Mitochondrial motility modulators coordinate quality control dynamics to promote neuronal health.

Dysfunction in mitochondrial maintenance and trafficking is commonly correlated with the development of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Thus, biomedical research has been dedicated to understanding how architecturally complex neurons maintain and transport their mitochondria. However, the systems that coordinate mitochondrial QC (quality control) dynamics and trafficking in response to neuronal activity and stress are less understood. Additionally, the degree of integration between the processes of mitochondrial trafficking and QC is unclear. Recent work indicates that mitochondrial motility modulators (i.e., anchors and tethers) help coordinate mitochondrial health by mediating distinct, stress-level-appropriate QC pathways following mitochondrial damage. This review summarizes current evidence supporting the role of two mitochondrial motility modulators, Syntaphilin and Mitofusin 2, in coordinating mitochondrial QC to promote neuronal health. Exploring motility modulators' intricate regulatory molecular landscape may reveal new therapeutic targets for delaying disease progression and enhancing neuronal survival post-insult.

A meta-analytic examination of sensitive responsiveness as a mediator between depression in mothers and psychopathology in children.

The current meta-analysis examined the mediating role of sensitive-responsive parenting in the relationship between depression in mothers and internalizing and externalizing behavior in children. A systematic review of the path of maternal sensitive responsiveness to child psychopathology identified eligible studies. Meta-analytic structural equation modelling (MASEM) allowed for the systematic examination of the magnitude of the indirect effect across 68 studies (N = 15,579) for internalizing and 92 studies (N = 26,218) for externalizing psychopathology. The synthesized sample included predominantly White, English-speaking children (age range = 1 to 205 months; Mage = 66 months; 47% female) from Western, industrialized countries. The indirect pathway was small in magnitude and similar for externalizing (b = .02) and internalizing psychopathology (b = .01). Moderator analyses found that the indirect pathway for externalizing problems was stronger when mother-child interactions were observed during naturalistic and free-play tasks rather than structured tasks. Other tested moderators were not significant.

A dynamic social relations model for clustered longitudinal dyadic data with continuous or ordinal responses.

Social relations models allow the identification of cluster, actor, partner, and relationship effects when analysing clustered dyadic data on interactions between individuals or other units of analysis. We propose an extension of this model which handles longitudinal data and incorporates dynamic structure, where the response may be continuous, binary, or ordinal. This allows the disentangling of the relationship effects from temporal fluctuation and measurement error and the investigation of whether individuals respond to their partner's behaviour at the previous observation. We motivate and illustrate the model with an application to Canadian data on pairs of individuals within families observed working together on a conflict discussion task.

Bleeding Control Protections Within US Good Samaritan Laws.

INTRODUCTION: In the United States, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs). Designed to encourage bystanders to aid at the scene of an emergency, GSLs generally limit the risk of civil tort liability if the care is rendered in good faith. Nation-wide, a leading cause of preventable death is uncontrolled external hemorrhage. Public bleeding control initiatives aim to train the public to recognize life-threatening external bleeding, perform life-sustaining interventions (including direct pressure, tourniquet application, and wound packing), and to promote access to bleeding control equipment to ensure a rapid response from bystanders. METHODS: This study sought to identify the GSLs in each state and the District of Columbia to identify what type of responder is covered by the law (eg, all laypersons, only trained individuals, or only licensed health care providers) and if bleeding control is explicitly included or excluded in their Good Samaritan coverage. RESULTS: Good Samaritan Laws providing civil liability qualified immunity were identified in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. One state, Oklahoma, specifically includes bleeding control in its GSLs. Six states - Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and Missouri - have laws that define those covered under Good Samaritan immunity, generally limiting protection to individuals trained in a standard first aid or resuscitation course or health care clinicians. No state explicitly excludes bleeding control from their GSLs, and one state expressly includes it. CONCLUSION: Nation-wide across the United States, most states have broad bystander coverage within GSLs for emergency medical conditions of all types, including bleeding emergencies, and no state explicitly excludes bleeding control interventions. Some states restrict coverage to those health care personnel or bystanders who have completed a specific training program. Opportunity exists for additional research into those states whose GSLs may not be inclusive of bleeding control interventions.

Maternal major depression during early pregnancy is associated with impaired child executive functioning at 4.5 years of age.

BACKGROUND: Maternal depression is a serious condition that affects up to 1 in 7 pregnancies. Despite evidence linking maternal depression to pregnancy complications and adverse fetal outcomes, there remain large gaps in its identification and treatment. More work is needed to define the specific timing and severity of depression that most urgently requires intervention, where feasible, to protect maternal health and the developing fetus. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine whether the timing and severity of maternal depression and/or anxiety during pregnancy affect child executive functioning at age 4.5 years. Executive functioning in the preschool years is a strong predictor of both school readiness and long-term quality of life. STUDY DESIGN: This longitudinal observational pregnancy cohort study included a sample of 323 mother-child dyads taking part in the Ontario Birth Study, an open pregnancy cohort in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed at 12 to 16 and 28 to 32 weeks of gestation and at the time of child testing at age 4.5 years using the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire. Child executive functioning was measured during a home visit using standardized computerized administration of the Flanker test (a measure of attention) and the Dimensional Change Card Sort (a measure of cognitive flexibility). Stepwise linear regressions, controlling for possible confounding variables, were used to assess the predictive value of continuous measures of maternal depression and/or anxiety symptoms at each assessment time on the Flanker test and Dimensional Change Card Sort. Posthoc general linear models were used to assess whether maternal depression severity categories (no symptom, mild symptoms, or probable major depressive disorder) were helpful in identifying children at risk. RESULTS: Across all children, after controlling for potential confounds, greater maternal depressive symptoms at weeks 12 to 16 weeks of gestation predicted worse performance on both the Flanker test (ΔR2=0.058; P<.001) and the Dimensional Change Card Sort (ΔR2=0.017; P=.018). Posthoc general linear modeling further demonstrated that the children of mothers meeting the screening criteria for major depression in early pregnancy scored 11.3% lower on the Flanker test and 9.8% lower on the Dimensional Change Card Sort than the children of mothers without maternal depressive symptoms in early pregnancy. Mild depressive symptoms had no significant effect on executive function scores. There was no significant effect of anxiety symptoms or maternal antidepressant use in early pregnancy or pandemic conditions or maternal symptoms in later pregnancy or at the time of child testing on either the Flanker or Dimensional Change Card Sort results. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that fetal exposure to maternal major depression, but not milder forms of depression, at 12 to 16 weeks of gestation is associated with impaired executive functioning in the preschool years. Child executive functioning is crucial for school readiness and predicts long-term quality of life. This emphasizes an urgent need to improve the recognition and treatment of maternal major depression, particularly in early pregnancy, to limit its negative effects on the patient and on child cognitive development.

Cognitive and Emotional Well-Being of Preschool Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: The association between COVID-19 social disruption and young children's development is largely unknown. Objective: To examine associations of pandemic exposure with neurocognitive and socioemotional development at 24 and 54 months of age. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study evaluated associations between pandemic exposure vs nonexposure and developmental outcomes with covariate adjustment using data from the Ontario Birth Study collected between February 2018 and June 2022. Eligible participants were children aged 24 and 54 months. Data were analyzed from June to November 2022. Exposure: COVID-19 pandemic exposure defined as assessment after March 11, 2020. Main Outcome and Measures: Neurodevelopmental assessment using the ASQ-3 (Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition) and MCHAT-R (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised) at 24 months of age, and neurocognitive and socioemotional assessment using the National Institutes of Health Toolbox at 54 months of age. Results: A total of 718 children at age 24 months (mean [SD] age, 25.6 [1.7] months; 342 female [47.6%]; 461 White [64.2%]) and 703 at age 54 months (mean [SD] age, 55.4 [2.6] months; 331 female [47.1%]; 487 White [69.3%]) were included. At 24 months of age, 460 participants (232 female [50.4%]) were assessed during the pandemic (March 17, 2020, to May 17, 2022) and 258 (110 female [42.6%]) were assessed prepandemic (April 17, 2018, to March 10, 2020). At 54 months of age, 286 participants (129 female [45.1%]) were assessed from March 14, 2020, to June 6, 2022, and 417 (202 female [48.4%]) were assessed from February 8, 2018, to March 10, 2020. At 24 months of age, pandemic-exposed children had reduced risk of problem-solving difficulties using cutoff scores (odds ratio [OR], 0.33; 95% CI, 0.18-0.62; P = .005) and higher problem-solving (B, 3.93; 95% CI, 2.48 to 5.38; P < .001) compared with nonexposed children. In contrast, pandemic-exposed children had greater risk for personal-social difficulties using cutoff scores (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.09-2.56; P = .02) and continuous scores (B, -1.70; 95% CI, -3.21 to -0.20; P = .02) compared with nonexposed children. At 54 months of age, pandemic-exposed children had higher receptive vocabulary (B, 3.16; 95% CI, 0.13 to 6.19; P = .04), visual memory (B, 5.95; 95% CI, 1.11 to 10.79; P = .02), and overall cognitive performance (B, 3.89; 95% CI, 0.73 to 7.04; P = .02) compared with nonexposed children, with no differences in socioemotional development. Conclusions and Relevance: This cross-sectional study found both positive and negative associations between pandemic exposure and preschool children's cognitive and emotional well-being within a relatively socioeconomically advantaged sample.

Do standard behavioral assays predict foraging behavior of individual Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in response to a predator model or calls?

Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and other species that feed at bird feeders balance the benefit of easy foraging with the added risk of predation. Individual birds respond differently to risky situations, and these differences have been attributed to the birds' personalities, which researchers commonly assess with an "open-field" behavioral assay. However, these behavioral assays in birds have not been compared to behavior in the wild in the context of foraging in the presence of a predator (i.e., risk-taking behavior). We color-banded chickadees in a wild population and conducted behavioral assays in the field. We later used foraging trials to investigate these color-banded individuals' responses to a predator (Cooper's hawk, Accipiter cooperii) model or a series of Cooper's hawk calls. We found that foraging black-capped chickadees responded more strongly to the presence of a predator model than to predator calls. Individual birds differed in their responses, and the behavioral assays (activity and exploration) predicted individual behavior in the wild during the foraging experiments. Activity and exploration assay scores were only weakly related, suggesting these two assays represent different traits. Both highly active birds and fast explorers exhibited some reluctance to visit the feeder (either reduced number of visits or greater latency to visit) when the predator model was present, a relationship that was somewhat unexpected. Our results suggest that standard behavioral assays predict behavior in the wild, but care should be taken when generalizing among species and studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A follow up investigation of placental pathology, responsive parenting, and preschool children's executive functioning and language development.

Despite documented effects linking underlying placental diseases and neurological impairments in children, little is known about the long-term effects of placental pathology on children's neurocognitive outcomes. In addition, maternal responsivity, known to positively influence early postnatal cognitive development, may act to protect children from putative adverse effects of placental pathology. The current study is a follow up of medically healthy, term born, preschool age children, born with placental pathology. A sample of 118 children (45 comparison children with normal placental findings, 73 born with placental pathology) were followed when children were 3-4 years old. In comparison to children born to mothers with normal placentas, placental pathology was associated with poorer performance in the executive function involving cognitive flexibility, but not inhibitory control or receptive language. Maternal responsivity was observed to be marginally protective on the impact of placental pathology risk on cognitive flexibility, but this was not seen for either inhibitory control or receptive language.

Association between maternal sensitivity and child receptive language development: Quasi-causal evidence using a sibling comparison design.

Observational studies have shown that caregiver sensitivity predicts child language skills. These studies, however, have entirely relied on between-family designs (single parent-child dyad per family), which cannot rule out the contribution of shared family confounds (e.g., genetics, books in home). The current study investigates whether observed caregiver sensitivity predicts changes in child receptive language using a sibling comparison design. Participants were 890 Canadian children (51.7% male; 52.4% White) nested within 447 families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds with children between the ages of 2 and 3.5 years (Wave 1) and 3.5 and 5 years (Wave 2). Independent observers provided ratings of maternal sensitivity with each sibling using several coding protocols (i.e., Coding of Attachment-Related Parenting and the Parent-Child Interaction System). Child receptive language was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Maternal sensitivity predicted within-person change in receptive language. That is, the sibling that receives comparatively more sensitivity from the caregiver showed more development in language over time when compared to their sibling. The obverse association, child language to later maternal sensitivity, was not observed, pointing to a unidirectional association of maternal sensitivity on child receptive language. Our sibling comparison design rules out the role of shared family confounders, which provides a strong test of causal processes within an observational design. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Heterotrimeric G proteins regulate planarian regeneration and behavior.

G protein-coupled receptors play broad roles in development and stem cell biology, but few roles for G protein-coupled receptor signaling in complex tissue regeneration have been uncovered. Planarian flatworms robustly regenerate all tissues and provide a model with which to explore potential functions for G protein-coupled receptor signaling in somatic regeneration and pluripotent stem cell biology. As a first step toward exploring G protein-coupled receptor function in planarians, we investigated downstream signal transducers that work with G protein-coupled receptors, called heterotrimeric G proteins. Here, we characterized the complete heterotrimeric G protein complement in Schmidtea mediterranea for the first time and found that 7 heterotrimeric G protein subunits promote regeneration. We further characterized 2 subunits critical for regeneration, Gαq1 and Gß1-4a, finding that they promote the late phase of anterior polarity reestablishment, likely through anterior pole-produced Follistatin. Incidentally, we also found that 5 G protein subunits modulate planarian behavior. We further identified a putative serotonin receptor, gcr052, that we propose works with Gαs2 and Gßx2 in planarian locomotion, demonstrating the utility of our strategy for identifying relevant G protein-coupled receptors. Our work provides foundational insight into roles of heterotrimeric G proteins in planarian biology and serves as a useful springboard toward broadening our understanding of G protein-coupled receptor signaling in adult tissue regeneration.

Randomized controlled trial evaluating a virtual parenting intervention for young children at risk of obesity: study protocol for Parenting Addressing Early Years Intervention with Coaching Visits in Toronto (PARENT) trial.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of overweight (15%) and obesity (6%) in children under 5 years of age in Canada are high, and young children with overweight and obesity are at increased risk of the development of chronic disease(s) in adulthood. Prior research has demonstrated very few published trials on effective obesity prevention interventions in young children at risk of obesity, within primary healthcare settings. The aim of this study is to determine if 18-48-month-old children at risk for obesity, who are randomized to receive the Parents Together program (i.e., intervention group), have reduced body mass index z-score (zBMI), compared to those not receiving the intervention, at a 12-month follow-up. Secondary clinical outcomes between the intervention and control groups will be compared at 12 months. METHODS: A pragmatic, parallel group, 1:1, superiority, randomized control trial (RCT) through the TARGetKids! Practice Based Research Network will be conducted. Young children (ages 18-48 months) who are at increased risk for childhood obesity will be invited to participate. Parents who are enrolled in the intervention group will participate in eight weekly group sessions and 4-5 coaching visits, facilitated by a trained public health nurse. Children and parents who are enrolled in the control group will receive the usual health care. The primary outcome will be compared between intervention arms using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Feasibility and acceptability will be assessed by parent focus groups and interviews, and fidelity to the intervention will be measured using nurse-completed checklists. A cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) will be conducted. DISCUSSION: This study will aim to reflect the social, cultural, and geographic diversity of children in primary care in Toronto, Ontario, represented by an innovative collaboration among applied child health researchers, community health researchers, and primary care providers (i.e., pediatricians and family physicians in three different models of primary care). Clinical and implementation outcomes will be used to inform future research to test this intervention in a larger number, and diverse practices across diverse geographic settings in Ontario. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03219697. Registered on June 27, 2017.

Do siblings influence one another? Unpacking processes that occur during sibling conflict.

This study examined the extent to which 205 sibling dyads influenced each other during conflict. Data were collected between 2013 to 2015. The sample included 5.9% Black, 15.1% South Asian, 15.1% East Asian, and 63.8% White children. Older siblings were between 7-13 years old (Female = 109) and younger siblings were 5-9 years old (Female = 99). Siblings' conflict resolution was analyzed using dynamic structural equation modeling. Modeling fluctuations in moment-to-moment data (20-s intervals) allowed for a close approximation of causal influence. Older and younger siblings were found to influence one another. Younger sisters were more constructive than younger brothers, especially in sister-sister dyads. Sibling age gap predicted inertia in older siblings. Socialization processes within sibling relationships are discussed.

Teaching empathy to mental health practitioners and trainees: Pairwise and network meta-analyses.

OBJECTIVE: Empathy is a foundational therapeutic skill and a key contributor to client outcome, yet the best combination of instructional components for its training is unclear. We sought to address this by investigating the most effective instructional components (didactic, rehearsal, reflection, observation, feedback, mindfulness) and their combinations for teaching empathy to practitioners. METHOD: Studies included were randomized controlled trials targeted to mental health practitioners and trainees, included a quantitative measure of empathic skill, and were available in English. A total of 36 studies (37 samples) were included (N = 1,616). Two reviewers independently extracted data. Data were pooled by using random-effects pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis (NMA). RESULTS: Overall, empathy interventions demonstrated a medium-to-large effect (d = .78, 95% CI [.58, .99]). Pairwise meta-analysis showed that one of the six instructional components was effective: didactic (d = .91 vs. d = .39, p = .02). None of the program characteristics significantly impacted intervention effectiveness (group vs. individual format, facilitator type, number of sessions). No publication bias, risk of bias, or outliers were detected. NMA, which allows for an examination of instructional component combinations, revealed didactic, observation, and rehearsal were included among the most effective components to operate in combination. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified instructional component, singly (didactic) and in combination (didactic, rehearsal, observation), that provides an efficient way to train empathy in mental health practitioners. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Linking early maternal input during shared reading to later theory of mind through receptive language and executive function: A within- and between-family design.

This study explored whether early maternal input during shared reading predicted later theory of mind (ToM) understanding through children's receptive language and executive function (EF). Maternal input plays a prominent role in the development of children's language skills, which are crucial for both EF and ToM development. There is also an abundance of behavioral evidence suggesting a directional link from EF to ToM. This relation raises the possibility of a cognitive cascade in which maternal input during shared reading promotes ToM development sequentially through receptive language and EF. The sample included 656 children clustered within 328 ethnically and sociodemographically diverse families. The shared reading sessions occurred when the younger and older siblings were 1.5 and 4 years old, respectively. Receptive language, EF, and ToM were measured when the siblings were approximately 5 years old to account for age differences. Multilevel modeling using Bayesian estimation was used to account for the effect of family-wide confounds (i.e., shared between the siblings in the family) while isolating child-specific processes (i.e., unique to each child within the family). The results supported two indirect paths from shared reading to children's ToM: one through receptive language alone and another that operated sequentially through receptive language and EF. These paths were observed only at the family level. These findings emphasize the importance of maternal input during early shared reading for cognitive development and suggest a cascade from maternal input to ToM via language and EF during the preschool period.

Kilometer-scale structure on the core-mantle boundary near Hawaii.

The lowermost mantle right above the core-mantle boundary is highly heterogeneous containing multiple poorly understood seismic features. The smallest but most extreme heterogeneities yet observed are 'Ultra-Low Velocity Zones' (ULVZ). We exploit seismic shear waves that diffract along the core-mantle boundary to provide new insight into these enigmatic structures. We measure a rare core-diffracted signal refracted by a ULVZ at the base of the Hawaiian mantle plume at unprecedentedly high frequencies. This signal shows remarkably longer time delays at higher compared to lower frequencies, indicating a pronounced internal variability inside the ULVZ. Utilizing the latest computational advances in 3D waveform modeling, here we show that we are able to model this high-frequency signal and constrain high-resolution ULVZ structure on the scale of kilometers, for the first time. This new observation suggests a chemically distinct ULVZ with increasing iron content towards the core-mantle boundary, which has implications for Earth's early evolutionary history and core-mantle interaction.

Building knowledge, optimising physical and mental health and setting up healthier life trajectories in South African women (Bukhali): a preconception randomised control trial part of the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI).

INTRODUCTION: South Africa's evolving burden of disease is challenging due to a persistent infectious disease, burgeoning obesity, most notably among women and rising rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). With two thirds of women presenting at their first antenatal visit either overweight or obese in urban South Africa (SA), the preconception period is an opportunity to optimise health and offset transgenerational risk of both obesity and NCDs. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Bukhali is the first individual randomised controlled trial in Africa to test the efficacy of a complex continuum of care intervention and forms part of the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) consortium implementing harmonised trials in Canada, China, India and SA. Starting preconception and continuing through pregnancy, infancy and childhood, the intervention is designed to improve nutrition, physical and mental health and health behaviours of South African women to offset obesity-risk (adiposity) in their offspring. Women aged 18-28 years (n=6800) will be recruited from Soweto, an urban-poor area of Johannesburg. The primary outcome is dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry derived fat mass index (fat mass divided by height2) in the offspring at age 5 years. Community health workers will deliver the intervention randomly to half the cohort by providing health literacy material, dispensing a multimicronutrient supplement, providing health services and feedback, and facilitating behaviour change support sessions to optimise: (1) nutrition, (2) physical and mental health and (3) lay the foundations for healthier pregnancies and early child development. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained from the Human Ethics Research Committee University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (M1811111), the University of Toronto, Canada (19-0066-E) and the WHO Ethics Committee (ERC.0003328). Data and biological sample sharing policies are consistent with the governance policy of the HeLTI Consortium (https://helti.org) and South African government legislation (POPIA). The recruitment and research team will obtain informed consent. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (https://pactr.samrc.ac.za) on 25 March 2019 (identifier: PACTR201903750173871). PROTOCOL VERSION: 20 March 2022 (version #4). Any protocol amendments will be communicated to investigators, Institutional Review Board (IRB)s, trial participants and trial registries.

Teaching home-visitors to support responsive caregiving: A cluster randomized controlled trial of an online professional development program in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Home-visiting programs are a common and effective public health approach to promoting parent and child well-being, including in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization and UNICEF have identified responsive caregiving as one key component of the nurturing care children need to survive and thrive. Nonetheless, the importance of responsive caregiving and how to coach it is often overlooked in trainings for staff in home-visiting programs. METHODS: To determine whether it is possible to enhance home-visitors' understanding of responsive caregiving and how to coach it, we conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial with 181 staff working in Brazil's national home-visiting program. We used a computerized random number generator to randomly assign half of participants to take an online professional development course about responsive caregiving immediately and the other half to a waitlist. Individuals assessing outcome data were blind to group assignment. RESULTS: Compared to those in the control group (N = 90, both randomized and analyzed), participants assigned to take the course (N = 91, both randomized and analyzed) were more knowledgeable about responsivity (Cohen's d = 0.64, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.34, 0.94) and its importance for children's socioemotional (odds ratio (OR) = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.00, 3.50) and cognitive (OR = 2.57, 95% CI = 1.15, 5.71) development, better able to identify responsive parental behaviors in videotaped interactions (d = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.51, 2.21), and suggested more effective strategies for coaching parents on responsivity (d = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.21, 0.80) and tracking goal implementation (OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.28, 7.99). There were no significant changes in participants' tendency to encourage goal setting and reflection, or their perspective-taking skills. Participants were very satisfied with the course content and mode of delivery and there was no drop-out from the program. CONCLUSIONS: A short, online professional development program created moderate to large improvements in home-visitors' knowledge and intended coaching practices. This suggests that such programs are feasible, even in low-income and rural areas, and provide a low-cost, scalable option for possibly maximizing the impact of home-visiting programs - particularly with regard to parental responsivity, and in turn, child outcomes.

Are there positive effects of having a sibling with special needs? Empathy and prosociality of twins of children with non-typical development.

This study examined whether typically developing (TD) twins of non-TD children demonstrate enhanced empathy and prosociality. Of 778 Hebrew-speaking Israeli families who participated in a twin study, 63 were identified to have a non-TD child with a TD twin, and 404 as having both twins TD. TD twins of non-TD children (27% males) were compared to the rest of the cohort of TD children (46% males) on measures of empathy and prosociality. Participants were 11 years old. TD twins of non-TD children scored significantly higher than TD twins of TD children in a measure of cognitive empathy (d = .43). No differences were found in emotional empathy and prosociality. The specificity of the positive effect on cognitive empathy is discussed.

Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Family Processes and the Immigrant Paradox in Youth Externalizing Problems.

BACKGROUND: Despite increased exposure to social adversity, immigrant youth have fewer externalizing problems compared to non-immigrants. Explanations for this apparent advantage remain unclear. This study examined the extent to which socio-economic characteristics and family processes account for group differences in externalizing problems between immigrant and non-immigrant youth. METHODS: Data come from a population-based cross-sectional study of 1,449 youth and their primary caregiver in Hamilton, Ontario. Computer-assisted structured interviews were administered separately to primary caregivers and youth, which included assessments of externalizing problems and measures of family obligation, parental monitoring, value of education and socio-economic characteristics. RESULTS: First- and second-generation immigrant youth had lower levels of externalizing problems compared to non-immigrants. The magnitude of group differences was larger for parent (d = 0.37-0.55) versus youth reports of externalizing behaviours (d = 0.15-0.29). Family socio-economic and process characteristics partially accounted for group differences, which remained significant in the parent-reported model but rendered non-significant in the youth-reported model. CONCLUSION: Results suggesting the potential protective effects of positive family processes for immigrant youth could be extended to non-immigrant youth to inform the development of parenting and family skills interventions. Promoting familial sources of resilience is a potential avenue for reversing downward trends in mental health seen across successive generations of immigrant youth, while also reducing risk of behavioural difficulties among non-immigrant youth.

COVID-19 disruption gets inside the family: A two-month multilevel study of family stress during the pandemic.

Developmental research during COVID-19 suggests that pandemic-related disruptions in family relationships are associated with children's mental health. Most of this research has focused on 1 child per family, thereby obfuscating patterns that are differentially operative at the family-wide (i.e., between-family) versus child-specific (i.e., within-family) levels of analysis. Thus, the current study evaluates multilevel, longitudinal associations between COVID-19 disruption, family relationships, and caregiver/child mental health using a sibling comparison methodology. Caregivers (N = 549 families with 1098 children between 5 and 18 years old) were recruited from the Prolific research panel (73% White-European; 68% female; 76% United Kingdom, 19% U.S.A.; median 2019 income $50,000-$74,999). Caregiver reports of COVID-19 disruption, psychological distress, family functioning, parenting, and child mental health (for 2 children per family) were provided during May (time 1) and July (time 2) 2020. A Bayesian multilevel path analysis with random effects revealed: (a) families were experiencing difficulties across domains when COVID-19 disruption was high; (b) COVID-19 disruption corresponded to greater sibling differences in mental health; and (c) the sibling with poorer mental health received lower quality parenting over time, especially in families who reported higher levels of differential parenting. Findings suggest that understanding children's mental health difficulties during COVID-19 requires a family system lens due to the multiple ways these consequences permeate across the family unit. Comprehensive interventions for children's mental health during this time will likely require an examination of caregiver, sibling, and whole-family dynamics in the context of evidence-based telehealth practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).