Effects of an Evidence-Based Parenting Program on Physiological Markers of Stress among at-risk Parents for Child Maltreatment

Introduction: Parental stress is an important risk factor for child maltreatment (CM) that can increase the likelihood of perpetration of abuse. Evidence-based, parent-training programs have shown a positive impact on preventing CM, and reducing self-reported parental stress. However, limited research among high-risk parents for CM perpetration has examined physiological correlates of stress, such as impaired cortisol, alpha-amylase, and dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Because there are many challenges with validity of self-report measures, it is imperative to explore biomarkers as novel benchmarks of parental stress. Thus, the goal of this research was to conduct a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods and multidisciplinary study examining behavioral and physiological stress in response to a six-week, evidence-based program, SafeCare®, with a sample of at-risk mothers. Methods: High-risk parents (n=18) were recruited from a children’s hospital pediatric clinic in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants completed repeated within subject assessments of behavioral (self-report) and physiological (cortisol, alpha-amylase, DHEA) stress measures pre-and post-intervention. Acute cortisol and alpha-amylase were collected through Salivette® methods. Chronic cortisol was assessed using hair samples. DHEA was collected through passive drool samples. Participants also completed a qualitative interview at baseline. Correlational analyses were conducted to examine associations between self-reported parental stress and biomarkers. Paired t-test analyses were conducted to examine changes in self-reported stress and physiological markers pre-to post- intervention, as well as to examine participants’ acute stress responses during a SafeCare® session in the presence of a home visitor. Qualitative analyses were conducted using line-by-line coding to examine feasibility of collecting biospecimens. In addition, themes on parental and general stress perceptions were examined. Results: Participants were African American (M age=27.0 years, SD=6.7), and of low socioeconomic status (60% r= -.70, p=.005), as well as with alpha-amylase (r=.74, p=.005) among all participants at baseline. Correlations were also found between self-reported stress and alpha-amylase at follow-up (r=.87, p\u3c.05) (n=7). Trends, although non-significant, were noted among completers towards decreased average self-report stress and improved salivary cortisol (p=.08) and alpha-amylase (p=.08). Participants with impaired salivary cortisol levels at baseline showed normalization post-intervention. No significant changes in participant acute stress levels were noted in the presence of the home visitor mid-intervention. Findings from qualitative interviews indicated that parents were generally willing to provide hair and salivary samples, but showed clear preference for Salivette methods over passive drool. While parents described many parental stresses addressed by SafeCare®, parents also described contextual factors such as socioeconomic status and other chronic stressors that contribute to parenting stress. Conclusions: Study findings suggest that salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase are compelling neurobiological correlates of parental stress among high-risk parents for CM. Further, results support the short-term, positive effects of SafeCare® in potentially regulating physiological stress systems among at-risk parents. Given the feasibility noted in biomarker collection among participants, larger, and more rigorous studies should be conducted in the future to validate these results

A Comparison of Methods to Assess Practitioner Fidelity in a Parent-Training Program

As evidence-based programs are implemented in real world settings, there is a strong need to effectively and efficiently monitor fidelity, or adherence to a program, in order to maintain the expected effects demonstrated in research settings. The purpose of this study was to compare two methods of assessing fidelity to an evidence-based, parent-training model (SafeCare®) as implemented by community service providers. Specifically, analyses compared fidelity assessed via video versus audio recordings. SafeCare modules often require mobility and high interaction, thus, video recordings may provide a more accurate view of home visitor and family interactions for scoring fidelity. However, videos are more expensive and cumbersome in comparison to audio recordings. Trained coders were randomly assigned to score a video or audio recording of the same session for 25 SafeCare sessions and the codes were compared for agreement. Two types of SafeCare sessions were assessed: assessment and training. Average agreement was somewhat higher for assessment sessions than for training sessions. Average agreement, across all sessions, was higher among items pertaining to SafeCare content than items pertaining to the therapeutic process. Several specific items were identified that are difficult to code via audio recordings. However, more research is needed to determine agreement levels across all SafeCare modules and session types in order to provide insight on the implications for SafeCare\u27s future use of audio and video methods of measuring fidelity

Generation of MIS Report Using Data Warehouse

MIS reports are used as decision support systems for higher Management in hospitality industry. Manual generation of MIS report is a time consuming task which can lead to many human errors and excessive calculations process. The main objective of this research is to develop an automated system for generation of MIS reports, using data mining and data cleansing technique with best suitable OLAP data modelling approach. It can be used for better budget prediction which can help to run the business in good financial shape. It also helps reducing error and optimizing the operational cost in better way. The MIS report will be generated on the low-level accounting data which has day to day transaction linked to each GL accounting code. The report will display the Actual amount for each particulars (report lines), along with budgeted amount

Collecting Physiological Stress Measures in Research among High-Risk Parents for Child Maltreatment: A Qualitative Investigation

Background: Studies on evidence-based, behavioral training programs have shown a positive reduction in self-reported stress among parents at high risk of child maltreatment (CM). However, no known studies on these programs have examined physiological biomarkers for stress, such as impaired levels of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and telomere length. Further, no details are known regarding the feasibility of collecting biological markers from parents. This research examined qualitative findings from a multidisciplinary neurobiology and public health study that examined physiological responses to a six week, evidence-based, behavioral parenting program, among a maternal population at risk of CM perpetration in Atlanta, Georgia. Methods: Eighteen high-risk mothers were assessed at pre-intervention and post-intervention for parental stress and behavior (i.e., self-report, observational), and non-invasive physiological markers for cortisol, DHEA, and telomere length, Hormones were measured using two salivary methods, passive drool and Salivette swabs, as well as hair samples. Telomere length was assessed using cheek swabs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at baseline to examine the feasibility of collecting biological samples for parental stress research among a sub-sample of participants (n=13). Results: Early qualitative themes suggest interest in providing hair and cheek swab samples. Notable suggestions were made to improve saliva collection. Particularly, participants showed clear preference for swabbing methods over passive drool collection. Conclusions: These study findings add novel results to the parenting literature on parental stress and provide emerging evidence on parental willingness to engage in physiological research. Acceptance of collection methods encourages further examination of biomarker correlates using non-invasive and inexpensive methods in biobehavioral research

The Role of Language in Anatomy and Physiology Instruction

Research indicates that student learning of science, student attitudes toward science, and their motivation to learn science and pursue science-related careers is related to classroom instruction. This study examined anatomy and physiology (A&P) classes in a south Texas high school where 97 percent of students are Hispanic bilingual learners. Classes were assigned to control or treatment groups, with the treatment group receiving instruction designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of anatomy vocabulary related to brain structures by making connections to these words in everyday life as well as to their understanding of Spanish. Main effects between group and test scores were significant, with the control group reporting higher test scores than the treatment group. We attribute this finding to a bleed-over of the treatment group instructional design to the control group. In addition, significant differences in mean and median scores were observed with respect to intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy. The statistically significant increases in learning for both groups suggests the activity-, problem-, and project-based (APB) curriculum has the potential to be an effective type of instruction, especially for bilingual learners

Effects of Exposure to Community Violence and Family Violence on School Functioning Problems among Urban Youth: The Potential Mediating Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Adolescents who are exposed to violence during childhood are at an increased risk for developing posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. The literature suggests that violence exposure might also have negative effects on school functioning, and that PTS might serve as a potential mediator in this association. The purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend prior research by examining PTS symptoms as a mediator of the relationship between two types of violence exposure and school functioning problems among ado- lescent youth from an urban setting. Participants included a sample of 121 junior high and high school students (M = 15 years; range = 13–16 years; 60 males, 61 females) within high-crime neighborhoods. Consistent with our hypotheses, community violence and fam- ily violence were associated with PTS symptoms and school functioning problems. Our data suggest that community and family violence were indirectly related to school func- tioning problems through PTS symptoms. Findings from this study demonstrate that PTS symptoms potentially mediate the relationship between violence exposure and school functioning problems across two settings (community and home). Future research should further examine protective factors that can prevent youth violence exposure as well as negative outcomes related to violence

Child Marriage and Problems Accessing Healthcare in Adulthood: Evidence from India

The association between child marriage and the access to or utilization of maternal and antenatal healthcare has been widely studied. However, little is known about child brides’ access to healthcare for illnesses later in life. Using data on 496,283 married women aged 18 to 49 years from the India National Family and Health Survey 2015–2016, we developed an 11-point composite score (ranging from 0 to 10) outlining the extent of problems accessing healthcare, as follows: (i) no/little problem (score 0 to 2), (ii) some problems (score 3 to 6), and (iii) big problems (score 7 to 10). The differences between child brides and their peers married as adults were assessed by the relative risk ratios obtained from multinomial logistic regressions. The adjusted risk of having “some problems” and “big problems” accessing healthcare relative to “no/little problem” for child brides was found to be 1.22 (95% CI: 1.20–1.25) and 1.26 (95% CI: 1.22–1.29) times that of those married as adults, respectively. These findings highlight the disproportionate barriers to healthcare access faced by women married as children compared to women married as adults and the need for further research to inform policies regarding effective public health interventions to improve healthcare access

Study of chemical species in rainwater at Ballia, a rural environment in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

35-41Samples of rainwater were collected at a rural environment in eastern Uttar Pradesh at Ballia using 24-h sampling period from July to September 2001. Bulk collector was used for collection of rainwater. All samples were analyzed for major ions (Cl-, SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) and pH. Concentration of bicarbonate ion was also computed by a theoretical method. Ammonium, calcium and sulphate were found to have the highest concentrations in rainwater. Volume weighted mean of H+ showed that on an average pH was in alkaline range (6.32 ± 0.16) and varied from 6.1 to 6.8. Equivalent concentration of components followed the order: NH4+ > Ca2+ > SO42- > HCO3- > NO3- > Cl- > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+ > H+. Chemical composition of rainwater at Ballia was similar to that observed at other sites in India except with regard to the concentration of ammonium. High concentration of ammonium in rainwater in this region is due to agricultural activity, human and animal excretion. Fractional acidity was calculated and found to be very less (0.01), indicating that most of the acidity (99%) was neutralized by alkaline component

Double Pseudoaneurysm of the Superficial Palmar Arch: A Unique Case

We present the case of a 22-year-old male patient who developed “double” pseudoaneurysm of the superficial palmar arch of the left hand after trivial trauma with a kitchen knife. Following an unsuccessful embolization attempt, surgical excision of the pseudoaneurysm was performed during which the pseudoaneurysm was found to arise from the anterior wall of the palmar arch. Intraoperatively, a second pseudoaneurysm arising from the deeper surface of the superficial palmar arch was found and excised. This is probably the only reported case of double pseudoaneurysm of the palmar arch in literature. The possible mechanism of arterial injury, diagnosis, and management is discussed