Infant crying problems and symptoms of sleeping problems predict attachment disorganization at 18 months

This longitudinal study examined the associations among infant crying, symptoms of sleeping problems, and attachment while considering the influence of maternal sensitivity and depressive symptoms. One hundred and five healthy full-term infants (42.9% female) were assessed for crying and symptoms of sleeping problems at 3 and 18 months via parental interview. Maternal sensitivity was measured through researcher observation, and attachment was measured at 18 months using the Strange Situation procedure. It was found that infant crying and symptoms of sleeping problems were not linked to the organized patterns of secure or insecure (avoidant versus resistant) attachment. However, when the disorganized attachment was considered, there were direct links found from infant crying and symptoms of sleeping problems at 3 months (β= .22, p< .05) and 18 months (β= .21, p< .05). Thus, crying and symptoms of sleeping problems as early as 3 months may indicate a disruption in the coherence of infants’ relationship to their caretakers

Body weight dissatisfaction and communication with parents among adolescents in 24 countries: international cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Parents have significant influence on behaviors and perceptions surrounding eating, body image and weight in adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of body weight dissatisfaction, difficulty in communication with the parents and the relationship between communication with parents and adolescents' dissatisfaction with their body weight (dieting or perceived need to diet). METHODS: Survey data were collected from adolescents in 24 countries and regions in Europe, Canada, and the USA who participated in the cross-sectional 2001/2002 Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children (HBSC) study. The association between communication with parents and body weight dissatisfaction was examined using binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Body weight dissatisfaction was highly prevalent and more common among girls than boys, among overweight than non-overweight, and among older adolescents than younger adolescents. Difficulty in talking to father was more common than difficulty in talking to mother in all countries and it was greater among girls than among boys and increased with age. Difficulties in talking to father were associated with weight dissatisfaction among both boys and girls in most countries. Difficulties in talking to mother were rarely associated with body weight dissatisfaction among boys while among girls this association was found in most countries. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that enhanced parent communication might contribute in most countries to less body dissatisfaction in girls and better communication with the father can help avoiding body weight dissatisfaction in boys. Professionals working with adolescents and their families should help adolescents to have a healthy weight and positive body image and promote effective parent – adolescent communication.peerReviewe

Understanding challenging behaviour in people with severe and profound intellectual disability: a stress-attachment model

Background. Advances in our knowledge of attachment, stress and coping may foster new explanations for the development of challenging behaviour in people with intellectual disability (ID). Method. Research on stress and coping among people with ID was reviewed initially, and then studies on the security of the attachment relationships of people with ID with their caregivers were analysed. Results. There is evidence that people with ID are more vulnerable to stress and use less effective coping strategies. Furthermore, the body of studies on attachment indicates that people with ID are at risk for developing insecure, especially disorganized attachment. There is evidence from other populations that the combination of stress, and insecure or disorganized attachment may put people at risk for developing behaviour problems. Conclusion. A stress-attachment model of the development of challenging behaviour among people with ID shows promise as an explanatory frame-work. The uncovering of these developmental mechanisms may be particularly useful for the prevention of behavioural problems

Tradução e adaptação do questionário ABEL: Auditory Behavior in Everyday Life para o Português Brasileiro

PURPOSE: To translate and adapt the ABEL - Auditory Behavior in Everyday Life - questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese, and to establish the profile of auditory behavior in a group of children who use hearing aids. METHODS: The ABEL questionnaire was translated and back translated. This version was compared to the original version regarding semantic equivalence, generating a new version in Portuguese. After that, 31 parents of children fitted with hearing aids answered an anamnesis and the Portuguese version of the ABEL questionnaire. The scores obtained were related to the variables investigated in the anamnesis. RESULTS: Differences were found in the analysis of the aural-oral score for the variables degree of hearing loss and time of daily use of the hearing aid: children with milder degrees of hearing loss and/or children who use the hearing aid for longer periods showed better performances. There were also differences in total and auditory awareness scores for the variable time of daily use of the hearing aid, indicating that children who user their hearing aids for longer periods daily showed better performances. CONCLUSION: There was consistency between the versions generated during the translation of the questionnaire, allowing the formulation of its final version in Portuguese. Children with lower degrees of hearing loss and/or who use their hearing aids for longer periods have their daily activities less affected by the hearing loss. The ABEL questionnaire is an appropriate instrument to detail the development of auditory behaviors in children who use hearing aids.OBJETIVO: Traduzir e adaptar o questionário ABEL - Auditory Behavior in Everyday Life - para o Português Brasileiro e estabelecer o perfil do comportamento auditivo de crianças usuárias de aparelhos de amplificação sonora individual (AASI) por meio de sua aplicação. MÉTODOS: Foi realizada a tradução do questionário ABEL, seguida pela retrotradução. Esta versão foi comparada à original em relação à equivalência semântica, sendo gerada uma nova versão em Português. A partir disso, foram entrevistados 31 pais de crianças adaptadas com AASI. Todos responderam a uma anamnese e à versão em Português do questionário ABEL. Os escores obtidos na aplicação do instrumento foram relacionados às variáveis investigadas na anamnese. RESULTADOS: A análise do escore oral-aural revelou diferenças segundo as variáveis grau de perda auditiva e tempo de uso diário dos AASI, sendo que crianças com menores graus de perda e/ou que fazem uso dos AASI por mais tempo apresentam melhor desempenho. Em relação ao escore total e ao escore de consciência auditiva, houve diferenças segundo o tempo de uso diário dos AASI, indicando melhor desempenho daquelas que fazem uso dos AASI por mais tempo. CONCLUSÃO: Há coerência entre as versões geradas nas etapas de tradução do questionário, possibilitando a formulação de sua versão em Português. Crianças com menores graus de perda auditiva e/ou que referem maior tempo de uso diário de AASI têm suas atividades diárias menos comprometidas pela perda auditiva. O questionário ABEL é um instrumento apropriado para detalhar o desenvolvimento dos comportamentos auditivos de crianças usuárias de AASI.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Fonoaudiologia Programa de Pós-Graduação (Doutorado) em Distúrbios da Comunicação HumanaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de FonoaudiologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de Fonoaudiologia Programa de Pós-Graduação (Doutorado) em Distúrbios da Comunicação HumanaUNIFESP, Depto. de FonoaudiologiaSciEL

Attachment in toddlers with autism and other developmental disorders.

Contains fulltext : 52066.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Attachment was assessed in toddlers with Autistic Disorder (n=20), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (n=14), Mental Retardation (n=12), Language Development Disorder (n=16), and a non-clinical comparison group (n=18), using the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). Children in the clinical groups were more often disorganized and less often securely attached. Severity of autism was associated with more attachment insecurity, and lower developmental level increased the chance for disorganized attachment. Attachment disorganization was related to increased heart rate during the SSP. Controlling for basal cortisol and developmental level, more autistic symptoms predicted lower cortisol responses to the SSP. The findings support the importance of disorganized attachment for children with autism