Romantic involvement and adolescents' academic and psychosocial functioning in Chinese societies

© 2018 This study explores the effects of romantic involvement and dating behaviors on adolescent academic and psychosocial functioning in Chinese societies, where adolescent dating is generally discouraged and believed to generate adverse outcomes. Adolescents (male = 48.6%; MeanAge = 15.20 years) from Taiwan (N = 1081) and mainland China (N = 684) were recruited through stratified sampling to complete self-report surveys on their academic performance, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, relationship status, and gender-role beliefs. Adolescents with current or past dating experiences were also asked about specific dating behaviors, such as the onset of dating, number of relationships, and breakup experiences. Approximately one-third of Chinese adolescents surveyed (34.2%) have past or ongoing dating experience, who showed poorer academic performance compared to never-dated teens. In the full sample, single adolescents with past dating experiences reported greater depressive symptoms than those currently dating or never-dated teens. Boys with past dating experience showed higher self-esteem than their currently dating or never-dated peers, whereas single girls with past dating experience showed lower self-esteem than their currently dating or never-dated counterparts. Among adolescents with dating experience, early dating, over-dating, sexual activities, and breakup experiences can undermine their academic and psychosocial well-being. These findings have significant implications for practice and policy regarding adolescent education and mental health

Cultural Perspective on Parenting, Trait Emotional Intelligence and Mental Health in Taiwanese Children

The current study aims to clarify the associations as well as the pathways through which parenting and children's emotional intelligence (EI) may influence children's mental health with a cross-sectional sample of 675 school pupils (fourth grade, mean age = 10.4 years, 310 boy, 356 girls and 9 unidentified) in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression and path analyses were used to examine the relationships between parenting styles, children's trait EI, and their psychological symptoms, with children's psychological symptoms as the dependent variable. The results showed that authoritative parenting was positively associated with children‟s trait EI, which in turn had a negative effect on children‟s psychological symptoms, whereas authoritarian and Chinese-specific parenting styles had direct negative effect on children‟s psychological symptoms. These findings shed light on the pathways of the interrelations between different parenting styles, children's trait EI, and psychological symptoms, providing theoretical as well as practical implications for children's emotional development and mental health

Internet Addiction: A Closer Look at Multidimensional Parenting Practices and Child Mental Health

This study aimed to examine how both psychosocial variables (authoritative, authoritarian, and shaming, and parent-child relationships) and psychological symptoms were associated with Internet addiction, while controlling for the sociodemographic variable (child gender). A national proportionately stratified random sample of 6,233 fourth-grade primary school students in Taiwan participated in the study. Hierarchical regression models were performed to test the research hypotheses. The results show that psychological symptoms, authoritarian parenting, and shaming were positively associated with Internet addiction, whereas authoritative parenting and positive parent-child relationship were negatively associated with Internet addiction. Girls had lower levels of Internet addiction than boys. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the direct effects of child mental health status, multidimensional parenting practices, and family relationship on Internet addiction in children, and the importance of early individual- and family-based prevention and intervention in addressing related public health concerns of Internet addiction in children. The cultural perspectives of parenting and implications of these findings are discussed

Prognostic implications of left ventricular global longitudinal strain in patients with bicuspid aortic valve disease and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction

Aims In patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), the frequency of impaired LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and its prognostic implications are unknown. The present study evaluated the proportion and prognostic value of impaired LV GLS in patients with BAV and preserved LVEF.Methods and results Five hundred and thirteen patients (68% men; mean age 44 +/- 18 years) with BAV and preserved LVEF (>50%) were divided into five groups according to the type of BAV dysfunction: (i) normal function BAV, (ii) mild aortic stenosis (AS) or aortic regurgitation (AR), (iii) >= moderate isolated AS, (iv) >= moderate isolated AR, and (v) >= moderate mixed AS and AR. LV systolic dysfunction based on 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography was defined as a cut-off value of LVGLS (-13.6%). The primary outcome was aortic valve intervention or all-cause mortality. The proportion of patients with LVGLS -13.6%). LVGLS was independently associated with increased risk of events (mainly aortic valve replacement): hazard ratio 1.09; P < 0.001.Conclusion Impaired LVGLS in BAV with preserved LVEF is not infrequent and was independently associated with increased risk of events (mainly aortic valve replacement events).Cardiolog

Impact of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction on Clinical Outcomes in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease

BACKGROUND The prognostic impact of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease has not been previously studied. & nbsp; OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic impact of LVEF in BAV patients according to the type of aortic valve dysfunction. & nbsp; METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data collected in 2,672 patients included in an international registry of patients with BAV. Patients were classified according to the type of aortic valve dysfunction: isolated aortic stenosis (AS) (n = 749), isolated aortic regurgitation (AR) (n = 554), mixed aortic valve disease (MAVD) (n = 190), or no significant aortic valve dysfunction (n =1,179; excluded from this analysis). The study population was divided according to LVEF strata to investigate its impact on clinical outcomes. & nbsp; RESULTS The risk of all-cause mortality and the composite endpoint of aortic valve replacement or repair (AVR) and all-cause mortality increased when LVEF was < 60% in the whole cohort as well as in the AS and AR groups, and when LVEF was < 55% in MAVD group. In multivariable analysis, LVEF strata were significantly associated with increased rate of mortality (LVEF 50%-59%: HR: 1.83 [95% CI: 1.09-3.07]; P = 0.022; LVEF 30%-49%: HR: 1.97 [95% CI: 1.13-3.41]; P = 0.016; LVEF < 30%: HR: 4.20 [95% CI: 2.01-8.75]; P < 0.001; vs LVEF 60%-70%, reference group). & nbsp; CONCLUSIONS In BAV patients, the risk of adverse clinical outcomes increases significantly when the LVEF is < 60%. These findings suggest that LVEF cutoff values proposed in the guidelines to indicate intervention should be raised from 50% to 60% in AS or AR and 55% in MAVD. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2022;80:1071 & ndash;1084) (c) 2022 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation