Early life events and motor development: A longitudinal study

Longitudinal studies are important to fully understand the processes of neurological development during gestation and how risk factors present during this time impact motor development outcomes, yet few to date have focused on this critical time period. The purpose of this study was to identify modifiable risk factors influencing motor development during the prenatal period. Of particular interest was finding out whether these risk factors differed between the sexes. Participants (N=2900) were from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. The Raine Study began in May 1989 and women were recruited between 16-20 weeks gestation (m = 18 weeks) from the main obstetric hospital in Western Australia (W.A.), King Edward Memorial Hospital. Approximately 100 participants per month were recruited, with the process completed during November 1991. The women were primarily Caucasian, from European descent (88.2%), and included mothers who identified as Aboriginal (2.4%), Chinese (4.4%), Indian (2.6%), Polynesian (0.9%) and Vietnamese (0.3%). Recruitment criteria included adequate English language skills for the understanding of the study process and a desire to reside in W.A. to facilitate future follow up. There were 2868 live births and extensive obstetric, antenatal and sociodemographic data were recorded. Maternal and child health data were collected in a series of data collection phases at ages 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14, 17, and 21 years. Motor coordination was measured at 10 (n = 1622), 14 (n = 1584) and 17 (n = 1221) years using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND) (McCarron, 1997). The Neuromuscular Development Index (NDI) of the MAND was used as a continuous outcome measure. Potential risk factors for a poorer motor outcome, including maternal smoking, alcohol and drug consumption, maternal age, parental handedness, maternal health (illness and infection), delivery mode, gestational hypertensive status, stress, socioeconomic status, percentage of optimal birth weight (a measure of whether growth potential has been met), child’s sex, gestational age, parity and breastfeeding were examined. Cross sectional analyses comprising chi-square tests, t-tests and univariate ANOVA models (general linear model - GLM) with Bonferroni post hoc correction were used to identify variables that contributed to motor development outcomes. The effect of these variables on motor development were further examined using linear mixed models accounting for the unbalanced nature of longitudinal data with repeated measures. A series of studies were conducted to analyse the impact of these factors on long term motor development outcomes. The first study found that maternal hypertensive disease, in particular preeclampsia, had negative long term effects on motor development outcomes. The second study examined the number, timing and type of stressful events mothers experienced during pregnancy. A significant relationship between number of stressful events and motor development outcomes was revealed, suggesting increased stress led to suboptimal neurological development. Stress later in pregnancy was found to have a greater effect than earlier stress. The impact of breastfeeding duration was investigated in the third study and a protective effect was found for those who were breastfed for six months or longer compared to those who were breastfed for less than six months. When males and females were examined separately in the fourth study there were some differences in the type of factors that affected motor development outcomes. Maternal preeclampsia, mode of delivery and income affected both male and female motor outcomes. Lower percentage of optimal birth weight was related to a lower male NDI. Younger maternal age, smoking during early pregnancy and stress during later pregnancy were related to lower NDI in females. Other factors considered in the analyses, including lower family income, male sex, maternal alcohol consumption, smoking and caesarean section delivery were also found to negatively impact motor development outcomes. This information can be utilized to help identify potentially at risk infants and ensure optimal future neurological development. Early detection and intervention strategies may help to increase motor development outcomes in those who are exposed to the identified risks

The impact of maternal gestational stress on motor development in late childhood and adolescence: a longitudinal study

The number and timing of stressors experienced during pregnancy were investigated using longitudinal data from the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study cohort (N = 2,900). Motor development data were collected at 10 (n = 1,622), 14 (n = 1,584), and 17 (n = 1,222) years using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development. Linear mixed models were used to examine the effect of stress on motor development, accounting for repeated measures. Number of stressful events and mean Neuromuscular Development Index were negatively related (β = −1.197, p = .001). Stressful events experienced in late pregnancy were negatively related with offspring motor development (β = −0.0541, p = .050), while earlier stressful events had no significant impact

Time for change: Fitness and strength can be improved and sustained in adolescents with low motor competence

Background: There are few exercise interventions focused on adolescents with low motor competence and most interventions are short with little follow up and engagement over time. Methods and procedures: Fifty-eight adolescents with low motor competence (39 males, Mean Age=13.6, SD=1.4 years) attended an exercise clinic twice a week for each 13 week program. Two programs ran each year, and participants attended for as long as they felt progress was made or they turned 18 years of age. Performance on the Multistage Fitness Test (MSFT), Curl-ups, Grip Strength, 1RM Leg press and Chest Press, Vertical Jump and Standing Broad Jump (SBJ) were recorded pre and post each program for up to six years. Linear Mixed Modelling (LMM) determined changes in fitness measures over time whilst adjusting for gender, age and Neuromuscular Developmental Index (McCarron, 1997). Results: All fitness measures increased, and specifically four of the seven fitness outcomes showed significant improvement over time (MSFT,p= 0.011; curl-ups, p \u3c 0.001, grip strength p=0.003, and SBJ p=0.006). Conclusion: An individually tailored regular exercise program in a supportive environment can achieve exercise adherence and sustainable improvements in fitness outcomes for adolescents with low motor competence. Future research should consider the addition of a comparison LMC control group to increase understanding of the intervention effect

Detection and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia in primary care in Australia: protocol for a pragmatic cluster intervention study with pre-post intervention comparisons

Introduction: Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), an autosomal dominant disorder of lipid metabolism, results in accelerated onset of atherosclerosis if left untreated. Lifelong treatment with diet, lifestyle modifications and statins enable a normal lifespan for most patients. Early diagnosis is critical. This protocol trials a primary care-based model of care (MoC) to improve detection and management of FH. Methods and analysis: Pragmatic cluster intervention study with pre-post intervention comparisons in Australian general practices. At study baseline, current FH detection practice is assessed. Medical records over 2 years are electronically scanned using a data extraction tool (TARB-Ex) to identify patients at increased risk. High-risk patients are clinically reviewed to provide definitive, phenotypic diagnosis using Dutch Lipid Clinic Network Criteria. Once an index family member with FH is identified, the primary care team undertake cascade testing of first-degree relatives to identify other patients with FH. Management guidance based on disease complexity is provided to the primary care team. Study follow-up to 12 months with TARB-Ex rerun to identify total number of new FH cases diagnosed over study period (via TARB-Ex, cascade testing and new cases presenting). At study conclusion, patient and clinical staff perceptions of enablers/barriers and suggested improvements to the approach will be examined. Resources at each stage will be traced to determine the economic implications of implementing the MoC and costed from health system perspective. Primary outcomes: increase in number of index cases clinically identified; reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of treated cases. Secondary outcomes: increase in the number of family cases detected/contacted; cost implications of the MoC. Ethics and dissemination: Study approval by The University of Notre Dame Australia Human Research Ethics Committee Protocol ID: 0 16 067F. Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ID: 12616000630415. Information will be disseminated via research seminars, conference presentations, journal articles, media releases and community forums

Perceptions of Wildlife in New Zealand And Persuasive Documentary Filmmaking Techniques

Understanding the current knowledge and perceptions of your audience is important when creating persuasive communication. The aim of the creative component of this thesis, a 25-minute film, is to encourage responsible cat ownership in order to allow native biodiversity to increase in urban areas. Therefore, understanding why the audience might value one species over another is important in order to create a film that will provoke more conservation-friendly opinions. The academic side of this theses explores New Zealander’s perceptions of wildlife as well as documentary storytelling techniques that could be used to create social change. This thesis introduces the opinions that the general public in New Zealand have towards native wildlife and biodiversity conservation (Chapter One). The way in which biodiversity is currently being conserved is often controversial in the eyes of the public, and this has been especially true regarding cat management in working towards a ‘Predator- Free 2050’ national strategy. Documentary filmmaking is a communication tool that can be used effectively to create social change, which can help work towards alleviating social tensions in controversy. Documentary techniques for social impact are explored in Chapter Two, as background for the making of the documentary film, which aimed to encourage public engagement with responsible cat ownership through a locally-based narrative. In order to acquire a more in-depth understanding of the wildlife perceptions of urban New Zealanders, a survey was designed and implemented to target a Dunedin suburb (North East Valley). Described in Chapter Three, the survey interrogated 131 respondents about their opinions regarding ten animals that can be found in Dunedin. This included five native species and five introduced. Questions queried levels of familiarity (e.g. identification and context of knowledge), as well as the level of concern respondents, would feel if they found the animal dead in their backyard, and why respondents feel that way. Finally, a 25-minute documentary film was made with the message of responsible cat ownership. It was created with the intention to encourage the public to work towards a future where endemic and native wildlife flourishes in urban environments. This intentionality is discussed in Chapter Four. The film follows an urban cat owner, as he learns about where his free-roaming cat goes and what that could mean for the environment. The negative impact of cats is also explored through natural history stories of endemic species that have been greatly impacted by cats in the past. Finally, the film provides a look at what biodiversity could be like, delivered through the exemplary story of Zealandia’s success in Wellington, combined with methods of responsible cat ownership suggested as stepping stones for achieving this

Perceptions of Wildlife in New Zealand And Persuasive Documentary Filmmaking Techniques

Understanding the current knowledge and perceptions of your audience is important when creating persuasive communication. The aim of the creative component of this thesis, a 25-minute film, is to encourage responsible cat ownership in order to allow native biodiversity to increase in urban areas. Therefore, understanding why the audience might value one species over another is important in order to create a film that will provoke more conservation-friendly opinions. The academic side of this theses explores New Zealander’s perceptions of wildlife as well as documentary storytelling techniques that could be used to create social change. This thesis introduces the opinions that the general public in New Zealand have towards native wildlife and biodiversity conservation (Chapter One). The way in which biodiversity is currently being conserved is often controversial in the eyes of the public, and this has been especially true regarding cat management in working towards a ‘Predator- Free 2050’ national strategy. Documentary filmmaking is a communication tool that can be used effectively to create social change, which can help work towards alleviating social tensions in controversy. Documentary techniques for social impact are explored in Chapter Two, as background for the making of the documentary film, which aimed to encourage public engagement with responsible cat ownership through a locally-based narrative. In order to acquire a more in-depth understanding of the wildlife perceptions of urban New Zealanders, a survey was designed and implemented to target a Dunedin suburb (North East Valley). Described in Chapter Three, the survey interrogated 131 respondents about their opinions regarding ten animals that can be found in Dunedin. This included five native species and five introduced. Questions queried levels of familiarity (e.g. identification and context of knowledge), as well as the level of concern respondents, would feel if they found the animal dead in their backyard, and why respondents feel that way. Finally, a 25-minute documentary film was made with the message of responsible cat ownership. It was created with the intention to encourage the public to work towards a future where endemic and native wildlife flourishes in urban environments. This intentionality is discussed in Chapter Four. The film follows an urban cat owner, as he learns about where his free-roaming cat goes and what that could mean for the environment. The negative impact of cats is also explored through natural history stories of endemic species that have been greatly impacted by cats in the past. Finally, the film provides a look at what biodiversity could be like, delivered through the exemplary story of Zealandia’s success in Wellington, combined with methods of responsible cat ownership suggested as stepping stones for achieving this

Maternal hypertensive diseases negatively affect offspring motor development

Objective: Hypertension in pregnancy and preeclampsia have been linked to poor out-comes in cognitive, mental and psychomotor development; however, few longitudinal studies have researched their effect on offspring motor development, particularly in late childhood and adolescence. The purpose of this study was to determine if maternal hyper-tensive diseases during pregnancy are a risk factor for compromised motor development at 10,14, and 17 years. Study design: Longitudinal cohort study using data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study (Raine). Main outcome measure: Offspring (n = 2868) were classified by their maternal blood pressure profiles during pregnancy: normotension (n = 2133), hypertension (n = 626) and pre-eclampsia (n = 109). Offspring motor development, at 10, 14, and 17 years was measured by the Neuromuscular Developmental Index (NDI) of the McCarron Assessment of Motor Development (MAND). Methods: Linear mixed models were used to compare outcomes between pregnancy groups. Results: Offspring from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia had poorer motor out-comes at all ages than offspring from either normotensive mothers (p 6 0.001) or those with hypertension (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Hypertensive diseases during pregnancy, in particular preeclampsia, have long term and possibly permanent consequences for motor development of offspring. ©2014 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Facilitating goals, tasks, and bonds via identity leadership:understanding the therapeutic working alliance as the outcome of social identity processes

The therapeutic working alliance between practitioner and client is a robust predictor of positive client outcomes in psychotherapy. In the current paper, we propose a social identity approach to understanding this alliance, suggesting that the alliance is best conceived of as the instantiation of shared social identification within the practitioner-client dyad. We propose that practitioners' efforts to develop a shared social identity with clients-and, hence a successful working alliance-can be achieved through known processes of identity leadership. Here, practitioners work to develop a shared sense of "us" as the foundation for a working alliance ("identity entrepreneurship"), establish practices that recognize the importance of "us" ("identity impresarioship"), work to advance the interests of "us" ("identity advancement"), and ensure that they remain an important part of the alliance by remaining a collaborative part of this "us" ("identity prototypicality"). Evidence for the utility of identity leadership in advancingmutual collaboration with clients is reviewed, and a summary of preliminary identity leadership-based strategies to foster alliance is provided. Overall, the value of a social identity approach to the working alliance lies in its ability to (a) offer a theory-driven, testable framework for understanding and advancing the working alliance, (b) provide implementable and outcome-focused practitioner strategies, and (c) facilitate alliance across a range of demographically diverse clients

Identity Change and the Transition to University: Implications for Cortisol Awakening Response, Psychological Well-being, and Academic Performance

The Social Identity Model of Identity Change (SIMIC) posits that social group memberships protect well-being during transitional periods, such as the transition to university, via two pathways – maintaining previously held social group memberships (social identity continuity) and gaining new social group memberships (social identity gain). Breaking new ground, this study investigates how these processes can influence an important biomarker of stress - cortisol awakening response (CAR). A total of 153 first year undergraduate students (69.3% female) completed measures (group memberships, depression, life satisfaction) at the beginning of the academic year (October, time 1; T1), of which 67 provided a saliva sample for CAR assessment. Seventy-nine students completed the time 2 (February, T2) measures four months later (41 provided saliva). Academic performance was assessed objectively through end-of-academic year university grade data (June, T3). At T1, students who reported greater social identity continuity and gain also reported lower depressive symptoms and greater life satisfaction. Across the academic year, social identity gain was associated with more adaptive post-awakening cortisol concentrations at T2. During the transition to university, new social group memberships were associated with a known biomarker of stress

When trust goes wrong: A social identity model of risk taking

Risk taking is typically viewed through a lens of individual deficits (e.g., impulsivity) or normative influence (e.g., peer pressure). An unexplored possibility is that shared group membership, and the trust that flows from it, may play a role in reducing risk perceptions and promoting risky behavior. We propose and test a Social Identity Model of Risk Taking in eight studies (total = 4,708) that use multiple methods including minimal group paradigms, correlational, longitudinal, and experimental designs to investigate the effect of shared social identity across diverse risk contexts. Studies 1 and 2 provided evidence for the basic premise of the model, showing that ingroup members were perceived as posing lower risk and inspired greater risk taking behavior than outgroup members. Study 3 found that social identification was a moderator, such that effect of shared group membership was strongest among high identifiers. Studies 4 and 5 among festival attendees showed correlational and longitudinal evidence for the model and further that risk-taking was mediated by trust, not disgust. Study 6 manipulated the mediator and found that untrustworthy faces were trusted more and perceived as less risky when they were ingroup compared with outgroup members. Studies 7 and 8 identified integrity as the subcomponent of trust that consistently promotes greater risk taking in the presence of ingroup members. The findings reveal that a potent source of risk discounting is the group memberships we share with others. Ironically, this means the people we trust the most may sometimes pose the greatest risk. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)