Expectations and Stress Related to Choosing and Providing Treatment: A Comparative Study of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders or with Down Syndrome

This study looked at the level of stress experienced by parents (N = 280) of children with an autism spectrum disorder (Autism, n = 134; Asperger\u27s disorder, n = 36; & PDD-NOS, n = 42) or with Down syndrome (n = 68) as it related to child\u27s impairment and to the process of choosing and providing treatments. Using the new Family Access to Disability Services (FADS) measure, it was discovered that parents of children with an autism spectrum diagnosis had more difficulty in accessing and providing the treatments they wanted for their children. Higher FADS scores predicted parenting stress, even when first controlling for family income, child\u27s impairment level, and diagnosis. Child\u27s impairment was the strongest predictor of parent stress, with social and behavioral impairments being especially salient. Children (mean age = 8.6) were currently enrolled in an average of 5.4 treatments and parents had tried nearly 10 interventions. The total number of treatments tried did not relate to measures of parenting stress

Development and Validation of a Quantitative Measure of Intensive Parenting Attitudes

Intensive mothering (IM) attitudes have been considered the dominant discourse of motherhood, but have only been assessed qualitatively The goal of this study was to develop a quantitative scale to assess these ideologies, their construct validity, and their relationship to relevant constructs (i.e., work status and division of household labor). An on-line questionnaire was given to 595 mothers asking 56 questions assessing different aspects of IM attitudes as well as several validation measures. An Exploratory Factor Analysis on 315 randomly selected mothers yielded a 5 factor solution. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis on the remaining 280 mothers demonstrated good fit. The five factors expressed the ideas that 1) women are inherently better at parenting than men (Essentialism), 2) parenting should be fulfilling (Fulfillment), 3) children should be cognitively stimulated by parents (Stimulation), 4) mothering is difficult (Challenging), and 5) parents should prioritize the needs of the child (Child-Centered). Scales had adequate reliability and construct validity compared to the Parental Investment in Child scale, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, and Beliefs about Maternal Employment. The Essentialism, Fulfillment, and Challenging scales were positively related to having more responsibility for childcare and household chores. Stay-at-home mothers had higher scores on Essentialism and lower scores on Stimulation than both part-time and full-time working mothers supporting the notion that both working and non-working mothers have intensive parenting ideologies that are manifested in different ways

Fuentes de carbono económicas para la producción de bioplásticos bacterianos

Los plásticos, particularmente aquellos producidos a partir del petróleo, son utilizados ampliamente debido a sus propiedades mecánicas y fisicoquímicas. Sin embargo, estos materiales son poco biocompatibles y muestran resistencia a procesos de degradación, por lo que tienden a acumularse ocasionando efectos detrimentales al ambiente. Como sustituto a los petroplásticos (plásticos derivados del petróleo) se pueden emplear polímeros de origen biológico, que poseen propiedades similares a sus contrapartes sintéticas, pero una mayor biocompatibilidad. La mayoría de los bioplásticos (plásticos de origen biológico) muestran costos de producción más elevados que petroplásticos similares, lo que constituye una gran desventaja. En esta revisión se presenta una breve reseña de la biosíntesis bacteriana de polihidroxibutiratos (PHB) y polihidroxivaleratos (PHV ) a partir de fuentes de carbono consideradas como subproductos o desechos de actividades agrícolas o industriales. La selección de una fuente de carbono económica puede cerrar parcialmente la brecha económica entre la producción de bioplásticos y la producción de petroplásticos. Abstract Plastics, particularly those produced f rom crude oil, are widely used due to their mechanical, physical and chemical properties. Nevertheless, these materials are poorly biocompatible and show resistance to degradation processes; therefore, they tend to accumulate, causing detrimental effects on the environment. Polymers of biological origin that have similar properties but higher biocompatibility, can be used as a substitute to petroplastics (petroleum-based plastics). Most bioplastics (biologically obtained plastics) have higher production costs than similar petroplastics, which represents a great disadvantage. In this review, a brief account of bacterial polyhydroxybutirate (PHB) and polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV ) biosynthesis using carbon sources deemed as byproducts or waste of agricultural or industrial activities is presented. Choosing an economical carbon source can partially close the economic gap between bioplastic and petroplastic production. Keywords: Polyhydroxybutirate, polyhydroxyvalerate, bioplastics, biocompatibility, biosynthesis

Relationship processes and resilience in children with incarcerated parents.

Children with incarcerated parents are at risk for a variety of problematic outcomes, yet research has rarely examined protective factors or resilience processes that might mitigate such risk in this population. In this volume, we present findings from five new studies that focus on child- or family-level resilience processes in children with parents currently or recently incarcerated in jail or prison. In the first study, empathic responding is examined as a protective factor against aggressive peer relations for 210 elementary school age children of incarcerated parents. The second study further examines socially aggressive behaviors with peers, with a focus on teasing and bullying, in a sample of 61 children of incarcerated mothers. Emotion regulation is examined as a possible protective factor. The third study contrasts children\u27s placement with maternal grandmothers versus other caregivers in a sample of 138 mothers incarcerated in a medium security state prison. The relation between a history of positive attachments between mothers and grandmothers and the current cocaregiving alliance are of particular interest. The fourth study examines coparenting communication in depth on the basis of observations of 13 families with young children whose mothers were recently released from jail. Finally, in the fifth study, the proximal impacts of a parent management training intervention on individual functioning and family relationships are investigated in a diverse sample of 359 imprisoned mothers and fathers. Taken together, these studies further our understanding of resilience processes in children of incarcerated parents and their families and set the groundwork for further research on child development and family resilience within the context of parental involvement in the criminal justice system