Assessing contemporary parenting dimensions : development and psychometric investigation of the parenting behaviours and dimensions questionnaire

While a substantial amount of research has been conducted on parenting and its effects on child development, there is a significant lack of agreement over the key dimensions of parenting and the assessment of parenting behaviour. Most parenting dimensions that have been examined in previous studies can be subsumed under the themes of parenting warmth, behavioural control, and psychological control; however, there are many other dimensions discussed in the literature that may be important to the practices of contemporary parents. In addition, the assessment of parenting has been problematic due to theoretical disagreement, concerns over generalisability, and problems with the developmental methods and psychometric properties of current measures of parenting. Therefore, the aims of this research were to develop a comprehensive and psychometrically sound self-report measure of parenting for use with parents of preadolescent children, and to use this empirical scale development process to identify the core dimensions of contemporary parenting practices. The final aim of the study was to use the newly developed Parenting Behaviours and Dimensions Questionnaire (PBDQ) to address some of the questions in the literature relating to the generalisability and universality of parenting theory and assessment across various parenting subgroups. The research employed a mixed-method design, combining previous literature and assessment items with qualitative parent feedback and quantitative scale development, validation, and practical utility assessment procedures.In Phase One of this research, the initial item pool (N = 288) was generated, which were based on items from six widely used parenting measures, as well as a list of items generated by the researcher on parental responsiveness, intrusiveness, and overprotection, based on previous literature. After items were reviewed for redundancies (N = 210), a sample of 16 parents of children aged 3 to 12 years provided written feedback on the item pool, and a further sample of 15 parents participated in one of three focus groups discussing the items as well as important parenting themes that were not covered in the item pool. Verbatim item feedback from both phases as well as content analysis of the focus group transcripts resulted in the elimination of 115 items, while 29 items were reworded and 21 items were added, yielding a total of 116 items in the final item pool assessing a range of parenting behaviours.In Phase Two, a community sample of 846 parents of children aged 3-12 years completed an online survey of the items in the final item pool. Exploratory factor analysis conducted on a randomly selected sample of 580 of these parents yielded a six factor solution, including dimensions of Emotional Warmth, Punitive Discipline, Responsiveness, Discipline Inconsistency, Democratic Discipline, and Anxious Intrusiveness. A confirmatory factor analysis conducted on the remaining 266 parents supported a higher order five factor solution, with the Anxious Intrusiveness factor excluded from the model. The final Parenting Behaviours and Dimensions Questionnaire included 27 items, and Cronbach’s alphas were found to be acceptable to excellent.A community sample of 105 parents completed an online test-retest study in Phase Three, and results supported the relative stability of the PBDQ over a two and four week period. This sample was combined with a further sample of 58 parents recruited for the Animal Fun Project at Curtin University (Piek et al., 2010). Validity analyses comparing the PBDQ to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997) subscale scores and the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliot, 1990) subscale scores were generally in the expected direction. In general, better childhood outcomes were associated with lower levels of parental punitive discipline, discipline inconsistency, and anxious intrusiveness, and higher levels of parent emotional warmth, responsiveness, and democratic discipline.Phase Four utilised the data from Phase Two to assess the utility and generalisability of the PBDQ, and results suggested that there was very little variability in PBDQ scores across parent gender, child gender, and individualistic versus collectivist cultural groups, with some differences in PBDQ variability between primary and non-primary caregivers. In addition, the factorial validity for the PBDQ across parents of male and female children was confirmed, and there were no significant differences in PBDQ scores across parent gender x caregiver status, or child gender. Finally, significant variance in PBDQ scores was accounted for by important demographic variables in the regression analyses, but effect sizes were small. Taken together, these results provide support for the utility of the PBDQ and the underlying factor structure, and the universality of the dimensions assessed across a range of demographic variables.The overall findings of this project provide support for the psychometric properties, universality, and practical utility of the PBDQ, which was developed to address the theoretical, methodological, and psychometric limitations of previous measures. The five dimensions which are described in the PBDQ appear to combine a number of different parenting concepts that have been identified in the literature, providing some clarity to the definition of key parenting dimensions. This measure will allow for the comprehensive and consistent assessment of parenting, and the development of alternative assessment systems based on these core dimensions to assist in future research and clinical practice

Candidate Gene Identification for a Lethal Chlorophyll-Deficient Mutant in Soybean

Chlorophyll-deficient mutants have been studied persistently to understand genetic mechanisms controlling metabolic pathways. A spontaneous chlorophyll-deficient lethal mutant was observed in self-pollinated progeny of a soybean cultivar “BSR 101”. Observed segregation patterns indicated single-gene recessive inheritance for this lethal-yellow mutant. The objectives of this investigation were to develop a genetic linkage map of the region containing the lethal-yellow (YL_PR350) gene and identify putative candidate genes for this locus. The YL_PR350 gene was mapped to chromosome 15 and is flanked by BARCSOYSSR_15_1591 and BARCSOYSSR_15_1597. This region physically spans ~153 kb and there are 14 predicted genes that lie in this region. The predicted gene Glyma.15g275900 is an excellent candidate for the YL_PR350 gene as it is homologous to an Arabidopsis gene, At3g08010, which codes for a chloroplast-localized protein (ATAB2) involved in the biogenesis of Photosystem I and II. This thylakoid membrane protein is crucial for photosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Future characterization of the candidate gene may enhance our knowledge about photosynthesis, a complex metabolic process critical for sustainability of plants

Early detection of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants at high risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 months corrected age:LEAP-CP prospective cohort study protocol

INTRODUCTION: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), including cerebral palsy (CP), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), are characterised by impaired development of the early central nervous system, impacting cognitive and/or physical function. Early detection of NDD enables infants to be fast-tracked to early intervention services, optimising outcomes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants may experience early life factors increasing their risk of neurodevelopmental vulnerability, which persist into later childhood, further compounding the health inequities experienced by First Nations peoples in Australia. The LEAP-CP prospective cohort study will investigate the efficacy of early screening programmes, implemented in Queensland, Australia to earlier identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants who are ‘at risk’ of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes (NDO) or NDD. Diagnostic accuracy and feasibility of early detection tools for identifying infants ‘at risk’ of a later diagnosis of adverse NDO or NDD will be determined. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander infants born in Queensland, Australia (birth years 2020–2022) will be invited to participate. Infants aged <9 months corrected age (CA) will undergo screening using the (1) General Movements Assessment (GMA); (2) Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE); (3) Rapid Neurodevelopmental Assessment (RNDA) and (4) Ages and Stages Questionnaire-Aboriginal adaptation (ASQ-TRAK). Developmental outcomes at 12 months CA will be determined for: (1) neurological (HINE); (2) motor (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales 2); (3) cognitive and communication (Bayley Scales of Infant Development III); (4) functional capabilities (Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test) and (5) behaviour (Infant Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment). Infants will be classified as typically developing or ‘at risk’ of an adverse NDO and/or specific NDD based on symptomology using developmental and diagnostic outcomes for (1) CP (2) ASD and (3) FASD. The effects of perinatal, social and environmental factors, caregiver mental health and clinical neuroimaging on NDOs will be investigated. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval has been granted by appropriate Queensland ethics committees; Far North Queensland Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC/2019/QCH/50533 (Sep ver 2)-1370), the Townsville HHS Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/QTHS/56008), the University of Queensland Medical Research Ethics Committee (2020000185/HREC/2019/QCH/50533) and the Children’s Health Queensland HHS Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/20/QCHQ/63906) with governance and support from local First Nations communities. Findings from this study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12619000969167

Cognitive reserve, executive function, and memory in parkinson’s disease

Cognitive impairment is acknowledged as a feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and the most common cognitive declines are in executive function (EF) and memory. Cognitive reserve (CR) may offer some protection against cognitive dysfunction in PD. The present study used two proxies of CR (years of education, premorbid IQ) to examine the relationship between CR and (i) EF (ii) memory in a large PD sample (n = 334). Two aspects of EF were examined, including verbal fluency and planning skills. Two aspects of verbal memory were examined, including immediate recall and delayed recall. For EF, both CR proxies significantly predicted verbal fluency, but only years of education predicted planning skills. Years of education significantly predicted immediate recall, but premorbid IQ did not. Neither CR proxy predicted delayed recall. These findings suggest that CR, in particular years of education, may contribute to EF and memory function in those with PD. A key finding of this study is the varying contribution of CR proxies to different aspects of the same cognitive domain. The findings indicate that using only one proxy has the potential to be misleading and suggest that when testing the relationship between CR and cognition, studies should include tasks that measure different aspects of the cognitive domain(s) of interest

The Grizzly, April 11, 2013

Drug Search Policy • Advocates Strive to Empower • Diversity Report • 4th Annual Cuts for a Cause April 14 • New Club Fosters School Spirit • Move-Out Program • Pause for Paws Brings Cheer • Opinion: Ritter Needs Renovating; The R Word Hurts • Class of \u2713 Spotlight: Kevin Wilson • Senior Spotlight: Liz Chatburn, Women\u27s Lacrosse • Men\u27s Lacrosse Beats Yorkhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1881/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, February 25, 2010

Airband Date Auction Meets, Surpasses Goal • Drawing the Curtain Opens at the Berman Museum • Spread the Word to End the R Word Next Week • Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Takes UC Athletics Beyond the Fieldhouse • Snow Photos • Author Speaks on Campus About Bringing Nature Home • Skin We\u27re In Addresses Self-Esteem Issues • Cutting Down Waste by Recycling Kegs Instead of Canshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1807/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 4, 2013

AFAC to Fund ESPN • No Tolerance for Open Containers • Staff Form Assembly • Transfer Students Offer Perspective on UC • Airband Event • Devoted Yet Battered Players • Blogging has Educational Benefits • Ursinus Students Celebrate World Water Month • Opinion: Seniors, Don\u27t Freak Out About the Future; Extra-Curriculars an Important Part of Education • Ursinus Athletics Struggles • Concussions Affecting UC Athleticshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1880/thumbnail.jp

LHS6343C: A Transiting Field Brown Dwarf Discovered by the Kepler Mission

We report the discovery of a brown dwarf that transits one member of the M+M binary system LHS6343AB every 12.71 days. The transits were discovered using photometric data from the Kelper public data release. The LHS6343 stellar system was previously identified as a single high-proper-motion M dwarf. We use high-contrast imaging to resolve the system into two low-mass stars with masses 0.45 Msun and 0.36 Msun, respectively, and a projected separation of 55 arcsec. High-resolution spectroscopy shows that the more massive component undergoes Doppler variations consistent with Keplerian motion, with a period equal to the transit period and an amplitude consistent with a companion mass of M_C = 62.8 +/- 2.3 Mjup. Based on an analysis of the Kepler light curve we estimate the radius of the companion to be R_C = 0.832 +/- 0.021 Rjup, which is consistent with theoretical predictions of the radius of a > 1 Gyr brown dwarf.Comment: Our previous analysis neglected the dependence of the scaled semimajor axis, a/R, on the transit depth. By not correcting a/R for the third-light contamination, we overestimated the mass of Star A, which led to an overestimate the mass and radius of the LHS6343

Rationale, design and methods for a randomised and controlled trial to evaluate "Animal Fun" - a program designed to enhance physical and mental health in young children

Background: Children with poor motor ability have been found to engage less in physical activities than other children, and a lack of physical activity has been linked to problems such as obesity, lowered bone mineral density and cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, if children are confident with their fine and gross motor skills, they are more likely to engage in physical activities such as sports, crafts, dancing and other physical activity programs outside of the school curriculum which are important activities for psychosocial development. The primary objective of this project is to comprehensively evaluate a whole of class physical activity program called Animal Fun designed for Pre-Primary children. This program was designed to improve the child's movement skills, both fine and gross, and their perceptions of their movement ability, promote appropriate social skills and improve social-emotional development. Methods: The proposed randomized and controlled trial uses a multivariate nested cohort design to examine the physical (motor coordination) and psychosocial (self perceptions, anxiety, social competence) outcomes of the program. The Animal Fun program is a teacher delivered universal program incorporating animal actions to facilitate motor skill and social skill acquisition and practice. Pre-intervention scores on motor and psychosocial variables for six control schools and six intervention schools will be compared with post-intervention scores (end of Pre-Primary year) and scores taken 12 months later after the children's transition to primary school Year 1. 520 children aged 4.5 to 6 years will be recruited and it is anticipated that 360 children will be retained to the 1 year follow-up. There will be equal numbers of boys and girls.Discussion: If this program is found to improve the child's motor and psychosocial skills, this will assist in the child's transition into the first year of school. As a result of these changes, it is anticipated that children will have greater enjoyment participating in physical activities which will further promote long term physical and mental health