Differential susceptibility to parenting: Exploring new approaches

Parenting influences many aspects of child development, including socio-emotional, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes. Yet most studies report only modest effect sizes. An increasingly likely explanation is that not all children are equally affected by environmental factors, including parenting. The differential susceptibility theory proposes that some children might be more susceptible to both positive and negative environmental influences, compared to other children. Such differences in susceptibility are thought to be due to genetic, temperamental, or physiological susceptibility factors. In the current thesis, we tested the theory of differential susceptibility of children to the effects of parenting in a large population-based cohort, the Generation R Study. Doing so, we went beyond common methods. First, we investigated differential susceptibility from a developmental perspective by including multiple measures over time. Second, we went beyond single-gene/polymorphisms in the investigation of gene-environment interplay by aggregating genetic variation in a set of dopamine genes. Third, we extended previous research on mild perinatal adversity as a susceptibility factor by examining its moderating role in the association between harsh parenting and hair cortisol levels, taking into account background factors that we demonstrated to be of influence on hair cortisol levels.Development Psychopathology in context: famil

Factors associated with media use for parenting information: a cross-sectional study among parents of children aged 0-8 years

Aim: Media use may strengthen parents' capacities to deal with parenting issues. This study examined which factors are associated with media use for parenting information.Design: Cross-sectional data of 658 parents of children aged 0-8 years, gathered in the CIKEO cohort study in the Netherlands, were analysed.Methods: Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine which factors were associated with media use for parenting information.Results: The mean age of the participants was 33.8 years (SD = 5.0); 94.7% were mothers; 77.4% used media for parenting information. Parents with more questions or concerns (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.23, 1.59), and parents who received parenting information from their social contacts (OR: 5.57, 95% CI: 3.22, 9.61), had higher odds of media use for parenting information. Older parents (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91, 1.00), and parents of older children (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.74, 0.95), had lower odds of media use for parenting information.Public Health and primary carePrevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD

Beyond main effects of gene-sets: Harsh parenting moderates the association between a dopamine gene-set and child externalizing behavior

Development Psychopathology in context: famil

Parental, child and socio-contextual factors associated with parenting self-efficacy among parents of children aged 0-7 years old: the CIKEO study

Background A high parenting self-efficacy (PSE) has been associated with positive parenting and positive child development. However, there is limited and inconsistent information on factors associated with PSE. Objective To investigate factors associated with PSE in parents of children aged 0-7 years old, and to explore whether the associations were different between mothers and fathers. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline data from a prospective cohort study: the CIKEO study. A total of 1012 parents (mean age = 33.8, SD = 5.0) completed self-reported measure of PSE and 18 potential factors associated with PSE. Results Multivariable models revealed that lower parenting stress, fewer child behavior problems, better eating behavior, better parental and child general health, a smaller number of children living in the household, higher perceived level of social support and having a migration background were associated with higher levels of PSE (p < 0.05). The association between family functioning and PSE differed between mothers and fathers (p for interaction = 0.003): with beta and 95% confidence interval being: 1.29 (- 2.05, 0.87), and 0.23 (- 0.46, 3.29), respectively. Conclusions A range of parental, child and social-contextual factors in relation to PSE were identified. The patterns of associations for most of the factors were similar among mothers and fathers. However, the association between family functioning and PSE might differ for mothers and fathers. Our findings are relevant for tailoring and implementing successful interventions and effective policy making in child care.Public Health and primary carePrevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD

Associations between organised leisure-time activities and mental health problems in children

Previous studies conducted mainly among adolescents have found associations between participation in sport organised leisure-time activities (OLTAs) and mental health problems (MHP). Fewer research studies have been performed to primary school-aged children and to organised non-sport OLTAs. Therefore, the objective is to examine whether there is an association between participation in sport and non-sport OLTAs and a high risk of MHP in 4- to 12-year-olds. Data were used on 5010 children from a cross-sectional population-based survey conducted between May and July 2018 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Associations between sport OLTAs, non-sport OLTAs and breadth of OLTAs and a high risk of MHP were explored using logistic regression models adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, stressful life events and physical activity. Of all children, 58% participated in sport OLTAs and 22% in non-sport OLTAs. The proportion of children with high risk of MHP among participants in sport OLTAs is smaller than among non-participants (OR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.81). The proportion of children with high risk of MHP among participants in non-sport OLTAs is smaller than among non-participants (OR 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.91). The proportion of children with a high risk of MHP among participants in 1 category of OLTAs (OR 0.61, 95% CI: 0.49, 0.76) and in 2–5 categories of OLTAs (OR 0.48, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.71) is smaller than among non-participants

Aplicação mobile: caso dog trace

Trabalho de projeto apresentado à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como requisito parcial para obtenção de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing.Apos o aparecimento da Internet ha algumas decadas, assistimos atualmente a um grande avanco tecnologico: a era do marketing digital e da comunicacao movel. Os smartphones estao a mudar a forma como as pessoas interagem entre si e com o mundo, devido a sua grande utilidade e as inumeras aplicacoes disponiveis para estes aparelhos. O desenvolvimento destas aplicacoes tem ganho cada vez mais adeptos. A utilidade das mesmas no nosso dia-a-dia e inquestionavel, tanto no contexto social como no profissional. A exigencia dos utilizadores em relacao as aplicacoes tem vindo a aumentar com o avancar dos anos, estando sempre a espera de aplicacoes mais desenvolvidas. Neste projeto exploramos a ligacao entre o cao e o seu dono, visto que cada vez mais os caes fazem parte da familia, nao sendo considerados apenas como animais domesticos, portanto sao mais protegidos pelos respetivos donos. O objetivo deste projeto foi desenvolver o conceito e a estrutura de uma app para dispositivos moveis, enquanto ponto de encontro entre utilizadores que partilham um unico desejo: encontrar e devolver de uma forma mais rapida e eficaz o animal ao seu dono atraves da ajuda do micro-chip do cao. Para o efeito, foi desenvolvida uma investigacao de suporte e quantitativa, efetuada atraves de um questionario aplicado a uma amostra de 130 individuos. Os resultados ajudaram a avaliar, junto do consumidor, a relevancia da app, a fazer uma comparacao com o que ja existe no mercado e a garantir a utilidade desta nova criacao no mercado.ABSTRACT: After the emergence of the Internet a few decades ago, we are currently witnessing a major technological breakthrough: the era of digital marketing and mobile communication. The smartphones are changing the way people interact with each other and with the world, due to its great utility and the numerous applications available for these gadgets. The development of these applications has been gaining more and more followers. Their usefulness in our day-to-day life is unquestionable, both in the social and professional context. Throw out the years users have been more and more demanding regarding the quality of applications, always expecting for better developed applications. In this project we explored the connection between the dog and its owner. Nowadays dogs are an increasingly important part of many families, sometimes being considered more than just domestic animals. The objective of this project was to develop the concept and structure of an app for mobile devices, for users who share a single desire: to find and return the animal to its owner through the use of the dog's micro-chip. For this purpose, a support and quantitative investigation was developed, carried out through a questionnaire applied to a sample of 130 individuals. The results helped to evaluate the relevance of the app and to make a comparison with what already exists in the market.N/

Socio-demographic characteristics associated with perceived social support among parents of children aged 0-7 years: The CIKEO study

Background: Social support has been associated with numerous positive outcomes for families' health, wellbeing and empowerment. This study examined which socio-demographic characteristics are associated with perceived social support among parents of children aged 0-7 years. Method: Cross-sectional data of 1007 parents of children aged 0-7 years, gathered in the CIKEO cohort study in the Netherlands, were analysed. Social support was assessed with the Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Linear regression models were used to examine associations between socio-demographic characteristics and perceived social support. Results: The mean age of the participants was 34.1 years (SD = 5.1); 92.9% were mothers. The multivariable regression model showed that fathers (β: -0.15, 95% CI: - 0.22, - 0.08), parents with a low educational level (β: -0.12, 95% CI: 0.18, - 0.06), parents with a low income (β: -0.10, 95% CI: - 0.19, - 0.01), unemployed parents (β: -0.14, 95% CI: - 0.20, - 0.07), and parents of older children (β: -0.07; 95% CI: - 0.13, 0.00) perceived lower levels of social support. Interaction analyses showed that parents with a migration background and a low educational level were particularly susceptible to perceiving lower levels of support (β: -0.34, 95% CI: - 0.52, - 0.15). Conclusion: Fathers, parents with a low educational level, parents with a low income, unemployed parents, parents of older children, and parents with both a migration background and a low educational level are at increased risk of perceiving lower levels of social support. Implications: We recommend to develop, implement and evaluate intervention strategies to strengthen perceived social support among the abovementioned subgroups of parents, in order to improve families' health, wellbeing and empowerment. Trial registration: NTR7607 in the Netherlands trial registry

Media violence and children’s ADHD-related behaviors: a genetic susceptibility perspective

This study examined the relationship between media violence exposure and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related behaviors. Using survey (parent-reported) and genetic data of 1,612 Dutch children (aged 5 to 9 years), we examined genetic disposition as a possible cause of individual differences in children's use of and susceptibility to media violence. The gene variant of interest was the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, which has been associated with ADHD-related behaviors in previous research. Results showed that the "long" variant of the gene polymorphism was related to greater violent media use, which in turn was related to more ADHD-related behaviors. The 5-HTTLPR genotype did not moderate the effect of media violence on ADHD-related behaviors. This study provides insight into the role of genetic factors in media effects

A prospective study on the association between social support perceived by parents of children aged 1-7 years and the use of community youth health care services

AIM: This study examined the association between social support perceived by parents of children aged 1–7 years and the use of additional community youth health care services. METHODS: Data of 749 parents of children aged 1–7 years, gathered in the CIKEO cohort study in the Netherlands, were analyzed. Social support was assessed with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Data on the use of additional community youth health care services during a period of 1.5 years were obtained from the electronic records of participating youth health care organizations. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association between perceived social support and the use of additional youth health care services and to explore moderation by the parent's educational level. RESULTS: The mean age of the responding parents was 33.9 years (SD = 5.1); 93.6% were mothers. Parents who perceived low to moderate levels of social support had 1.72 (95% CI: 1.11, 2.66) times higher odds of using one or more additional youth health care services during the study period compared to parents who perceived high levels of social support at baseline. This association was independent of predisposing factors, but not independent of need factors (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the association was moderated by the educational level of the parent (p = 0.015). Among parents with a high educational level, low to moderate levels of perceived social support at baseline were associated with 2.93 (95% CI: 1.47, 5.83) times higher odds of using one or more additional youth health care services during the study period independent of predisposing and need factors. Among parents with a low or middle educational level the association between perceived social support and use of additional youth health care services was not significant. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide evidence that low to moderate levels of perceived social support are associated with a higher use of additional community youth health care services among parents of children aged 1–7 years, especially among high educated parents. Recommendations for policy and practice are provided

Parental, child and socio-contextual factors associated with parenting self-efficacy among parents of children aged 0-7 years old: The CIKEO study

Background: A high parenting self-efficacy (PSE) has been associated with positive parenting and positive child development. However, there is limited and inconsistent information on factors associated with PSE. Objective: To investigate factors associated with PSE in parents of children aged 0-7 years old, and to explore whether the associations were different between mothers and fathers. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline data from a prospective cohort study: the CIKEO study. A total of 1012 parents (mean age = 33.8, SD = 5.0) completed self-reported measure of PSE and 18 potential factors associated with PSE. Results: Multivariable models revealed that lower parenting stress, fewer child behavior problems, better eating behavior, better parental and child general health, a smaller number of children living in the household, higher perceived level of social support and having a migration background were associated with higher levels of PSE (p < 0.05). The association between family functioning and PSE differed between mothers and fathers (p for interaction = 0.003): with beta and 95% confidence interval being: 1.29 (- 2.05, 0.87), and 0.23 (- 0.46, 3.29), respectively. Conclusions: A range of parental, child and social-contextual factors in relation to PSE were identified. The patterns of associations for most of the factors were similar among mothers and fathers. However, the association between family functioning and PSE might differ for mothers and fathers. Our findings are relevant for tailoring and implementing successful interventions and effective policy making in child care