problems. Infected mothers reported less age-appropriate supervision/monitoring relative to non-infected mothers. Better mother-child relationship quality and less impairment in parental supervision/monitoring of age-appropriate youth behaviors were associated with fewer externalizing difficulties among the HIV-positive group only. Similarly, only among HIV-infected mothers was refraining from engaging in inconsistent disciplinary tactics associated with lower reports of internalizing and externalizing problems. These data highlight the promise of programs targeting parenting skills to prevent or ameliorate child difficulties

The Effects of Negative Legacies on the Adjustment of Parentally Bereaved Children and Adolescents

This is a report of a qualitative analysis of a sample of bereaved families in which one parent died and in which children scored in the clinical range on the Child Behavior Check List. The purpose of this analysis was to learn more about the lives of these children. They were considered to be at risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems associated with the death. We discovered that many of these “high risk” children had a continuing bond with the deceased that was primarily negative and troubling for them in contrast to a comparison group of children not at risk from the same study. Five types of legacies, not mutually exclusive, were identified: health related, role related, personal qualities, legacy of blame, and an emotional legacy. Coping behavior on the part of the surviving parent seemed to make a difference in whether or not a legacy was experienced as negative