Engagement of Preschool-Aged Children in Daily Routines

Abstract: Child engagement refers to the time spent interacting with physical and social environ- ments according to age, abilities, and a situation. The aim of this study is to assess the functioning of children in early childhood routines using engagement assessment instruments relative to the presence of developmental disabilities, age, gender, and parental characteristics within the contexts of preschool and family routines. The sample comprised 150 children aged 3–5 (AS = 4.02, D = 0.78), including typically developing children (N = 49) and children with developmental disabilities (N = 101). To assess the children’s engagement in preschool classrooms, we used the Classroom Measure of Engagement, Independence, and Social Relationships (ClaMEISR), and the Child Engagement in Daily Life Measure was used to assess the children’s engagement in family routines. The results obtained indicate a significantly higher rate of engagement in routines and activities among girls and older children. Parental characteristics associated with children’s engagement included em- ployment and marital status. Children with developmental disabilities, compared to their typically developing peers, had lower levels of engagement in social relationships and functional independ- ence in daily routines. The results indicate that both instruments have a high internal consistency and are thus suitable for future use in the Republic of Serbia

Differences in MB-COMT DNA methylation in monozygotic twins on phenotypic indicators of impulsivity

Epigenetic modifications of the membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase (MB-COMT) gene may affect the enzymatic degradation of dopamine, and consequently, human behavior. This study investigated the association between membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase DNA methylation (DNAm) differences in 92 monozygotic (MZ) twins with phenotypic manifestations of cognitive, behavioral, and personality indicators associated with reward-related behaviors and lack of control. We used pyrosequencing to determine DNAm of the regulatory region of membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase in saliva DNA. Results of intrapair differences in the percentage of membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase DNAm at each of five CpG sites show that there are associations between phenotypic indicators of lack of control and membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase DNAm differences on CpG1, CpG2 and CpG4, suggesting the common epigenetic patterns for personality traits, cognitive functions, and risk behaviors

Differences in MB-COMT DNA methylation in monozygotic twins on phenotypic indicators of impulsivity

Epigenetic modifications of the membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase (MB-COMT) gene may affect the enzymatic degradation of dopamine, and consequently, human behavior. This study investigated the association between membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase DNA methylation (DNAm) differences in 92 monozygotic (MZ) twins with phenotypic manifestations of cognitive, behavioral, and personality indicators associated with reward-related behaviors and lack of control. We used pyrosequencing to determine DNAm of the regulatory region of membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase in saliva DNA. Results of intrapair differences in the percentage of membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase DNAm at each of five CpG sites show that there are associations between phenotypic indicators of lack of control and membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase DNAm differences on CpG1, CpG2 and CpG4, suggesting the common epigenetic patterns for personality traits, cognitive functions, and risk behaviors

Nasledni i sredinski činioci kognitivnih sposobnosti

U oblasti ispitivanja individualnih razlika, bihejvioralno–genetička paradigma predstavlja nezamenljivo sredstvo kako za utvrđivanje etiologije određenog fenomena, tako i za specifikovanje prirode odnosa između različitih ispitivanih konstrukata. Jedan od ciljeva ovog istraživanja bio je utvrđivanje doprinosa genskih i sredinskih činilaca fenotipskim individualnim razlikama na različitim merama kognitivnih sposobnosti, koje obuhvataju opštu kognitivnu sposobnost i egzekutivne funkcije. Pored toga, istraživanje se bavilo i ispitivanjem odnosa između različitih mera egzekutivnih funkcija i izvorima kovariranja među njima, kao i u kakvom su odnosu različite mere egzekutivnih funkcija s merom opšte kognitivne sposobnosti. U istraživanju je učestvovalo 404 blizanca (123 para monozigotnih i 79 parova dizigotnih blizanaca), istog i različitog pola, koji su odrasli zajedno. Egzekutivne funkcije procenjivane su Viskonsin testom sortiranja karata, Testom pravljenja traga–forma B, Testom verbalne fluentnosti, kao i putem dva računarski podržana zadatka, namenjena proceni sposobnosti Inhibicije i sposobnosti Mentalnog šiftinga/fleksibilnosti. Za merenje opšte kognitivne sposobnosti (g–faktora) primenjene su Progresivne matrice za napredne. Rezultati dobijeni u ovom istraživanju sugerišu značajnu gensku determinisanost moždanih struktura koje leže u osnovi postignuća na različitim testovima kognitivnih sposobnosti. Sa izuzetkom nekoliko mera, gotovo svi ispitivani fenotipovi su pokazali izvestan genski doprinos koji se kretao u intervalu od niskog do visokog nivoa. Preostali deo varijanse individualnih razlika na ovim merama objašnjen je uticajem faktora nedelje sredine. Kada je u pitanju etiologija Nasledni i sredinski činioci kognitivnih sp osobnosti iv kovariranja različitih egzekutivnih mera međusobno i njihovo kovariranje sa konstruktom opšte kognitivne sposobnosti, rezultati ovog istraživanja sugerišu da je ono, u najvećem stepenu, genskog porekla. I dok u osnovi sličnosti/jedinstva korišćenih kognitivnih mera stoji u prvom redu deljena genska varijansa, njihovu partikularnost/različitost određuje specifična nedeljena sredina. Dobijeni rezultat o postojanju jednog opšteg genskog faktora, koji se izdvaja u slučaju različitih egzekutivnih mera, govori, bar jednim delom, u prilog tezi o jedinstvu različitih egzekutivnih mera i o postojanju zajedničke bazične sposobnosti koja leži u njihovoj osnovi, dok specifični genski uticaji, zajedno sa specifičnom nedeljenom sredinom govore u prilog različitosti svake od ovih mera

The stigma of obesity in adolescence

Introduction/Objective. Obese children and adolescents are exposed to stigma and discrimination from peers, teachers and family which can lead to numerous health problems, including psychosocial problems. The aim of this study is to determine whether obese adolescents in Serbia are exposed to stigmatization and which are the most common forms of stigmatization they face. Methods. The study included 335 adolescents who were hospitalized for a treatment of obesity. During hospitalization weight and height were measured, and body mass index was calculated. Participants completed independently Questionnaire about weightbased stigmatization made for the purpose of this research. Questionnaire also included questions about sex, age of respondents, and about obesity of other family members. Results. Fifty-nine percent of participants experienced offence, 19% were teased, 47.5% were subject of a gossip, and 25% were excluded from peer group; 45% reported that other people had prejudice against them. Male adolescents significantly more often faced overt forms of stigmatization/discrimination compared to female adolescents. Nineteen percent of participants were stigmatized by health workers and 6% stated that their family is ashamed of their obesity. Conclusion. A significant percent of obese adolescents is exposed to a stigma due to their weight, most often to insults, gossip and social exclusion. Obese adolescents are most often exposed to stigmatization by peers, but there are a significant proportion of adolescents who are exposed to stigma from health workers

Heritability of dimensions of Eysenck's pen model and the alternative five-factor model of personality

The main aim of this study is to estimate the heritability of AFFM and PEN dimensions, including 67 pairs of twins (34 monozygotic and 33 dizygotic) of both genders, aged 18 - 44. The heritability has been estimated by the biometric method, two full (ACE and ADE) and three reduced (AE, DE and CE) models tested for each personality trait. Taking into consideration the AFFM dimensions, additive genetic factors and a non-shared environment contribute the most significantly to the phenotypic variation of activity, sociability and the impulsive sensation seeking; anxiety and aggressiveness are best accounted for by the dominant genetic effects. In the PEN domain, fit indicators suggest that ACE and the reduced AE models provide the best explanation for the phenotypic manifestations of neuroticism, while ACE and CE models account for the variation of L scale. Although the fit indicators calculated for extraversion and psychotic behavior are somewhat problematic, the parameter estimates show that extraversion is best accounted for by the additive genetic variance, shared environmental effects, and the non-shared environment, whereas psychotic behavior is the most adequately explained by both shared and non-shared environmental effects

Neurocognitive profile of HIV-positive adults on combined antiretroviral therapy: A single-centre study in Serbia

<p>The advent of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has prolonged the life expectancy of HIV + individuals and decreased the incidence of HIV-associated dementia. However, milder forms of neurocognitive impairment remain common and are often associated with poor daily functioning and lower medication adherence. This paper presents a research aimed at exploring the cognitive status differences between HIV + subjects (<i>N</i> = 39) on cART therapy and a group of demographically comparable healthy subjects (<i>N</i> = 39) in Serbia. The significance of differences between the HIV + group and the healthy control group in performance in six cognitive domains was tested using the multivariate analysis of variance. Results showed a lower performance of the HIV + group in the domains of attention/working memory, and learning. HIV-related clinical variables were not significantly associated with cognitive performance. An older age in HIV + patients was significantly related to a lower performance in all six cognitive domains, as opposed to healthy subjects, implying a synergistic interaction between HIV and aging, resulting in accentuated cognitive difficulties. Our findings suggest that even with the absence of a subjective experience of cognitive deficits and with a good basic control of the illness, a certain degree of cognitive deficit can be observed in the tested group.</p