Adolescent perceptions of parental privacy invasion and adolescent secrecy:An illustration of Simpson's paradox

Adolescents' secrecy is intertwined with perception of parents' behaviors as acts of privacy invasion. It is currently untested, however, how this transactional process operates at the within-person level-where these causal processes take place. Dutch adolescents (n = 244, Mage = 13.84, 38.50% boys) reported three times on perceived parental privacy invasion and secrecy. Cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) confirmed earlier findings. Privacy invasion predicted increased secrecy, but a reverse effect was found from increased secrecy to increased privacy invasion. Controlling for confounding positive group-level associations with a novel random intercept CLPM, negative within-person associations were found. Higher levels of secrecy predicted lower levels of privacy invasive behaviors at the within-person level. These opposing findings within- versus between-persons illustrate a Simpson's paradox

Students’ effort allocation to their perceived strengths and weaknesses:The moderating effect of instructional strategy

To become competent professionals, students should work on both their strengths and weaknesses. Considering students' limited amount of time and energy to work on multiple subjects, it is important to know what determines their allocation of effort to their perceived relative strengths or weaknesses. In a series of five studies, we examined the moderating effect of instructional strategy (i.e., self-directed versus test-directed) on the within-person relation between perceived relative strength (i.e., strengths versus weaknesses) and allocated effort across multiple subjects. We used different methodologies (scenario, field, and experimental studies), research designs (within-person and mixed factorial), populations (secondary school, college, and university students), and measures of effort (intentions, self-reported, and behavioral). The results consistently indicate that students in a self-directed instructional strategy condition tend to allocate more effort to their relative strengths, whereas students in a test-directed instructional strategy condition tend to allocate more effort to their relative weaknesses

Dynamic differences in dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in sputum of COPD patients and controls

Introduction: Disturbances in onset and resolution of inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are incompletely understood. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can be converted into lipid mediators here collectively named oxylipins. These include classical eicosanoids, but also pro-resolving mediators. A balanced production of pro-inflammatory and pro-resolving oxylipins is of importance for adequate inflammatory responses and subsequent return to homeostasis. Objectives: Here we investigated if PUFA metabolism is disturbed in COPD patients. Methods: Free PUFA and oxylipin levels were measured in induced sputum samples from the Bergen COPD cohort and COPD exacerbation study using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Additionally, effects of whole cigarette smoke on PUFA metabolism in air-liquid interface cultures of primary bronchial epithelial cells were assessed. Results: Significantly lower levels of free alpha-linolenic acid, linoleic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were detected in sputum from stable COPD patients compared to controls. During acute exacerbation (AE), levels of free arachidonic acid and docosapentaenoic acid were higher than in stable COPD patients. Furthermore, levels of omega-3 EPA- and docosahexaenoic acid-derived oxylipins were lower in sputum from stable COPD patients compared to controls. Cyclooxygenase-2-converted mediators were mostly increased during AE. In vitro studies additionally showed that cigarette smoke exposure may also directly contribute to altered epithelial PUFA metabolism, and indirectly by causing airway epithelial remodelling. Conclusions: Our findings show significant differences in PUFA metabolism in COPD patients compared to controls, further changed during AE. Airway epithelial remodelling may contribute to these changes. These findings provide new insight in impaired inflammatory resolution in COPD.publishedVersio

Grumpy or depressed? Disentangling typically developing adolescent mood from prodromal depression using experience sampling methods

Introduction: This study aimed at differentiating normative developmental turmoil from prodromal depressive symptoms in adolescence. Method: Negative and positive mood (daily) in different contexts (friends, home, school), and (subsequent) depressive symptoms were assessed in Dutch adolescents. Results & conclusion: Mixture modeling on one cross-sectional study, using a newly developed questionnaire (CSEQ; subsample 1a; n = 571; girls 55.9%; Mage = 14.17) and two longitudinal datasets with Experience Sampling Methods data (subsample 1b: n = 241; Mage = 13.81; 62.2% girls, sample 2: n = 286; 59.7% girls; Mage = 14.19) revealed three mood profiles: 18–24% "happy", 43–53% "typically developing", and 27–38% "at-risk". Of the “at-risk” profile between 12.5% and 25% of the adolescents scored above the clinical cut-off for depression. These mood profiles predicted later depressive symptoms, while controlling for earlier symptoms. In subsample 1b, parents were not always aware of the mental health status of their adolescent

Smoking onset and the time-varying effects of self-efficacy, environmental smoking, and smoking-specific parenting by using discrete-time survival analysis

This study examined the timing of smoking onset during mid- or late adolescence and the time-varying effects of refusal self-efficacy, parental and sibling smoking behavior, smoking behavior of friends and best friend, and parental smoking-specific communication. We used data from five annual waves of the ‘Family and Health’ project. In total, 428 adolescents and their parents participated at baseline. Only never smokers were included at baseline (n = 272). A life table and Kaplan–Meier survival curve showed that 51% of all adolescents who did not smoke at baseline did not start smoking within 4 years. The risk for smoking onset during mid- or late adolescence is rather stable (hazard ratio between 16 and 19). Discrete-time survival analyses revealed that low refusal self-efficacy, high frequency of communication, and sibling smoking were associated with smoking onset one year later. No interaction effects were found. Conclusively, the findings revealed that refusal self-efficacy is an important predictor of smoking onset during mid- or late adolescence and is independent of smoking-specific communication and smoking behavior of parents, siblings, and (best) friend(s). Findings emphasize the importance of family prevention programs focusing on self-efficacy skills

Promiscuous Binding of Invariant Chain-Derived CLIP Peptide to Distinct HLA-I Molecules Revealed in Leukemic Cells

Antigen presentation by HLA class I (HLA-I) and HLA class II (HLA-II) complexes is achieved by proteins that are specific for their respective processing pathway. The invariant chain (Ii)-derived peptide CLIP is required for HLA-II-mediated antigen presentation by stabilizing HLA-II molecules before antigen loading through transient and promiscuous binding to different HLA-II peptide grooves. Here, we demonstrate alternative binding of CLIP to surface HLA-I molecules on leukemic cells. In HLA-II-negative AML cells, we found plasma membrane display of the CLIP peptide. Silencing Ii in AML cells resulted in reduced HLA-I cell surface display, which indicated a direct role of CLIP in the HLA-I antigen presentation pathway. In HLA-I-specific peptide eluates from B-LCLs, five Ii-derived peptides were identified, of which two were from the CLIP region. In vitro peptide binding assays strikingly revealed that the eluted CLIP peptide RMATPLLMQALPM efficiently bound to four distinct HLA-I supertypes (-A2, -B7, -A3, -B40). Furthermore, shorter length variants of this CLIP peptide also bound to these four supertypes, although in silico algorithms only predicted binding to HLA-A2 or -B7. Immunization of HLA-A2 transgenic mice with these peptides did not induce CTL responses. Together these data show a remarkable promiscuity of CLIP for binding to a wide variety of HLA-I molecules. The found participation of CLIP in the HLA-I antigen presentation pathway could reflect an aberrant mechanism in leukemic cells, but might also lead to elucidation of novel processing pathways or immune escape mechanisms

Efficacy of smoking prevention program 'Smoke-free Kids': study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Contains fulltext : 77005.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Background - A strong increase in smoking is noted especially among adolescents. In the Netherlands, about 5% of all 10-year olds, 25% of all 13-year olds and 62% of all 17-year olds report ever smoking. In the U.S., an intervention program called 'Smoke-free Kids' was developed to prevent children from smoking. The present study aims to assess the effects of this home-based smoking prevention program in the Netherlands. Methods - A randomized controlled trial is conducted among 9 to 11-year old children of primary schools. Participants are randomly assigned to the intervention and control conditions. The intervention program consists of five printed activity modules designed to improve parenting skills specific to smoking prevention and parent-child communication regarding smoking. These modules will include additional sheets with communication tips. The modules for the control condition will include solely information on smoking and tobacco use. Initiation of cigarette smoking (first instance of puffing on a lighted cigarette), susceptibility to cigarette smoking, smoking-related cognitions, and anti-smoking socialization will be the outcome measures. To collect the data, telephone interviews with mothers as well as with their child will be conducted at baseline. Only the children will be examined at post-intervention follow-ups (6, 12, 24, and 36 months after the baseline). Discussion - This study protocol describes the design of a randomized controlled trial that will evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based smoking prevention program. We expect that a significantly lower number of children will start smoking in the intervention condition compared to control condition as a direct result of this intervention. If the program is effective, it is applicable in daily live, which will facilitate implementation of the prevention protocol. Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Register NTR146510 p

Longitudinal associations of substance use risk profiles with the use of alternative tobacco products and conventional smoking among adolescents

Although personality is associated with the onset of substance use (i.e., conventional smoking, alcohol use, and cannabis use) during adolescence, it is unclear whether personality traits are also associated with the onset of use of alternative tobacco products (ATPs), i.e., electronic cigarettes, shisha-pens, and water pipes. This study examines whether personality traits are associated with the onset of use of both conventional cigarettes and ATPs. Longitudinal data (baseline and 18-month follow-up) were used. The sample consisted of 1114 non-user adolescents (mean age = 13.36, SD = 0.93, 56% female) at baseline. To measure personality traits, the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale was used with four subscales: anxiety sensitivity, hopelessness, sensation seeking, and impulsivity. Structural equation models were conducted using Mplus 7.3. Results showed that both hopelessness and sensation seeking were associated with the onset of use of e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes. Further, sensation seeking and impulsivity were associated with the onset of use of shisha-pens and water pipes. In conclusion, to prevent adolescents from using ATPs and/or conventional cigarettes, it is important to take their personality traits into account. More research on other (shared) risk factors and on more advanced stages of ATP use is needed before effective prevention strategies can be develope