Concept mapping for planning and evaluation of a community-based initiative

Community-based initiatives address community issues by providing a multi-agency approach to prevention and intervention services (Connell et al.,1995). When incorporating multiple agencies, it can be challenging to obtain multiple perspectives and gaining consensus on the priorities and direction for these initiatives. This study employed a participatory approach called concept mapping to build consensus amongst stakeholder groups in a victims' assistance program. This multiple-method technique provided visual representations of the findings assessing community initiative providers' perceptions of barriers to accessing victim's assistance services for children and families who experience or witness violence or trauma. Visualizations organized findings into interpretable groups of statements to label and provide actionable next steps for community initiative providers. Several results of interest emerged from this study. First, there are varying community and system facets that providers perceive to be barriers to children's and families' access to care; some are within the trauma provider system of care whereas other barriers are perpetuated within the community. In addition, stakeholders rated barriers based on their prevalence and capacity to change within the community. Average ratings varied by cluster, with distrust of the trauma-informed system of care as the most prevalent barrier and workforce development as the barrier noted as the easiest to change. Stakeholder group ratings for prevalence of all clusters were higher for program staff than from law enforcement officers and mental health providers whereas ratings for capacity to change were in greater agreement between stakeholder groups overall. Moreover, program staff noted that the concept mapping process and visualizations provided them with a means to discuss actionable steps with community-based initiative providers of the victim's assistance program as a whole

Integration of behavioral frequency and intention information in young children’s trait attributions.

Two experiments examined three- to six-year-olds' use of frequency and intention information to make trait attributions and behavioral predictions. In experiment 1, participants were told a story about an actor who behaved positively once or four times on purpose or incidentally. Children were most likely to make trait-consistent behavioral predictions after hearing about several positive, intentional behaviors. Trait attributions were largely positive. Experiment 2 examined children's use of the same cues concerning negative behavioral outcomes. Participants tended to predict that actors who engaged in negative behavior would do so again, irrespective of intention, although younger children required more exemplars than older children. Participants were most likely to make negative trait attributions after hearing about multiple intentional behaviors; however, there was reluctance with age to describe actors as mean. Implications for children's ‘theory of personality’ are discussed

Concept mapping for planning and evaluation of a community-based initiative

Community-based initiatives address community issues by providing a multi-agency approach to prevention and intervention services (Connell et al.,1995). When incorporating multiple agencies, it can be challenging to obtain multiple perspectives and gaining consensus on the priorities and direction for these initiatives. This study employed a participatory approach called concept mapping to build consensus amongst stakeholder groups in a victims' assistance program. This multiple-method technique provided visual representations of the findings assessing community initiative providers' perceptions of barriers to accessing victim's assistance services for children and families who experience or witness violence or trauma. Visualizations organized findings into interpretable groups of statements to label and provide actionable next steps for community initiative providers. Several results of interest emerged from this study. First, there are varying community and system facets that providers perceive to be barriers to children's and families' access to care; some are within the trauma provider system of care whereas other barriers are perpetuated within the community. In addition, stakeholders rated barriers based on their prevalence and capacity to change within the community. Average ratings varied by cluster, with distrust of the trauma-informed system of care as the most prevalent barrier and workforce development as the barrier noted as the easiest to change. Stakeholder group ratings for prevalence of all clusters were higher for program staff than from law enforcement officers and mental health providers whereas ratings for capacity to change were in greater agreement between stakeholder groups overall. Moreover, program staff noted that the concept mapping process and visualizations provided them with a means to discuss actionable steps with community-based initiative providers of the victim's assistance program as a whole

Behavioral Deficits at 18-22 Months of Age Are Associated with Early Cerebellar Injury and Cognitive and Language Performance in Children Born Extremely Preterm

To investigate associations in toddlers born extremely preterm (<28 weeks) between neonatal neuroimaging and 18- to 22-month developmental and behavioral outcomes. Cohort analysis from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network Surfactant Positive Airway Pressure and Pulse Oximetry Trial Neuroimaging and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Study of infants born extremely preterm. Subjects underwent cranial ultrasonography and near-term magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). At 18-22 months of corrected age, the assessment included the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) Problem and Competence Scale scores and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III). The BITSEA Problem Scale assesses dysregulation; the Competence Scale assesses social-emotional competence. We examined associations of Problem and Competence scores and positive screen rates with cranial ultrasonography and near-term MRI. Mean BITSEA and Bayley-III scores were compared using ANOVA and positive screen rates with the χ2 test. We computed correlations between BITSEA and Bayley-III scores. Of the 397 children, positive BITSEA screens were found in 34% for the Problem score and 26% for the Competence score. Presence of lesions on near-term MRI that included cerebellar lesions were significantly associated with lower BITSEA Competence but not with Problem scores; Competence scores were inversely related to the presence/significance of lesions. Positive screens on Competence scores and on both Competence and Problem scores were significantly associated with Bayley-III cognitive and language scores <85 (P < .001). Social–emotional competence contributes to deficits in cognitive and language development. Presence of injury on near-term MRI that includes cerebellar lesions is associated with later social–emotional competence and may be a useful predictor to guide early assessment and intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00063063 and NCT00233324

Growth Rates of Infants Randomized to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or Intubation After Extremely Preterm Birth.

Objective To evaluate the effects of early treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on nutritional intake and in-hospital growth rates of extremely preterm (EPT) infants. Study design EPT infants (240/7-276/7 weeks of gestation) enrolled in the Surfactant Positive Airway Pressure and Pulse Oximetry Trial (SUPPORT) were included. EPT infants who died before 36 weeks of postmenstrual age (PMA) were excluded. The growth rates from birth to 36 weeks of PMA and follow-up outcomes at 18-22 months corrected age of EPT infants randomized at birth to either early CPAP (intervention group) or early intubation for surfactant administration (control group) were analyzed. Results Growth data were analyzed for 810 of 1316 infants enrolled in SUPPORT (414 in the intervention group, 396 in the control group). The median gestational age was 26 weeks, and the mean birth weight was 839 g. Baseline characteristics, total nutritional intake, and in-hospital comorbidities were not significantly different between the 2 groups. In a regression model, growth rates between birth and 36 weeks of PMA, as well as growth rates during multiple intervals from birth to day 7, days 7-14, days 14-21, days 21-28, day 28 to 32 weeks PMA, and 32-36 weeks PMA did not differ between treatment groups. Independent of treatment group, higher growth rates from day 21 to day 28 were associated with a lower risk of having a Bayley-III cognitive score Conclusions EPT infants randomized to early CPAP did not have higher in-hospital growth rates than infants randomized to early intubation