The impact of Caesarean delivery mode towards brain and neurodevelopment among children

In regards to the rising rate of Caesarean birth globally, there is concern about the risk of Caesarean birth in children. However, the effect of Caesarean delivery towards the child brain and neurodevelopment is not well understood. We reviewed articles from online database with topics related to the relation between caesarean delivery mode and brain development/neurodevelopment/behaviour and emotional development. Several studies discussed how birth mode could affect brain structural connectivity through neural and hormone changes. Some studies also assessed possible effect on child’s psychological development.  The result showed differences in child’s brain development between caesarean and natural delivery in the early life, but not in the long run. Additionally, no significant association between birth mode and emotional problem

Visual-sensory-based quiet room : a study of visual comfort, lighting, and safe space in reducing maladaptive behaviour and emotion for autistic users

This study investigates strategies for developing visual sensory-based quiet rooms for individuals with autism spectrum disorders to reduce maladaptive behaviours and emotions. Optimizing visual sensory comfort in a quiet room is expected to help a person relieve the maladaptive behaviours and emotions that he/she is experiencing. This laboratory-based case study was conducted through a literature review and case studies in two quiet rooms in a school as the laboratory observation. Both schools provide special education services and an inclusive education school. This study aims to provide a reference for creating spaces for autistic individuals in supporting a more inclusive and sustainable environment. A total of eight respondents (four students from each school), aged between 7-21 years old, were involved in this study. Data for the analysis was obtained by observing the physical conditions of the existing quiet room and assessing the respondents’ behaviour and emotions while they were inside the room. The behaviour and emotion assessments were based on 12 active behaviours and emotions on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist - Irritability (ABC-I) instrument. Meanwhile, lighting simulations were also conducted using the software DIALux evo 8.1 to determine the rooms’ lighting situation. The case studies showed that (1) most of the respondents showed response related to the quiet room’s visual comfort; (2) the respondents in a quiet room with less lighting contrast intensity were more likely to experience a decrease in maladaptive behaviour and emotion; and (3) one of the respondents gave more response in auditory stimulation, which showed that non-visual sensory stimulation should also be put into consideration for a quiet room design. It was concluded that visual stimulation in a quiet room might affect the users’ maladaptive behaviour or emotional change. Therefore, a visual-sensory-based intervention for a quiet room potentially increases its effectiveness.Peer Reviewe

Learning Difficulties and Working Memory Deficits among Primary School Students in Jakarta, Indonesia

Objective: There are multiple possible etiologies for learning difficulties in children. There is growing evidence that many students identified as having learning difficulties have significant working memory deficits. To determine, in a sample of primary school students in Jakarta, Indonesia, the prevalence of learning difficulties and learning difficulties co-morbid with working memory deficits. Methods: Subjects (N=423) were recruited via proportional random sampling from 27 primary schools. The first stage was a cross-sectional study of these students, while the second stage was a case-control study comparing all students with learning difficulties and working memory deficits with controls matched by school type, grade level, and gender. Results: Among the students, whose mean age was 9.34 years (1.78), 13.7% had a learning difficulty, while 8.04% had a learning difficulty with working memory deficit. The odds ratio of comorbid working memory deficit (in the face of a learning difficulty) was 7.0 (χ$^2$= 35.96, p<0.001). Conclusion: Learning difficulties and comorbid working memory deficits were relatively common among primary school students. Efforts should be made to identify these students and provide timely assistance, in order to optimize their educational success and mental health outcomes

Social-emotional development in early life: what happens and how to optimize it

The Physical, metabolic, emotional, cognitive, and social development all begin to develop during early years of childhood.. Social and emotional competencies are increasingly recognized as critical for children's success, in school and in later phases of life into adulthood. According to new research, changes in the gastrointestinal tract's development during the early postnatal period can affect brain development and vice versa., collectively called the gut-brain axis. The gut microbiota has an impact on a variety of mental processes and phenomena, as well as being involved in the pathophysiology of a variety of mental and neurological diseases.. Insights in this area can be targeted through dietary treatments to improve cognitive outcomes in newborns by optimizing the link between the gastrointestinal system and the brain. Further, having a healthy and happy human life could be ensured by acquiring adequate and balance microbiot

Perundungan-siber (Cyberbullying) serta Masalah Emosi dan Perilaku pada Pelajar Usia 12-15 Tahun di Jakarta Pusat

Latar belakang. Internet dan media sosial memberikan banyak kemudahan hidup, namun juga berpotensi untuk disalahgunakan, misalnya untuk perundungan-siber. Perundungan-siber memiliki efek negatif terhadap kesehatan fisik, psikologis, dan sosial pelaku maupun korbannya. Tujuan. Mengidentifikasi karakteristik perundungan-siber serta masalah emosi dan perilaku pelajar usia 12-15 tahun di Jakarta Pusat. Metode. Penelitian potong lintang dilakukan pada pelajar usia 12-15 tahun pada satu SMP di Jakarta Pusat. Perundungan-siber dinilai dengan kuesioner perundungan-siber Hinduja dan Patchin, yang telah diterjemahkan dan divalidasi dengan Cronbach’s α=0,72. Masalah emosi dan perilaku ditapis dengan menggunakan Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Hasil. Dari 274 pelajar yang berpartisipasi dalam penelitian ini, prevalens perundungan-siber adalah 48,2% (korban 11%, pelaku 14,2%, korban sekaligus pelaku 23%). Jenis perundungan-siber tersering yang dialami korban adalah tidak dihargai oleh orang lain (83,3%), disinggung-singgung oleh orang lain (80%), dan diacuhkan oleh orang lain (73,3%). Chat room di Line (60%) dan Instagram (60%), merupakan media sosial tersering yang digunakan. Teman sebaya laki-laki merupakan pelaku tersering (66,7%). Masalah hubungan dengan teman sebaya merupakan masalah emosi dan perilaku yang paling sering dialami oleh korban (10,2%), pelaku (13,5%), dan korban sekaligus pelaku (20,4%). Kesimpulan. Perundungan-siber merupakan suatu fenomena yang sering dijumpai pada pelajar usia 12-15 tahun di sebuah SMP di Jakarta Pusat. Masalah tersebut memerlukan perhatian yang lebih serius dari orangtua, guru dan tenaga kesehatan

Validity and Reliability Study of the Indonesian Empathy Quotient–Systemizing /Quotient for Children (EQ-C/SQ-C)

Empathy and systemising skill are very important for strengthening pro-social behaviour. However, the EQ-C/SQ-C questionnaire was originally framed in the English language and has not been translated into the Indonesian language. Therefore, this study aims at validating and to analysing the reliability of the EQ-C/ SQ-C in the Indonesian version. The study used a cross-sectional design that included 752 primary school students and their parents .They were selected randomly in accordance with their willingness to participate in the study. The parents were asked to fill the EQ-C/SQ-C questionnaire. The educational background of the parents was at least secondary high school. The analysis included content and construct validity, internal consistency reliability test. All analyses were run on SPSS for Mac version 21. The age of children ranged between 4–14 years, with mean (SD) being 10.07 (0.07). The educational background of parents was mostly above the high school degree. The content validity analysis showed that four statements of the EQ-C/ SQ-C Indonesian version were not validated by the experts’ judgment; therefore, they were deleted. The construct validation done after deleting 7 items of EQ-C and 6 items of SQ-C, the requirement for principle component analysis was accomplished. Principal component analysis of EQ-C/SQ-C items extracted three components with eigenvalue >1. These two components justified 64.39% of the total EQ-C/SQ-C variance. Internal consistency was good with Cronbach’s alpha 0.979. EQ-C/SQ-C Indonesian version had a shorter version with 38 items. It was a valid and reliable questionnaire to measure the empathy and systemizing skills among Indonesian children

Exploring key cognitive indicators for practical use by parents in community setting

The identification of child development milestones, specifically cognitive abilities, requires parental/caregiver awareness and knowledge. With the existence of multiple cognitive abilities such as attention and focus, memory, language, psychomotor skills, logic, reasoning, decision-making, problem-solving, social/emotional, there are multiple indicators to measure children's cognitive abilities. Pediatricians are the most knowledgeable and trusted authority to routinely screen and monitor the development of healthy children. Therefore, it is crucial that parents understand their children's developmental milestones so if they encounter anomalies, they can immediately consult with the professionals. This review compiles recently published research and current knowledge to examine potential key indicators of cognitive development in infants and children that can be utilized by parents and communities in an easily understood manner

Direct assessment of mental health and metabolic syndrome amongst Indonesian adolescents: a study design for a mixed-methods study sampled from school and community settings

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, with the burden largely borne by people living in low- and middle-income countries. Adolescents are central to NCD control through the potential to modify risks and alter the trajectory of these diseases across the life-course. However, an absence of epidemiological data has contributed to the relative exclusion of adolescents from policies and responses. This paper documents the design of a study to measure the burden of metabolic syndrome (a key risk for NCDs) and poor mental health (a key outcome) amongst Indonesian adolescents. Using a mixed-method design, we sampled 16–18-year-old adolescents from schools and community-based settings across Jakarta and South Sulawesi. Initial formative qualitative enquiry used focus group discussions to understand how young people conceptualise mental health and body weight (separately); what they perceive as determinants of these NCDs; and what responses to these NCDs should involve. These findings informed the design of a quantitative survey that adolescents selfcompleted electronically. Mental health was measured using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R) and Kessler-10 (both validated against formal psychiatric interview in a subsample), with the metabolic syndrome measured using biomarkers and anthropometry. The survey also included scales relating to victimisation, connectedness, selfefficacy, body image and quality of life. Adolescents were sampled from schools using a multistage cluster design, and from the community using respondent-driven sampling (RDS). This study will substantially advance the field of NCD measurement amongst adolescents, especially in settings like Indonesia. It demonstrates that high quality, objective measurement is acceptable and feasible, including the collection of biomarkers in a school-based setting. It demonstrates how comparable data can be collected across both in-school and out of school adolescents, allowing a more comprehensive measure of NCD burden, risk and correlate