Firstborn's empathy and the sibling relationship quality: The moderating role of maternal emotional availability.

This study examined how a firstborn child's empathy interacts with maternal emotional availability (EA) to predict later positive sibling relationships. The study included 108 families expecting a second child who also had a 10- to 45-month-old firstborn child ( = 24.6 months, = 7.

The association between maternal and child posttraumatic stress symptoms among families living in southern Israel: The buffering role of maternal executive functions.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a prolonged stress and anxiety response that occurs after exposure to a traumatic event. Research shows that both parental and child posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are correlated but parental executive functions (EFs) could buffer this link. EFs refers to a group of high-level cognitive processes that enable self-regulation of thoughts and actions to achieve goal-directed behaviours and can be of importance for both positive parenting interactions and effective coping skills for PTSS.

Maternal Perceptions and Responsiveness to Cry in Armed Conflict Zones: Links to Child Behavior Problems.

Crying is a typical infant behavior that activates parental caregiving behaviors, acting as "human alarms" important for the infant's survival. When living under war-related threat, the auditory system may be sensitized given its importance for survival, potentially impacting maternal cry processing. Children living in armed-conflict zones are at increased risk for behavior problems, which may relate to both direct exposure and indirect effects through their parents' perceptions and behaviors.

Temporal Stability of Responses to the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale by Bedouin Mothers in Southern Israel.

The detection and treatment of mental illness during pregnancy and postpartum are essential for the well-being of both mother and child. For this study, we set out to estimate the prevalence of perinatal depression among Bedouin mothers in southern Israel and determine if the latent structure of responses to the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS)-including depression, anxiety, and anhedonia-previously reported also applies to this population. A total of 332 women completed the EPDS during pregnancy (26-38 weeks) and again 2-4 months postpartum.

Impact of Group vs. Individual Prenatal Care Provision on Women's Knowledge of Pregnancy-Related Topics: An Open, Controlled, Semi-Randomized Community Trial.

The importance of acquiring knowledge of pregnant women on prenatal care lies in its leading to confidence and ability in decision-making. There is a growing need for a model of prenatal care that will allow nurses to provide the most efficient pregnancy-related guidance with minimum need for additional staff. This study compares the level of knowledge on subjects pertaining to pregnancy and birth in low-risk pregnancies when delivered in group versus individual settings.

A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial for Reducing Postpartum Depression in Low-Income Minority Women at Community-Based Women's Health Clinics.

Objective: To analyze an intervention that delivered tailored clinic staff training on postpartum depression (PPD) followed by awareness raising and social support aimed at lowering PPD among low-income Bedouin women in southern Israel.

Methods: We conducted a non-randomized controlled trial at two women's health clinics. The study included 332 of the 384 eligible women recruited at baseline (intervention = 169, control = 163), who completed two face-to-face interviews, one at 26-38 weeks of pregnancy (Time 1) and one 2-4 months postpartum (Time 2).

When COVID-19 Met Families Living in Armed-Conflict Zones: The Importance of Maternal Trauma and Child Self-Regulation.

The COVID-19 outbreak began in Israel at the end of February 2020, and on March 17, 2020, a general lockdown was announced. Families were instructed to stay at home and schools and non-essential businesses were closed. Aiming to understand how families who were already living in areas of high exposure to armed conflict would be affected by another external stressful condition, data were collected before and after the outbreak.

Direct and indirect determinants of prenatal depression among Arab-Bedouin women in Israel: The role of stressful life events and social support.

Objective: Prenatal depression (PND) negatively affects the health and well-being of both mother and child. The aim of this study was to identify the direct and indirect determinants of prenatal depression symptoms (PNDS) among Arab-Bedouin women in southern Israel.

Design: Data collection was conducted in two women's health centers from October 2017 to February 2018.

Barriers to postpartum depression treatment among Indigenous Bedouin women in Israel: A focus group study.

Postpartum depression (PPD), a common mental health problem among mothers worldwide, is higher among minority women. However, little is known about barriers faced by minority women when accessing mental health care services (MHCS) for PPD treatment. Drawing on McLeroy et al (Health Education Quartely 15: 351, 1988) ecological model, the current study explores barriers to mental health services among pregnant and postpartum minority Bedouin women in southern Israel.

Point prevalence of abnormal thyroid-stimulating hormone during the first trimester of pregnancy in Israel.

Background: The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in early pregnancy in Israel is not known.

Objectives: To assess the rate of abnormal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) tests in low risk pregnant women attending a community clinic in Israel.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the charts of low risk pregnant women (n = 303) who had undergone a TSH screening during the first trimester of pregnancy at Clalit Health Services Women's Health Centers in Ashkelon and Tel Aviv.

Effects of an extended free-of-fee strategy on the rate of cervical Papanicolaou smear screening in Israel.

Objective: To investigate the influence of an extended free-of-fee strategy on the rate of cervical Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screening in Israel.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of data obtained from a computer-generated list of women aged 15-74 years who attended appointments with Clalit Health Services between January 1, 2008, and November 30, 2011, during which Pap smears were taken. The basic strategy allowed a no-fee Pap smear once every 3 years between the ages of 35 and 54 years; the extended strategy allowed a no-fee Pap smear once every 3 years between the ages of 25 and 54 years.

Disappearance of female genital mutilation from the Bedouin population of Southern Israel.

Introduction: Recently, clinicians in Southern Israel perceived that the practice of female genital mutilation had disappeared entirely in the Bedouin population. We previously studied the prevalence of this practice in 1995.

Aim: We decided to survey again the Bedouin population focusing on those tribes previously reported to perform this practice.

Nonattendance in obstetrics and gynecology patients.

Background: Nonattendance for obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) appointments disrupts medical care and leads to misuse of valuable resources. We investigated factors associated with nonattendance in an outpatient OB/GYN clinic.

Methods: Nonattendance was examined for a period of 1 year in first-time visitors of an ambulatory OB/GYN clinic.