Development and validity testing of the revised diabetes self-care inventory for children and adolescents.

Recently, self-care in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes has changed with regard to both adherence to treatment and self-management. Only one diabetes self-care scale for children and adolescents is used in Japan which lacks reflection on flexible regimens. The aims of this study were to modify and subsequently test the validity of the revised diabetes self-care inventory (R-DSCI) for children and adolescents, and to construct the diabetes self-care model on the R-DSCI, HbA1c, duration of diabetes and age. Based on qualitative secondary analysis of the self-care framework for teenagers and a literature review of diabetes self-care instruments, the items concerning insulin injection and meal planning were modified from the original DSCI and new items concerning negotiation with parents and others were added. The participants in the validity testing were 122 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, 50.8% were girls, aged 9-18 years, mean HbA1c of 7.9%. The final version of the R-DSCI was composed of 41 items. Eight factors, which explained 40.9% of the variance, were identified using the varimax method; Cronbach's alpha for the 41 items was 0.79. The diabetes self-care model showed a negative direct effect of "diabetes self-care practice" on HbA1c (P = 0.004), and the negative indirect effect of "support and perception of life with diabetes" on HbA1c through "diabetes self-care practice" (P = 0.002; estimated effect - 0.21). In addition, "independent self-care behavior" was directly affected by age (P < 0.001). The R-DSCI should be useful for clinicians and researchers to assess the self-management in children and adolescents.

Effects of primary prevention of child abuse that begins during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth.

OBJECTIVE: To improve primary prevention of child maltreatment, the association between at-risk parents identified by maternity hospitals and local health centers and intervention outcomes was investigated. METHODS: A screening program for primary prevention of child maltreatment has been implemented for parents with children aged<3 years in A Prefecture. At-risk parents are identified at maternity hospitals and local health centers. Public health nurses provide intervention to promote positive parenting through home visits, and referred to child protective centers when they suspect child maltreatment. RESULTS: Between 2009 and 2014, a total of 2,252 new at-risk parents were identified, 956 from maternity hospitals and 1,296 from local health centers. Among these at-risk parents, 356 (15.8%) were referred to child protective centers for possible child maltreatment, 88 of which came from maternity hospitals and 268 from local health centers. The rate of referral from maternity hospitals was significantly lower than that from local health centers (9.2% vs. 20.7%, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Identification of at-risk parents during pregnancy and early intervention resulted in a decrease in the rate of referrals to child protective centers. The specific risk factors of "perceived lack of social support", "mental illness" and "teen pregnancy" may be mitigated by early intervention. J. Med. Invest. 64: 153-159, February, 2017.

The relationship between parents with a history of childhood problems and incidence of consequent child abuse.

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors related to the need for cooperation with child guidance centers with a focus on the presence or absence of a history of childhood problems in at-risk parents receiving support from their municipality. Among the 1890 parents who received child care support from public health nurses in the municipalities, 164 parents (8.7%) had a history of childhood problems. Among these, 50 parents (30.5%) received support from child guidance centers. The parents with a history of childhood problems had a higher incidence rate for receiving support from child guidance centers than other parents. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that "marital strife or domestic violence", and "financial problems" were associated with consultations with child guidance centers among parents with a history of childhood problems. The results showed that family situations of parents who had a history of childhood problems may, in time, become more severe, even if they have received support from public health nurses in the municipalities. Therefore, parents with a history of childhood problems need support as early as possible. In addition, those parents with "marital strife or domestic violence" and "financial problems" also need guidance and early nursing care interventions. J. Med. Invest. 63: 209-215, August, 2016.

Neuroimaging in autism spectrum disorders: 1H-MRS and NIRS study.

Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS), we measured chemical metabolites in the left amygdala and the bilateral orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The concentrations of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in these regions of ASD were significantly decreased compared to those in the control group. In the autistic patients, the NAA concentrations in these regions correlated with their social quotient. These findings suggest the presence of neuronal dysfunction in the amygdala and OFC in ASD. Dysfunction in the amygdala and OFC may contribute to the pathogenesis of ASD. We performed a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) study to evaluate the mirror neuron system in children with ASD. The concentrations of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) were measured with frontal probes using a 34-channel NIRS machine while the subjects imitated emotional facial expressions. The increments in the concentration of oxy-Hb in the pars opercularis of the inferior frontal gyrus in autistic subjects were significantly lower than those in the controls. However, the concentrations of oxy-Hb in this area were significantly elevated in autistic subjects after they were trained to imitate emotional facial expressions. The results suggest that mirror neurons could be activated by repeated imitation in children with ASD.