A theoretically grounded exploration of the social and emotional outcomes of transition to secondary school

Adolescent development involves a complex interplay between genetics, biology, and social and emotional relationships within multiple contexts of home, school and the broader community. The transition from primary to secondary school, coupled with the onset of puberty, can therefore be a difficult period for young people to negotiate at a critical period of their developmental pathway. Using a social ecological perspective, this article examines the impact of the transition experience on adolescent social and emotional health, both immediately following transition to secondary school and at the end of the first year in this new school environment. This 1-year prospective study involving 1,500 Australian Grade 8 secondary school students found that 31% of students in the sample experienced a \u27difficult\u27 or \u27somewhat difficult\u27 transition to their new school. This third of the student sample were consequently more likely to experience poorer social and emotional health, including higher levels of depression and anxiety at the end of their first year of secondary school, while controlling for these variables at the time of transition. A central message from this work exemplifies the urgent need for a longitudinal intervention trial to develop best practice guidelines for activities that help ameliorate the negative impact a change in education context can create for adolescents negotiating a rapid metamorphosis from childhood to adulthood

Beyond-brand effect of television food advertisements on food choice in children: The effects of weight status

Copyright © The Authors 2007.Objective - To investigate the effect of television food advertising on children’s food intake, specifically whether childhood obesity is related to a greater susceptibility to food promotion. Design - The study was a within-subject, counterbalanced design. The children were tested on two occasions separated by two weeks. One condition involved the children viewing food advertisements followed by a cartoon, in the other condition the children viewed non-food adverts followed by the same cartoon. Following the cartoon, their food intake and choice was assessed in a standard paradigm. Setting - The study was conducted in Liverpool, UK. Subjects - Fifty-nine children (32 male, 27 female) aged 9–11 years were recruited from a UK school to participate in the study. Thirty-three children were normal-weight (NW), 15 overweight (OW) and 11 obese (OB). Results - Exposure to food adverts produced substantial and significant increases in energy intake in all children (P < 0·001). The increase in intake was largest in the obese children (P = 0·04). All children increased their consumption of high-fat and/or sweet energy-dense snacks in response to the adverts (P < 0·001). In the food advert condition, total intake and the intake of these specific snack items correlated with the children’s modified age- and gender-specific body mass index score. Conclusions - These data suggest that obese and overweight children are indeed more responsive to food promotion, which specifically stimulates the intake of energy-dense snacks.University of Liverpoo

A systematic review of the psychometric properties of Quality of Life measures for school aged children with cerebral palsy

Background: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and clinical utility of all condition specific outcome measures used to assess quality of life (QOL) in school aged children with cerebral palsy (CP)

Impact of extra-curricular activities on adolescents\u27 connectedness and cigarette smoking: final report

In Australia, cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death and yet in the past 10 years, despite efforts that have been made in the classroom and through the media, there have been limited reductions in adolescent smoking. The Extra-curricular Project builds on the work of two other projects conducted by researchers from the Child Health Promotion Research Centre (CHPRC). The Smoking Cessation for Youth Project (SCYP), conducted by the Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research, led to the identification of connectedness as a key mediator of cigarette smoking. The role of extra-curricular activities in mediating school connectedness was explored in the subsequent formative evaluation (conducted by the CHPRC) which was used to inform the Extra-curricular Project, and identified a range of benefits for students who participate in extracurricular activities through increasing school connectedness

Overcoming the challenges and complexities of researching a vulnerable population within a palliative care context

While previous studies have investigated sleep issues in chronic illness and the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), this has not been examined within palliative care. High rates of sleep difficulties have been found in patients receiving palliative care. We aimed to explore the practical feasibility of implementing CBT-I among palliative patients using techniques such as stimulus control therapy, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery/thought blocking. However, issues such as the intervention protocols being relatively labor intensive and time consuming for participants that were receiving palliative care, involving completion of daily diaries and quantitative outcome measures, led to high non-completion rates among participants. Consequently, a shift in methodology was required and a qualitative approach was adopted to explore participants’ experiences of sleep disturbance within palliative care. The aim was to gain an in-depth understanding of the specific issues and challenges within palliative care that impacted on sleep. Focus groups were conducted with patients, informal carers and hospice staff who all described how they experienced sleep difficulties. This provided a broader understanding of insomnia from multiple perspectives within palliative care. Furthermore, it helped inform how we will go about designing future studies in CBT-I in palliative care; having illuminated the appropriate adaptions required to current protocols. This case study will discuss the complexities and ethical issues we faced at each stage of the research process and how adopting both quantitative and qualitative approaches helped provide useful insights that will inform future research

Occupational Therapy: Breaking the Barriers with Survivors of Human Trafficking

PICO Question What occupational therapy interventions enhance the occupational engagement for survivors of human trafficking? Objectives Recognize the occupational injustices experienced by survivors of human trafficking and the effect on occupational participation Describe the role of the occupational therapy practitioner in enhancing occupational participation of survivors of human trafficking Discuss evidence-based interventions within the scope of occupational therapy practice for survivors of human traffickin

Fatigue experienced by people with cerebral palsy : A systematic review of assessment tools and decision tree

Purpose To conduct a systematic review of self- and proxy-report fatigue assessment tools used in studies of people with cerebral palsy (CP) of all ages, and to develop a fatigue assessment tool decision tree for clinicians and researchers. Materials and methods Five electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science and Cochrane) were searched to September 2021 to identify studies assessing self-reported fatigue in people with CP of any age. The assessment tools utilised were extracted and two reviewers appraised the tool characteristics, clinical utility and psychometric properties. A decision tree for selecting fatigue assessment tools was constructed. Results Ten assessment tools were identified across thirty-nine studies, three of which are valid and reliable for assessing fatigue severity and impact in people with CP. A four-level fatigue assessment tool decision tree was constructed. No valid and reliable tool for assessing cognitive fatigue was identified; responsiveness has not been evaluated in any tool for people with CP. Conclusions Physical fatigue screening and assessment tools for people with CP are available and are presented in our decision tree, however their utility as outcome measures remains unclear. Cognitive fatigue is understudied and poorly understood, further work is required in this area. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION • Current measurement tools to screen and assess physical fatigue in people with cerebral palsy (CP) are valid and reliable and are presented in our 4-level decision tree to guide assessment tool selection. • The responsiveness of these measurement tools to screen and assess physical fatigue has not been evaluated, therefore their utility as outcome measures in people with CP is unclear. • Cognitive fatigue is understudied and poorly understood in people with CP. • Valid and reliable tools to assess cognitive fatigue in people with CP are not available

Three year results of the Friendly Schools whole-of-school intervention on children\u27s bullying behaviour

A group randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of the Friendly Schools program to reduce student bullying behaviour. This socio-ecological intervention targeted the whole school, classroom, family, and individual students to reduce bullying behaviour. Self-report data were collected in 29 schools over three years from a cohort of 1968 eight to nine-year-olds. Surveys measured frequency of being bullied, bullying others, telling if bullied and observing bullying. Results indicate that intervention students were significantly less likely to observe bullying at 12, 24 and 36 months and be bullied after 12 and 36 months, and significantly more likely to tell if bullied after 12 months than comparison students. No differences were found for self-reported perpetration of bullying. The findings suggest whole-of-school programs that engage students in their different social contexts appear to reduce their experiences of being bullied and increase their likelihood of telling someone if they are bullied

Understanding how and under what circumstances decision coaching works for people making healthcare decisions: a realist review

Background - Decision coaching is non-directive support delivered by a trained healthcare provider to help people prepare to actively participate in making healthcare decisions. This study aimed to understand how and under what circumstances decision coaching works for people making healthcare decisions. Methods - We followed the realist review methodology for this study. This study was built on a Cochrane systematic review of the effectiveness of decision coaching interventions for people facing healthcare decisions. It involved six iterative steps: (1) develop the initial program theory; (2) search for evidence; (3) select, appraise, and prioritize studies; (4) extract and organize data; (5) synthesize evidence; and (6) consult stakeholders and draw conclusions. Results - We developed an initial program theory based on decision coaching theories and stakeholder feedback. Of the 2594 citations screened, we prioritized 27 papers for synthesis based on their relevance rating. To refine the program theory, we identified 12 context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations. Essential mechanisms for decision coaching to be initiated include decision coaches’, patients’, and clinicians’ commitments to patients’ involvement in decision making and decision coaches’ knowledge and skills (four CMOs). CMOs during decision coaching are related to the patient (i.e., willing to confide, perceiving their decisional needs are recognized, acquiring knowledge, feeling supported), and the patient-decision coach interaction (i.e., exchanging information, sharing a common understanding of patient’s values) (five CMOs). After decision coaching, the patient’s progress in making or implementing a values-based preferred decision can be facilitated by the decision coach’s advocacy for the patient, and the patient’s deliberation upon options (two CMOs). Leadership support enables decision coaches to have access to essential resources to fulfill their role (one CMOs). Discussion - In the refined program theory, decision coaching works when there is strong leadership support and commitment from decision coaches, clinicians, and patients. Decision coaches need to be capable in coaching, encourage patients’ participation, build a trusting relationship with patients, and act as a liaison between patients and clinicians to facilitate patients’ progress in making or implementing an informed values-based preferred option. More empirical studies, especially qualitative and process evaluation studies, are needed to further refine the program theory

Innovative Analyses Support a Role for DNA Damage and an Aberrant Cell Cycle in Myelodysplastic Syndrome Pathogenesis

We used flow cytometry to analyze the cell cycle, DNA damage, and apoptosis in hematopoietic subsets in MDS marrow. Subsets were assigned using CD45, side scatter, CD34, and CD71. Cell cycle fractions were analyzed using DRAQ 5 (DNA content) and MPM-2 (mitoses). DNA damage was assessed using p-H2A.X, and apoptosis using Annexin V. Compared to controls, MDS patients demonstrated no increased mitoses in erythroid, myeloid, or CD34+ cells. Myeloid progenitors demonstrated increased G2 cells, which with no increased mitoses suggested delayed passage through G2. Myeloid progenitors demonstrated increased p-H2A.X, consistent with DNA damage causing this delay. Annexin V reactivity was equivalent in MDS and controls. Results for each parameter varied among hematopoietic compartments, demonstrating the need to analyze compartments separately. Our results suggest that peripheral cytopenias in MDS are due to delayed cell cycle passage of marrow progenitors and that this delayed passage and leukemic progression derive from excessive DNA damage