Back to School: Parental Concerns of Children with Hematological and Oncological Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly affected the educational system. Historically, children with hematological and oncological conditions have experienced academic challenges. A retrospective chart review was conducted. Charts reviewed included children with oncology or hematology conditions, whose parents expressed educational concerns and were referred to an educational liaison in the Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation Division. The parental concerns for 102 children (M age = 10.03 ± 4.7; 59.8% male; 43.1% Latinx/Hispanic) during the first half of the 2021 to 2022 academic year were extracted. Overall, all parents reported at least one concern with the average reporting 2.24 ± 1.34 (range of 1-6 concerns). The most common general concerns regarded: Individualized Education Programs (IEP) or special education evaluations; 504 accommodations; home instruction; school enrollment. Almost half of the parents had additional concerns they specifically attributed to COVID-19. Children with hematological and oncological conditions were experiencing various needs at this time, which likely have continued implications. It is important for educators, school psychologists, and health care providers to remain cognizant of the educational needs of medically vulnerable populations. Children with hematological and oncological conditions benefit from regular evaluation of their needs, as well as proactive forms of intervention.

Later-life trajectories of cognitive functioning among immigrants of Mexican origin: implications of age at immigration and social resources

Objective. This study examines age-at-immigration disparities in later-life trajectories of cognitive functioning among immigrant men and women of Mexican descent. This study also considers the role of socioeconomic resources, family status, and church attendance in these disparities.Methods. This study draws on eight waves of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly and employs growth curve models. This study distinguished between immigrants who moved from Mexico to the U.S. in early life (before age 19), midlife (between ages 20 and 49; reference category), and late life (beyond age 50). The analyses were conducted separately for men and women. The final analytic sample consisted of 2,030 repeated observations from 639 men and 2,883 observations from 884 women.Results. Compared to midlife immigration, late-life immigration was associated with lower cognitive functioning at baseline among both men and women, whereas early- as well as late-life immigration was related to faster cognitive decline over time only among men. Adjusting for socioeconomic resources reduced cognitive disadvantages among late-life immigrants, regardless of gender. Family status also partially accounted for poorer cognitive functioning among late-life immigrant women.Conclusion. This study demonstrates that later-life cognitive functioning among immigrant men and women of Mexican descent might be contingent on age at immigration. By highlighting the importance of individuals' social resources for overall cognitive functioning and for age-at-immigration disparities, this study also suggests that social programs and interventions to improve cognitive health in this population group should address later-life disadvantages related to low educational attainment, being unmarried, and less frequent religious participation.

The long-term effect of intra-European migration on cognitive abilities in later life

The study raises the question about the long-term effect of intra-European migration on cognitive abilities in later life. In contrast to previous research that compares migrants to natives of the destination country, this study uses stayers in the European origin countries as reference group for migrants who moved to another European country earlier in life and are now growing old abroad. Selection into migration is addressed methodologically by applying an instrumental variable approach. Using the Global Bilateral Migration Database to generate the country- and time-specific share of emigrants as instrument for migration, the results indicate that intra-European migration turns out to have a negative long-term effect on the level of cognitive abilities.

The Role of Education in the Relationship Between Age of Migration to the United States and Risk of Cognitive Impairment Among Older Mexican Americans

Prior research indicates age of migration is associated with cognitive health outcomes among older Mexican Americans; however, factors that explain this relationship are unclear. This study used eight waves from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to examine the role of education in the risk for cognitive impairment (CI) by nativity, age of migration, and gender. Foreign-born women had a higher risk for CI than U.S.-born women, regardless of age of migration. After adjusting for education, this risk remained significant only for late-life migrant women (risk ratio [RR] = 1.28). Foreign-born men who migrated at >50 had significantly higher risk for CI compared to U.S.-born men (RR = 1.33) but not significant after adjusting for education. Findings from a decomposition analysis showed education significantly mediated the association between age of migration and CI. This study highlights the importance of education in explaining the association between age of migration and CI.

Acculturation level and caregiver outcomes from a randomized intervention trial to enhance caregivers' health: evidence from REACH II

OBJECTIVE

Latinos comprise a growing segment of the caregiver population and vary widely in acculturation, yet little is known regarding how acculturation might affect caregiver stress or intervention outcomes. This study examined the relationship between acculturation and burden, bother, and depression in Latino dementia caregivers at baseline and following an intervention.

METHODS

This was a secondary data analysis of 211 Latino caregivers of older adults with dementia from Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH) II, a multisite randomized trial of caregiver interventions. Baseline and follow-up data were used to run mixed-effects models examining the main and moderating effect of acculturation on caregiver stress.

RESULTS

No significant main effect of acculturation was found for any of the outcome measures, controlling for demographic covariates. Acculturation moderated the effect of the intervention on caregiver burden: those who were more acculturated benefited more from the intervention.

CONCLUSION

Differential acculturation for Latino caregivers was not directly associated with caregiver burden, bother, or depression, but was associated with reducing burden from the intervention. Future research should explore by what mechanism acculturation influences caregiver burden following an intervention.

Acculturation and depressive symptoms in latino caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults

ABSTRACT Background: Caregiving for older adults is a growing public health concern because of the negative psychological effects it has on caregivers. Despite the growing Latino caregiver population, little is known regarding how the effects of acculturation on caregiver depressive symptoms might vary by caregiver age. This study aimed to examine the relationship between language acculturation and depressive symptoms in Latino caregivers, and to test whether this relationship was moderated by age. Methods: Ninety-four Latino caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults with and without dementia were identified through an ongoing epidemiological cohort study. Caregivers were interviewed in their homes, in either Spanish or English. A Poisson regression was used to analyze the caregiver characteristics associated with caregiver depressive symptoms. Results: Language acculturation was positively associated with caregiver depressive symptoms, as was age, female gender, and being married or living with someone. Those with excellent or good health and who had spent more than one year caregiving had lower depressive symptoms. Finally, the positive relationship between language acculturation and depressive symptoms was increased in older caregivers. Conclusions: Language acculturation appears to be a risk factor for depressive symptoms in Latino caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults. The relationship between language acculturation and depressive symptoms is complex such that caregiver age and health status further nuance this relationship. Future research should explore the independent and interactive effects of these variables on depressive symptoms.

Household food insecurity and dietary intake among Mexican-American women participating in federal food assistance programs

PURPOSE

To explore the association between food insecurity and dietary intake among Mexican-American women after controlling for sociocultural and economic factors including participation in federal food assistance programs.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Three cities in Texas.

SUBJECTS

Seven hundred seven Mexican-American women (26-44 years).

MEASURES

Demographics, anthropometrics, acculturation, and food security status were obtained using validated measures. Dietary intake was assessed by a 24-hour dietary food record.

ANALYSIS

Logistic regression was used to examine the association between individual and household characteristics on food security status. One-way analysis of covariance tested the association between food security status and dietary intake after adjusting for socio-demographic variables, acculturation, body mass index, participation in federal food assistance programs, and energy intake.

RESULTS

About 77% of food-insecure women participated in at least one federal food assistance program. Each additional child in the household increased the odds of being food insecure by 25%. A higher proportion of obese women was found in the food-insecure group. No significant differences in dietary intake were found by food security status.

CONCLUSION

Food insecurity did not negatively influence dietary intake independently of women's participation in federal food assistance programs. Food security did not ensure consumption of nutritionally adequate foods. Educational and food assistance programs need to be optimized to facilitate enrollment and improve the nutritional status of this ethnic group, food secure or not.

Immigrant status and cognitive functioning in late-life: an examination of gender variations in the healthy immigrant effect

Although some research suggests that the healthy immigrant effect extends to cognitive functioning, it is unclear whether this general pattern varies according to gender. We use six waves of data collected from the original cohort of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to estimate a series of linear growth curve models to assess variations in cognitive functioning trajectories by nativity status and age at migration to the U.S.A. among women and men. Our results show, among women and men, no differences in baseline cognitive status (intercepts) between early- (before age 20) and late-life (50 and older) immigrants and U.S.-born individuals of Mexican-origin. We also find, among women and men, that middle-life (between the ages of 20 and 49) immigrants tend to exhibit higher levels of baseline cognitive functioning than the U.S.-born. Our growth curve analyses suggest that the cognitive functioning trajectories (slopes) of women do not vary according to nativity status and age at migration. The cognitive functioning trajectories of early- and late-life immigrant men are also similar to those of U.S.-born men; however, those men who migrated in middle-life tend to exhibit slower rates of cognitive decline. A statistically significant interaction term suggests that the pattern for middle-life migration is more pronounced for men (or attenuated for women). In other words, although women and men who migrated in middle-life exhibit higher levels of baseline cognitive functioning, immigrant men tend to maintain this advantage for a longer period of time. Taken together, these patterns confirm that gender is an important conditioning factor in the association between immigrant status and cognitive functioning.