Do positive childhood and adult experiences counter the effects of adverse childhood experiences on learned helplessness?

Introduction: Learned helplessness often arises when an individual feels that a challenging situation is inescapable. Childhood trauma can lead to feelings of learned helplessness in youth and adulthood. Resiliency theory suggests that positive experiences in childhood and adulthood may counteract traumatic experiences in childhood and reduce learned helplessness and promote learned optimism, the antithesis of learned helplessness.

Prenatal depression outcomes in the next generation: A critical review of recent DOHaD studies and recommendations for future research.

Prenatal depression, a common pregnancy-related risk with a prevalence of 10-20 %, may affect in utero development and socioemotional and neurodevelopmental outcomes in the next generation. Although there is a growing body of work that suggests prenatal depression has an independent and long-lasting effect on offspring outcomes, important questions remain, and findings often do not converge. The present review examines work carried out in the last decade, with an emphasis on studies focusing on mechanisms and leveraging innovative technologies and study designs to fill in gaps in research.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Trauma-Informed Care Provider Assessment Tool.

The increasing recognition of adverse childhood experiences as a significant factor in adult health outcomes underscores the need for trauma-informed care (TIC) in healthcare settings. The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the TIC Provider Assessment Tool (TIC-PAT) designed for primary care providers. The TIC-PAT aligns with the TIC Pyramid framework and assesses both universal trauma precautions and trauma-specific care.

U.S. Physicians' Training and Experience in Providing Trauma-Informed Care in Clinical Settings.

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a comprehensive approach that focuses on the whole individual. It acknowledges the experiences and symptoms of trauma and their impact on health. TIC prioritizes physical and emotional safety through a relationship of trust that supports patient choice and empowerment.

Sex 101: A Rapid Review of Research in the United States on the Impacts of College Sexual Health Curricula.

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) has been shown to have a wide range of positive impacts for K-12 students. Despite its demonstrated benefits, many K-12 students in the USA do not receive CSE. Because of this, college may be an opportune time to teach this information.

Maternal executive function and stress and children's behavior problem treatment outcomes.

This prospective, observational study was designed to investigate the relationship of mothers' executive function capacities and parenting stress to early dropout, appointment attendance, and outcomes of in-clinic delivery of parent management training to address children's behavior problems. We hypothesized that mothers' executive functions (EFs) would be prospectively and positively associated with adherence to children's behavioral treatment appointments and reduction in children's behavior problems and that mothers' stress levels would be inversely related to these outcomes. Mothers ( = 288) completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function for Adults (EF) and Parenting Stress Index at the beginning of treatment.

De novo missense variant associated with neurodevelopmental delay and manifestations of cerebral palsy.

We identified a de novo heterozygous transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M (melastatin) member 3 () missense variant, p.(Asn1126Asp), in a patient with developmental delay and manifestations of cerebral palsy (CP) using phenotype-driven prioritization analysis of whole-genome sequencing data with Exomiser. The variant is localized in the functionally important ion transport domain of the TRPM3 protein and predicted to impact the protein structure.

Positive adult experiences as turning points for better adult mental health after childhood adversity.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine whether positive adult experiences (PAEs) were associated with lower odds for anxiety and depression even in the presence of high adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or low positive childhood experiences (PCEs).

Methods: The sample was comprised of 435 adults (48% female), ages 18-56 years and who were living in the United States. Participants completed a survey about their childhood experiences, PAEs, and mental health.

Understanding the relationship between domestic and intimate partner violence, adverse childhood experiences, and chronic opioid use disorder: The patient perspective.

Introduction: Opioid dependence and misuse are a plague of epidemic proportions in our communities and globally. Prior trauma in childhood may contribute to opioid dependence, while one consequence of opioid misuse is increased risk for involvement as both perpetrators and victims in domestic and intimate partner violence (DV and IPV). The aims of this study were to understand the proportion of patients who identified as having an opioid use disorder (OUD), if OUD was associated with higher rates of DV and IPV as both perpetrators and victims, and whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as well as demographic factors related to instability in their social life were higher among those with OUD compared to those without.

Characterization of a Vigorous sucking style in early infancy and its predictive value for weight gain and eating behaviors at 12 months.

This study sought to identify sucking profiles among healthy, full-term infants and assess their predictive value for future weight gain and eating behaviors. Pressure waves of infant sucking were captured during a typical feeding at age 4 months and quantified via 14 metrics. Anthropometry was measured at 4 and 12 months, and eating behaviors were measured by parent report via the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire-Toddler (CEBQ-T) at 12 months.

A Modified Menstrual Attitudes Scale: Heteronormative Attitudes, Sexism, and Attitudes Toward Menstruation in Male and Female Adults.

Social shame and stigma surround menstruation, which may compromise women's health and rights in various contexts. Men's attitudes are particularly important because men often hold positions of power that influence women's experience. This study examined factors associated with menstrual attitudes, including heteronormative attitudes, sexism, and family influences.

COVID-19 Stress, Religious Affiliation, and Mental Health Outcomes Among Adolescents.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between religious affiliation, stressors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and mental health challenges in a representative sample of adolescents.

Methods: The sample was composed of 71,001 Utah adolescents who participated in a survey by the Utah Department of Health in 2021. Data are representative of all Utah adolescents in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12.

Influence of Social Media Uses and Gratifications on Family Health among U.S. Parents: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Some research suggests that parents on social media have access to greater social support and health information. However, evidence also connects parental social media use to negative outcomes including increased parental stress, depression, and distraction. Using the uses and gratification theory, this study goes beyond measures of parents' individual mental health and explores social media use and its association with family well-being.

The social and sexual lives of Black sexual minority men 30 years of age and older in South Africa.

Background: Black sexual minority men (SMM) ages 30 and older are under-represented in HIV studies in sub-Saharan Africa, despite being at increased risk of HIV infection and contributing to potential onward HIV transmission. To better understand the social and sexual lives of older Black South African SMM, we conducted in-depth interviews with SMM who were > 30 years old.

Methods: From March-September 2016, we recruited a convenience sample of 37 SMM ages 30 and older by partnering with an LGBTQ+ organization in Tshwane, Pretoria.

Examining relationships between positive and adverse childhood experiences with physical and mental health indicators in a low-income adult sample.

Background: Emerging research on positive and adverse childhood experiences (PCEs and ACEs) indicates that both may be important to adult health, but little is understood about the pathways through which childhood experiences affect adult health.

Objective: The aims of this study were to 1) examine how shame may mediate the relationship between childhood experiences and health, and 2) whether PCEs moderated the relationship between ACEs, shame, and adult health.

Participants And Setting: The sample consisted of 206 low-income adults ages 18-55 who were living in a community in the Intermountain West.

SkiMon: A Wireless Body Area Network for Monitoring Ski Flex and Motion during Skiing Sports.

Monitoring and gathering data on sporting activities holds significant promise for athletes, equipment developers, and physical fitness clinicians. Wireless Body Area Networks are being used in sporting environments as a means of gathering data, providing feedback, and helping to gain understanding of athletic activities. Applying WBANs to skiing situations, which have higher vibration, velocities, and damp environments than many other sports, can open up opportunities to understand the dynamics of skiing equipment behaviors, skiing routes on mountains, and how individuals react when skiing.

The Effect of Financial Scarcity on Reinforcer Pathology: A Dyadic Developmental Examination.

This study investigated the effects of experimentally manipulated scarcity on the reinforcing value of food (RRVfood) and delay discounting (DD), which, together, create reinforcer pathology (RP) among parents and offspring. A stratified sample of 106 families (53 parent/child aged 7−10 dyads & 53 parent/adolescent aged 15−17 dyads) from high- and low-income households visited our laboratory for three appointments. Each appointment included an experimental manipulation of financial gains and losses and DD and RRV tasks.

The effect of food insecurity and stress on delay discounting across families: a COVID-19 natural experiment.

Background: Delay Discounting is the extent to which one prioritizes smaller immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards. The ability to prospect into the future is associated with better health decision-making, which suggests that delay discounting is an important intervention target for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. Delay discounting decreases throughout development and stressful experiences, particularly those that accompany poverty, may influence this developmental trajectory.

The Association of COVID-19 Stressors and Family Health on Overeating before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Prior studies have examined how stress and the family environment affect overeating, but less is known about how COVID-19 stressors and family health may affect overeating during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research questions included: (1) Did COVID-19-related stressors increase the risk for overeating among adults in the United States? (2) Did family health protect against overeating during a pandemic? The sample included 443 participants aged 18 years and older living in the United States who were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Stata version 16 was used to analyze the data using multiple linear regression.

Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma: The Mediating Effects of Family Health.

Family health is important to the well-being of individual family members and the collective family unit, and as such, may serve as a mediator for the intergenerational transmission of trauma (ITT). This study aimed to understand the intergenerational impact of parent's adverse and positive childhood experiences (ACEs and PCEs) on their children's adverse family experiences (AFEs) and how family health mediated those relationships. The sample consisted of 482 heterosexual married or cohabiting couples (dyads) in the United States who had a child between the ages of 3 and 13 years old.

Life experience pathways to college student emotional and mental health: A structural equation model.

Previous research suggests that both adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), positive childhood experiences (PCEs), and current life experiences are associated with emotional wellbeing and mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of these life experience and coping processes on college student emotional and mental health. College students ( 555) were recruited from a large western university.

The effects of COVID-19 stressors and family life on anxiety and depression one-year into the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Coronavirus (COVID-19)-related stressors and family health on adult anxiety and depressive symptoms 1 year into the pandemic. The sample consisted of 442 adults living in the United States who were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression.

Validation of the family health scale among heterosexual couples: a dyadic analysis.

Background: The Family Health Scale (FHS) is a recently validated comprehensive measure of family health for use in survey research with the potential to also be used as a clinical measure. However, previous research has only validated the FHS among one member of the family rather than multiple family members. The objective of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the FHS long- and short-form among married and cohabitating partners (dyads).

The effect of acute and chronic scarcity on acute stress: A dyadic developmental examination.

Background: Food insecurity, obesity, and psychological stress are interrelated constructs which are thought to be connected through increased energy intake, but the underlying mechanisms for these relationships remain unclear. The current study used experimental methods to investigate how financial losses may influence acute stress in the context of food insecurity for both parents and offspring. This study also sought to examine the effect of acute stress related to financial losses on the reinforcing value of food (RRV) and delay discounting (DD).