When a parent dies: A scoping review of protective and risk processes for childhood bereavement

The death of a parent can have profound effects on child development. Yet, little is known about the individual and environmental processes that contribute to heterogeneity in child bereavement outcomes. A scoping review was conducted in samples of parentally bereaved children to identify key processes, synthesize results, and determine research gaps. This scoping review identified 23 studies (mainly from the United States), published between 1990 and 2023, that reported child (ages 3-22 years) individual and/or environmental protective and/or risk processes that contributed to bereavement outcomes. Individual processes (i.e., how children manage stressors and think about themselves/their environment) included child coping and perception of themselves and/or their environment. Environmental processes (i.e., contextual resources) included family, mentorship, and stress exposure. Findings can be used to apprise clinicians, families, and policymakers of the unique nature of childhood bereavement and to identify malleable processes to target in interventions designed to prevent problematic outcomes in bereaved children.

Using the Three-Minute Speech Sample to Examine the Parent-Adolescent Relationship in Autistic Youth: A Qualitative Analysis

PURPOSE

This qualitative study examines autistic adolescents' perception of the quality of their relationship with their parent using the Three Minute Speech Sample.

METHODS

Twenty autistic youth (13-17 years; 83% male) spoke, uninterrupted, for three minutes about their thoughts and feelings regarding their mothers. Audio-recorded speech samples were transcribed and coded for emergent themes.

RESULTS

Adolescents highlighted emotional support and acceptance in the context of their relationship, support mothers provide for mental health, love and caring, efforts to build the relationship through shared activities, and areas of adolescent-parent conflict.

CONCLUSION

The TMSS is a low cost, low burden method by which autistic adolescents can comfortably and effectively self-report the quality of their relationship with their parent/caregiver.

Caregiver Expressed Emotion and Pediatric Asthma: A Call for Culturally Specific Adaptations

Background: Expressed emotion is the affective attitudes and behaviors of an individual toward another. In this preliminary study, we described expressed emotion among caregivers of children with asthma living in low-income urban area and evaluated its association with child asthma control. Methods: Forty-one children (90.2% African American/Black) and their caregivers participated. Measures included the Childhood Asthma Control Test and the Five-Minute Speech Sample coded for overall expressed emotion, emotional over-involvement, and criticism. Results: Most caregivers were rated borderline (31.7%) or high (48.8%) for expressed emotion, borderline (31.7%) or high (39.0%) for emotional overinvolvement, and low for criticism (73.2%). The association between criticism and asthma control neared statistical significance [U(Nlow = 30, NB/high = 11) = 100, z = -1.922, P = 0.055]. Conclusion: Findings suggest an examination into expressed emotion coding procedures for caregivers in low-income urban areas, and culturally specific adaptations may be necessary. Future research should confirm findings in a larger sample and consider how parental criticism affects children's asthma management.

Impact of a Hematologic Malignancy Diagnosis and Treatment on Patients and Their Family Caregivers

OBJECTIVES

Hematologic malignancies (HMs) are life-threatening cancers that frequently entail aggressive, long, inpatient treatment protocols. This can result in numerous concurrent symptoms and decreased quality of life for patients and can affect family caregivers (FCs). This study examined the impact of an HM diagnosis on patients and on their FCs.

SAMPLE & SETTING

A descriptive design was used to explore the experiences of 28 newly diagnosed patients and their FCs. All patients were receiving treatment on an inpatient acute oncology unit at a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.

METHODS & VARIABLES

Semistructured, separate interviews with patients and FCs were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Textual and content analyses were conducted to generate common themes.

RESULTS

Patients and FCs reported how diagnosis and treatment affected them physically, emotionally, logistically, and financially. They described the effects of their experiences with the health system and providers in areas such as diagnostic process, trust in the medical team, support needs, and hospitalization.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Understanding the parallel experiences of patients with HMs and their designated FCs allows researchers to develop targeted interventions and enables clinicians to provide personalized patient- and family-centered care.

Racial Regard and Physical Health Among Low-Income Black Caregivers of Children With and Without Asthma

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between child health, parent racial regard, and parent physical health in 87 African American and Black parents/caregivers of children with and without asthma from a low-income, under-resourced urban area. Participants completed the Private and Public Regard subscales of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) and 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Parents of children with asthma reported having poorer physical health, while those with higher public and private racial regard reported better physical health. The association between public regard and physical health was surpassed by an interaction of child asthma status and public regard: as public regard decreased, so did physical health, but only for parents raising a child with asthma. Findings suggest that the stresses associated with raising a child with chronic illness and perceiving lower public racial regard may together confer additional risk for poor physical health in African American and Black parents.

The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Child Telomere Length: Examining Self-Regulation as a Behavioral Mediator

Childhood adversity is linked to shortened telomere length (TL), but behavioral indicators of telomere attrition remain unclear. This study examined the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and child TL, and if ACEs were indirectly associated with TL through children's self-regulatory abilities (i.e., effortful control and self-control). Hypotheses were tested using national data from teachers, parents, and their children (N = 2,527; M_age  = 9.35, SD = .36 years). More ACEs were uniquely associated with short TL, and low self-control mediated the association between more ACEs and short TL. While longitudinal studies are needed to strengthen claims of causation, this study identifies a pathway from ACEs to TL that should be explored further.

COVID-19-Related Misinformation among Parents of Patients with Pediatric Cancer

We conducted a survey among 735 parents to determine differences in endorsement of misinformation related to the coronavirus disease pandemic between parents of children in cancer treatment and those with children who had no cancer history. Parents of children with cancer were more likely to believe misinformation than parents of children without cancer.

The impact of cumulative stress on asthma outcomes among urban adolescents

INTRODUCTION

Many families living in low-income, urban areas experience a number of stressors (e.g., poverty, neighborhood stress, family functioning) that place adolescents at risk for worse asthma outcomes. Adolescents may face additional challenges (e.g., peer pressure, school stress) that add to their overall stress and influence their disease care and health outcomes. The current study examined the impact of a cumulative risk model of stressors including poverty, neighborhood stress, school stress, peer pressure, and caregiver-adolescent conflict on asthma outcomes (e.g., emergency department [ED] visits, asthma control, quality of life [QOL]) among urban adolescents (13-17 years).

METHODS

Data were collected from 61 urban families of adolescents with asthma (54.1% female; 93.4% African American) in the United States. Caregivers and adolescents completed questionnaires assessing stressors and asthma outcomes separately during a research session.

RESULTS

Cumulative risk was significantly associated with worse adolescent QOL and asthma control, and more ED visits. The cumulative risk index was also a more robust predictor of QOL and asthma control than any one individual predictor. Poverty, neighborhood stress, and school stress emerged as individual predictors of ED visits. Further, adolescents with well-controlled asthma had significantly lower neighborhood and school-related stress scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that beyond the risk conferred by individual risk factors, an accumulation of stress can have an especially negative impact on asthma outcomes for urban adolescents. Future intervention work aimed at improving asthma outcomes should consider incorporating strategies for minimizing overlapping sources of stress in adolescents' daily lives.

Brief Report: Gender Differences in Experiences of Peer Victimization Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Peer victimization (PV) is a common problem for many adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of these youth. Results of the current study of 105 adolescents with ASD (n = 50 girls, 55 boys) indicated that girls and boys experience similar types of PV at similar frequencies. However, relational victimization accounted for a significant portion of variance in anxiety symptoms, above and beyond social communication deficits and restricted and repetitive behaviors, in girls but not in boys. Findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting that the impact of PV on mental health symptoms may be different for girls and boys with ASD, highlighting the need for more research focused on understanding potentially unique social processes for adolescent girls with ASD.

Parents' child-related schemas: Associations with children's asthma and mental health

The parent-child relationship, a key dyad of the family, can influence disease-related and psychological processes in children with asthma. Although the critical role of parenting behaviors in asthma outcomes is well established, less is known about the attitudes and beliefs underlying parents' interactions with their children and how those attitudes may relate to asthma outcomes. Thus, this study aimed to identify profiles of parents' schemas pertaining to their children with asthma and examine whether child mental and physical health outcomes differed by profile membership. Caregivers of children (n = 177; 5-12 years old) with asthma completed the Five Minute Speech Sample (Magaña et al., 1986), which was later coded for positive and negative attitudes and attributions about their children. Using a pattern-based approach, cluster analyses revealed three profiles of schemas: high negativity-low positivity, low negativity-low positivity, and low negativity-high positivity. Profiles differed in levels of externalizing and internalizing child symptoms, and lung function. Results support the growing body of research placing emphasis on the role of parenting in pediatric asthma outcomes. Caregiver schemas may constitute a point of intervention in families of children with asthma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Familial support following childhood sexual abuse is associated with longer telomere length in adult females

Robust associations between adverse childhood experiences and shortened telomere length exist, but few studies have examined factors that may moderate this association, particularly with a resilience framework. The present study examined the association between exposure to childhood sexual abuse (and abuse severity) and mean telomere length, and whether social support and optimism moderated this association. The sample included 99 White monozygotic female twins, ranging in age from 35 to 70 (M_age = 52.74, SD = 8.55 years), who provided a blood sample for telomere assay, and data on their childhood sexual abuse history, trait optimism, and current social support. Linear mixed effects models were employed to test study hypotheses. There were no effects of exposure to abuse or abuse severity on mean telomere length, nor were there main or moderating effects of optimism, in analyses of the full sample. However, in analyses that only included women exposed to abuse, there was an abuse type × support interaction: among women who experienced abuse in forms other than intercourse, higher levels of social support were associated with longer mean telomere length. Findings from the current study clarify the role of childhood sexual abuse in telomere attrition, and identify one factor that may protect against the negative biological effects of childhood sexual abuse.

Interactive effects of family functioning and sleep experiences on daily lung functioning in pediatric asthma: An ecological momentary assessment approach

Objectives: Children living in urban, underserved settings are at risk for experiencing sleep difficulties as well as poor asthma outcomes. The family is important for both asthma management and ensuring children are getting the necessary amount of sleep, but how family functioning and sleep patterns influence children's asthma remains unclear. Methods: Fifty-nine children (7-12 years old; 90% African American) diagnosed with asthma, and their primary caregivers, participated in this study. In a single research session, caregivers rated overall family functioning via the Family Assessment Device. Caregivers also completed daily diaries delivered via smartphone for a two-week period rating their children's daily sleep quantity and quality; a home-based spirometer (AM2) was used to assess children's pulmonary functioning across that same period. Two-level multilevel models tested associations among overall family functioning, children's sleep quality/quantity, and pulmonary functioning. Results: Child sleep quality, quantity, and general family functioning did not predict child pulmonary functioning directly. Family functioning and sleep quality interacted to predict children's pulmonary functioning; children with poor family functioning and bad/very bad sleep quality had the poorest levels of lung functioning. Conclusions: These findings highlight a subset of children who are at higher risk for poor lung functioning based on sleep quality and family functioning. Results may inform routine monitoring of family functioning and sleep difficulties at pediatric asthma visits and intervention strategies to augment children's lung functioning.

Discrepancies between parent and self-reports of adolescent psychosocial symptoms: Associations with family conflict and asthma outcomes

Discrepancies often exist between self-reported and parent-reported symptoms when assessing youth psychosocial functioning. Parent-child discrepancies in ratings may be important for understanding psychopathology and patterns of family functioning, particularly during adolescence and for youth with chronic illness. This study examined patterns of multirater reporting discrepancies in a pediatric asthma population. Adolescents (n = 707; 11-17 years old) and their primary caregivers completed ratings of adolescents' psychological symptoms. Latent profile analysis identified five profiles of parent-adolescent discrepancies, including one group with highly discordant ratings, two groups in agreement, and two groups with slightly discordant ratings. Adolescents who agreed with their parents on the presence of elevated symptoms and those who had significant discrepancies in ratings, such that parents reported elevated symptoms compared to youth self-report, had poor pulmonary functioning and elevated reports of parent-rated family conflict. Results suggest the need to assess internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescents with asthma using a multirater approach while also highlighting the complexity in interpreting patterns of discrepancies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Primary and Secondary Caregiver Reports of Quality of Life in Pediatric Asthma: Are They Comparable?

PURPOSE

This study aimed to compare primary and secondary caregiver QOL within families of children with asthma and determine the potential importance of including secondary caregiver QOL in clinical and research settings.

METHODS

Participants included 118 families of children with asthma that had primary and secondary caregivers. Families completed measures in a single research session. Caregivers reported on QOL, psychological functioning, and family burden; children completed a measure of QOL. Child lung function was determined from objective spirometry. Adherence to prescribed controller medication was measured for 6 weeks following the research visit.

RESULTS

Primary caregiver QOL was significantly lower than secondary caregiver QOL (Mean overall QOL of 5.85 versus 6.17, p < .05). Better medication adherence was associated with higher primary caregiver QOL (ρ = .22, p = .02); secondary caregiver QOL, not primary caregiver QOL, was positively associated with child QOL (ρ = .20, p = .03). Families with discrepant QOL scores between caregivers (difference in scores of at least .50) were characterized by more family burden and primary caregiver psychological symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in QOL scores between caregivers may be a reflection of primary caregivers' greater investment in daily asthma management. In families reporting low burden and few psychological difficulties in the primary caregiver, QOL assessments from either caregiver may may be informative and representative of how parents are adapting to child asthma. In families experiencing high levels of burden or more primary caregiver psychological difficulties, QOL reports from secondary caregivers may not be as clinically meaningful.

Family functioning and child asthma severity: A bio-behavioral approach

INTRODUCTION

Family factors are directly associated with the psychosocial adjustment of children with chronic illnesses such as asthma (Kaugars, Klinnert, & Bender, 2004). Research indicates that negative family factors may also contribute to child disease severity via bio-behavioral mechanisms of effect. For instance, children from more conflicted families often experience greater internalizing symptoms that subsequently impact their asthma severity (Wood et al., 2006). These pathways have yet to be examined with a comprehensive focus on strength-based family factors. This study examined whether factors such as family cohesion, problem-solving abilities, and communication influence asthma severity via their effects on child depression and anxiety symptoms.

METHOD

Participants were 215 children (136 males and 79 females), ages 5 to 12 years old, and their families. Primary caregiver, child, and teacher ratings of child and family functioning in addition to objective measures of parent-child interactions and asthma severity were collected.

RESULTS

Using structural equation modeling, the authors identified significant indirect associations between family factors and child asthma severity via child depressive symptoms; however, these associations were not present in models with child anxiety symptoms.

DISCUSSION

Results suggest an indirect effect of family functioning on children's lung function, with differential roles of anxiety and depression in these pathways. This article also highlights the importance of incorporating multirater multimethod measures to understand children's experiences in pediatric asthma. (PsycINFO Database Record

Examining Profiles of Family Functioning in Pediatric Asthma: Longitudinal Associations With Child Adjustment and Asthma Severity

Objective

Identify profiles of functioning in families of children with asthma and examine whether profile membership predicts subsequent child mental and physical well-being.

Methods

Primary caregivers and children ( N  = 1,030) from the Childhood Asthma Management Program completed questionnaires assessing family functioning and child adaptation at five time points. Asthma severity was also assessed via spirometry.

Results

Latent profile analyses identified a four-profile solution as best fitting the data: cohesive, permissive, controlling/disengaged, and controlling/enmeshed families. Distal outcome analyses using Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars techniques suggested that children from families that were more cohesive had fewer internalizing and externalizing symptoms. These associations remained stable across time. Family profiles did not differ with regards to child asthma severity.

Conclusion

Results highlight the importance of looking beyond the effects of distinct components of family functioning and instead using pattern-based approaches. Recommendations for incorporating screenings and services for families in pediatric care settings are provided.

Quality of Life in Children With Asthma: A Developmental Perspective

OBJECTIVE

The current study investigated whether factors associated with quality of life (QOL) in children with asthma (e.g., family functioning, asthma routines, asthma severity) differed by child age.

METHODS

Participants included 192 children with asthma (5-12 years) and their caregivers. Both children and caregivers completed questionnaires at an initial research session. Family functioning was determined from a mealtime observation that occurred in family homes.

RESULTS

Child age moderated the association between asthma severity and child QOL and between routine burden and QOL in children with asthma. Post hoc probing analyses revealed that among older children, QOL levels were lower in the presence of worse asthma severity and more routine burden.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that associations between asthma severity, routine burden, and QOL may differ by child age. Treatment programs and health-care recommendations addressing QOL in children with asthma may need to be tailored to address differences in factors associated with QOL by child age.

Prenatal maternal anxiety predicts reduced adaptive immunity in infants

Prenatal anxiety has been linked with altered immune function in offspring in animal studies, but the relevance for human health is unknown. We examined prenatal maternal anxiety as a predictor of adaptive immunity in infants at 2 and 6 months of age as part of a prospective longitudinal study. The humoral immune response to hepatitis B vaccine was assessed at 2 months (n=80) and 6 months (n=76) of age. Prenatal anxiety predicted lower hepatitis B antibody titers at 6 months of age independent of obstetric and socio-demographic covariates; the effects were limited to those infants who had not completed the 3-dose vaccine series (for transformed titer values, r=-.36, p<.05). Cell-mediated immune responses at 2 (n=56) and 6 (n=54) months of age were examined by ELISpot assays for interferon(IFN)-γ, interleukin(IL)-2, and IL-4 responder cell frequencies to three antigens: hepatitis B surface antigen, tetanus toxoid, and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Prenatal maternal anxiety was associated with reduced IFN-γ and increased IL-4 responder cell frequencies at 6 months of age, independent of obstetric and socio-demographic covariates. No effect of prenatal anxiety was found on adaptive immunity at 2 months of age. The findings provide the first demonstration in humans that prenatal anxiety alters adaptive immunity in the infant.

Helpful hints: caregiver-generated asthma management strategies and their relation to pediatric asthma symptoms and quality of life

OBJECTIVE

This mixed-methods study examined the relation between caregiver-generated asthma management strategies and asthma severity in a sample of 200 children with persistent asthma (ages 5-12 years).

METHODS

Caregivers were interviewed about asthma management strategies they found helpful in controlling their child's symptoms. A qualitative content analysis was used to identify household strategies. Indicators of asthma severity included lung functioning (FEV(1)) and functional severity (FSS). Child quality of life was also assessed (PQLQ).

RESULTS

Six primary household strategies were identified: Reactive, Planning Ahead, Social, Emotional, Avoiding Triggers, and Cleaning. In general, strategies offered by caregivers did not differ by socioeconomic status. Caregivers who endorsed Avoiding Triggers as effective strategies had children with better lung functioning. Caregivers who endorsed Planning Ahead or Emotional strategies had children with better asthma-related quality of life.

CONCLUSION

These household strategies hold promise for reducing pediatric asthma symptoms and improving child quality of life.

Asthma severity, child security, and child internalizing: using story stem techniques to assess the meaning children give to family and disease-specific events

Children with persistent asthma are at increased risk for mental health problems. Although mechanisms of effect are not yet known, it may be that children are less trusting of the family as a source of support and security when they have more severe asthma. This study tested whether asthma severity is related to children's perceptions of insecurity in the family, and whether insecurity is in turn associated with child adjustment. Children (N = 168; mean age = 8 years) completed story stems pertaining to routine family events (e.g., mealtimes) and ambiguous but potentially threatening asthma events such as tightness in the chest. Responses were evaluated for the extent to which appraisals portrayed the family as responding in cohesive, security-provoking ways. Asthma severity was assessed by both objective lung function testing and primary caregiver report. Caregivers reported child symptomatology. Beyond medication adherence, caregiver education, and child age and gender, greater asthma severity predicted more internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Greater asthma severity, assessed using spirometry (but not parent report), was related to less secure child narratives of the family, which in turn related to more child internalizing symptoms. Results suggest that asthma can take a considerable toll on children's feelings of security and mental health. Furthermore, given the difficulty in assessing young children's perceptions, this study helps demonstrate the potential of story stem techniques in assessing children's appraisals of illness threat and management in the family.

The ABCs of family mealtimes: observational lessons for promoting healthy outcomes for children with persistent asthma

Family mealtimes have the potential to promote healthy child development. This observational study of 200 family mealtimes examined the relation between child health in a group of children (ages 5 to 12) with persistent asthma and 3 dimensions of mealtime interaction: Action, Behavior Control, and Communication. Percent time spent in Action and Positive Communication varied by asthma severity, child quality of life, and sociodemographic variables. Positive communication during mealtimes predicted child quality of life. Significant interactions between demographic variables and behavior control suggested that higher levels of behavior control affected child quality of life in the context of lower maternal education. Guidance is offered for practitioners and policy makers toward promoting healthy family mealtimes as a public health priority.

Do family mealtime interactions mediate the association between asthma symptoms and separation anxiety?

BACKGROUND

Respiratory problems have been shown to be associated with the development of panic anxiety. Family members play an essential role for children to emotionally manage their symptoms. This study aimed to examine the relation between severity of respiratory symptoms in children with asthma and separation anxiety. Relying on direct observation of family interactions during a mealtime, a model is tested whereby family interactions mediate the relation between asthma severity and separation anxiety symptoms.

METHODS

Sixty-three children (ages 9-12 years) with persistent asthma were interviewed via the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children IV; family interactions were assessed via direct observation of a mealtime; primary caregivers completed the Childhood Asthma Severity Scale; youth pulmonary function was ascertained with pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry; adherence to asthma medications was objectively tracked for six weeks.

RESULTS

Poorer pulmonary function and higher functional asthma severity were related to higher numbers of separation anxiety symptoms. Controlling for medication adherence, family interaction patterns mediated the relationship between poorer pulmonary function and child separation anxiety symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Family mealtime interactions may be a mechanism by which respiratory disorders are associated with separation anxiety symptoms in children, potentially through increasing the child's capacity to cognitively frame asthma symptoms as less threatening, or through increasing the child's sense of security within their family relationships.

Children's Security in the Context of Family Instability and Maternal Communications

This multi-method study examined the association between family instability and children's internal representations of security in the family system within the context of maternal communications about disruptive family events. Participants included 224 kindergarten children (100 boys and 124 girls) and their parents. Parents reported on the frequency of unstable family events, mothers reported their patterns of communication to children following disruptive events, and children completed a story-stem battery to assess their internal representations of family security. Consistent with predictions, heightened family instability was associated with less security in child representations. The implication of these results for notions of children's security in the family system, including exploratory findings on the protective role of maternal communications for children's representations, are discussed.

Children's insecure representations of the interparental relationship and their school adjustment: the mediating role of attention difficulties

This study examined the role of attention difficulties as a mediator of associations between children's insecure representations of the interparental relationship and their school adjustment in a sample of two hundred and sixteen 6-year-old children. Consistent with hypotheses, findings from structural equation models indicated that observer ratings of children's insecure representations of interparental relationships in a story completion task predicted computerized task assessments and parent reports of children's attention difficulties 1 year later. Children's attention difficulties, in turn, were associated with concurrent levels of school problems and increases in school problems over a 1-year period as indexed by teacher reports. Attention difficulties accounted for an average of 34% of the association between insecure internal representations and school problems.

Interparental conflict and children's school adjustment: the explanatory role of children's internal representations of interparental and parent-child relationships

This study examined how children's insecure internal representations of interparental and parent-child relationships served as explanatory mechanisms in multiple pathways linking interparental conflict and parent emotional unavailability with the emotional and classroom engagement difficulties the children had in their adjustment to school. With their parents, 229 kindergarten children (127 girls and 102 boys, mean age = 6.0 years, SD = .50, at Wave 1) participated in this multimethod, 3-year longitudinal investigation. Findings revealed that children's insecure representations of the interparental relationship were a significant intervening mechanism in associations between observational ratings of interparental conflict and child and teacher reports on children's emotional and classroom difficulties in school over a 2-year period. Moreover, increased parental emotional unavailability accompanying high levels of interparental conflict was associated with children's insecure representations of the parent-child relationship and children's difficulties in classroom engagement at school entry. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the intrinsic processes that contribute to difficulties with stage-salient tasks for children who are experiencing interparental discord.

Nighttime waking in children with asthma: an exploratory study of daily fluctuations in family climate

Children with asthma are at increased risk for waking in the night, and there is the potential for the entire household to feel the effects. The authors conducted a telephone-based diary study to examine whether daily fluctuations in parent mood, parenting hassles, and family routines would distinguish nights in which waking occurred from nights in which they did not. Forty-seven families with a child with asthma were contacted 4 times a week every 3 months over a period of 1 year, resulting in 500 daily observations. Parent negative mood, perceived parenting hassles, and disruptions in bedtime routines were associated with increased odds that the child would wake in the middle of the night. Results underscore the importance of considering family climate in children's disturbed sleep.

The implications of emotional security theory for understanding and treating childhood psychopathology

Understanding why interparental difficulties pose a risk to children in families experiencing domestic violence is an urgent task for ameliorating childhood psychopathology, particularly in light of the paucity of knowledge on the unfolding mediating mechanisms and the potentiating and protective conditions that underlie the multiplicity of pathways between domestic violence and child maladjustment. Toward addressing this significant gap, this paper examines how the emotional security theory (EST) may foster advances in our understanding of the genesis, course, and treatment of children's psychological problems in families experiencing domestic violence. Following an overview of the theoretical assumptions and significance of translating the emotional security theory to high-risk contexts, we address how children's difficulties in preserving security may emerge in the face of domestic violence and accompanying forms of severe family adversity, and illustrate the implications of emotional insecurity for childhood psychopathology in homes characterized by domestic violences. In the final section, we address how the EST may be useful in informing public policy and intervention initiatives designed to reduce the burden of mental illness.

Child adaptational development in contexts of interparental conflict over time

This multi-method study sought to identify parameters of developmental change and stability of child reaction patterns to interparental conflict in the context of family relations in a sample of 223 6-year-old children and their parents followed over the course of one year. Consistent with the sensitization hypothesis, interparental withdrawal and hostility each consistently and uniquely predicted child distress reactions to conflict even after analytically controlling for parental warmth. Associations were found across multiple domains of child responding (i.e., overt negative affect, subjective negative affect, internal representations) and both concurrent and prospective, autoregressive analyses. Results of the autoregressive path analyses indicated moderate stability in each of the domains of conflict reactivity over the 1-year longitudinal period.

Relations among family discord, caregiver communication, and children's family representations

This study examined associations among family discord, caregiver communication quality about emotionally stressful family events, and child internal representations of family security in 50 preschool children and their primary caregivers. Consistent with risk and protective models, findings indicate that children's representations were predicted by the interaction between family discord and caregiver communication quality. Children exhibiting the highest level of secure representations of the family experienced a consistency between low levels of family discord and communications emphasizing family security. Conversely, incongruency between family experiences and communication, reflected in high levels of family discord and communications underscoring family security, was associated with the lowest level of child secure representations. Results suggest that child representations hinge on the fit between caregiver communication quality and family experience.

Measurements of branching fractions and Dalitz distributions for B0 --> D(*)+/-K0pi-/+ decays

We present measurements of the branching fractions for the three-body decays B0 --> D(*)-/+K0pi+/- and their resonant submodes B0 --> D(*)-/+K*+/-using a sample of approximately 88 x 10(6) BB pairs collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric energy storage ring. We measure: B(B0 --> D-/+K0pi+/-) = (4.9 +/- 0.7stat +/- 0.5syst) x 10(-4), B(B0 --> D*-/+K0pi+/-) = (3.0 +/- 0.7stat +/- 0.3syst) x 10(-4), B(B0 --> D-/+K*+/-) = (4.6 +/- 0.6stat +/- 0.5syst) x 10(-4), B(B0 --> D*-/+K*+/-) = (3.2 +/- 0.6stat +/- 0.3syst) x 10(-4). From these measurements we determine the fractions of resonant events to be f(B0 --> D-/+K*+/-) = 0.63 +/- 0.08stat +/- 0.04syst and f(B0 --> D*-/+K*+/-) = 0.72 +/- 0.14stat +/-0.05syst.

Improved measurements of CP-violating asymmetry amplitudes in B0-->pi+pi- decays

We present updated measurements of the CP-violating parameters Spipi and Cpipi in B0-->pi+pi- decays. Using a sample of 227x10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider at SLAC, we observe 467+/-33 signal decays and measure Spipi=-0.30+/-0.17(stat)+/-0.03(syst) and Cpipi=-0.09+/-0.15(stat)+/-0.04(syst).

Measurement of branching fractions and charge asymmetries in B+ decays to eta pi+, eta K+, eta rho+, and eta' pi+, and search for B0 decays to eta K0 and eta omega

We present measurements of branching fractions and charge asymmetries for six B-meson decay modes with an eta or eta(') meson in the final state. The data sample corresponds to 232 x 10(6) BB pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) B Factory at SLAC. We measure the branching fractions (in units of 10(-6)): B(B+ -->eta pi(+))=5.1+/-0.6+/-0.3, B(B+ etaK+)=3.3+/-0.6+/-0.3, B(B0-->etaK0)=1.5+/-0.7+/-0.1 (<2.5 at 90% C.L.), B(B+-->eta rho(+))=8.4+/-1.9+/-1.1, B(B0-->eta omiga)=1.0+/-0.5+/-0.2 (<1.9 at 90% C.L.), and B(B+-->eta(')pi(+))=4.0+/-0.8+/-0.4, where the first uncertainty is statistical and second systematic. For the charged modes we also determine the charge asymmetries, all found to be compatible with zero.

Search for the rare leptonic decay B--->tau-nutau

We present a search for the decay B(-)--> tau(-)nu(tau) in a sample of 88.9 x 10(6) BB pairs recorded with the BABAR detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center B factory. One of the two B mesons from the Gamma(4S) is reconstructed in a hadronic or a semileptonic final state, and the decay products of the other B in the event are analyzed for consistency with a B(-) --> tau(-)nu(tau) decay. We find no evidence of a signal and set an upper limit on the branching fraction of B(B(-) --> tau(-) nu(tau)) < 4.2 x 10(-4) at the 90% confidence level.

Search for strange-pentaquark production in e+e- annihilation at sqrt[s] = 10.58 GeV

We search for strange-pentaquark states that have been previously reported by other experiments--the Theta (1540)(+), Xi(5)(1860)(--), and Xi(5)(1860)(0)--in 123 fb(-1) of data recorded with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e(+)e(-) storage ring. We find no evidence for these states and set 95% confidence level upper limits on the number of Theta(1540)(+) and Xi(5)(1860)(--) pentaquarks produced per e(+)e(-) annihilation into qq and Gamma(4S) decay. For qq events the Theta(1540)(+) [Xi(5)(1860)(--)] limit is about 8 [4] times lower than the rates measured for ordinary baryons of similar mass.

Search for lepton flavor violation in the decay tau+/- --> mu+ gamma

A search for the nonconservation of lepton flavor number in the decay tau(+/-) --> mu(+/-) has been performed using 2.07 x 10(8) e(+ )e(-) tau(+) tau(-) events produced at a center-of-mass energy near 10.58 GeV with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring. We find no evidence for a signal and set an upper limit on the branching ratio of Beta(tau(+/-) --> mu(+/-) gamma) < 6.8 x 10(-8) at 90% confidence level.

Measurement of the branching fraction of Gamma(4S) --> B0B0

We report the first measurement of the branching fraction f(00) for Gamma(4S) --> B(0)B(0). The data sample consists of 81.7 fb(-1) collected at the Gamma(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) storage ring. Using partial reconstruction of the decay B(0) --> D(*+) l(-)nu(l) in which only the charged lepton and the soft pion from the decay D(*+) --> D(0)pi(+) are reconstructed, we obtain f(00) = 0.487 +/- 0.010(stat) +/- 0.008(syst). Our result does not depend on the branching fractions of B(0) --> D(*+)l(-)nu(l) and D(*+) --> D(0)pi(+) decays, on the ratio of the charged and neutral B meson lifetimes, nor on the assumption of isospin symmetry.

Branching fraction and CP asymmetries of B0-->K0(S)K0(S)K0(S)

We present measurements of the branching fraction and time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in B0-->K0(S)K0(S)K0(S) decays based on 227 x 10(6) Upsilon4S-->BB decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC. We obtain a branching fraction of (6.9(+0.9)(-0.8)+/-0.6) x 10(-6), and CP asymmetries C=-0.34(+0.28)(-0.25)+/-0.05 and S=-0.71(+0.38)(-0.32)+/-0.04, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic.

Search for decays of B0-->e+ e-, B0-->mu+ mu-, B0-->e +/- mu-/+

We present a search for the decays B0-->e+ e-, B0-->mu+ mu-, and B0-->e (+/-) mu (-/+) in data collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC B Factory. Using a data set of 111 fb(-1), we find no evidence for a signal in any of the three channels investigated and set the following branching fraction upper limits at the 90% confidence level: B(B0-->e+ e-) < 6.1 x 10(-8), B(B0-->mu+ mu-) < 8.3 x 10(-8), and B(B0-->e (+/-) mu (-/+) )<18 x 10(-8).

Measurements of branching fractions and time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in B --> eta'K decays

We present measurements of the B --> eta(')K branching fractions; for B(+) --> eta(')K(+) we measure also the time-integrated charge asymmetry Alpha(ch), and for B(0) --> eta(')K(0)(S) the time-dependent CP-violation parameters S and C. The data sample corresponds to 232 x 10(6) BB pairs produced by e(+)e(-) annihilation at the Upsilon (4S). The results are Beta(B --> eta(')K(+)) = (68.9 +/- 2.0 +/- 3.2) x 10(-6), Beta(B(0) --> eta(')K(0)) = (67.4 +/- 3.2) x 10(-6), Alpha(ch) = 0.033 +/- 0.028 +/- 0.005, S = 0.30 +/- 0.140 +/- 0.02, and C = -0.21 +/- 0.10 +/- 0.02, where the first error quoted is statistical and the second is systematic.

Branching fractions and CP asymmetries in B0-->pi0pi0, B+-->pi+pi0, and B+-->K+pi0 decays and isospin analysis of the B-->pipi system

Based on a sample of 227 x 10(6) BB pairs collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory at SLAC, we measure the branching fraction B(B0-->pi(0)pi(0))=(1.17+/-0.32+/-0.10)x10(-6), and the asymmetry Cpi(0)(pi(0))=-0.12+/-0.56+/-0.06. The B0-->pi(0)pi(0) signal has a significance of 5.0 sigma. We also measure B(B+-->pi(+)pi(0))=(5.8+/-0.6+/-0.4)x10(-6), B(B+-->K+pi(0))=(12.0+/-0.7+/-0.6)x10(-6), and the charge asymmetries Api(+)(pi(0))=-0.01+/-0.10+/-0.02 and AK+(pi(0))=0.06+/-0.06+/-0.01. Using isospin relations, we find an upper bound on the angle difference |alpha-alpha(eff)| of 35 degrees at the 90% C.L.

Search for factorization-suppressed B-->chi(c)K(*) decays

We search for the factorization-suppressed decays B-->chi(c0)K(*) and B-->chi(c2)K(*), with chi(c0) and chi(c2) decaying into J/psi gamma, using a sample of 124 x 10(6) BB events collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. We find no significant signal and set upper bounds for the branching fractions.

Improved measurement of CP asymmetries in B0 --> (cc)K(0(*)) decays

We present results on time-dependent CP asymmetries in neutral B decays to several CP eigenstates. The measurements use a data sample of about 227 x 10(6) upsilon(4S) --> BB decays collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory at SLAC. The amplitude of the CPasymmetry, sin2beta in the standard model, is derived from decay-time distributions from events in which one neutral B meson is fully reconstructed in a final state containing a charmonium meson and the other B meson is determined to be either a B0 or B0 from its decay products. We measure sin2beta = 0.722 +/- 0.040(stat) +/- 0.023(syst) in agreement with the standard model expectation.

Measurement of branching fractions and charge asymmetries for exclusive B decays to charmonium

We report measurements of branching fractions and charge asymmetries of exclusive decays of neutral and charged B mesons into two-body final states containing a charmonium state and a light strange meson. The charmonium mesons considered are J/psi, psi(2S) and chi(c1), and the light meson is either K or K(*). We use a sample of about 124x10(6) BB pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

Limit on the B0-->rho0rho0 branching fraction and implications for the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angle alpha

We search for the decay B0-->rho(0)rho(0) in a data sample of about 227x10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider at SLAC. We find no significant signal and set an upper limit of 1.1x10(-6) at 90% C.L. on the branching fraction. As a result, the uncertainty due to penguin contributions on the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity angle alpha measured in B-->rhorho decays is decreased to 11 degrees at 68% C.L.

Pathways between profiles of family functioning, child security in the interparental subsystem, and child psychological problems

This study was designed to delineate pathways between systems profiles of family functioning, children's emotional insecurity in the interparental relationship, and their psychological adjustment in a sample of 221 children and their parents. Consistent with family systems theory, cluster analyses conducted with assessments of marital, coparental, and parent-child functioning indicated that families fit into one of four profiles: (a) cohesive families, characterized by warmth, affection, and flexible well-defined boundaries in family relationships; (b) disengaged families, reflected in high levels of adversity and low levels of support across family subsystems; (c) enmeshed families, evidenced by high levels of discord and weak maintenance of relationship boundaries in the family unit; and (d) adequate families, defined by elevated parental psychological control within a larger family context of low discord and high warmth. In comparison to children in cohesive families, children in enmeshed and disengaged families exhibited greater signs of insecurity in the interparental relationship concurrently and internalizing and externalizing symptoms both concurrently and 1 year later. Structural equation models revealed that a latent, multimethod measure of insecurity in the interparental relationship partially mediated associations between family enmeshment and disengagement and children's psychological symptoms 1 year later. Results are discussed in relation to how they inform and refine a family-wide model of the emotional security hypothesis.

Search for the decay B+ --> K+nunu

We search for the rare flavor-changing neutral-current decay B(+)--> K(+)nunu in a data sample of 82 fb(-1) collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B-factory. Signal events are selected by examining the properties of the system recoiling against either a reconstructed hadronic or semileptonic charged-B decay. Using these two independent samples we obtain a combined limit of B(B(+)-->K(+)nunu ) < 5.2 x 10(-5) at the 90% confidence level. In addition, by selecting for pions rather than kaons, we obtain a limit of B(B+-->pi(+)nunu) < 1.0 x 10(-4) using only the hadronic B reconstruction method.

Measurements of the branching fraction and CP-violation asymmetries in B0-->f0(980)K0S

We present measurements of the branching fraction and CP-violating asymmetries in the decay B0-->f0(980)K0S. The results are obtained from a data sample of 123 x 10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB decays. From a time-dependent maximum likelihood fit, we measure the branching fraction B(B0-->f0(980)(-->pi+pi-)K0)=(6.0+/-0.9+/-0.6+/-1.2)x10(-6), the mixing-induced CP violation parameter S=-1.62(+0.56)(-0.51)+/-0.09+/-0.04, and the direct CP violation parameter C=0.27+/-0.36+/-0.10+/-0.07, where the first errors are statistical, the second systematic, and the third due to model uncertainties. We measure the f0(980) mass and width to be mf0(980)=(980.6+/-4.1+/-0.5+/-4.0) MeV/c2 and Gammaf0(980)=(43(+12)(-9)+/-3+/-9) MeV/c2, respectively.

Search for radiative penguin decays B(+)-->rho(+)gamma, B(0)-->rho(0)gamma, and B(0)-->omegagamma

A search for the decays B-->rho(770)gamma and B0-->omega(782)gamma is performed on a sample of 211 x 10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB events collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) storage ring. No evidence for the decays is seen. We set the following limits on the individual branching fractions: B(B+-->rho(+)gamma)<1.8 x 10(-6), B(B0-->rho(0)gamma)<0.4 x 10(-6), and B(B0-->omegagamma)<1.0 x 10(-6) at the 90% confidence level. We use the quark model to limit the combined branching fraction B [B-->(rho/omega)gamma]<1.2 x 10(-6), from which we determine a constraint on the ratio of Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements |V(td)|/|V(ts)|.

Measurement of the B0-->phiK*0 decay amplitudes

With a sample of about 227x10(6) BB pairs recorded with the BABAR detector we perform a full angular analysis of the decay B0-->phiK(*0)(892). We make novel measurements of five parameters sensitive to CP violation. We also measure the branching fraction to be (9.2+/-0.9+/-0.5)x10(-6) and determine the fractions of longitudinal and parity-odd transverse contributions as f(L)=0.52+/-0.05+/-0.02 and f( perpendicular)=0.22+/-0.05+/-0.02. The phases of the parity-even and parity-odd transverse amplitudes relative to the longitudinal amplitude are found to be phi( parallel)=2.34(+0.23)(-0.20)+/-0.05 rad and phi( perpendicular)=2.47+/-0.25+/-0.05 rad. We also observe the decay B0-->phiK(*0)(1430).