The Evolution of Giving: Considerations for Regulation of Cryptocurrency Donation Deductions

This Issue Brief looks at the rapidly growing area of cryptocurrency donations to nonprofit organizations. Given the recent IRS guidance issued on taxation of Bitcoin, specifically its decision to treat cryptocurrencies as property, questions now arise as to how charitable contributions of the coins will be valued for tax deductions. Though Bitcoin resembles most other capital gain property, its volatility, general decline in value, anonymity, and potential for abuse require specific guidance on valuation and substantiation so as to handle its unique nature and prevent larger deductions for charitable contributions than those to which taxpayers are entitled

Depressive Symptoms among Mothers and Fathers in Early Parenthood

Aims: The overall aims were to study depressive symptoms among mothers and fathers in early parenthood and how depressive symptoms are related to dyadic consensus (DCS), sense of coherence (SOC), perceiving of the child temperament, separation within the couple and bonding to the infant. Methods: Study I-III was based on the BiT-study, a longitudinal project where 393 couples answered 3 questionnaires including instruments measuring DCS at one week after childbirth, depressive symptoms at 3 months and parental stress at 18 months after childbirth. Study IV was based on the UPPSAT-study, a population based cohort project, where 727 couples answered questionnaires measuring depressive symptoms at 6 weeks and 6 months after childbirth, and impaired bonding at 6 months after childbirth. Results: In the BiT-study, 17.7% of the mothers and 8.7% of the fathers scored depressive symptoms at 3 months after childbirth, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) cut-off of ≥10. There was an association between depressive symptoms and less consensus (DCS), and the parents partly differed regarding which areas of their relationship they perceived that they disagreed about. Parents with depressive symptoms had a poorer SOC and perceived their child as more difficult than parents without depressive symptoms. Among the couples, 20% were separated 6-8 years after childbirth. Separation was associated with less dyadic consensus, more depressive symptoms and parental stress. In the UPPSAT-study, 15.3% of the mothers and 5.1% of the fathers scored depressive symptoms 6 weeks after childbirth, using the EPDS cut-off of ≥10. Further, there was an association between impaired bonding at 6 months and the parents’ depressive symptoms, as well as experience of deteriorated relationship with the spouse. Conclusions and clinical implications: Health professionals need the knowledge that depressive symptoms are common in both mother and fathers in early parenthood. It is also important to understand how depressive symptoms are associated to dyadic consensus, SOC, separation and impaired bonding in order to optimize conditions for the whole family. This knowledge is also important for the public, so those who are pregnant and new parents as well as the society are aware that there might be problems in early parenthood as depressive symptoms

Changes in Mental Health and Views on Communication and Activities of Public Institutions among Swedes during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Cross-Sectional Repeated Measures Design

Although many studies have been conducted on the effects of COVID-19 on individual lives, only a few focus on the changes in mental health and views of public institutions during the pandemic. This study aimed to investigate how mental health, i.e., life satisfaction, worries, and psychological distress, and views on public institutions’ communication and activities have changed among Swedes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether this was moderated by age and sex. In April–May 2020 (survey 1) and in January–February 2021 (survey 2), 2554 adults and 1904 newly recruited adults, respectively, anonymously completed online surveys. We found that life satisfaction and psychological distress did not change from survey 1 to survey 2. However, the level of worries increased, and the positive views of the public institutions decreased. Moreover, worries and psychological distress increased more in young adults than older adults. Finally, the change in the views of the public institutions was not related to the change in worries. Our results highlight the COVID-19 long-term impacts on individual mental health and call for the need for future research concerning the consequences for the population, especially among young adults. The results also indicate that the views on activities of public authorities decreased over time, especially among men. Given that loss of this trust can have vastly negative effects, for instance, on the vaccine campaign, it is important to monitor this trend, to increase awareness among Swedish authorities. The results also stress for institutions to provide adequate support both during the COVID-19 pandemic and in a future crisis

Depressive Symptoms among Mothers and Fathers in Early Parenthood

Aims: The overall aims were to study depressive symptoms among mothers and fathers in early parenthood and how depressive symptoms are related to dyadic consensus (DCS), sense of coherence (SOC), perceiving of the child temperament, separation within the couple and bonding to the infant. Methods: Study I-III was based on the BiT-study, a longitudinal project where 393 couples answered 3 questionnaires including instruments measuring DCS at one week after childbirth, depressive symptoms at 3 months and parental stress at 18 months after childbirth. Study IV was based on the UPPSAT-study, a population based cohort project, where 727 couples answered questionnaires measuring depressive symptoms at 6 weeks and 6 months after childbirth, and impaired bonding at 6 months after childbirth. Results: In the BiT-study, 17.7% of the mothers and 8.7% of the fathers scored depressive symptoms at 3 months after childbirth, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) cut-off of ≥10. There was an association between depressive symptoms and less consensus (DCS), and the parents partly differed regarding which areas of their relationship they perceived that they disagreed about. Parents with depressive symptoms had a poorer SOC and perceived their child as more difficult than parents without depressive symptoms. Among the couples, 20% were separated 6-8 years after childbirth. Separation was associated with less dyadic consensus, more depressive symptoms and parental stress. In the UPPSAT-study, 15.3% of the mothers and 5.1% of the fathers scored depressive symptoms 6 weeks after childbirth, using the EPDS cut-off of ≥10. Further, there was an association between impaired bonding at 6 months and the parents’ depressive symptoms, as well as experience of deteriorated relationship with the spouse. Conclusions and clinical implications: Health professionals need the knowledge that depressive symptoms are common in both mother and fathers in early parenthood. It is also important to understand how depressive symptoms are associated to dyadic consensus, SOC, separation and impaired bonding in order to optimize conditions for the whole family. This knowledge is also important for the public, so those who are pregnant and new parents as well as the society are aware that there might be problems in early parenthood as depressive symptoms

Förändringar av oro, psykisk hälsa och förtroende för samhällsfunktioner under Covid-19

In addition to life-threatening medical consequences, a pandemic can lead to negative consequences at the individual level. This study aimed to describe how the Swedish populations experience anxiety, mental health, and trust in societal functions during the covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the study aimed to highlight any differences concerning gender and age. This descriptive study is based on results from two data collections; first at the beginning of the pandemic (April–May 2020) and second after one year (February-Mars 2021) and is part of the international and national World Values Survey 3-wave "Values in Crisis" study on how the population is affected during the covid-19 pandemic. The results described that women estimated more fear than men, regarding that oneself, or a close relative should become seriously ill or suffer from financial problems because of covid-19. The results also described that there were age differences. Young adults reported more mental health problems on both occasions compared with the older age groups. Trust in societal functions, trust in how the Government handled the covid-19 pandemic, and general trust in the Government, Government agencies, and institutions decreased in the second survey, regardless of gender. However, women had higher trust than men. The older age groups had a higher trust compared to the younger age groups, although the trust decreased from the first collection to the second, in all age groups. Knowledge of how different groups' anxiety, mental health, and trust in societal functions are affected during a crisis can be useful in identifying risk groups, and in the long run developing adapted support measures for those with the greatest needs.Syftet var att beskriva människors oro, psykisk hälsa och förtroende för samhällsfunktioner under covid-19 i relation till kön och ålder, utifrån två datainsamlingar; april–maj, 2020 och februari-mars, 2021. Kvinnorna skattade mer rädsla än männen, gällande att själv eller någon nära anhörig skulle bli allvarligt sjuk eller få ekonomiska konsekvenser till följd av covid-19. Unga vuxna skattade mer psykiska besvär vid båda mättillfällena jämfört med de andra åldersgrupperna. Förtroende för samhällsfunktioner minskade vid andra undersökningen oavsett kön. Kvinnorna hade dock högre förtroende än männen. Förtroendet minskade för samtliga åldersgrupper, men var högst hos de äldre. Kunskaper om hur gruppers oro, psykiska hälsa och förtroende påverkas är viktiga för att identifiera riskgrupper, samt att utveckla anpassade stödinsatser till de med störst behov vid eventuella kommande kriser

More secure attachment to the father and the mother is associated with fewer depressive symptoms in adolescents

Aim: To investigate whether more secure attachment to the father and the mother is associated with less depressive symptoms among adolescents, and to explore possible sex differences. Method: A population-based sample of adolescents completed a school-based survey assessing demographic data, attachment to father and mother, as well as depressive symptoms. Participation rate was 80% of the eligible population, and 3,988 adolescents (1,937 boys and 2,051 girls) had complete data for the analyses. Results: Paired samples t tests showed that participants rated their attachment to mothers as slightly more secure than their attachment to fathers (t = 15.94, P < 0.001; boys: t = 5.23, P < 0.001; girls: t = 16.16, P < 0.001). In linear regression analyses there was an association between the outcome, number of depressive symptoms, and more secure attachment to the mother for boys (B=-0.532; 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.656, -0.407, P < 0.001) and for girls (B = -0.623; 95% CI -0.730, -0.516, P < 0.001). Analogous results were found for more secure attachment to the father for boys (B = -0.499; 95% CI -0.608, -0.391, P < 0.001) and for girls (B = -0.494; 95% CI -0.586, -0.401, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Understanding the relationship between attachment to both father and mother and depressive symptoms in adolescent boys and girls is essential for further development of strategies for prevention and treatment of depression

Association between mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms, sense of coherence and perception of their child's temperament in early parenthood in Sweden

Aims: To examine whether there was any association between mothers' and fathers' post-partum depressive symptoms and sense of coherence and perception of their child's temperament. The hypotheses were that parents with depressive symptoms: 1) have more often a poor sense of coherence, and 2) perceive their child's temperament to be more difficult than parents without depressive symptoms. Methods: A total of 401 Swedish-speaking couples, who were the parents of children born through the years 2004-2006 in the northern part of the county of Vastmanland, Sweden, were invited to participate in the study. The parents answered 3 questionnaires including: at inclusion of the study: demographic data (n = 393 couples); at 3 months: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Sense of Coherence Scale (n = 308 couples); and at 18 months: the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (n = 272 couples). Results: Depressive symptoms measured at 3 months, were reported by 17.7% of mothers and 8.7% of fathers, and correlated significantly between mothers and fathers within couples (rho = 0.165, p = 0.003). Mothers and fathers with depressive symptoms had a poorer sense of coherence (p < 0.001, p < 0.001) and perceived their child's temperament as more difficult than mothers and fathers without depressive symptoms at 3 (p = 0.028, p < 0.001) and 18 months (p = 0.145, p = 0.012 respectively). Conclusions: Early parenthood has been studied thoroughly in mothers, but few studies have included fathers. Identifying problems in early parenthood could help predict later problems exhibited by the preschool child, which might be prevented by supportive programmes

Capturing the Unsaid : Nurses' Experiences of Identifying Mental Ill-Health in Older Men in Primary Care - A Qualitative Study of Narratives

This study describes nurses' experiences in identifying mental ill-health in older men in primary care. The aging population is growing in Sweden and life expectancy is increasing. Age is a risk factor for mental ill-health. Older men are over-represented in deaths from suicide. When older men seek primary care, it is often because of somatic symptoms and rarely for mental health issues. A questionnaire with five open questions was answered by 39 nurses from 10 primary care centres and subjected to inductive qualitative content analysis. The results revealed a main theme-capturing the unsaid-and two categories: (1) feeling secure in the role, with three subcategories (building trust, daring to ask and interpreting signs); and (2) the need for resources, with two subcategories (time and continuity, and finding support in collaboration). The results confirm that nurses in primary care play a key role in identifying mental ill-health in older men. There is a need for resources in the form of time, competence and collaboration with other professionals and patients' relatives. This strategy will establish best practice and provide evidence-based care to facilitate improvements in older men's mental health and prevent suicide

Association between depressive symptoms and parental stress among mothers and fathers in early parenthood : A Swedish cohort study

Aim To determine whether there is an association between depressive symptoms and parental stress among mothers and fathers during early parenthood in Sweden. Methods In this study, 401 mothers and 396 fathers (393 couples) were included; the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Sense of Coherence Scale were measured 3 months after childbirth, and the Swedish Parenthood Stress Questionnaire and the Sense of Coherence Scale after 18 months. Complete data for multivariable analysis were available for 264 mothers and 252 fathers. Results The mothers estimated greater total depressive symptoms and parental stress than the fathers did. Both the mothers and the fathers had the greatest level of stress in the sub-area 'Role restriction'. The mothers had the lowest level of stress in the sub-area 'Social isolation' and the fathers in the sub-area 'Incompetence'. The mothers perceived greater levels of stress than the fathers did in all sub-areas except for 'Social isolation', where the fathers perceived higher stress. There was an association between the parents' depressive symptoms and parental stress. The parents' own depressive symptoms at 3 months and sense of coherence and the partners' parental stress at 18 months were positively associated with the parental stress at 18 months in univariable and multivariable analyses. Conclusions Understanding the relationship between depressive symptoms and parental stress is important for health professionals so they can offer parents adequate support in early parenthood to optimize the conditions for raising a child. This knowledge should also be communicated to the parents

An Overview of Guidelines for Supplemental Feeding of Infants in Swedish Maternity Clinics

This study aims to describe the local guidelines for the supplemental feeding of infants of Swedish women’s clinics with maternity wards. Purposeful sampling was used during a four-week data collection time in 2019. Guidelines from 41 of the 43 Swedish women’s clinics with maternity wards were analysed using qualitative and quantitative content analysis. The information provided, and length of the guidelines varied widely in 38 guidelines. Feeding methods were included in 28 guidelines, but 10 provided no information about feeding methods. The most common feeding methods were cup feeding and feeding probes. Suggestions for supplemental feeding included infant formula (32), breast milk (27) and no suggestions (6). The methods to support breastfeeding were skin-to-skin contact (25), breastfeeding freely (22), a caring plan (18), extra supervision (3), optimising the caring environment (2), supplying a breast pump (1) and breastfeeding observation (1). Twenty-two guidelines included information about how long formula should be given and that the feeding should be phased out gradually. We conclude that a national guideline for the supplemental feeding of infants is needed to ensure equal best practice care for infant safety and the support of parents to increase the breastfeeding rate. More national guidelines are needed in general because it is easier to update only one set of guidelines