Behavioural development in children of divorce and remarriage

Understanding the early life mediators behind the intergenerational transmission of partnership dissolution

Whilst research has demonstrated an intergenerational transmission of partnership dissolution, there is limited evidence as to the early life course pathways through which these associations operate, and whether these differ by gender. Many studies have not considered prospective data from early childhood, thus potentially neglecting the importance of the early childhood period in explaining this intergenerational transmission. Given that serial partnering has become increasingly commonplace it is important research considers those who experience multiple partnership dissolution. This paper examines, using data from the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study, the early life mediators underpinning the association between parental separation and the number of offspring partnership dissolutions. Among both men and women there is a significant unadjusted relationship between parental separation and the experience of multiple partnership dissolutions in adulthood. These associations were reduced once parental confounders and childhood mediators are included. Formal mediation analyses demonstrated that early life mediators accounted for more of the association in men than women. Mediators included childhood living standards, and for men child cognition and child behaviour, and for women maternal mental wellbeing. Parental separation and many early life mediators were related to the likelihood of multiple partnership dissolutions through age at first partnership.

The mediating pathways between parental separation in childhood and offspring hypertension at midlife

Social life course determinants of adult hypertension are relatively unknown. This paper examines how parental separation before age 10 relates to hypertension at age 46. Adjusting for parental confounders and considering the role of adult mediators, we aim to quantify unexplored mediating pathways in childhood using prospectively collected data. Data from the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study are utilised. Hypertension is measured by health care professionals at age 46. Potential mediating pathways in childhood include body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, illness, disability, family socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive and developmental indicators at age 10. Additionally, we explore to what extent childhood mediators operate through adult mediators, including health behaviours, family SES, BMI and mental wellbeing. We also test for effect modification of the relationship between parental separation and hypertension by gender. Nested logistic regression models test the significance of potential mediating variables. Formal mediation analysis utilising Karlson Holm and Breen (KHB) method quantify the direct and indirect effect of parental separation on offspring hypertension at midlife. There was an association between parental separation and hypertension in mid-life in women but not men. For women, family SES and cognitive and behavioural development indicators at age 10 partly mediate the relationship between parental separation and hypertension at age 46. When adult mediators including, health behaviours, family SES, BMI and mental wellbeing are included, the associations between the childhood predictors and adult hypertension are attenuated, suggesting that these childhood mediators in turn may work through adult mediators to affect the risk of hypertension in midlife. We found family SES in childhood, cognitive and behaviour development indicators at age 10, including disruptive behaviour, coordination and locus of control in childhood, to be important mediators of the relationship between parental separation and midlife hypertension suggesting that intervening in childhood may modify adult hypertension risk.

Reconfiguration of relationships during the process of remarriage after divorce. A qualitative study in Iran

Marriage is highly respected and somehow sacred in eastern societies, including Iran. This qualitative research aimed to explore lived experience of remarried men and women who had experienced divorce in their relationships with their significant others. Seventeen remarried-after-divorce persons whose second marriage lasted over two years participated in the study, conducted using the content analysis method. Under the theme of inter-relationships, four categories were found, including "different spouses, different relations", "reconfiguration of relationships with families", "impacts on child-rearing", and "the importance of unimportant acquaintances". This study showed the complexity of the relationship network when another marriage happens after the first one collapsed. The other finding was that relations after divorce might not disappear completely, and relics of the first ruined shared life may strongly affect the new partnership. The influence of context-oriented issues, particularly in societies where religion and tradition are strong, was the other result. This study showed that remarriage after divorce has positive and negative consequences. Professionals, policymakers and researchers may apply the findings of the research by taking a strengths perspective.

Parental divorce and initiation of alcohol use in early adolescence

Parental divorce/separation is among the most commonly endorsed adverse childhood events. It has been shown to increase subsequent risk of alcohol dependence and problems across adolescence and early adulthood, but its influence on early stages of alcohol involvement has only recently been explored. In the present study, we examined whether time to first full drink was accelerated among youth who experienced parental divorce/separation. To determine specificity of risk, models controlled for perceived stress as well as family history of alcoholism, current parental drinking, and internalizing and externalizing problems. Developmental specificity in terms of timing of both parental divorce and first drink was also examined. Participants were 931 middle-school students (488 girls, 443 boys) who were enrolled in a prospective study on drinking initiation and progression (52% female; 23% non-White, 11% Hispanic). Students indicated whether and at what age they had consumed a full drink of alcohol. Parental divorce/separation was coded from a parent-reported life-events inventory and was grouped based on age experienced (ages 0-5, ages 6-9, age 10+). Cox proportional hazard models showed increased risk for onset of drinking as a function of divorce/separation, even controlling for stress, parental alcohol involvement, and psychopathology. There was no evidence for developmental specificity of the divorce/separation effect based on when it occurred nor in timing of first drink. However, the effect of parental divorce/separation on initiation was magnified at higher levels of parental drinking. Given the rates of parental divorce/separation and its association with increased risk of early drinking, investigation of the mechanisms underlying this link is clearly warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record

Adjustment to Loss among Adolescents

The purpose of the present investigation was to explore the adjustment of adolescents who had experienced the death of a parent relative to those who had experienced parental divorce. A 3 (type of loss: parental death, parental divorce, and control) × 3 (age: early, middle, late) × 2 (gender) Multivariate analysis of covariance with socioeconomic status and social desirability as covariates was performed on the subscales of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL). Main effects for type of loss indicated that the parental death and divorce groups, although not differing from each other, scored significantly higher than the control group on the HSCL subscales of Somatization, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Depression. In contrast, only the parental death group scored significantly higher on the HSCL Interpersonal Sensitivity subscale which measures uneasiness and negative expectations regarding personal communications as well as interpersonal inadequacy and inferiority. These results indicate that parental death and divorce losses impair the intrapersonal adjustment of adolescents. In addition, findings suggest that parental death is unique in that it disturbs perceptions of interpersonal relationships, a fact which may result in isolation and rob adolescents of needed support at a time when relationships with others (e.g., peers, parents, teachers) are critical to adjustment, well-being, and identity development.

The development of aggressive behaviour during childhood: What have we learned in the past century?

Research on human aggression has been a flourishing industry in the 20th century. As the attention shifted from an instinctual paradigm to a drive paradigm and a social learning paradigm, what have we learned on the development of aggressive behaviour during childhood? Are children born with an aggressive instinct or do they have to learn to aggress?This question has deep philosophical roots, but it also has important practical implications. Should interventions prevent children from learning to aggress or should they help children learn to inhibit aggressive reactions? Since most of the 20th century work on the development of aggression was concentrated on adolescents and elementary school age children, there appeared to be an implicit assumption that aggression is learned during these developmental periods. It is argued that to understand the origins of aggressive behaviour and prevent chronic cases of physical aggression we will need to focus on the development of aggressive behaviour during the first few years after birth, and differentiate among forms of aggressive behaviour. The form of agressive behaviour that is generally considered more “serious” or “socially unacceptable” (physical aggression) is clearly ontogenetically antecedent to less “serious” forms of aggressive behaviour, such as verbal aggression or indirect aggression. Furthermore, as a rule the frequency of physical aggression appears to decrease with age. However, infants’ physical aggression has generally not been considered developmentally significant. This is probably because of “the weakness of their limbs” and the apparent lack of “intentionality”. To have a relatively complete description of the life-span developmental trajectories of human aggressive behaviour by the end of the 21st century, we will need to start recruiting pregnant women very soon.

The impact of junior kindergarten on behaviour in elementary school children

Using data from the first cycle of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, this study examines the impact of junior kindergarten on children’s behavioural development, above and beyond regional differences and individual/household factors. It was hypothesised that earlier schooling would help children learn behavioural control skills for participating in group settings like the elementary school classroom. Research has established that children from disadvantaged environments face an increased risk of behavioural problems, usually by virtue of accompanying risk factors. As such, we hypothesised that junior kindergarten attendance would reduce the risk gap for behavioural problems between children from economically disadvantaged and advantaged families. The results revealed that on the whole, junior kindergarten did not seem to decrease problem behaviour. These results are above and beyond a number of controls (sex, age, region, SES, family functioning, family configuration, education, and family size). Although children from disadvantaged environments exhibited more behaviour problems, attending junior kindergarten did not reduce the risk gap for behavioural difficulties between children from lower SES and higher SES backgrounds.

Seasonal and Compositional Effects of Classroom Aggression: A Test of Developmental-Contextual Models

This study examines seasonal change in child aggressive behavior over 2 calendar years and explores the role of classroom composition on developmental trajectories. Four waves of data were collected in the fall and spring of 2 academic years from a sample of children attending New York City public elementary schools. Using the school calendar year as a reference point, we estimate average rates of change in aggression during the periods in which schools are in session as well as for the summer break. Employing centering strategies, we also explore the effect of different individual and classroom-level distributional positions on the estimated trajectories. Findings support the existence of an important “summer drop” in aggression that contrasts with positive growth during the school year. We also find main and moderated differences in these trajectories associated with the position students and classrooms occupy within the school and sample distribution of aggressive behavior.

Cohort profile: the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children (QLSKC)

The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children (QLSKC) is an ongoing population-based prospective longitudinal study presently spanning ages 6-29 years, designed to study the prevalence, risk factors, development and consequences of behavioural and emotional problems during elementary school. Kindergarten boys and girls attending French-speaking public schools in the Canadian province of Quebec during the 1986-87 and 1987-88 school years were included in the cohort: 2000 children representative of the population and 1017 children exhibiting disruptive behaviour problems. To date, 12 waves of data have been collected, and three generations of participants have been involved in the study (i.e. the study child, his parents and the first child of the study child). Information on demographics, psycho-social and lifestyle factors, child and family member characteristics (physical and mental health), and outcomes such as psychiatric diagnoses, delinquency or school diploma were assessed during three important developmental stages (childhood, adolescence and early adulthood). Blood samples were also collected in early adulthood for genetic analyses. Information on publications, available data and access to data can be found on the following website (http://www.gripinfo.ca/Grip/Public/www/).

Common stressful life events and difficulties are associated with mental health symptoms and substance use in young adolescents

BACKGROUND

Stressful life events are associated with mood disorders in adults in clinical settings. Less described in the literature is the association between common life stressors and a wide range of psychopathology in young adolescents. This study uses a large non-clinical sample of young adolescents to describe the associations among worry or stress about common life events/difficulties, mental health and substance use.

METHODS

Data on lifetime stress or worry about common life events/difficulties (i.e., romantic breakups, family disruption, interpersonal difficulties, and personal stress (health, weight, school work)), symptoms of depression, conduct disorder symptoms, and substance use were collected from 1025 grade 7 students (mean age 12.9 years; 45% male). The association between each source of stress and each mental health and substance use indicator was modeled in separate logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

The proportion of adolescents reporting worry or stress ranged from 7% for new family to 53% for schoolwork. Romantic breakup stress was statistically significantly associated with all the mental health and substance use indicators except illicit drug use. Family disruption was statistically significantly associated with depression symptoms, marijuana use, and cigarette use. Interpersonal difficulties stress was statistically significantly associated with depression symptoms. All sources of personal stress were statistically significantly related to depression symptoms. In addition, health-related stress was inversely related to binge drinking.

CONCLUSION

Young adolescents may benefit from learning positive coping skills to manage worry or stress about common stressors and in particular, worry or stress related to romantic breakups. Appropriate management of mental health symptoms and substance use related to common stressful life events and difficulties may help reduce emerging psychopathology.

Links between middle-childhood trajectories of family dysfunction and indirect aggression

Using data from three waves of a large Canadian data set, this research examined the relationship between middle-childhood trajectories of family dysfunction and indirect aggression. The authors applied family systems, developmental psychopathology, and life-course conceptualizations to meet this objective. The data analytic strategy used separate multivariate logits to examine this relationship, with and without the extent to which other possible explanations (acting as control variables) predict belonging to the highest family dysfunction trajectory. These included marital transition, socioeconomic status, family size, and depressive symptoms experienced by the adult most knowledgeable about the child (mostly mothers). The authors also explored possible interactions between indirect aggression and these explanatory variables. Supporting their hypothesis for both boys and girls, prolonged-duration high doses of family dysfunction were associated with the most extreme developmental trajectories of indirect aggression during middle childhood. Results showed gender specificity with respect to the influence of the explanatory variables on family dysfunction. For girls, the link between family dysfunction and indirect aggression persisted above and beyond such contextual influences. For boys, the relationship became unimportant once contextual factors were taken into account.

Psychological vulnerability in children next-born after stillbirth: a case-control follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Case studies and anecdotal accounts suggest that perinatal loss may impact upon other children in the family, including those born subsequent to loss. However, there is a dearth of systematically collected quantitative data on this potentially vulnerable group.

METHODS

Case-controlled follow-up of 52 mothers with history of stillbirth with their next-born children aged 6-8 years, and 51 control mother-child dyads. Previously reported baseline data included maternal antenatal and postnatal psychological assessment, and infant security of attachment at 12 months. Follow-up assessments included maternal psychiatric and socio-demographic data, mother and teacher-rated scales of the child's strengths and difficulties, child IQ, observer-rated mother-child interaction and maternal reports of child health.

RESULTS

There were no significant between-group differences in child cognitive or health assessments, or in teacher-rated child difficulties. However, mothers with history of stillbirth (the index group) reported increased child difficulties, in particular peer problems, and more adverse interaction was observed in respect of higher levels of maternal criticism of the child's actions, more overall controlling behaviour by the mother, a less harmonious emotional atmosphere and a lower level of maternal engagement with the child. Some of these effects appeared to be mediated by maternal perinatal psychological symptoms and family breakdown.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides no evidence to suggest that siblings born after stillbirth are clinically at risk but does lend empirical support to clinical reports that such children are seen by their mothers as having problems and that they are exposed to less optimal interaction with their mothers. Possible interpretations of these findings are discussed in the context of theoretical accounts of 'replacement child' and 'vulnerable child' syndromes.

Long-term psychosocial sequelae of stillbirth: phase II of a nested case-control cohort study

Stillbirth is associated with increased psychological morbidity in the subsequent pregnancy and puerperium. This study aimed to assess longer-term psychological and social outcomes of stillbirth and to identify factors associated with adverse outcome. We conducted seven-year follow-up of a cohort of women who were initially assessed during and after a pregnancy subsequent to stillbirth, together with pair-matched controls. All women were living with a partner at baseline and none had live children. Measured outcomes at follow-up included depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and partnership breakdown. Comparison variables included social and psychological factors and, for the stillbirth group, factors relating to the lost pregnancy. There were no differences between groups in case level psychological morbidity, but significantly higher levels of PTSD symptoms persisted in stillbirth group mothers who had case level PTSD 7 years earlier. Stillbirth group mothers were more likely to have experienced subsequent partnership breakdown. In the stillbirth group such breakdown was associated with having held the stillborn infant and having had case-level PTSD. Interpretations and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Links Between Life Course Trajectories of Family Dysfunction and Anxiety During Middle Childhood

Using data from three waves of a large Canadian data set, we examine the relationship between two middle childhood trajectory variables, family dysfunction and anxiety. We draw upon family systems theory and developmental psychopathology, while attempting to expand their boundaries by capitalizing on the strengths within both approaches. Our data treatment strategy, guided by the life course analytical framework, included separate multivariate logits to examine this relationship, with and without the extent to, which selected explanatory risk variables predicted belonging to the highest family dysfunction trajectory. We also explored possible interactions between anxiety and explanatory risk variables. Supporting our hypothesis, a prolonged duration of high doses of family dysfunction was associated with the most extreme developmental trajectories of anxious behavior during middle childhood for both boys and girls. This relationship prevailed above and beyond the influence of other correlates of family dysfunction such as marital transition, socioeconomic status, family size, and depressive symptoms experienced by the informant (mostly mothers).

Erziehungskompetenz

Zusammenfassung. Die Erziehungskompetenz der Eltern bildet die entscheidende Grundlage für die Entwicklung von Kindern. Durch Präventionsansätze lässt sich diese Kompetenz bei allen Bezugspersonen eines Kindes verbessern. Es existieren vor allem unterschiedlich konkret ausgearbeitete Eltern- und Lehrertrainings. Besondere Bedeutung kommt dem Triple-P-Ansatz, computergestützten Mediatorentrainings und Online-Angeboten zu. Vor allem selektive und indizierte Präventionsansätze beziehen auch umfassend die Kindebene mit ein.

Stressors and child and adolescent psychopathology: evidence of moderating and mediating effects

This paper reviews studies that have tested for moderators or mediators of the relation between stressors and child and adolescent psychopathology. Many studies have tested for moderation, but results of research studying moderators have been inconclusive. There have been few theory-based studies and there have been few consistent findings. Far fewer studies have tested for mediation effects, but these studies have generally been theory-driven, have more often built upon one another in an incremental fashion, and have yielded consistent results. In particular, there is substantial evidence for the mediating role of family relationship in the relation between stressors and child and adolescent psychological symptoms. Future studies should integrate moderator and mediator research by testing for specific mediators in relation to particular moderating contexts, so that we can better understand the complex ways in which stressful life experiences affect the well-being of children and adolescents.

Stressors and child and adolescent psychopathology: measurement issues and prospective effects

This article reviews existing research on the association between stressors and symptoms of psychopathology in children and adolescents with a focus on measurement issues and prospective effects. The first half of the article focuses on the measurement of stressors, emphasizing checklists and interviews. Available measures of stressful experiences are reviewed and critiqued. Results of this review reveal both substantial progress (i.e., development of valid stressor assessment tools) and remaining problems (i.e., inconsistent measurement across studies). The second half of this article reviews studies that have tested for prospective associations between stressors and symptoms of psychopathology in children and adolescents. Studies that have examined the prospective effects of recent or prior stressors on current psychological symptoms, while controlling for prior psychological symptoms, are reviewed. Results overall suggest that stressors predict changes in rates of symptoms of psychopathology in children and adolescents over time. Results also suggest that symptoms of psychopathology predict changes in rates of stressors over time. Implications of these findings are that conclusive evidence now exists for the importance of stressors in the development of child and adolescent psychopathology.

Physical aggression during early childhood: trajectories and predictors

OBJECTIVES

Physical aggression in children is a major public health problem. Not only is childhood physical aggression a precursor of the physical and mental health problems that will be visited on victims, but also aggressive children themselves are at higher risk of alcohol and drug abuse, accidents, violent crimes, depression, suicide attempts, spouse abuse, and neglectful and abusive parenting. Furthermore, violence commonly results in serious injuries to the perpetrators themselves. Although it is unusual for young children to harm seriously the targets of their physical aggression, studies of physical aggression during infancy indicate that by 17 months of age, the large majority of children are physically aggressive toward siblings, peers, and adults. This study aimed, first, to identify the trajectories of physical aggression during early childhood and, second, to identify antecedents of high levels of physical aggression early in life. Such antecedents could help to understand better the developmental origins of violence later in life and to identify targets for preventive interventions.

METHODS

A random population sample of 572 families with a 5-month-old newborn was recruited. Assessments of physical aggression frequency were obtained from mothers at 17, 30, and 42 months after birth. Using a semiparametric, mixture model, distinct clusters of physical aggression trajectories were identified. Multivariate logit regression analysis was then used to identify which family and child characteristics, before 5 months of age, predict individuals on a high-level physical aggression trajectory from 17 to 42 months after birth.

RESULTS

Three trajectories of physical aggression were identified. The first was composed of children who displayed little or no physical aggression. These individuals were estimated to account for approximately 28% of the sample. The largest group, estimated at approximately 58% of the sample, followed a rising trajectory of modest aggression. Finally, a group, estimated to comprise approximately 14% of the sample, followed a rising trajectory of high physical aggression. Best predictors before or at birth of the high physical aggression trajectory group, controlling for the levels of the other risk factors, were having young siblings (odds ratio [OR]: 4.00; confidence interval [CI]: 2.2-7.4), mothers with high levels of antisocial behavior before the end of high school (OR: 3.1; CI: 1.1-8.6), mothers who started having children early (OR: 3.1; CI: 1.4-6.8), families with low income (OR: 2.6; CI: 1.3-5.2), and mothers who smoked during pregnancy (OR: 2.2; CI: 1.1-4.1). Best predictors at 5 months of age were mothers' coercive parenting behavior (OR: 2.3; CI: 1.1-4.7) and family dysfunction (OR: 2.2; CI: 1.2-4.1). The OR for a high-aggression trajectory was 10.9 for children whose mother reported both high levels of antisocial behavior and early childbearing.

CONCLUSIONS

Most children have initiated the use of physical aggression during infancy, and most will learn to use alternatives in the following years before they enter primary school. Humans seem to learn to regulate the use of physical aggression during the preschool years. Those who do not, seem to be at highest risk of serious violent behavior during adolescence and adulthood. Results from the present study indicate that children who are at highest risk of not learning to regulate physical aggression in early childhood have mothers with a history of antisocial behavior during their school years, mothers who start childbearing early and who smoke during pregnancy, and parents who have low income and have serious problems living together. All of these variables are relatively easy to measure during pregnancy. Preventive interventions should target families with high-risk profiles on these variables. Experiments with such programs have shown long-term impacts on child abuse and child antisocial behavior. However, these impacts were not observed in families with physical violence. The problem may be that the prevention programs that were provided did not specifically target the parents' control over their physical aggression and their skills in teaching their infant not to be physically aggressive. Most intervention programs to prevent youth physical aggression have targeted school-age children. If children normally learn not to be physically aggressive during the preschool years, then one would expect that interventions that target infants who are at high risk of chronic physical aggression would have more of an impact than interventions 5 to 10 years later, when physical aggression has become a way of life.

Le développement de l’agression physique au cours de l’enfance : différences entre les sexes et facteurs de risque familiaux1

Plusieurs théories concernant le développement des comportements violents et antisociaux se centrent sur l’idée qu’il existe des groupes d’individus qui suivent des trajectoires distinctes et que des facteurs de risque spécifiques sont associés aux trajectoires qui débutent au cours de l’enfance. Ces théories sont pour la plupart formulées et testées auprès des hommes. Cette étude a pour objectif de modéliser le développement de comportements antisociaux chez les deux sexes et plus spécifiquement 1) de reconnaître les trajectoires développementales d’agression physique des garçons et des filles au cours de l’enfance et 2) d’examiner les variables familiales reliées à ces trajectoires. La modélisation permet d’établir quatre groupes d’enfants suivant des trajectoires développementales distinctes d’agression physique au cours de l’école primaire. Il y a presque trois fois plus de garçons que de filles sur les trajectoires les plus élevées. L’interaction entre le statut familial et la pauvreté est associée aux trajectoires qui dénotent un niveau élevé d’agression, et ce, en contrôlant le sexe. Les résultats suggèrent que les garçons et les filles qui proviennent d’une famille à la fois non intacte et pauvre sont particulièrement à risque de suivre des trajectoires élevées d’agression physique.

Helping children and families deal with divorce and separation

More than 1 million children each year experience their parents' divorce. For these children and their parents, this process can be emotionally traumatic from the beginning of parental disagreement and rancor, through the divorce, and often for many years thereafter. Pediatricians are encouraged to be aware of behavioral changes in their patients that might be signals of family dysfunction so they can help parents and children understand and deal more positively with the issue. Age-appropriate explanation and counseling is important so children realize that they are not the cause of, and cannot be the cure for, the divorce. Pediatricians can offer families guidance in dealing with their children through the troubled time as well as appropriate lists of reading material and, if indicated, can refer them to professionals with expertise in the emotional, social, and legal aspects of divorce and its aftermath.

The development of impulsivity, fearfulness, and helpfulness during childhood: patterns of consistency and change in the trajectories of boys and girls

BACKGROUND

The objective of the present study was to describe the development of boys and girls during the elementary-school years on three dimensions that conceptually and empirically represent risk for maladjustment.

METHOD

Every year between kindergarten and grade six, teachers rated the impulsivity, fearfulness, and helpfulness dimensions among a sample of 1,865 children representative of kindergarten boys and girls in the province of Quebec (Canada) in 1986-87. A group-based trajectory method was used to 1) identify groups of boys and girls following distinct-level trajectories of behaviours (on each dimension) during the elementary-school years; 2) estimate the proportion of children in each of the identified trajectory groups; and 3) estimate the patterns of consistency and variations in trajectories.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the best models comprised three distinct-level trajectory groups on fearfulness and helpfulness (a low, moderate, and high group) and four distinct-level trajectory groups on impulsivity. The helpfulness and fearfulness trajectory groups were generally more stable than the impulsivity groups. The broad patterns of development were similar across sexes. However, there were more boys on the higher impulsivity trajectories and low helpfulness trajectory, while there were more girls on the high fearfulness trajectory.

CONCLUSION

We found that behavioural consistency over middle childhood varied across trajectory groups and across dimensions, and we identified sex differences in the distribution of children in the different trajectory groups that may reflect gender-specific risks for psychopathology.

Sleep and circadian phase characteristics of adolescent and young adult males in a naturalistic summertime condition

Our aim was to compare the circadian phase characteristics of healthy adolescent and young adult males in a naturalistic summertime condition. A total of 19 adolescents (mean age 15.7 years) and 18 young adults (mean age 24.5 years) with no sleep problems took part in this study. Two-night polysomnographic (PSG) sleep recordings and 24h secretion patterns of urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin were monitored in all 37 subjects. Sleep-wake patterns were initially assessed at home using a standard sleep diary. Circadian assessment included the measure of dim light melatonin offset (DLMOff) and the morningness-eveningness (M/E) questionnaire. As expected, compared to young adults, adolescents habitually spent more nocturnal time in bed and spent more time (and percentage) in delta sleep. No difference was found between adolescents and young adults on multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) sleep onset latencies, M/E, melatonin secretion measures (24h total, nighttime, daytime, and night ratio), and DLMOff. For the subjects as a whole, correlational analyses revealed a significant association between the DLMOff and M/E and between both these phase markers and habitual bedtimes, habitual rising times, and melatonin secretion measures (daytime levels and the night ratio). No association was found between phase markers and daytime sleepiness or sleep consolidation parameters such as sleep efficiency or number of microarousals. These results together indicate that adolescents and young adults investigated during summertime showed similar circadian phase characteristics, and that, in these age groups, an evening phase preference is associated with a delayed melatonin secretion pattern and delayed habitual sleep patterns without a decrease in sleep consolidation or vigilance.

Effects of parental separation and divorce on very young children

Data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care were analyzed to explore effects of marital separation on children in the first 3 years of life. The sample included 73 never-married mothers and 97 separated mothers; a comparison group of 170 was conditionally randomly selected from the 2-parent families. Children in 2-parent families performed better than children in 1-parent families on assessments of cognitive and social abilities, problem behavior, attachment security, and behavior with mother. However, controlling for mothers' education and family income reduced these differences, and associations with separated-intact marital status were nonsignificant (the effect size was .01). Thus, children's psychological development was not affected by parental separation per se; it was related to mothers' income, education, ethnicity, child-rearing beliefs, depressive symptoms, and behavior.