Difficulties In Adults Research Articles

Using administrative early-years education data to identify children at risk of persistent absenteeism

In a post-pandemic world, school absence is an ever-increasing concern for governments, school leaders, and local authorities worldwide. School absence is associated with poor academic outcomes and long-term illness (physical and mental). Absenteeism increases the risk of financial difficulties in adulthood and involvement in the criminal justice system. As a result, the upstream costs to already overstretched public services are crippling. In England, all children are judged by teachers on their “school readiness” over their first year of formal education. We hypothesised that early childhood problems (i.e., not school ready) might be an antecedent of absenteeism. We tested this by investigating the pre-pandemic association between school readiness and persistent absenteeism using a population-linked dataset. Analyses included 62,598 children aged 5-13 years from the Connected Bradford database (spanning academic years 2012/13-2019/20). Special educational needs (SEN) status, English as an Additional Language status, socioeconomic status, sex, and ethnicity were covariates significantly associated with persistent absenteeism. Children who were not “school ready” had increased odds of being persistently absent later in their education journey after controlling for these covariates. School readiness was associated with even greater odds of being persistently absent over two or more years. These findings show: (i) the potential of using existing administrative data to identify children at risk of disengagement from the education system; (ii) absenteeism reflects stark structural inequities. As the rates of absence is still rising, schools can use these data to flag the children who may benefit from early intervention to keep them engaged in school.

The relationship between 'school readiness' and later persistent absenteeism.

Post-pandemic school absence is an increasing concern for governments worldwide. Absence is associated with poor academic outcomes and long-term illness (physical and mental). Absenteeism increases the risk of financial difficulties in adulthood and involvement in the criminal justice system. We hypothesized that early childhood problems might be an antecedent of absenteeism. We tested this hypothesis by investigating the pre-pandemic association between school readiness and persistent absenteeism using a population-linked dataset. Analyses included 62,598 children aged 5-13 years from the Connected Bradford database (spanning academic years 2012/13 to 2019/20). Special educational needs status, English as an Additional Language status, socioeconomic status, sex and ethnicity were covariates significantly associated with persistent absenteeism. Children who were not 'school ready' had increased odds of being persistently absent later in their education journey after controlling for these covariates. School readiness was associated with even greater odds of being persistently absent over two or more years. These findings show (i) the seeds of absenteeism are sown early in childhood; (ii) absenteeism shows the hallmark of structural inequities; and (iii) the potential of 'school readiness' measures to identify children at risk of long-term disengagement from the education system.

Impact of child maltreatment on bulimic behaviors among the tunisian general population

IntroductionChild maltreatment (CM) refers to all forms of physical or psychological violence, sexual abuse, and neglect of a person under the age of 18, resulting in actual or potential harm to their health, survival, development, or dignity. It is recognized as a predictor of psychological difficulties in adulthood, such as bulimic behavior.ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to assess the link between CM and bulimic behaviors in the Tunisian general population.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study among Facebook group members, using an online questionnaire, from February 17, 2023, to May 26, 2023. All respondents over the age of 18 were included in the study. CM was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), which provides information on five types of maltreatment: emotional abuse (EA), physical abuse (PA), sexual abuse (SA), emotional neglect (EN), and physical neglect (PN). The Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE) was used to screen and assess the intensity of bulimic behavior.ResultsA total of 528 responses were included in the study. The mean age of the sample was 33.3±11.95 years. Mean AE, AP, AS, NE, NP, and overall CTQ scores were 8.30; 6.58; 6.38; 10.14; 7.26, and 49.72, respectively. A history of severe AE, AP, AS, NE, or NP was reported by 13.1%, 10.8%, 8.5%, 11.6% and 8.3% of respondents, respectively. The mean BITE score was 10.76 ±6.85 and 6.6% of our population were at high risk of developing bulimic behavior.In the bivariate study, the BITE score was significantly correlated with all forms of MI. The strongest correlation was with AE (r=0.310; p<0.001).In the multivariate study, only AE was associated with bulimic behaviors.ConclusionsThis study highlighted a positive association between various forms of child neglect and abuse, and bulimic behaviors. It is therefore worth noting that interventions for these disorders may be more effective if they target not only the behavior itself but also underlying risk factors such as maltreatment.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Two validation studies of a performance validity test for autistic adults

In two studies we examined the potential of a simple emotion recognition task, the Morel Emotional Numbing Test (MENT), as a performance validity test (PVT) for autism-related cognitive difficulties in adulthood. The aim of a PVT is to indicate non-credible performance, which can aid the interpretation of psychological assessments. There are currently no validated PVTs for autism-related difficulties in adulthood. In Study 1, non-autistic university students (aged 18–46 years) were instructed to simulate that they were autistic during a psychological assessment (simulation condition; n = 26). These students made more errors on the MENT than those instructed to do their best (control condition; n = 26). In Study 2, we tested how well autistic adults performed on the MENT. We found that clinically diagnosed autistic adults and non-autistic adults (both n = 25; 27–57 years; IQ > 80) performed equally well on the MENT. Moreover, autistic adults made significantly fewer errors than the instructed simulators in Study 1. The MENT reached a specificity of ≥98% (identifying 100% of non-simulators as non-simulator in Study 1 and 98% in Study 2) and a sensitivity of 96% (identifying 96% of simulators as simulator). Together these findings provide the first empirical evidence for the validity of the MENT as a potential PVT for autism-related cognitive difficulties.

The Acceptability of a Psychoeducation and Skill-Based Training for Carers and Teachers to Cope with Risky Behaviours in Adolescence.

Childhood and adolescence psychopathology is associated with an increased risk of psychological difficulties in adulthood. Early interventions for youth should provide carers and teachers with knowledge and skills to respond to adolescents' risky behaviours. This study evaluated the acceptability and effectiveness of a single 3-h workshop, combining psychoeducation and skills training to promote knowledge about, and confidence to address, adolescents' risky behaviours in carers and teachers of adolescents aged 10-14. Demographics and perceived self-efficacy in the parental or teaching role were collected at baseline using self-report questionnaires. Motivation and confidence to respond to adolescents' risky behaviours were measured before and after the workshop using motivational rulers. Participants provided written feedback about their experience about the workshop. Twenty-seven carers and 27 teachers attended the workshops. Teachers reported a significant increase in both importance (p = 0.021) and confidence (p < 0.001) to respond to risky behaviours following the workshop. This change was associated with baseline self-efficacy levels (importance: p = 0.011; confidence: p = 0.002). Carers also reported greater confidence to address risky behaviours following the workshop (p = 0.002). Participants found the contents and methods of the workshop highly acceptable. Online and multiple-session workshops might increase reach and effectiveness.

Linguistic characteristics in bipolar disorder versus borderline personality disorder

Scientific evidence has documented throughout the research carried out in recent years, the neuropsychological, behavioral and adaptive difficulties presented by people with Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder at different stages of their development. However, little importance has been given to other factors such as communication, especially in the adult population. The objective of this research was to know the language characteristics presented by people from both groups and the differences in linguistic development. The sample consisted of 60 participants between the ages of 17 and 42:31 of them with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder and the remaining 29 with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. The standardized evaluation instruments were: the Social Skills Scale and the Pragmatic Competence Questionnaire completed by three different informants (families, professionals and the own person). The results obtained show that both populations manifest linguistic difficulties in adulthood and that there are differences depending on the perception of the agent involved in the language assessment. These results are highly relevant since they provide up-to-date information about language level, support the need for language intervention in adulthood, and reflect a different communicative profile in Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder.

Camouflage, self-esteem and gratitude in young adults with varying degrees of autistic traits in Poland

Autistic spectrum conditions (ASC) imply functioning difficulties in adulthood due to the fact that they are caused by early-onset problems in social communication, unusually restricted repetitive behavior, and narrow interests. Living with ASC might be difficult for young adults who face specific developmental tasks, such as undertaking a professional career and engaging in social and civic responsibilities. Because of the need to hide their dysfunctions and to conform to social norms and conventions, affected people use camouflage strategies. In order to improve their well-being and functioning, they may also use the regulatory function of self-esteem and gratitude. The presented research carried out in Poland aimed to determine the relations between the intensity of camouflage, self-esteem, and gratitude and to test for differences in the levels of these variables, taking into consideration the intensity of the autism spectrum conditions (ASC). The study comprised a total of 104 young adults (68 women = 65.38%, and 36 men = 34.62%) who graduated from secondary or tertiary education aged between 19 and 35 years. The entire group was divided into two subgroups based on the screening questionnaire Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ10), a ten-item abridged version. One subgroup consisted of 52 adults with a high intensity of autistic traits, and the other consisted of individuals with a low intensity of autistic traits. The results showed a correlation between the level of autism spectrum conditions and camouflage. The level of camouflage was significantly higher in the subgroup with an increased severity of autistic traits compared with the subgroup with a low severity. In contrast, no significant differences were detected between the subgroups in the levels of self-esteem and gratitude, nor were any linear correlations between spectrum conditions and self-esteem and gratitude found.

The Association Between Compulsive Buying Disorder and Childhood Trauma

Introduction: Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) is characterized by the recurrent purchase of unnecessary or undesirable products, resulting in severe negative effects. There is a strong empirical connection between childhood trauma and a range of self-regulation difficulties in adulthood. Adults with a history of childhood trauma generally suffer with self-regulation, including compulsive buying disorder, according to research. The objective of our research was to define compulsive buying disorder and shed light on its origins, link to other psychiatric diseases, and t2. he most effective treatment for it. Methods: A selective review of literature published between 2000 and 2022 on compulsive buying disorder. Results: We discovered a substantial link between early exposure to stressful experiences and the development of a compulsive shopping habit in adulthood. The disease of compulsive buying is very impulsive and can lead to out-of-control financial constraints. Compulsive purchasing disorder is associated with stress and depression, self-blame and low self-esteem, and is frequently viewed as a coping technique in those who feel unable to handle their difficulties. Although compulsive buying disorder is receiving more attention in consumer and psychological literature, there are few theoretical and empirical studies on its origins and treatment. Conclusion: Public policy measures that focus on education, legislation, and family professionals are likely to be of assistance to those who struggle with CBD as well as other types of excessive spending. To better understand the determinants of the CBD and to contribute to a more effective preventative intervention, more study is required.

Between pleasure, guilt, and dissociation: How trauma unfolds in the sexuality of childhood sexual abuse survivors

BackgroundChildhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant risk factor for sexual difficulties in adulthood. ObjectiveIn the current study we aimed to expand the understanding of the association between CSA and sexual difficulties by examining the moderating role of traumatic sexuality in the association between CSA and sexual difficulties among a sample of CSA survivors. Participants and settingThe hypothesized moderation model was examined among a sample of 393 CSA survivors. MethodsSignificant interactions were probed using simple slopes tests using the interactions R package. ResultsThe results indicated main effects of traumatic sexuality on survivors' sexual difficulties: Greater severity of dissociation during sex was linked with greater sexual dysfunction and higher compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), and greater intrusiveness during sex and pleasing the other during sex were linked with higher CSBD. Experiencing higher sex-related guilt and/or shame and hypervigilance with regard to sex were associated with greater sexual dysfunction. As for the moderations, intrusiveness during sex and pleasing the other during sex moderated the association between CSA and sexual dysfunction. Intrusiveness during sex and sex-related guilt and/or shame moderated the association between CSA and CSBD. Intrusiveness during sex, pleasing the other during sex, and/or hypervigilance with regard to sex moderated the association between CSA and problematic pornography use. ConclusionThis study points to the potential contribution of traumatic sexuality symptoms to sexual difficulties among survivors of CSA and lends support to the idea of offering trauma-focused therapy when treating the sexual difficulties of CSA survivors.

Experiences of and Interventions for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual abuse in South Asia: A systematic review

IntroductionAdult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may experience psychological difficulties in adulthood. Such adverse experiences in the developmental years, sometimes for prolonged periods, could have an impact on their emotional, social and psychological resources. This impact is heightened in CSA adult survivors as the interpersonal nature of harm could reverberate throughout their adult relationships, with complex emotional responses to traumatic stressors. Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of trauma focused treatments in the West, culturally specific understanding of the needs and treatments for such survivors in South Asia is still in its infancy. This is important to address their meaning of presenting complaints in South Asia and offering them treatments suitable for them.ObjectivesIn this systematic review, we aimed to synthesize the findings of existing research on the impact of CSA on adult survivors in South Asia and the current approaches used to treat them.MethodsWe searched nine databases and ‘hand searched’ important peer-reviewed journals published in South Asian countries from inception until 3rd April 2022. Searches focused on adult survivors of CSA of South Asian origin residing in South Asia, different treatments offered and the efficacy and acceptability of these treatments.ResultsWe identified and screened 2608 records and included 56 articles in our full text screening. Out of those, we included 22 articles in the final review. Studies were from four out of the eight countries in South Asia; India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan. Of note, only six of those studies focused exclusively on CSA whereas others included all forms of abuse and neglect. All except one article explored experiences of survivors. Only one article focused on their recovery process, within and/or outside of professional treatment with no published research on treatments for them in South Asia. Physical abuse and emotional abuse or neglect were more often reported in our included studies as compared to sexual abuse.ConclusionsOur review suggests that even though the needs of adult CSA survivors in South Asia have been partly identified, there is very little research into the treatment of CSA adult survivors in this region. Perpetrators often come from their immediate or extended families, leading to their distrust of the familial and legal systems. Even when not diagnosed with a severe mental health condition, there are potentially serious implications for victims’ adult relationships and social functioning. There is a current lack of research and therefore, lack of evidence-based treatment for adult survivors of CSA in South Asia.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Adverse childhood experiences: Pathways to internalising and externalising problems in young adulthood

AbstractAlthough adverse childhood experiences have been closely linked to a variety of adjustment difficulties in adulthood, less is known about which specific adverse experience or combinations of experiences are differentially predictive of internalising and externalising problems. This would undoubtedly enhance early adverse childhood experiences prevention and intervention programmes. Therefore, this research aims to explore the impact of adverse childhood experiences (abuse and neglect) on deviant behaviour, as well as depressive, anxious and stress symptoms in a community sample of Spanish young adults aged 18–20 years old (N = 270). All participants were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling methods as part of the International Study SOCIALDEVIANCE1820. All answered self‐report questionnaires about sociodemographic issues, adverse childhood experiences as well as current deviant behaviour and current internalising symptoms. Regression and fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis showed that experiencing either physical abuse or a combination of emotional abuse and emotional neglect may lead to externalising problems in men. Internalising problems, however, were linked to the cumulative effect of multiple adverse experiences and were more frequent in women. These pathways to both externalising and internalising problems suggest a differential impact of adverse experiences.

Effectiveness of a Web-Based Intervention to Prevent Anxiety in the Children of Parents With Anxiety: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Anxiety is the most common childhood mental health condition and is associated with impaired child outcomes, including increased risk of mental health difficulties in adulthood. Anxiety runs in families: when a parent has anxiety, their child has a 50% higher chance of developing it themselves. Environmental factors are predominant in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety and, of these, parenting processes play a major role. Interventions that target parents to support them to limit the impact of any anxiogenic parenting behaviors are associated with reduced anxiety in their children. A brief UK-based group intervention delivered to parents within the UK National Health Service led to a 16% reduction in children meeting the criteria for an anxiety disorder. However, this intervention is not widely accessible. To widen access, a 9-module web-based version of this intervention has been developed. This course comprises psychoeducation and home practice delivered through text, video, animations, and practice tasks. This study seeks to evaluate the feasibility of delivering this web-based intervention and assess its effectiveness in reducing child anxiety symptoms. This is the protocol for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a community sample of 1754 parents with self-identified high levels of anxiety with a child aged 2-11 years. Parents in the intervention arm will receive access to the web-based course, which they undertake at a self-determined rate. The control arm receives no intervention. Follow-up data collection is at months 6 and months 9-21. Intention-to-treat analysis will be conducted on outcomes including child anxiety, child mental health symptoms, and well-being; parental anxiety and well-being; and parenting behaviors. Funding was received in April 2020, and recruitment started in February 2021 and is projected to end in October 2022. A total of 1350 participants have been recruited as of May 2022. The results of this RCT will provide evidence on the utility of a web-based course in preventing intergenerational transmission of anxiety and increase the understanding of familial anxiety. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04755933; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04755933. DERR1-10.2196/40707.

Autism and attachment difficulties in adulthood : Overlap of symptoms

This article explores the overlap of symptoms between autism and attachment difficulties in adulthood. Clinicians express difficulties in differentiating between these conditions contributing to misdiagnosis. Distinguishing autism spectrum behaviors from behaviors relating to disorganized attachment can be challenging. Urgency is added by the fact that the number of cases is increasing in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is becoming increasingly recognized that ASD shares phenotypic similarities with other traditionally distinct developmental conditions. This article aims enhance the clinicians' critical reasoning regarding the patient's behavior to distinguish if its autism or attachment-related behavior disorders. For us, the clearest differentiation factor seemed to be the nature of the behavior.

P019 Adulthood of juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients: professional outcome

Abstract Background Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a heterogeneous group of rheumatic diseases characterized by onset before the age of 16. Since the disease starts at an early age, it may lead to socio-professional difficulties in adulthood for JIA patients. This study aimed to describe the professional outcome of a series of 20 JIA patients. Methods A cross-sectional study including patients aged 20 years and more and fulfilling the ILAR criteria for the diagnosis of JIA was carried out. Telephone interviews were conducted. The responders answered questions about family status, current occupation, working h, eventual workplace adjustments, and sick leave frequency. Results Twenty patients answered the questionary; 14 males and 6 females. The mean age of the disease onset was 8 years. The mean age of patients at the time of the study was 24.27 years [20–36]. Polyarticular form was the most frequent (10 cases). Other subtypes diagnosed were systemic (4 cases), enthesitis-related arthritis (5 cases), oligoarticular (one case). Hip arthritis was observed in 8 patients and surgical intervention was needed in three. Eight patients were treated with csDMARDSs and 12 with bDMARDs. Three of our patients were married (aged 24, 34, and 36). Five were still studying: 4 had good grades without absenteeism. However, one patient needed special aid to go to school and had a higher absence rate. Five other patients were full-time college students without absenteeism. Four patients were college graduates. Among them, two were searching for a job for &amp;gt;6 months. The other two were full-time administrative workers with no absenteeism. One patient did need workplace adjustments. Six patients could not work because of their physical disabilities. Conclusion According to our results, a quarter of our patients could not access professional life. Disease activity and hip destruction are the two main factors causing JIA patients to miss out on important personal and professional opportunities.

Prediction of Educational Attainment and Occupational Functioning in Young Adults With a Childhood Diagnosis of ADHD: Results from the Cologne Adaptive Multimodal Treatment (CAMT) Study

Objective: This longitudinal study examined early predictors of educational attainment and occupational functioning in adults with a childhood diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: Participants (n = 70) of the Cologne Adaptive Multimodal Treatment (CAMT) Study were diagnosed with ADHD and received adaptive multimodal ADHD treatment during childhood. They were then followed through adolescence into adulthood. Results: Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that poor reading skill and externalizing behaviors in childhood were early predictors of educational and occupational difficulties in adulthood. The use of stimulant medication in childhood predicted lower high school achievement, probably because medication use was confounded by indication. The regression models improved when intelligence scores and/or externalizing behaviors, especially delinquency, assessed in adolescence were considered as additional predictors. Conclusion: Children with ADHD, who continue to show reading difficulties and externalizing behavior problems after initial treatment, are at risk for educational and occupational difficulties and may need additional support.

High value correlates of caregiver reported counseling service need and utilization for adolescents at-risk for childhood maltreatment and neglect.

Adolescents with a history of child maltreatment experience increased risk for psychopathology that sets them on a trajectory towards a range of difficulties in adulthood. Various factors influence caregivers’ decisions to seek mental health services (MHS) that could improve developmental outcomes. The present study applied a machine learning algorithm, elastic net, to a sample of 878 adolescent-caregiver dyads from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. Analyses simultaneously examined a large number of factors to determine their ability to discriminate between caregivers who perceived a need for MHS and those who did not, as well as caregivers who utilized MHS and those who did not. Results highlight family demographics, chronic parental stressors, youth psychopathology, and exposure to recent adversities as good classifiers of caregiver perceived need for (77.6%; sensitivity = .77; specificity = .78) and utilization of (71%; sensitivity = .71; specificity = .71) adolescent MHS. Elastic net identified adolescent clinical externalizing and internalizing problems, and parental stress related to child(ren)’s behavior as high value classifiers of both outcomes. Youth living with non-kin caregivers were also significantly more likely to utilize MHS. Findings highlight the importance of assessing clinical need, stress related to child(ren)’s behavior, and caregiver kinship in understanding the likelihood that at-risk families will seek adolescent MHS.

The Bilingual Native Speaker Competence: Evidence From Explicit and Implicit Language Knowledge Using Elicited Production, Sentence-Picture Matching, and Pupillometry.

The present pilot study investigated potential effects of early and late child bilingualism in highly proficient adult bilinguals. It has been shown that some early second language (eL2) speakers stagnate when it comes to complex linguistic phenomena and that they display subtle difficulties in adulthood. Therefore, we have chosen the complex structure of double object constructions. We investigate the long-term achievement in a combined-method approach using elicited production, explicit comprehension by sentence-picture matching and a measure of implicit linguistic knowledge, namely pupillometry. This eye tracking method is suitable for measuring implicit reactions of the pupils to unexpected or ungrammatical stimuli. For production, ditransitive structures were elicited by means of a game. For comprehension, a sentence-picture matching task was conducted. Two pictures were shown on a monitor that were equal with respect to the involved objects, but the thematic roles of direct and indirect objects were interchanged. Items were controlled for length, gender, animacy, semantic likelihood and word order. Reaction times and accuracy scores were analyzed. To this end, N = 18 bilingual adult speakers of German (+ another language, mean age: 26.5) with different ages of onset participated in this study and were compared to N = 26 monolingual German adult speakers (mean age 23.9). All participants had a proficiency of German above 89% correct in placement and cloze tests. Results show fully comparable productive and comprehensive competencies in monolinguals and bilinguals including the reaction times in the sentence-picture matching task and a word order effect on the reaction times in both groups. In the pupillometry task, we found monolinguals and bilinguals to be sensitive to differing conditions with respect to grammatical and ungrammatical utterances. However, we find between group differences in pupil dilations in that bilinguals react differently to strong grammatical violations than monolinguals. These results are discussed with respect to the term of native speaker competence and the variation within both groups.

Attachment insecurity moderates the link between maternal childhood neglect and postpartum bonding to the infant.

Mothers who experienced childhood neglect are at increased risk of parenting difficulties in adulthood, but adult attachment relationships may be protective. Eighty-eight postpartum women seeking outpatient psychiatric care completed self-report measures on adverse childhood experiences, adult attachment, mental health symptoms, and bonding. Beyond the effects of maternal mental health on bonding, childhood neglect predicted bonding difficulties only in mothers with more insecure attachments, suggesting adult attachment as a potential point of intervention to reduce the intergenerational transmission of risk.

Foster youth and at-risk non-foster youth: A propensity score and structural equation modeling analysis

Foster youth and youth who grow up in poverty are at risk for experiencing difficulties in adulthood. However, youth in foster care may be at a greater disadvantage due to additional stressors associated with being removed from home and placed into care. Much of the research assessing outcomes associated with foster care compare foster youth to other youth in care or to youth in the general population. In the current study, we used propensity scores and careful sampling to closely match a sample of 17-year-old foster youth (N = 332) with a group of 17-year-old high-risk youth (N = 83) who had not experienced foster care to evaluate them on risk and protective factors associated with various outcomes in adulthood. A well-fitting structural equation model (SEM) indicated that compared to high risk youth who have never been in foster care, youth in foster care experience higher rates of incarceration, homelessness, early parenthood, and referral to drug and/or alcohol treatment as well as lower levels of education attainment. An interaction between foster care status and gender significantly predicted incarceration. Males in foster care were more likely to experience incarceration compared to other youth. These experiences predict further difficulties in adulthood. Implications for youth currently in care are discussed.

The attitude towards strabismus and barriers for its treatment in parents from rural and urban areas

It has been observed that children having strabismus who are being left untreated face a lot of psychosocial and functional difficulties in adulthood. In this study, an attitude and a barrier scale was structured and validated on the basis of the adult strabismus 20 questionnaire and a Barrier Scale. The attitude scale had two subscales-psychosocial subscale and functional subscale. A total of 1747 children; 828 from urban and 919 from rural areas, between the age group of 5 to 12 years were screened from urban and rural schools for strabismus. 36 children with strabismus were identified and studied on the basis of various parameters. None of these children had taken previous treatment for strabismus. The ratio of urban is to rural school children was 5:7 and the ratio between male and female was 7:5. 25 (69.4%) had exotropia, 11(30.6%) had esotropia among which 18(50%) had moderate degree of squint, 12(33.3%) had mild degree of squint. Mean Scores in the psychosocial subscale scale in Urban and rural areas were as 65.89±31.19 and 59.56±26.74 with p value 0.51. Mean Scores in Functional Subscale were as 77.63±32.58 and 66.67±31.66 with p value of 0.31. The most important barrier for treatment was the unawareness of the treatment of strabismus at the appropriate time. The attitude of parents towards strabismus was based on an amalgamation of multiple variables like age of the child, amount of squint, type of squint and also the gender of the child.