ABSTRACT
Introduction: Accepting and supportive family relationships during childhood and adolescence may have long-term associations with psychosocial functioning into adulthood. Cross-sectional studies provide evidence by which positive family relationships promote adolescent health by increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes including higher educational and occupational attainment and reducing the risk for negative outcomes including suicidal behaviour and poor health. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 500 male adolescents from the urban and rural field practice areas in the vicinity of Sri Guru Ram Das Medical College Amritsar. Cross sectional study was conducted to examine the relation between familial conflict problems and psychosocial/behavioural disorders in adolescents. Results: Almost one third (33%) adolescents were having parental and family dispute problems. These problems were significantly higher in middle adolescence (14-16 years), adolescents of large extended families (>8 members) and in lower socioeconomic status. Residence had no significant relation to family problems in the adolescents. On correlation, poor and unhealthy family atmosphere had more chances in adolescents of having greater academic problems, depression, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and more sexual activity. Conclusion: Family involvement, family structure, parental values, parental monitoring and parent-child communication are important factors influencing critical life choices in teens. The family support and communication should be improved through these education programs to develop healthy psychosocial and sexual attitudes and counteract unsafe behaviours in the adolescents. Future research is needed to identify additional pathways underlying this association, and the extent to which these factors are modifiable.
ABSTRACT
The present study estimates genetic variability with a set of 25 microsatellite markers in a random sample of 50 animals of Tharparkar breed of Indian zebu (Bos indicus) cattle. Tharparkar is a dual-purpose breed, valued for its milk as well as draught utility, and is adapted to the inhospitable Thar desert conditions of Rajasthan typified by summer temperature hovering above 50 degrees C, sparse rainfall and vegetation, and scarcity of even drinking water. The observed number of alleles ranged from 4 (ETH3, ILSTS030, INRA5, INRA63 and MM8) to 11 (HEL9 and ILSTS034), with allelic diversity (average number of observed alleles per locus) of 6.20. Observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.25 (INRA63) to 0.77 (ETH10), and from 0.51 (HEL5 and HAUT27) to 0.88 (HEL9) respectively. Wide range of genetic variability supported the utility of these microsatellite loci in measurement of genetic diversity indices in other Indian cattle breeds too. Various average genetic variability measures, namely allele diversity (6.20), observed heterozygosity (0.57), expected heterozygosity (0.67) and mean polymorphism information content (0.60) values showed substantial within-breed genetic variability in this major breed of Rajasthan, despite accumulated inbreeding as reflected by high average inbreeding coefficient (F(IS) = 0.39). The Tharparkar population has not experienced a bottleneck in the recent past.