The role of parental achievement goals in predicting autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting

Although autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting are linked to numerous positive and negative child outcomes respectively, fewer studies have focused on their determinants. Drawing on achievement goal theory and self-determination theory, we propose that parental achievement goals (i.e., achievement goals that parents have for their children) can be mastery, performance-approach or performance-avoidance oriented and that types of goals predict mothers' tendency to adopt autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviors. A total of 67 mothers (aged 30-53 years) reported their goals for their adolescent (aged 13-16 years; 19.4 % girls), while their adolescent evaluated their mothers' behaviors. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that parental performance-approach goals predict more controlling parenting and prevent acknowledgement of feelings, one autonomy-supportive behavior. In addition, mothers who have mastery goals and who endorse performance-avoidance goals are less likely to use guilt-inducing criticisms. These findings were observed while controlling for the effect of maternal anxiety

Promoting optimal parenting and children’s mental health : a preliminary evaluation of the How-to Parenting Program

Parenting quality is widely accepted as a primary predictor of children’s mental health. The present study examined the effectiveness of a parenting program in fostering optimal parenting and child mental health. The selected program was How to talk so kids will listen & listen so kids will talk (How-to Parenting Program). This program was selected because its content corresponds closely to what the parenting style literature suggests is optimal parenting (i.e., includes structure, affiliation and autonomy support). Eleven groups of six to twelve parents were conducted in 7 local grade schools. The program, offered by two trained leaders, consisted of eight weekly sessions and taught a total of 30 skills. A total of 82 parents completed questionnaires both prior to and after the program. Participants’ children between eight and 12 years old (N = 44) completed questionnaires at school, at both assessment points. Repeated measures ANOVAs using parent reports indicated that structure, affiliation and autonomy support were increased after the program, compared to baseline. The level of child internalizing and externalizing problems also decreased significantly. Importantly, children reports confirmed that parental autonomy support increased from pre to post-test and child-reported well-being improved as well. The preliminary evidence from this pre-test versus post-test repeated measures design suggests that the How-to Parenting Program is effective in improving parenting style and in promoting children’s mental health and that future evaluation research examining the potential of this program is warranted

A Class of Constitutive Relations with Internal Variable Derivatives. Derivation from Homogenization and Initial Value Problem

A general framework for deriving and using a class of constitutive laws incorporating spatial gradients of internal variables is presented. It uses two basic ingredients : a derivation of such models by homogenization techniques and a reformulation of the evolution equation at the scale of the whole structure

CD127 expression and regulation are altered in the memory CD8 T cells of HIV-infected patients – reversal by highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART)

HIV infection activates abnormally the immune system and the chronic phase is accompanied by marked alterations in the CD8 compartment. The expression of CD127 (IL-7R alpha chain) by memory CD8 T lymphocytes in HIV-infected patients is analysed and reported. The memory CD8 T cell subset was characterized by expression of CD45RA and CD27 markers, and CD127 cell surface expression was measured ex vivo by four-colour flow cytometry. HIV infection was associated with a fall in the proportion of CD127(+) cells among memory CD8 lymphocytes that resulted in a higher CD127(−) CD45RA(−)CD27(+) CD8 T cell count in HIV-infected patients. Diminished CD127 cell surface expression [mean fluorescence intensity (MFI)] by positive cells was also observed in this subset. The data suggest that these defects were reversed by highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). The regulation of CD127 expression was also studied in vitro. Down-regulation of CD127 by interkeukin (IL)-7 was observed in memory CD8 lymphocytes from healthy donors and HAART patients. Expression of CD127 by memory CD8 lymphocytes cultured in the absence of IL-7 confirmed that IL-7R regulation is altered in viraemic patients. Under the same experimental conditions, memory CD8 lymphocytes from HAART patients were shown to express CD127 at levels comparable to cells from healthy individuals. Altered CD127 cell surface expression and defective CD127 regulation in the memory CD8 T lymphocytes of HIV-infected patients are potential mechanisms by which these cells may be impeded in their physiological response to endogenous IL-7 stimulatory signals. Our data suggest that these defects are reversed during the immune reconstitution that follows HAART

Diverse profiles of N‐acyl‐homoserine lactone molecules found in cnidarians

Many marine habitats, such as the surface and tissues of marine invertebrates, including corals, harbour diverse populations of microorganisms, which are thought to play a role in the health of their hosts and influence mutualistic and competitive interactions. Investigating the presence and stability of quorum sensing (QS) in these ecosystems may shed light on the roles and control of these bacterial communities. Samples of 13 cnidarian species were screened for the presence and diversity of N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs; a prevalent type of QS molecule) using thin-layer chromatography and an Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4 biosensor. Ten of 13 were found to harbour species-specific, conserved AHL profiles. AHLs were confirmed in Anemonia viridis using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. To assess temporal role and stability, AHLs were investigated in A. viridis from intertidal pools over 16 h. Patterns of AHLs showed conserved profiles except for two mid-chain length AHLs, which increased significantly over the day, peaking at 20:00, but had no correlation with pool chemistry. Denaturing gel electrophoresis of RT-PCR-amplified bacterial 16S rRNA showed the presence of an active bacterial community that changed in composition alongside AHL profiles and contained a number of bands that affiliate with known AHL-producing bacteria. Investigations into the quorum sensing-controlled, species-specific roles of these bacterial communities and how these regulatory circuits are influenced by the coral host and members of the bacterial community are imperative to expand our knowledge of these interactions with respect to the maintenance of coral health

Disentangling autonomy-supportive and psychologically controlling parenting: A meta-analysis of self-determination theory's dual process model across cultures

Self-determination theory’s (SDT) dual process model maintains that parental autonomy support relates positively to child well-being, while psychologically controlling parenting is linked positively to child ill-being. We tested these claims using a combination of one-stage and univariate meta-analytic structural equation modeling with moderation (k = 238; n = 1,040, N = 126,423). In the univariate models, parental autonomy support linked positively with child well-being (r = 0.30 [95% CI 0.26, 0.33]) whereas parental psychological control was positively linked with child ill-being (r = 0.26 [0.23, 0.28]). Consistent with SDT’s dual process model, the one-stage model that controls for the intercorrelations between predictors, showed that parental autonomy support and psychological control had unique and independent effects on child wellness outcomes. Parental autonomy support linked positively with child well-being, even when accounting for psychological control (r = 0.26 [0.20, 0.31]), and psychological control was positively linked to child ill-being, independent of autonomy support (r = 0.20 [0.17, 0.23]). Crucially, the beneficial effects of parental autonomy support and the costs of psychological control applied across regions, degrees of national individualism and cultural hierarchy, as well as child developmental periods and sexes. These results help move the field beyond debates about whether autonomy is universally beneficial, toward questions about manifestations of autonomy across groups and variations in its optimal support

rAAV9-mediated gene transfer in the spinal cord of a feline model of motor neuron degeneration

National audienc

rAAV9-mediated gene transfer in the spinal cord of a feline model of motor neuron degeneration

National audienc