Sometimes "we" can help: parents' pronoun use buffers fear and anxiety transmission.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Parents' natural language when describing health-related threats reflects parents' cognitions that may shape their transmission of anxiety and fear. Parents' greater communal focus (i.e., higher we-talk) and less self-focus (i.e., lower I-talk) may buffer against intergenerational fear/anxiety transmission. The current study investigated whether the relation between parents' and children's anxiety and pandemic-related fear differed by parent we- and I-talk. DESIGN AND METHODS: Parents of 114 children (2-19 years; M = 9.75, SD = 3.73) completed online measures assessing children's and parents' anxiety and COVID-19-related fears, and engaged in a written reflection on their early pandemic experiences. The proportion of parents' we-talk and I-talk during the reflection was obtained using Linguistic Inquiry Word Count software. RESULTS: Results of multilevel structural equation models were partially consistent with expectations: The protective effect of we-talk was only observed for parents with lower fear/anxiety. For parents with higher fear/anxiety, higher I-talk was associated with lower child fear/anxiety. At higher levels of parent we-talk and at lower levels of I-talk, there was an unexpectedly positive association between parents' and children's fear/anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: The concordance between parents' and their children's fear/anxiety differs depending on parents' natural language when reflecting on the pandemic.

Concomitant medication use in children with autism spectrum disorder: Data from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials.

LAY ABSTRACT: Children with autism spectrum disorder are prescribed a variety of medications that affect the central nervous system (psychotropic medications) to address behavior and mood. In clinical trials, individuals taking concomitant psychotropic medications often are excluded to maintain homogeneity of the sample and prevent contamination of biomarkers or clinical endpoints. However, this choice may significantly diminish the clinical representativeness of the sample. In a recent multisite study designed to identify biomarkers and behavioral endpoints for clinical trials (the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials), school-age children with autism spectrum disorder were enrolled without excluding for medications, thus providing a unique opportunity to examine characteristics of psychotropic medication use in a research cohort and to guide future decisions on medication-related inclusion criteria. The aims of the current analysis were (1) to quantify the frequency and type of psychotropic medications reported in school-age children enrolled in the ABC-CT and (2) to examine behavioral features of children with autism spectrum disorder based on medication classes. Of the 280 children with autism spectrum disorder in the cohort, 42.5% were taking psychotropic medications, with polypharmacy in half of these children. The most commonly reported psychotropic medications included melatonin, stimulants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, alpha agonists, and antipsychotics. Descriptive analysis showed that children taking antipsychotics displayed a trend toward greater overall impairment. Our findings suggest that exclusion of children taking concomitant psychotropic medications in trials could limit the clinical representativeness of the study population, perhaps even excluding children who may most benefit from new treatment options.

Parenting under pressure: Parental transmission and buffering of child fear during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current study investigated the impacts of parental behaviors (threat communication and comforting) on children's COVID-19 fears and whether effects differed by age. Caregivers of 283 children (5.5-17 years, M = 10.17, SD = 3.25) from 186 families completed online measures assessing children's and parents' COVID-19-related fears, children's sources of COVID-19 threat information, and parents' engagement in behaviors to reduce child distress (i.e., comfort behaviors). Higher COVID-19 fear in parents was associated with greater communication of COVID-19 threat information, which was associated with higher COVID-19 fear in younger, but not older, children. Over and above parental fear and threat communication, greater exposure to COVID-19 threat information from community sources (e.g., media, school, friends) was associated with greater COVID-19 fear in children, regardless of age. Greater engagement of parental comfort behaviors buffered the association between community sources of COVID-19 threat information and COVID-19 fears in older, but not younger, children. These findings suggest that younger children might be more vulnerable to developing heightened COVID-19 fears as a result of increasing sources of COVID-19 threat information in their lives. This study highlights the importance of supporting the socioemotional well-being of children and families through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Parenting under pressure: A mixed-methods investigation of the impact of COVID-19 on family life.

BACKGROUND: development and implementation of effective family-based psychosocial intervention and treatment strategies during COVID-19 will require a detailed understanding of how the virus has impacted the lives of families. METHODS: written reports on the life impacts of COVID-19 for parents (n = 56) and their children (n = 43), and a questionnaire assessing parent positive and negative affect, were collected between April and May 2020. An inductive approach was used to identify themes in written reports, followed by statistical analysis to explore associations between themes and changes in parent positive and negative affect pre- and post-writing. RESULTS: parents and children reported both positive and negative psychosocial impacts of the virus, though parents expressed a greater diversity of positive themes than children. Common themes reported by parents included concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on their children, health concerns for others, and the stressful balancing act of parenting, assisting with children's school work, and working from home. Many parents reported gratitude, and reflected on the upsides of the pandemic for family relationships and parent-child bonding. Parents who expressed gratitude reported a decrease in negative affect pre- to post-writing. Common child-reported themes included yearning to return to school, pandemic-related fears, and longing for social connection. LIMITATIONS: the sample included a cross-section of mostly White (non-Hispanic), dual income, well-educated mothers, primarily from the United States. CONCLUSIONS: both parents and children reported reduced wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should focus on identifying how to fulfill children's social needs and lessen caregivers' burdens during this time.

Comparisons of a Multi-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis to the Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Scan in Healthy Young Adults Depending on their Physical Activity Level.

This study aimed at comparing BIA and DXA results in assessing body composition in young adults depending on their physical activity level. Eighty healthy 19-30 years old subjects were enrolled and their body composition (Fat Mass and Fat-Free Mass) was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and by a newly developed Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer (BIA - Tanita MC780). A seven-day physical activity level was assessed using a 3-axial accelerometer. DXA-FM% and BIA-FM% were correlated (p<0.001; r= 0.852; ICC [IC95%]: 0.84 [0.75 - 0.90]; concordance coefficient: 0.844). DXA-FFM and BIA FFM were correlated (p<0.001; r=0.976; ICC [IC95%]: 0.95 [0.93 - 0.97], concordance coefficient: 0.955). DXA and BIA measurements of FM% and FFM were highly correlated in both boys and girls regardless of the physical activity level. Compared with DXA scans, newly developed bioelectrical impedance analyzers provide satisfactory fat mass and lean mass measures in healthy young women and men, despite their physical activity level.