Motor-Cognitive Interventions May Effectively Improve Cognitive Function in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a syndrome that occurs in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease. Early intervention can be effective in preventing Alzheimer's disease, but further research is needed on intervention methods. To identify interventions that are more suitable for Chinese characteristics and to investigate the effects of motor-cognitive intervention on the cognitive functions of older adults with MCI, we screened 103 community-dwelling older adults with MCI aged 65 years and older in Qingdao, Shandong, China; divided them into an intervention group and a control group; and administered a motor-cognitive intervention to the intervention group for 12 weeks. The study used the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to assess the initial cognitive level of the MCI participants and detect the effects of the intervention. We found that the cognitive abilities of the intervention group were significantly improved at the end of the intervention, as well as at the end of the follow-up, compared with the control group. The results of the current study suggest that the motor-cognitive intervention we used may improve the cognition of older people with MCI in the Chinese community.

Adolescent-to-Mother Psychological Aggression: The Role of Father Violence and Maternal Parenting Style.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent-to-parent psychological aggression is often a precursor to physical aggression toward their parents. Recently, there have been 4 high-profile matricide cases that happened in China. To date, there is limited research in Confucian filial piety culture on child-to-parent psychological aggression, especially toward the mother who is overwhelming the target of children's aggression. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to explore the prevalence of adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression and examine the role of father violence and maternal parenting style in contributing to these behaviors in Confucian filial piety culture. METHODS: Participants were 1134 students from 7 to 12 grade (M = 14 years, SD = 1.5) in Qingdao located in Shandong Province in east side of China where the Confucian Culture began. The instruments used were a demographics questionnaire, adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression questionnaire, father's violent behavior questionnaire and maternal parenting style questionnaire. RESULTS: Two types of adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression were assessed: contempt and rebellion. The prevalence of adolescent-to-mother contempt and rebellion was 30.7% and 18.7%, respectively. Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that father's conflict with grandparents, maternal control and over-protection were positively associated with adolescent's contempt for mother. Parents divorced, father's conflict with grandparents, father-to-mother physical violence and maternal rejection were positively associated with adolescent's rebellion against mother. Maternal emotional warmth was negatively associated with adolescent's contempt and rebellion against mother. CONCLUSION: Adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression occurs within a broader family context of violence and disharmony. Observational learning of father's conflict with grandparents or violent behaviors toward mother maybe the mechanism of violence passing from generations. However, maternal emotional warmth buffered the negative association between father's conflict with grandparents and adolescent's contempt for mother. But maternal control and over-protection exacerbated the positive relationships between father's conflict with grandparents and adolescent's contempt for mother.