32 research outputs found
Maternal Bonding in Early Infancy Predicts Childrens' Social Competences in Preschool Age
Background: There are many studies on mother-child-bonding with little theoretical
doubt that better bonding may have a positive effect on further social development.
However, there is hardly any empirical evidence. In particular, there is a lack prospective
longitudinal studies.
Methods: As part of a longitudinal study, bonding was assessed in a community
sample of 97 healthy mothers using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) 6
weeks after birth of their child. Social competencies in the offspring were assessed
using the Self- and Other-oriented Social Competencies (SOCOMP) at 5.5 years of age.
A potential correlation between bonding and social competencies was tested using
Spearman Rank Correlation.
Results: Retention rate over 5.5 years was 77.23%. Lower Maternal Bonding
Impairment Scores 6 weeks postnatally were positively related to childrensâ social
competences at 5.5 years of age.
Conclusion: The present data confirm a positive and long-term influence of bonding
on social skills and provide further evidence of the importance of parent child bonding
for child development in general. This result should give reason to further investigate this
relationship in depth, causally and at later points in time
Problematic Internet Use among Adolescents 18 Months after the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Studies in recent years and especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have
shown a significant increase in the problematic use of computer games and social media. Adolescents
having difficulties in regulating their unpleasant emotions are especially prone to Problematic Internet
Use (PIU), which is why emotion dysregulation has been considered a risk factor for PIU. The aim of
the present study was to assess problematic internet use (PIU) in adolescents after the third wave
(nearly 1.5 years after the onset in Europe) of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the German region of
Siegen-Wittgenstein, all students 12 years and older from secondary-level schools, vocational schools
and universities were offered a prioritized vaccination in August 2021 with an approved vaccine
against COVID-19. In this context, the participants filled out the Short Compulsive Internet Use
Scale (SCIUS) and two additional items to capture a possible change in digital media usage time
and regulation of negative affect due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A multiple regression analysis
was performed to identify predictors of PIU. The original sample consisted of 1477 participants,
and after excluding invalid cases the final sample size amounted to 1268 adolescents aged 12â17
(x = 14.37 years, SD = 1.64). The average prevalence of PIU was 43.69%. Gender, age, digital media
usage time and the intensity of negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic were all found to
be significant predictors of PIU: female gender, increasing age, longer digital media usage time and
higher intensity of negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with higher
SCIUS total scores. This study found a very high prevalence of PIU among 12- to 17-year-olds for the
period after the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased significantly compared
to pre-pandemic prevalence rates. PIU is emerging as a serious problem among young people in
the pandemic. Besides gender and age, pandemic-associated time of digital media use and emotion
regulation have an impact on PIU, which provides starting points for preventive interventions
Semen inhibits Zika virus infection of cells and tissues from the anogenital region
Zika virus (ZIKV) causes severe birth defects and can be transmitted via sexual intercourse. Semen from ZIKV-infected individuals contains high viral loads and may therefore serve as an important vector for virus transmission. Here we analyze the effect of semen on ZIKV infection of cells and tissues derived from the anogenital region. ZIKV replicates in all analyzed cell lines, primary cells, and endometrial or vaginal tissues. However, in the presence of semen, infection by ZIKV and other flaviviruses is potently inhibited. We show that semen prevents ZIKV attachment to target cells, and that an extracellular vesicle preparation from semen is responsible for this anti-ZIKV activity. Our findings suggest that ZIKV transmission is limited by semen. As such, semen appears to serve as a protector against sexual ZIKV transmission, despite the availability of highly susceptible cells in the anogenital tract and high viral loads in this bodily fluid.Peer reviewe
Populist Mobilization: A New Theoretical Approach to Populism*
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112280/1/j.1467-9558.2011.01388.x.pd
Familial context influences media usage in 0- to 4-year old children
Background: The use of digital media (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.) and the
Internet have become omnipresent for every age group and are part of childrenâs
and parentsâ everyday life. Focusing on young children, the availability of media
devices, their use as well as associated problems (e.g., in social, emotional and
motor development) have increased in recent years. Of particular interest for
prevention of these problems in early childhood is the relationship between the
familial context (parental digital media use, Problematic Internet Use, school
graduation, presence of siblings) and the digital media use of infants and toddlers.
The present studyâs goal was to describe media usage in 0â4-year-old children
and to identify the potential relationship between familial context factors and
child media usage.
Methods: The sample included Nâ =â 3,035 children aged 0 to 3;11â years
(Mâ = 17.37â months, SDâ =â 13.68; 49.13% female). Recruitment took place within the
framework of a restandardization study for a German developmental test. The
parents of the participants answered a questionnaire on socio-demographics, on
child media use, and on parental media use. Questions on parental media use
included the full version of the Short Compulsive Internet Use Scale (S-CIUS).
Results: Significant increases in media usage times with child age were identified,
but no significant gender differences. A multiple regression analysis revealed that
increasing maternal total media usage time, a higher parental S-CIUS score, lower
school leaving certificate of both mother and father, and increasing childâs age
led to higher child media usage time. Having siblings diminished young childrenâs
media usage in this study. Having more than one child and having children aged
over a year was associated with a higher parental S-CIUS score.
Conclusion: Family factors such as maternal media use time, Problematic
Internet Use and lower school graduation are significantly associated with young
childrenâs digital media use. Parents should be aware of their personal influence
on their childrenâs media use which might be due their role in terms of model
learning