Somatisation and functional impairment in adolescents: longitudinal link with mothers' reactions

Adolescents' somatisation (i.e., the psychological tendency to experience and report multiple physical complaints for which no definite medical cause can be found; SOM) and functional impairment (i.e., all bothersome aftermath of somatisation; FI) were studied in relation to mothers' protection, encouraging/monitoring, and minimisation of physical functional complaints. Besides main effects, interaction effects with other child and parenting characteristics were examined. A total of 990 adolescents and their mothers filled out questionnaires when the adolescents were respectively 12-13 (T1) and 13-14 (T2) years old. At T1, there was a significant relation between mothers' higher amounts of minimisation and adolescents' higher levels of SOM. Further, the link between mothers' higher levels of T1 minimisation and adolescents' higher amounts of T1 FI was significant, but not for adolescents with high levels of depressive mood. Longitudinal analyses revealed that mothers' reactions did not significantly predict adolescents' SOM/FI, nor did adolescents' SOM/FI significantly predict mothers' reactions. Practical implications are discussed

The association between parenting behavior and somatization in adolescents explained by physiological responses in adolescents

Introduction: This study adds to the knowledge on somatization in adolescents by exploring its relation with parenting behavior and the mediating/moderating role of physiological responses in adolescents to parenting behavior. Method: Eighteen adolescents with high and 18 adolescents with low somatization scores and their mothers completed a discussion task, from which observed parenting behavior scores were derived. Skin conductance in adolescents was measured before and during the discussion. Results: For adolescents with high levels of physiological responses, unadaptive parenting was related to a higher chance of high somatization scores. For low physiologically responsive adolescents, the relation between parenting behavior and somatization was not significant. Conclusion: Parenting behavior is not univocally related to somatization in adolescents, but the association depends on physiological responses in adolescents. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The relation between parenting stress and adolescents' somatisation trajectories: a growth mixture analysis

Objective: The impact of somatisation in adolescence is substantial. Knowledge on (predictors of) individual-level development of somatisation is necessary to develop tailored treatment. The current study assessed individual-level development of somatisation by means of latent mixed modelling. Parenting stress was included as a predictor of somatisation trajectory membership and within-trajectory variation. Methods: A total of 1499 adolescents and one of their parents (mostly the mother) agreed to participate. Questionnaires were administered when the adolescents were respectively 12-13 (T1), 13-14 (T2), and 14-15 (T3) years old. Adolescents reported on their somatisation, parents on their parenting stress. Results: Four individual somatisation trajectories were found: increased, long-term low, long-term high, and decreased. Higher early parenting stress (T1) significantly predicted less favourable trajectory membership (increased and long-term high). The relation between later parenting stress (T2 and T3) and somatisation depended on trajectory membership. For adolescents in the long-term high and decreased somatisation trajectories, lower T2 and T3 parenting stress was related to higher somatisation, while for adolescents in the long-term low and increased trajectories, higher T2 and T3 parenting stress was related to higher somatisation. Conclusions: The results support a general recommendation to prevent the onset of high levels of parenting stress. In addition, for families in which high levels of parenting stress already exist, clinicians should be aware of natural fluctuations in parenting stress, its associated features (e.g., aspects of overall care, like looking for professional help) and of the consequences this might have for the adolescent

Family reunification decision-making in Dutch family foster care: a dual perspective approach

Education and Child Studie

Moral Dilemmas in Foster Care Due to Religious Differences Between Birth Parents, Foster Parents, and Foster Children

Many ethnoreligious-minority foster children in several western countries, including the Netherlands, are placed and per- manently live with ethnically and religiously non-matched foster families (i.e., in trans-religious foster care). We examine whether and which moral dilemmas exist around the issue of how religion should be weighted in trans-religious foster care to provide ethnoreligious-minority foster children with healthy identity development. We applied a thematic analysis to 17 qualitative interviews (seven foster parent/foster child dyads and three foster parents) taken from two pre-existing datasets. We retrieved five moral dilemmas in trans-religious foster care placements, which are discussed in relation to the following ethical arguments: (1) pressure from birth parents and parents of foster children to abide by their religious praxis; (2) objec- tions of the foster family to the faith of the birth family; (3) a switch to the faith of the foster family by the foster child; (4) challenges to the religious identity searches of foster children due to ethnoreligious boundary drawing between majority and minority groups; and (5) the impact of religious traditions on the bodily integrity of foster children. We argue that it is in the best interest of foster children to have a foster family who, when making (some) religious choices on their behalf, is sensitive to the particular child and their developing identity with regard to their religious ideas and beliefs. Foster families need support regarding religious reflection and religious self-determinism in their foster children

Association of neonatal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations with psychosocial, intellectual and psychomotor development of preschool children

Objectives: Some European countries still suffer from Mild Iodine Deficiency (MID). MID during pregnancy may impair intellectual, psychosocial and psychomotor development of children and may lead to Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Neonatal TSH concentration is a good indicator of iodine deficiency in late pregnancy. This study aims to investigate the association between neonatal TSH level and intellectual, psychomotor and psychosocial development of 4-5 year old children. It is hypothesized that elevation of TSH at birth is associated with impaired intellectual and psychomotor development and with behavioural problems at 4-5 years.Methods: The study will include 380 Belgian preschool children with a TSH concentration between 0 and 15 mU/L at screening. For each sex and TSH-interval (0-1 mU/L, 1-2 mU/L, 2-3 mU/L, 3-4 mU/L, 4-5 mU/L, 5-6 mU/L, 6-7 mU/L, 7-8 mU/L, 8-9 mU/L, 9-15 mU/L) 19 newborns will be randomly selected after excluding infants with congenital hypothyroidism, low birth weight and premature infants. Neonatal TSH was measured in dried blood spots collected by heel stick 3 to 5 days after birth using the Autodelphia method. Cognitive abilities and psychomotor development will be assessed using respectively the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-III and the motor scale of the McCarthy Scales of Children&#039;s Abilities. Psychosocial development will be measured using the Child Behaviour Check List for ages 1½-5 years. In addition the parents will complete a general questionnaire in order to account for confounding factors.Results: The results of the study will be available by September 2013.Conclusions: The study might have implications on the use of neonatal TSH screening results for monitoring iodine intake among the population and might require definition of new TSH cut-offs to be used by neonatal screening centres in order to recall certain neonates.</p