Proximal and Distal Factors Associated With Obesity in Childhood: An Exploratory Structural Equation Model.

BackgroundAntisocial behaviour is a result of a multifactorial process that involve social and individual risk factors. Only few studies explored the mechanisms explaining the effects of social factors on antisocial behaviour through proximal factors. To extend previous findings, this study aims to investigate the complex relationship between distal and proximal factors, identifying proximal factors mediating the relationship between social factors and antisocial behaviour among 12-14 years old Italian adolescents.MethodsThe analytical sample included 1847 school students of Piedmont Region and city of Rome who participated in the baseline survey of the experimental controlled trial “GAPUnplugged”. The data was collected between November 2022 and January 2023. The associations of sociodemographic characteristics, distal factors and proximal factors with the probability of adolescent's antisocial behaviour were estimated through multilevel mixed-effect models. Mediation analysis was conducted to test the mediating effect of proximal factors on the relationship between distal factors and adolescent's antisocial behaviour.ResultsThe prevalence of lifetime antisocial behaviour was 61.2%. Among distal factors, parental permissiveness to use substances, low parental support, low class climate, perceptions of peer's cigarette, alcohol and illicit drug use were associated with higher probability of antisocial behaviour. Low school performance, low pupil's respect for teacher, impulsiveness and sensation-seeking were significant mediators of the trajectories of most distal factors on antisocial behaviours.ConclusionsBoth distal and proximal factors help to understand trajectories of antisocial behaviours in adolescence. All these factors should be considered in prevention interventions aimed at reducing or preventing antisocial behaviour among early adolescents.Key messages• Both distal and proximal risk factors are associated with the risk of engaging in antisocial behaviours during adolescence.• The alarmingly high prevalence of antisocial behaviour among early adolescents requires immediate actions for implementing targeted and effective prevention programs prior the onset of behaviour.

What co-curricular interventions contribute to the academic success and retention of non-traditional commencing undergraduate students identified to be at risk of academic failure or early attrition from university when taking into account distal and proximal factors?

The dynamics of proximal and distal factors in construction site water pollution

Parental maltreatment and proximal risk factors using the Childhood Experience of Care & Abuse (CECA) instrument: A life-course study of adult chronic depression — 5

BackgroundAccumulating evidence indicates that a variety of distal and proximal factors might impact a risk of suicide. However, the association between both groups of factors remains unknown. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to investigate the interplay between distal and proximal correlates of the current suicidal ideation.MethodsA total of 3,000 individuals (aged 18–35 years, 41.7% males), who had reported a negative history of psychiatric treatment, were enrolled through an online computer-assisted web interview. Self-reports were administered to measure: (a) distal factors: a history of childhood trauma (CT), reading disabilities (RDs), symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), lifetime history of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), lifetime problematic substance use as well as family history of schizophrenia and mood disorders; (b) proximal factors: depressive symptoms, psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), and insomnia; and (c) sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsSuicidal ideation was directly associated with unemployment, being single, higher level of RD, lifetime history of NSSI as well as higher severity of PLEs, depression, and insomnia. The association of distal factors with suicidal ideation was fully (a history of CT and symptoms of ADHD) or partially (a history of NSSI and RD) mediated by proximal factors (PLEs, depression, and insomnia).ConclusionsMain findings from this study posit the role of distal factors related to neurodevelopmental disorders, CT and NSSI in shaping suicide risk. Their effects might be partially or fully mediated by depression, PLEs, and insomnia.

Family factors contributing to emotional and behavioral problems in Korean adolescents with epilepsy.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents of project creativity in international marketing teams. The proposed framework includes both proximal (characteristics that impact the everyday functioning of the team) and distal (characteristics associated with the team's organizations that are relatively remote to the everyday functioning of the team) factors as antecedents of project creativity. Specifically, the authors investigate the influence of three proximal factors, namely, collaboration with foreign counterparts, autonomy, and international experience as well as two distal factors, namely, organizational encouragement and innovative organizational culture.Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected from 156 executives from publicly traded firms in the manufacturing sector in South Korea and tested using hierarchical regression.Findings– Collaboration with foreign counterparts and autonomy exert direct positive influence on project creativity. International experience exerts a curvilinear relationship such that low and high levels of international experience positively influence project creativity, whereas moderate international experience negatively influences project creativity. In addition, whereas the relationship between organizational encouragement and project creativity was supported, the relationship between innovative culture and project creativity was not.Originality/value– Despite the importance afforded to international marketing teams and creativity in marketing research and practice, little attention has focussed on project creativity in international marketing teams. This study represents an initial effort toward filling the void and identifying certain proximal and distal factors as relevant antecedents of project creativity in international marketing teams. In addition, deviating from extant studies on creativity, this study highlights a curvilinear relationship between international experience and creativity.

Pathways to suicidal ideation for young people engaged in mental health care.

While using self-tracking devices for physical health has become ubiquitous, the potential for quantified-self (QS) dependence as a detrimental outcome for mental health is under-explored. This study examined the mechanism of wearable users' QS dependence by investigating both the distal and proximal factors based on a cognitive-behavioral model. A total of 535 wearable users aged 18-35 years were surveyed in this study. The surveys included control variable questions related to age, gender, monthly income, BMI, and wearable use experience. Key variable measures included distal factor (habitual use of wearables), proximal factors (perceived external regulation, recognition, and perceived irreplaceability), and perceived QS dependence. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test research hypotheses. The results revealed that habitual use of wearables as a distal factor alone was negatively associated with perceived QS dependence. However, it positively influenced perceived external regulation, recognition, and perceived irreplaceability, which in turn significantly contributed to perceived QS dependence, suggesting the suppression effect of the proximal factors. The relationships between habitual use of wearables and QS dependence are complex. Although habitual use may seem apparently harmless, it can indirectly foster maladaptive cognitions, thereby promoting dependence. These findings underscore the potential threats of maladaptive cognitions that may arise from leveraging technology to promote physical health, thus offering guidance to technology designers for interventions.

Early reading development, which is influenced by various factors, such as family environment, school environment, and individual psychological characteristics, plays a crucial role in children's later reading ability and academic achievement. This study aims to establish a comprehensive bioecological longitudinal model of children's early reading development and provide a scientific basis for developing practical interventions to help children face reading challenges, such as poor economic conditions and negative psychological characteristics. Longitudinal data from 9312 preschool children participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K: 2011) was used in this study. Based on Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model, the present study applied a structural equation model to investigate the effects of distal factors (family socio-economic status and individual psychological characteristics) and proximal factors (home literacy environment, school environment, and approaches to learning) on early reading development in a longitudinal design. In addition, the study tested the mediation and moderation effects of proximal factors on the relationship between distal factors and children's reading ability. The results suggested that the model of early reading development incorporating proximal and distal factors effectively explains early reading development in children from preschool to primary school. Furthermore, proximal factors act as protective factors mediating and moderating the influence of distal factors on early reading ability. Children's reading challenges due to economic conditions and psychological characteristics may be minimized by improving proximal factors, such as home literacy environment, school environment, and approaches to learning.

Construction accident is a man-made disaster. Causal factors of a construction accident could lie dormant at the project conception, design, and construction stage. Investigating the causal factors is, therefore, inadequate if directed only to operative errors, and the contractor’s management or organisation failures. A systematic investigation should also cover management or organisational failures initiated by the designer, the client’s team, and the client. This would lead to the need for a practical method of the accident investigation by which the operational errors, and management or organisational failures can be revealed comprehensively. This paper presents a constraint-response analysis of causation of construction accidents (CRACCA). It is a model illustrating a generic network of factors in construction accident causation. CRACCA proposes that construction accident causation consist of (1) accident events, (2) proximal factors, and (3) distal factors. The accident events represent accident occurrences and their consequences; the proximal factors represent deficiencies of the construction process; whilst the distal factors represent precursors generating the proximal factors. Both the proximal and distal factors are considered as factors stimulating the increased risk of construction accident. The distal factors are characterised as constraints applied to, and responses by, participants in the construction project. These constraints and responses constitute management actions taken by clients, the client’s team, the designers or the builders. In this way, the model will assist investigators to structure more readily the causal factors, and determine potential or predominant factors leading to construction accidents. In this paper, the constraint-response theory is briefly described. The generic structure of the causal network is presented. The default features of the model are introduced. The paper also illustrates procedures using CRACCA.

Data on carbon fluxes such as soil respiration are needed to develop strategies for increased carbon sequestration and reduced levels of atmospheric trace gases. Soil respiration is driven by proximal factors (e.g., soil temperature and soil moisture), which affect soil respiration by regulating microbial and root activity, and distal factors (e.g., topography), which affect soil respiration by influencing proximal factors. The objectives of this study were: (1) to relate measured carbon dioxide flux from forest soils to proximal and distal factors; and (2) to develop predictive soil-landscape models of soil respiration across a forested watershed. Carbon dioxide flux from the soil surface was measured monthly for 12 months at sampling points selected using a random stratified approach, with strata established based on slope aspect (NE and SW), slope shape (concave and convex), and slope position (upper, middle, and lower backslope). We generated empirical models using robust linear regression techniques to examine relationships between soil respiration and both proximal (soil physical and chemical properties) and distal factors (terrain attributes calculated from a 30-m digital elevation model). In situ soil respiration rates were greater on the NE-facing slopes than the SW-facing slopes. The models that we developed and validated explain up to 66% of variability in measured soil respiration, although seasonal model relationships varied. Soil temperature was the most consistent proximal factor for predicting soil respiration rates, while slope aspect was the most consistent distal factor among the models.

Causes of medical errors and its under-reporting amongst pediatric nurses in Iran: a qualitative study.

Maternal epilepsy and behavioral development of the child: Family factors do matter

The rates of suicide and prevalence of mental health and behavioral problems have been increasing among adolescents and young adults in the United States over the past two decades. This study examines underlying distal and mediating proximal factors leading to suicide attempts during the sensitive transition period of emerging adulthood. We conducted bivariate, multivariate, and mediation regression analyses of five years of data from a large national student survey to first identify and then decompose relationships between past-year suicide attempt into distal and proximal associations, controlling for a range of personal and sociodemographic respondent characteristics. Of 372,000 college students surveyed, 4,292 (1.2%) reported having attempted suicide during the past year. Mediation by proximal, precipitating factors accounted for percentages of the total distal factors as follows: history of diagnosed mental health disorder (20.1%), history of diagnosed alcohol use disorder (25.7%), history of physical abuse (73.9%), financial distress experienced during childhood (40.2%) and having a disability (23.4%). Recent depression severity and recent sexual assault victimization accounted for ≥ 40% of the total indirect association of each distal factor. Mediation of diagnosed mental health disorder and diagnosed alcohol use disorder were attributed primarily to conceptually related proximal factors. Information regarding dynamic relationships between distal and proximal risk factors may inform integrated clinical and comprehensive campus suicide prevention strategies to mitigate the life-threatening consequences of mental health disorders, alcohol and drug misuse, and stressful life experiences during emerging adulthood.