Development Interventions Research Articles

Fostering Islamic Leadership Skills in Students Through Training Activities

Background: Qualitative research focuses on naturalistic and phenomenological observations to explore complex issues. Specific Background: This study investigates the leadership development of high school students in the Basic Leadership Training (LDKS) program through direct observation. Knowledge Gap: Previous studies lack in-depth analysis of LDKS's specific processes and effectiveness in shaping students' leadership character. Aims: The research aims to uncover the effectiveness of LDKS by observing participant activities and interactions. Results: Findings indicate that LDKS enhances key leadership qualities such as communication, teamwork, decision-making, and responsibility through structured activities and peer learning. Novelty: This study employs thematic analysis of observational data to reveal nuances in leadership character formation within education. Implications: Results suggest LDKS effectively cultivates leadership skills, providing insights for educators and policymakers focused on character development in educational settings. Highlights : Direct Observation: Employs direct observation to capture real-time interactions and activities during LDKS. Key Qualities: Focuses on developing essential leadership qualities such as communication and teamwork. Educational Impact: Provides insights for educators on effective character development interventions. Keywords: qualitative research, leadership development, Basic Leadership Training, student character formation, thematic analysis

Analysis of the Effectiveness of a Fall Prevention Program Incorporating an Interprofessional Team Collaboration Model on Reducing Fall Risk in Elderly Living in Long-term Care Facilities

Concurrent with population ageing, falls have become a significantly more challenging public health issue among older adults. Three years of data collected recently from a nursing home in northern Taiwan reveals an increasing trend in fall density that is primarily associated with aging, physiological decline, chronic diseases, polypharmacy, osteoporosis, and lack of exercise. The percentage of nursing home residents at high risk of falls is currently at 12.6%, and the fall rate has been reported as reaching as high as 30% annually. A fall prevention program was implemented to reduce the fall incidence rate to 18%, with secondary goals of improving fall prevention awareness, behavior, self-efficacy, lower limb muscle strength, balance, and gait by 10% on average, respectively, between pre-test and post-test. From September 30, 2023 to February 29, 2024, a health promotion activity and fall prevention exercise course were implemented using an interdisciplinary team collaboration model over a six-week period, providing individualized exercise for the participants. The study included 20 older adults with an average age of 88 years. Most (90%; n = 18) had chronic diseases, 25% (n = 5) were on more than nine medications, 70% (n = 14) had reduced bone mass, and 40% (n = 8) were at high risk of falls, with a fall incidence rate of 30% during the immediately preceding year. Post-intervention, the fall incidence rate dropped to 5%, fall prevention awareness, behavior, and self-efficacy increased by 18.3%, and lower limb muscle strength, balance, and gait improved by 11.7%. The post-test results in fall prevention awareness, behavioral changes, self-efficacy, and lower limb strength, balance, and gait were all significantly better than pre-test results, with all results achieving statistical significance. The project results support the positive effects of the developed intervention effectively on elderly physical fitness and fall risk, providing valuable insights for the implementation of fall prevention strategies in nursing homes.

Biodegradable internal biliary stenting in orthotopic liver transplantation – A feasibility study

IntroductionBiliary complications remain a common cause of morbidity after liver transplantation and often require invasive interventions to manage. We aimed to assess the technical feasibility and safety of placement of a biodegradable stent across the biliary anastomosis at the time of liver transplantation in patients having a duct to duct biliary reconstruction. MethodsFor this prospective, single-arm, descriptive study, 10 consecutive patients undergoing whole graft, deceased donor, liver transplantation and duct-to-duct biliary tract reconstruction were enrolled and a biodegradable biliary stent was sutured into the bile duct across the anastomosis. ResultsIn all 10 patients it was technically feasible to place and secure the stent safely during the operation. After >6 months (median of 212 days) follow up, no patients had developed biliary anastomotic stricture. One patient had transient bile leak immediately post-operative that was managed conservatively. One patient required endoscopic intervention for non-anastomotic stricture development and biliary cast material that had resulted in stent dysfunction. DiscussionThe results of this study suggest surgical feasibility of placement of an absorbable biliary stent across the biliary anastomosis at the time of liver transplantation, as well as an acceptable safety profile. Further studies are required to confirm these safety and feasibility findings and to assess efficacy in reducing rates of biliary complications and the need for endoscopic intervention in the early post-transplant period.

An Investigation of the Effects of Dialogic Reading Program Applied in Children s Homes on Children s Language Development

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of dialogic reading education given to care staff working in children's homes on the language development of children in need of protection and the views of care staff on dialogic reading. The study was designed using the explanatory sequential mixed method in which quantitative and qualitative research methods were used together. The study group consisted of 9 children aged 5-8 years living in children's homes and 6 care staff responsible for their care. Girls and boys live in separate homes, and the average age of the children is 6 years and 7 months. One of the participating care staff members is male, and the remaining five are female. The ages of the participating staff range between 35 and 40. First, dialogic reading training was given to a total of six care staff members working in two different care homes. The training was completed in two sessions. After the training, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test was administered to the children in the children’s homes as a pre-test. The care staff who completed the training were asked to read books to the children for four weeks using the dialogic reading technique. After the application, the same test was administered as a post-test. Following the quantitative data collection, qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with the care staff. As a result of the study, a significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-tests of the children who received dialogic reading. In addition, the participant staff stated that dialogic reading increased children's interest in book, developed various skills in children, and contributed to their professional development. This study recommends that care staff in children's homes receive training on dialogic reading and that this method be integrated into daily practice. Additionally, future studies with larger sample sizes and control groups should be conducted, and early interventions for language development in early childhood should be prioritized.

비행청소년을 대상으로 한 프로그램의 체계적 문헌고찰

This study is a systematic literature review that objectively analyzes research papers related to domestic programs for delinquent youth. The purpose of this study is to provide basic data necessary for the development of programs suitable for the psychosocial characteristics of delinquent youth by comprehensively analyzing domestic delinquent youth programs. To this end, 79 documents of the delinquent youth program research provided by the Academic Research Information Service (RISS) and Nuri Media (DBpia) were selected and analyzed. The analysis criteria consisted of five items as execution factors: research subject, research method, research design type, program operation, measurement tool and effect, and five items as content factors: program development, program name, program basis, purpose, and treatment intervention factors. As a result of the study, in terms of implementation factors, the research subjects were mainly middle and high school students, and it was found that the rate of verifying the program effectiveness through quantitative research was high. Self-esteem played an important role in the study of delinquent youth programs as a measurement tool. Through this, it was confirmed that it was necessary to expand the program operation method and qualitative research organized into similar age groups. In terms of content elements, there were far more studies reorganizing existing programs, and studies related to the psychosocial functions of delinquent youth were dominated. As for the treatment intervention factor, self-related factors such as self-understanding and self-exploration accounted for the most. Through this, it was confirmed that it is necessary to develop not only programs suitable for the psychosocial characteristics of delinquent youth developed by the researcher, but also various programs related to others. Based on the results of this study, institutions related to delinquent youth should participate in research in the future, and in order to improve the social behavior of delinquent youth, it is necessary to actively develop programs to improve the psychosocial stability and empathy of delinquent youth.

Caregiving experiences and practices: qualitative formative research towards development of integrated early childhood development interventions targeting Kenyans and refugees in Nairobi’s informal settlements

BackgroundEvidence is needed to understand factors that influence child development and caregiving experiences, especially in marginalized contexts, to inform the development and implementation of early childhood development (ECD) interventions. This study explores caregiving practices for young children in an urban informal settlement with Kenyans and embedded refugees, and identifies factors shaping these caregiving experiences, to inform the design and development of potentially appropriate ECD interventions.MethodsA qualitative formative study, which included 14 focus group discussions (n = 125 participants), and 13 key informant interviews was conducted between August and October 2018. Purposive sampling approaches were used to select a diverse range of respondents including caregivers of children below three years of age and stakeholders of Kenyan nationality and refugees. Data were analysed using a thematic approach and the Nurturing Care Framework was used as an interpretative lens.ResultsThere was a fusion of traditional, religious and modern practices in the care for young children, influenced by the caregivers’ culture, and financial disposition. There were mixed views/practices on nutrition for young children. For example, while there was recognition of the value for breastfeeding, working mothers, especially in the informal economy, found it a difficult practice. Stimulation through play was common, especially for older children, but gaps were identified in aspects such as reading, and storytelling in the home environment. Some barriers identified included the limited availability of a caregiver, insecurity, and confined space in the informal settlement, all of which made it difficult for children to engage in play activities. Physical and psychological forms of discipline were commonly mentioned, although few caregivers practiced and recognized the need for using non-violent approaches. Some overarching challenges for caregivers were unemployment or unstable sources of income, and, particularly for refugee caregivers, their legal status.ConclusionThese findings point to the interplay of various factors affecting optimal caregiving for young children in an urban informal settlement with Kenyans and refugees. Integrated ECD interventions are needed for such a mixed population, especially those that strive to anchor along caregivers’ social support system, co-designed together with community stakeholders, that ideally focus on parent skills training promoting nurturing care and economic empowerment.

Assessing the Impact of Visual Arts Teaching on Critical Thinking and Behavior Regulation

Background: Visual arts education has been suggested to influence cognitive and behavioral outcomes, yet its specific effects on critical thinking and behavior regulation remain underexplored. The effect of visual arts education on these domains forms the topic of the present study, which employs a mixed approach research design. Aim: To assess the impact of visual arts education on the improvement of critical thinking and self-regulation in students. Methodology: A quasi-experimental approach was employed with 80 individuals, with 40 in the experimental group Report Phrase receiving education in visual arts and 40 in the control group receiving non-visual arts education. CTST and BRI assessment tools were used to acquire quantitative data about the participants, utilizing the independent and paired sample T-tests. Data collected from participants include interviews, focus group discussions, self-administered, and thematic analysis. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyse the data. Result: Statistical findings depicted improvements in the quantitative aspect; critical thinking skills improved from 70.0 to 75.3 with p<0.001 and behavior regulation improved from 65.0 to 69.2 with p<0.001 in the experimental-group in contrast to the control-group. The thematic analysis found striking increases in attention, impulse control, task completion, creativity, collaboration, affect expression, and self-esteem of experimental-group participants. Based on the findings of the Repeated Measures ANOVA, significant enhancements were observed in both domains for critical thinking and behavior regulation with effect size estimates of 0.40 and 0.30, respectively. Conclusion: The development of critical thinking and behavior control in students is greatly impacted by art instruction. Quantitative and qualitative data both support the utility of using visual arts interventions for cognitive and behavioral development and inform practice in art education.

The impact of public fiscal expenditure on industrial transformation and upgrading: An inverted U-shape evidence from China

High-quality economic development relies on industrial transformation and upgrading. To promote industrial transformation and upgrading, efficient fiscal expenditures are undoubtedly important as pillars of national governance. However, in the context of the market economy, the government's excessive intervention in industrial development will lead to the "promotion tournament" of officials and the "beggar-thy-neighbor" local protectionism, resulting in the convergence of regional industrial structure, which will bring uncertain impact on the upgrading of regional industrial structure. Thus, this study empirically assesses how public fiscal expenditure impacts industrial transformation and upgrading as well as the mechanism by developing a spatial econometric model using the panel data of 250 Chinese cities from 2007 to 2020 and further discusses the differential impact from the perspective of urban scale. The findings disclose that public fiscal expenditure serves a crucial role in facilitating industrial transformation and upgrading, but their relationship resembles an inverted U. Therefore, an optimal scale of public fiscal expenditure exists. Heterogeneity findings reveal that the promoting effect of public fiscal expenditure on industrial transformation and upgrading decreases with the expansion of the city scale. The role mechanism implies that public fiscal expenditure indirectly leverages industrial transformation and upgrading through promoting technological innovation, reducing resource dependence, and expanding scale economies. The conclusion provides a theoretical and practical framework for the government to optimize public fiscal expenditure, promote the transformation and upgrading of China's industrial structure, and ultimately attain high-quality development.

Designing a framework to analyze the impact of watershed development on socioeconomic development: integrating literature, theory, and practice

Watershed development initiatives have emerged as key tools for achieving sustainable rural development, especially in countries experiencing environmental degradation and resource constraints. Despite the increasing acknowledgment of the significance of watershed development interventions, there remains a dearth of comprehensive frameworks for evaluating their effects on the socioeconomic progress of communities, particularly concerning rural livelihoods and household food security outcomes. Hence, this study addresses this gap by developing a comprehensive impact analysis conceptual framework tailored to assess the impact of watershed development on socioeconomic aspects. This study designed the framework by incorporating existing theoretical perspectives (the sustainable livelihoods framework, political ecology, theory of change, and community-based natural resource management) and making essential adjustments. This novel conceptual framework offers a multifaceted approach to assess the socioeconomic impacts of watershed development projects, particularly on rural livelihoods and household food security. Employing a mixed methods approach, the framework sheds light on how interventions affect the livelihood assets and strategies of rural communities, ultimately influencing their food security and well-being. Furthermore, it examines how community involvement and national policy affect these efforts. By providing a holistic understanding of watershed development dynamics, this framework allows researchers and practitioners to assess impacts, identify trade-offs, and evaluate interventions. This informs policymakers about evidence-based interventions to promote sustainable socioeconomic development in rural communities.

Collective leadership development in the civic arena

PurposeAs a collective paradigm of leadership emerges in the literature, many community leadership programs still align with leader-centric perspectives. The Kansas Leadership Center’s Leadership Transformation Grant is an exemplar of developing collective leadership in the civic arena. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to present the findings of a community-engaged, qualitative research study on the impact of collective leadership development on the practice of civic leadership and (2) to discuss relevant implications learned from reflections on the methodology for the practice of community-engaged research.Design/methodology/approachThis study is a form of engaged research (Van de Ven, 2007) and is consistent with the principles of community-based research (Strand, Marullo, Cutforth, Stoecker, & Donohue, 2003). I took an exploratory approach to this study because the knowledge intersection of collective leadership, civic leadership and leadership development is still emerging and understudied. I explored the individual, group and systems levels as three components of a complex adaptive system (Uhl-Bien, Marion, & McKelvey, 2007). To better understand the dynamic relationship between individual, group and system in this grant team, I employed a three-phase study including methods of deliberative civic engagement, open-ended survey and interview.FindingsFindings illustrate the effectiveness of the grant program on developing a shared language and leadership framework and clarifying leadership goals for participants. Implications include the importance of collective leadership development opportunities that center adaptive challenges and convene participants across levels of leadership and sectors. Additionally, the findings highlight the need to consider authority, identity and culture as central components of the practice of leadership. Reflections on the community-engaged methodology demonstrate the value of learning about leadership practices from the community practitioners to inform community leadership development interventions. Implications include approaching research as iterative and pushing back on academic norms that provide tension in engaged work.Originality/valueLittle research crosses all three boundaries of collective leadership, leadership development and civic leadership literature. This intersection focuses on understanding how collective leadership can contribute to enhancing the practice of civic leadership. The current study is situated within this knowledge gap and explores (1) the experiences of members of a civic group who have (2) participated in leadership development that (3) aligns with a collective leadership paradigm and are (4) trying to make progress on an adaptive challenge.

The Western psychologization of global development: A cultural and decolonial approach

Euro-American psychology’s strong focus on the individual mind and behavior has become a fundamental part of global development agendas. Concepts like self-regulation, self-actualization, self-efficacy, and behavior change decorate the development discourse. Scholars term this phenomenon the “psychologization of development.” The main driver of this focus is likely rooted in the hegemonic belief that Western psychological theories are universally applicable. Yet, the discipline’s embeddedness in Euro-American imperialism, globalization, and neoliberalism makes its theories particularly un-universal and unfit in many contexts. Nevertheless, people in non-Western societies are increasingly subjected to development interventions targeting their individual behavior. Using examples from research in sub-Saharan Africa of how articulations of harmful witchcraft may increase because of development interventions that promote individualized ways of being and thinking, this article prompts a cultural and decolonial perspective to reimagine other ways of doing development.

PREDICTING GEN-Z PERSONALITY ON TWITTER BASED ON BIG FIVE MODEL WITH KNN AND SVM

Generation Z is a group that is very connected to digital technology, especially social media such as Twitter. Their widespread presence on these platforms creates a unique opportunity to understand their behavioural patterns and personalities. However, research on personality prediction on social media is still limited and focused on certain platforms or different age groups. Personality prediction can help to find out someone's personality by just looking at tweets on social media. This research aims at two things: first, to build a Gen-Z personality prediction model on Twitter based on the Big Five Personality Model with the K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) algorithm and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Second, test and compare the performance of previously generated personality prediction models with various evaluation metrics. The research results show that the KNN algorithm has an accuracy rate of 0.73%, precision of 0.73%, recall of 0.73%, and score of 0.72%. Based on the test results, the SVM algorithm obtained the best accuracy, which received an accuracy of 0.78%, precision of 0.82%, recall of 0.78%, and F1-score of 0.78%. This research contributes in two ways: first, scientifically, by understanding Gen-Z personalities on Twitter, and second, by developing new prediction methods and insights into Gen-Z behaviour. Second, practically, by helping with communication and marketing strategies, product/service development and social interventions for Gen-Z.

Mapping Poverty for Sustainable Development Using AI, A Review of Literature

Extreme poverty is among the challenges the United Nations seeks to eradicate by the year 2030 as outlined in its Sustainable Development Goals. However, governments and other stakeholders face challenges in accurately identifying poverty in households for evidence- based implementation of SDG programs. Current strategies are slow, inaccurate and costly to efficiently support efforts to identify poverty for sustainable development. Consequently, many strategies to map out poverty for intervention measures do not succeed which could be contributing to the global decline in the rate of reducing poverty. Artificial intelligence which has become widely available and has been used in many sectors, could be leveraged to improve poverty mapping for evidence-based interventions for sustainable development. Despite living in the era of AI, it has not been fully utilized in mapping poverty. This review seeks to explore the extent of research on the adoption of AI in mapping poverty so as to find the gap for further research. It aims to establish the extent of AI-based research on identification of poverty in respect to global distribution of research studies, methods, algorithms and sources of data which have been used in studies to identify poverty. The findings will help to identify gaps for research to help in designing evidence-based strategies for intervention measures. A systematic review was done for the period 2020 to 2024 using databases and snowballing hybrid search approach. A qualitative analysis was done on the extracted data to uncover new patterns and identify research gaps.

Impact of the rural enterprise programme interventions on smallholder farmers’ climate adaptation strategies: Qualitative evidence from Ghana’s transitional agro-ecological zone

ABSTRACT This paper combines theoretical insights from vulnerability literature and interpretive paradigm using a qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions to examine smallholder farmers’ climate perception, adaptation strategies, and challenges under the rural enterprise programme interventions in the Kintampo South district of Ghana. The farmers reported rainfall variability and rising temperatures as their key observed changes. The study revealed that climate impacts on farmers and their agricultural systems are multidimensional, which affect their productive capacity and livelihoods. These impacts have pushed them to adopt adaptation strategies with the support of the programme interventions. The farmers benefitted from material and non-material resources, minimizing climate impacts and reducing vulnerabilities. The paper provides critical insights into how future agricultural development interventions could develop effective interventions to build sustainable agricultural systems and livelihoods that are inclusive, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable communities and obviate smallholder farmers’ vulnerability.

Agricultural and rural development interventions and poverty reduction: Global evidence from 16 impact assessment studies

Agricultural and rural development interventions can reduce global poverty by providing growth-oriented tools, including access to finance, training, and markets. While such interventions effectively reduce monetary poverty (e.g., $1 a day poverty line), there is increasing interest in incorporating non-monetary poverty indicators, such as education, health, and living standards, to capture inherent multidimensionality in poverty. This study analyzes data from 16 impact evaluation studies conducted between 2019 and 2023 to examine whether and to what extent agricultural and rural development interventions affect multidimensional poverty of small-scale producers. Our analysis shows a 4 percent reduction in multidimensional poverty for treatment households compared to comparison households. Our findings suggest that agricultural and rural development interventions play a positive role in reducing poverty and have the potential to improve the long-term well-being of poor households.

Exploring research trends and hotspots on oxidative stress and bronchopulmonary dysplasia: Insights from bibliometric and visualized study.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a severe chronic lung disease primarily affecting premature infants, often resulting from prolonged mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy. Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of BPD, contributing to lung injury, inflammation, and impaired lung development. Despite extensive research, there is a need to systematically map out the research trends and hotspots in this field to inform future studies and therapeutic strategies. This study utilized bibliometric and visualized analysis to explore global research trends and hotspots on oxidative stress and BPD from 2004 to 2024. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection, focusing on publications related to oxidative stress and BPD. Tools such as VOSviewer, Citespace, and the R package Bibliometrix were employed to analyze Coauthorship, co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence networks, as well as to identify emerging research fronts and influential studies. The analysis identified 597 relevant publications, showing a steady increase in research output over the 20-year period, with a significant surge in the last decade. The United States led in research contributions, followed by China and Germany, with notable collaborations among these countries. Coauthorship analysis highlighted key research institutions, such as Harvard University and the University of California, as central nodes in the research network. Thematic clustering revealed five major research areas: antioxidant mechanisms, inflammation, molecular pathways, lung development, and therapeutic interventions. The keyword co-occurrence analysis showed a shift in research focus over time. Early studies concentrated on basic pathophysiological mechanisms, while recent research has increasingly focused on advanced molecular techniques, such as gene expression and targeted therapies. Notably, the study identified emerging research hotspots, including the role of extracellular vesicles and cellular senescence in BPD, as well as the potential therapeutic applications of antioxidants like superoxide dismutase mimetics. This bibliometric study provides a comprehensive overview of the research landscape on oxidative stress and BPD, identifying key trends, influential authors, and emerging research topics. The findings underscore the importance of continued research in this field, particularly in translating basic scientific insights into clinical applications to improve outcomes for infants affected by BPD. The study also highlights potential areas for future investigation, including the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting oxidative stress in BPD.

The Function of Cadres in Putting Child Development Stimulation, Detection, and Early Intervention Programs into Practice

The East Java province's child health care coverage in 2020 was 83.3%, a decrease from 2019. In Surabaya, the coverage in 2019 was 91.59%, but it still did not meet the 2020 Minimum Service Standards (MSS) target of 100%. The inadequate implementation of programs for early detection, stimulation, and intervention in child growth and development (SDIDTK) is one factor contributing to the failure to meet this objective. For these initiatives to be successful at the Posyandu level, community health workers, or cadres, must be involved. The objective of this research is to look at how the SDIDTK programs use cadres. There were 71 respondents in the cross-sectional research, which used an observational analytic methodology. Out of the seven roles, only two were performed by all cadres (71 individuals): determining head circumference, weight, height, and upper arm circumference; providing the information into the early detection form for assessing newborn growth and creating a visual representation of the results. In the mother and child health book, two roles were not performed by any of the cadres. The first responsibility was to complete the Early Detection of Child Growth and Development form by providing the child's identity. The second role was to use the child development checklist to observe and mark the child's developmental abilities as appropriate (√) or not appropriate (-).

Inequalities and Social Capital as Factors of Subjective Well-Being: Case Study from Western Province, Zambia

Understanding well-being’s complexities, including its subjective and context-dependent nature, is crucial for informing policy decisions and development interventions aimed at enhancing quality of life and reducing poverty. Unfortunately, subjective well-being (SWB) research, particularly in the context of Global South, has received relatively less attention, despite its fundamental importance in the field of human development. This research aims to contribute to the discussion on SWB by examining its association with diverse forms of inequalities and deprivations. Specifically, we investigate the impact of these deprivations, both at the societal and intra-household levels, on SWB among the rural population of the Western Province in Zambia. The study underscores low levels of SWB in the surveyed area. It reveals the impact of intra-household inequalities, demonstrating that the presence of a more educated individual in the household positively affects well-being. On the other hand, having responsibilities related to decision-making power within households diminishes SWB, probably due to related stress and anxiety. As expected, limited access to resources in the household also negatively affects SWB. Our main finding in the realm of societal inequalities revolves around the assertion that fostering social capital through active participation in formal or informal groups significantly enhances SWB. Empowering individuals through education and knowledge sharing, and promoting inclusivity and diversity in social interactions are key strategies that policymakers can adopt to enhance SWB in the Muoyo-Mukukutu area and similar regions.

Relationships between gross motor skills, psychological resilience, executive function, and emotional regulation among Chinese rural preschoolers: A moderated mediation model

BackgroundEmotional regulation is a critical component of emotional intelligence, particularly during the preschool stage, a key period for children's development. Previous studies have demonstrated that executive function mediates the effect of gross motor skills on emotional understanding. However, studies specifically focusing on children from rural areas and investigating the role of psychological resilience are limited. The present study fills this knowledge gap by examining the effect of gross motor skills on emotional regulation and the roles of executive function and psychological resilience among Chinese rural preschool children. MethodsThis study included 430 children (aged 61.01 ± 6.98 months, 48.8 % boys) and their teachers from three rural preschools in China. Children's gross motor skills, including locomotor and object control skills, were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-3. Executive function was measured using the Head-Toes-Knee-Shoulder task, and emotional regulation was assessed using the Emotional Regulation Checklist. Furthermore, psychological resilience was examined using the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment. Demographic information was collected, and the cross-sectional relationships between gross motor skills and emotional regulation were investigated through mediation and moderation analyses. ResultsGross motor skills, executive function, and psychological resilience were associated with emotional regulation (p < 0.05), after controlling for sex, age, and only-child status. Executive function was found to mediate the relationship between gross motor skills and emotional regulation, with a mediation effect of 0.045. Psychological resilience moderated the relationship between executive function and emotional regulation (β = 0.078, p < 0.05). Simple slope analysis, based on categorizing psychological resilience into high, medium, and low groups, revealed that preschoolers with a higher level of psychological resilience exhibited a significantly stronger predictive effect of executive function on emotional regulation (β = 0.202, p < 0.01). ConclusionsGross motor skills significantly affect emotional regulation development in rural preschoolers, with executive function acting as a mediator in this relationship. Psychological resilience was found to moderate the effect of executive function on emotional regulation. The findings suggest that enhancing gross motor skills through physical activities can benefit children by promoting the development of executive function, which is crucial for emotional regulation. On the basis of our findings, we recommend focusing on cost-effective physical activity interventions for motor skills development among rural children while also addressing the development of executive function and psychological resilience. Future efforts should include workshops to improve physical literacy of parents and teachers regarding children's gross motor skills promotion.

Plasma proteomics identifies proteins and pathways associated with incident depression in 46,165 adults

Proteomic alterations preceding the onset of depression offer valuable insights into its development and potential interventions. Leveraging data from 46,165 UK Biobank participants and 2920 plasma proteins profiled at baseline, we conducted a longitudinal analysis with a median follow-up of 14.5 years to explore the relationship between plasma proteins and incident depression. Linear regression was then used to assess associations between depression-related proteins and brain structures, genetic factors, and stress-related events. Our analysis identified 157 proteins associated with incident depression (P <1.71 × 10−5), including novel associations with proteins such as GAST, PLAUR, LRRN1, BCAN, and ITGA11. Notably, higher expression levels of GDF15 (P = 6.18 × 10−26) and PLAUR (P = 2.88 × 10−14) were linked to an increased risk of depression, whereas higher levels of LRRN1 (P = 4.28 × 10−11) and ITGA11 (P = 3.68 × 10−9) were associated with a decreased risk. Dysregulation of the 157 proteins is correlated with brain regions implicated in depression, including the hippocampus and middle temporal gyrus. Additionally, these protein alterations were strongly correlated with stress-related events, including self-harm events, adult, and childhood trauma. Biological pathway enrichment analysis highlighted the critical roles of the immune response. EGFR and TNF emerged as key proteins in the protein–protein interaction network. BTN3A2, newly linked to incident depression (P = 4.35 × 10−10), was confirmed as a causal factor through Mendelian randomization analysis. In summary, our research identified the proteomic signatures associated with the onset of depression, highlighting its potential for early intervention and tailored therapeutic avenues.