Caregivers' joint depressive symptoms and preschoolers' daily routines in Chinese three-generation families: Does household chaos matter?

The benefits of routines for children have been consistently demonstrated in previous literature. However, factors that may confer risks for child routines have seldom been examined, particularly in families where parents and grandparents co-care the children. This study aimed to investigate the associations of parents' and grandparents' depressive symptoms with preschoolers' daily routines in Chinese three-generation families and to determine whether household chaos mediated or moderated the associations. The participants were from 171 urban three-generation families where mothers, fathers, and grandmothers (97 paternal and 74 maternal) were primary caregivers. Mothers, fathers, and grandmothers reported their depressive symptoms at Wave 1; at Wave 2 (during the COVID-19 pandemic), caregivers reported household chaos and child routines. The results revealed that child routines were negatively predicted by parents' joint depressive symptoms rather than grandmothers' depressive symptoms. In the associations, household chaos acted as a mediator rather than a moderator. Specifically, household chaos marginally mediated the associations between parents' and grandmothers' depressive symptoms and child routines only in maternal three-generation families. These findings suggest that in three-generation families, caregivers with more depressive symptoms may elicit more chaotic family environments, which may in turn compromise their children's daily routines.

The Double-Edged Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese Family Relationships

To comprehensively understand the Chinese family relationships (i.e., marital relationship, parent–child relationship, sibling relationship, and grandparent–grandchild relationship) during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated the changes of family relationships and the individual differences related to knowledge of the COVID-19, personality traits (i.e., neuroticism and optimism), and emotional characteristics (i.e., emotion regulation and negative emotional reactions). From March 1 to April 5, 2020, 8821 participants were involved, including 3995 teenagers, 1146 unmarried young adults, 3571 married adults, and 109 grandparents. Results revealed a double-edged pattern that people experienced both positive changes and negative changes during the pandemic. Teenagers reported significant negative changes in the relationships with their parents. Peoples' knowledge of the COVID-19, neuroticism, optimism, emotion regulation, and negative emotional reactions were in varying extents to which accounted for the individual differences in the changes of family relationships. These findings help recognize the overall Chinese family relationships during the hard period.

The Double-Edged Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese Family Relationships.

To comprehensively understand the Chinese family relationships (i.e., marital relationship, parent-child relationship, sibling relationship, and grandparent-grandchild relationship) during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated the changes of family relationships and the individual differences related to knowledge of the COVID-19, personality traits (i.e., neuroticism and optimism), and emotional characteristics (i.e., emotion regulation and negative emotional reactions). From March 1 to April 5, 2020, 8821 participants were involved, including 3995 teenagers, 1146 unmarried young adults, 3571 married adults, and 109 grandparents. Results revealed a double-edged pattern that people experienced both positive changes and negative changes during the pandemic. Teenagers reported significant negative changes in the relationships with their parents. Peoples' knowledge of the COVID-19, neuroticism, optimism, emotion regulation, and negative emotional reactions were in varying extents to which accounted for the individual differences in the changes of family relationships. These findings help recognize the overall Chinese family relationships during the hard period.

Evaluation of TaqMan Array card (TAC) for the detection of 28 respiratory pathogens.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory infections are a serious threat to human health. So, rapid detection of all respiratory pathogens can facilitate prompt treatment and prevent the deterioration of respiratory disease. Previously published primers and probes of the TaqMan array card (TAC) for respiratory pathogens are not sensitive to Chinese clinical specimens. This study aimed to develop and improve the TAC assay to detect 28 respiratory viral and bacterial pathogens in a Chinese population. METHODS: To improve the sensitivity, we redesigned the primers and probes, and labeled the probes with minor groove binders. The amplification efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity of the primers and probes were determined using target-gene containing standard plasmids. The detection performance of the TAC was evaluated on 754 clinical specimens and the results were compared with those from conventional methods. RESULTS: The performance of the TAC assay was evaluated using 754 clinical throat swab samples and the results were compared with those from gold-standard methods. The sensitivity and specificity were 95.4 and 96.6%, respectively. The lowest detection limit of the TAC was 10 to 100 copies/µL. CONCLUSIONS: TAC is an efficient, accurate, and high-throughput approach to detecting multiple respiratory pathogens simultaneously and is a promising tool for the identification of pathogen outbreaks.

Different Trajectories of Panic and the Associated Factors among Unmarried Chinese during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: A large number of the population experienced panic during the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. The current study explored the trajectory of panic and its associated factors to develop promising strategies for controlling the global spread of COVID-19 and improving the mental health emergency management. METHODS: A total of 812 unmarried adults (aged from 18 to 42 years, M = 23.3, SD = 3.45) from all over China participated online in our investigation. A Growth Mixture Model (GMM) was developed and analysed. RESULTS: Three classes of trajectories for panic were identified: the "continuous decline group (CDG)", the "continuous low group (CLG)," and the "continuous high group (CHG)". With reference to the CDG, people in the CHG were more sensitive to social factors. With reference to the CDG, people in the CLG were more likely to possess some of the following traits: being men, in Hubei Province (center of the pandemic), with a lower income, and less sensitive towards social factors and individual factors. With reference to the CLG, people in the CHG were more likely to be women, located outside of Hubei Province, and more sensitive to social factors, family factors, and individual factors. CONCLUSION: Social factors, family factors, and individual factors predicted the different trajectories of panic.