Higher Levels In Children Research Articles

Intergenerational coparenting and child development outcomes: A systematic review

AbstractGrandparents often serve important childrearing roles. The present study is a systematic review of research that examined the association between intergenerational coparenting and children's development. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines, 220 records were identified, and 16 studies were included in the final review. The review provided a detailed analysis of the methodological characteristics of research in this area. Findings indicated that better intergenerational coparenting was associated with higher levels of children's social competence, executive functioning, and attachment security. Evidence also suggests parenting mediates the relation between intergenerational coparenting and child development. Several directions for future research emerged from the review including the need (a) for measurement strategies that reflect the multidimensional nature of intergenerational coparenting, (b) to consider the various parent‐grandparent dyads, and (c) to incorporate other family factors and processes (e.g., quality of parent‐grandparent relationships) into studies that focus on intergenerational coparenting.

Dynamic coupling of maternal sensitivity and toddlers' responsive/assertive behaviors predicts children's behavior toward peers during the preschool years.

We examined the extent to which dynamic coupling of (a) maternal sensitivity and (b) children's responsive and assertive behaviors toward mothers during a semistructured play session predicts children's responsive and assertive behavior toward an unfamiliar peer at 39 months and a close friend at 58 and 66 months. Maternal and child behaviors were rated in 30-s epochs during play when children were 32 months old (Time 1; N = 128; 66 girls). Children were rated on their responsiveness and assertiveness toward an unfamiliar peer in the early preschool years (Time 2) and toward a friend in the late preschool years (Time 3). Residual dynamic structural equation models showed that stronger positive contemporaneous coupling of maternal sensitivity and children's responsiveness in a given 30-s epoch of the play session predicted greater observed responsiveness toward a friend in the late preschool years, after controlling for mean levels of maternal sensitivity and child responsiveness. On the other hand, positive contemporaneous coupling of maternal sensitivity and child assertiveness predicted children's higher levels of observed assertiveness toward an unfamiliar peer in the early preschool years, after controlling for mean levels of maternal sensitivity and child assertiveness. Results suggest that the dynamic coupling of specific positive behaviors during mother-child interaction may provide children with social scripts to draw on in diverse peer contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The relationship between parental anxiety, fear of Covid‐19, partner involvement in children's care and sleep quality during the Covid‐19 pandemic in Italy

AbstractDuring the Covid‐19 pandemic new stressors were added to the usual challenges parents face, changing habits and reduced physical activity, all factors that negatively affect sleep quality in adults and children. This study examines (1) possible changes in the sleep‐wake patterns of parents and children before and after the March–May 2020 lockdown and during the new restrictions imposed by the Italian government in March 2021; (2) possible associations between children and parents' sleep quality reported by parents and intrinsic and extrinsic factors. A total of 264 Italian parents with children aged 1–6 years (M = 40 months, SD = 18.18) completed self‐report questionnaires. Children's sleep habits changed, and parental insomnia symptoms worsened after the March–May 2020 lockdown, while children's insomnia symptoms decreased. Positive associations between children's negative affectivity and insomnia symptoms emerged, as well as between generalized parental anxiety and parental insomnia symptoms and between parental fear of Covid‐19 and sleep‐related habits not in line with paediatric recommendations. Partner's involvement in children's care promoted good sleep habits. Results identified risks and protective factors that could impact Italian parents' and children's sleep during the second wave of the Covid‐19 pandemic, raising awareness among families, education practitioners, healthcare providers and the general public.Highlights Italian children's sleep habits changed, and parental insomnia symptoms worsened after the March–May 2020 lockdown, while children's insomnia symptoms decreased. During the second wave of the Covid‐19 pandemic, higher levels of children's temperamental negative affectivity were associated with higher levels of parental and children's insomnia, higher levels of parental anxiety, and the presence of children's sleep‐related habits not in line with pediatric recommendations. Partner's involvement in children's care promoted good and healthy children's sleep habits.

What’s on your mind? The effects of an attachment-based intervention on residential youth workers’ reflexive functioning

ABSTRACT This study investigated the impact of an attachment-based intervention on care workers’ reflexive functioning (RF), analyzing 212 professionals in a randomized control trial. The study employed a multi-group latent difference score model to investigate changes in professionals’ certainty (i.e., hypermentalizing) while controlling for attachment-related anxiety and avoidance at T0. Furthermore, it examined whether these changes predicted the professionals’ ability to foster children’s autonomy. Results showed reduced hypermentalizing in the experimental group over time, correlating with higher levels of children’s autonomous/secure support. The role of RF processes in enhancing professionals’ capabilities to support the autonomy of children will be discussed.

Parenting young children during COVID-19: Parenting stress trajectories, parental mental health, and child problem behaviors.

Parenting stress reflects a discrepancy between a parent's perception of their resources, the demands of their child's needs, and the caregiving relationship and contexts (Abidin, 1992). Parenting stress can increase the risk of issues in the parent-child relationship, as well as child behavioral and emotional outcomes (Neece et al., 2012; Spinelli et al., 2021). Chronic stressors, such as living through the COVID-19 pandemic, have the potential to increase the demands of parenting and thus parenting stress. Using latent growth curve modeling, we examined parenting stress trajectories of 298 American parents with young children (Mage = 15.02 months, range = 1-34 months) over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined the effects of parental mental health on parenting stress, and the effects of parental mental health and parenting stress on child problem behaviors using data gathered through the Prolific survey platform. Parental mental health, measured by depressive symptoms Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10, anxiety symptoms Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and overall stress levels 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, was related to higher initial parenting stress index-short form. Changes in parenting stress over time were linked with higher levels of children's problem behaviors (CBCL). Child temperament was also related to initial parenting stress. Lower levels of household income were linked with higher levels of parental mental health symptoms and higher rates of parenting stress increases over time. These results highlight the importance of considering the well-being of all family members in child outcomes, and the ways in which different experiences and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic affect parental and child well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Parenting in a post-conflict region: Associations between observed maternal parenting practices and maternal, child, and contextual factors in northern Uganda.

Studies show that war leads to an increase in harsh parenting and a decrease in parental warmth, which in turn has a devastating impact on children's development. However, there is insufficient research on the factors that affect parenting in post-conflict regions. In addition, most previous studies on the role of parenting in the context of war rely on self-reports, which are subject to a number of limitations. To complement existing research, the present cross-sectional study used behavioral observations of 101 mothers and their 6-12 year old children to assess parenting in post-conflict northern Uganda. The aim of the current study was to explore associations between observed maternal warmth and coercion and self-reported socioeconomic status (e.g., mother's educational level) as well as maternal (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder), child (e.g., externalizing problems), and social contextual factors (e.g., family violence). Results show a link between observed parenting, child characteristics, and family violence. Higher levels of children's externalizing problems were associated with more severe maternal coercion. In addition, a negative association was found between family violence and maternal warmth. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for prevention and intervention programs and the use of behavioral observations in post-conflict environments.

The role of children’s emotion regulation and maternal emotion socialization in preschoolers’ behavioral difficulties during the COVID-19 lockdown

Turkey, like many countries, implemented protective measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. One such measure involved isolating young children to reduce virus transmission. However, this regulation presented parents with the challenging task of juggling work responsibilities while caring for their young children without the usual support from external resources. Given these difficult circumstances, young children may struggle with emotion regulation, while isolation can impede parents from effectively addressing their children’s negative emotions. This online study aims to examine the dynamic relationship between children’s emotion regulation ability and maternal emotion socialization capacity in predicting children’s behavioral difficulties. The study revealed a positive correlation between maternal punitive and minimizing emotion socialization reactions and children’s behavioral difficulties. However, this association was primarily observed in children with high negative emotionality and low effortful control. Notably, when children had low negative emotionality scores, maternal minimizing emotion socialization behaviors were negatively associated with their behavior problems. These findings support the idea that during stressful periods, such as a pandemic, the diathesis-stress model may become more applicable. It emphasizes the interaction between individuals’ vulnerabilities and environmental triggers leading to unfavorable outcomes, such as higher levels of children’s externalizing problems. These results underscore the importance of tailored intervention programs for parent-child dyads experiencing limited psychological resources during stressful events like a pandemic.

Association of dietary inflammatory index with obesity among children and adolescents in the United States NHANES cohort: a population-based study

BackgroundChildhood obesity has become a huge challenge to childhood health, and there is a lack of understanding about the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and childhood obesity. The main objective of this study was to analyze the potential link between DII and obesity among children and adolescents residing in the United States.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was performed using data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2009 and 2018. In total, 12,454 participants were included in the analysis. DII was calculated based on dietary data from the first day of the 24-hour dietary recall. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between DII and obesity, as well as central obesity defined by the waist-to-height ratio of 0.5 or higher or waist circumference ≥ 90th percentile for age and sex.ResultsThe mean dietary inflammation index was 2.05 (SE = 0.02), with higher levels in children than in adolescents (P = 0.01). According to our findings, the prevalence of central obesity was higher among adolescents (38.0%) than among children (31.4%). The adolescents in the third quartile of DII have a higher risk of overweight/obesity (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.24–1.71) after adjusting for age, sex, and race. This positive association remained significant even after physical activity was added to the model. Concerning central obesity, the adolescents in the highest quartile of DII have a higher risk, independent of demographic characteristics and physical activity. However, no significant association was observed among children.ConclusionsThe dietary inflammation index was positively associated with overweight/obesity and central obesity among adolescents in the United States after adjusting for confounding factors. These findings highlight the importance of promoting anti-inflammatory diets in adolescents to prevent obesity and its associated complications.

Fetal MRI-Based Mediastinal Shift Angle (MSA) and Percentage Area of Left Ventricle (pALV) as Prognostic Parameters for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is broadly used as a method for assessing prognosis in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). In addition to the extent of lung hypoplasia, determined by measuring the lung volume, cardiac impairment due to pulmonary hypertension and left cardiac hypoplasia is decisive for the prognosis. The percentage area of left ventricle (pALV) describes the percentage of the inner area of the left ventricle in relation to the total area, whereas the mediastinal shift angle (MSA) quantifies the extent of cardiac displacement. The prognostic value of pALV and MSA should be evaluated in terms of survival, the need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy, and the development of chronic lung disease (CLD). In a total of 122 fetal MRIs, the MSA and pALV were measured retrospectively and complete outcome parameters were determined regarding survival for all 122 subjects, regarding ECMO therapy in 109 cases and about the development of CLD in 78 cases. The prognostic value regarding the endpoints was evaluated using logistic regression and ROC analysis. The MSA was significantly higher in children who received ECMO therapy (p = 0.0054), as well as in children who developed CLD (p = 0.0018). ROC analysis showed an AUC of 0.68 for ECMO requirement and 0.77 with respect to CLD development. The pALV showed a tendency towards higher levels in children who received ECMO therapy (p = 0.0824). The MSA and the pALV had no significant effect on survival (MSA: p = 0.4293, AUC = 0.56; pALV: p = 0.1134, AUC = 0.57). The MSA determined in fetal MRI is a suitable prognostic parameter for ECMO requirement and CLD development in CDH patients and can possibly be used as a supplement to the established parameters.

부모의 성취압력이 아동 삶의 만족도에 미치는 영향

Objectives The primary objective of this research is to investigate the potential moderated mediating effect of grit in the relationship between parental achievement pressure, children's academic stress, and life satisfaction.
 Methods In pursuit of this aim, the research employed the data from the 11th wave (2018) of the Korean Children Panel Study conducted by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education (KICCE), with a sample size of N=1,262. To ascertain the relationships between the main variables, preliminary descriptive statistics and Pearson correla-tion coefficients were examined. Mediation effects and moderated mediation effects were tested using the Process Macro programs 1, 4, and 7.
 Results Firstly, the direct effect of parental achievement pressure on children's life satisfaction was found to be non-significant. However, a significant indirect effect was observed, mediated by children's academic stress, in-dicating an indirect influence on life satisfaction. Secondly, children's grit was identified as a significant moderator, mitigating the impact of parental achievement pressure on children's stress and exerting a positive influence on their life satisfaction. Specifically, higher levels of children's grit were associated with a diminished conditional in-direct effect of parental achievement pressure on children's stress, ultimately leading to elevated levels of child-ren's life satisfaction.
 Conclusions To mitigate children's academic stress and enhance their life satisfaction, it is imperative to mitigate parental achievement pressure and foster children's grit.

Children's ethnic-racial identity and mothers' cultural socialization as protective in relations between sociocultural risk factors and children's internalizing behaviors.

The present study examined whether sociocultural risk factors (i.e., mothers' risky behaviors, mothers' and grandmothers' ethnic discrimination, and family economic hardship) predicted children's internalizing behaviors. We also tested whether sociocultural protective factors, including children's positive ethnic-racial identity (ERI) attitudes and mothers' cultural socialization, moderated relations. Participants were 182 5-year-old Mexican-origin children, their mothers, and grandmothers. Findings indicated that children's positive ERI attitudes were protective, such that grandmothers' discrimination predicted children's greater internalizing at low levels of children's positive ERI attitudes, but this relation was not significant at high levels of children's positive ERI attitudes. Mothers' cultural socialization was also protective, such that mothers' risky behaviors predicted children's greater internalizing at low levels of mothers' cultural socialization, but this relation was not significant at high levels of mothers' cultural socialization. Economic hardship predicted children's greater internalizing and no variables moderated this relation. Findings highlight that mothers' engagement in risky behaviors, grandmothers' ethnic discrimination experiences, and family economic hardship contribute to children's greater internalizing behaviors. However, in some of these relations, children's positive ERI attitudes and mothers' cultural socialization are protective. In future research and programming, a consideration of the role of individual, family, and cultural factors will be important for addressing and reducing children's internalizing behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of a pediatric primary care health-coaching program on change in health-related quality of life in children with mental health problems: results of the PrimA-QuO cohort study

Mental health problems (MHP) have a considerable negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and their families. A low threshold Health Coaching (HC) program has been introduced to bring MH services to primary care and strengthen the role of pediatricians. It comprised training concepts as a hands-on approach for pediatricians, standardization of diagnosis and treatment, and extended consultations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effects of the HC on HRQoL in children with MHP and their parents.We used data from the PrimA-QuO cohort study conducted in Bavaria, Germany from November 2018 until November 2019, with two assessments one year apart. We included children aged 17 years or younger with developmental disorder of speech and language, non-organic enuresis, head and abdominal pain, and conduct disorder. All included children were already part of the Starke Kids (SK) program, a more general preventive care program, which includes additional developmental check-ups for children enrolled in the program. In addition, treatment according to the HC guidelines can be offered to children and adolescents with mental health problems, who are already enrolled in the SK program. These children form the intervention group; while all others (members of BKK and SK but not HC) served as controls. HRQoL in children was assessed using the KINDL questionnaire. Parental HRQoL was measured by the visual analogue scale. To analyze the effects of the intervention on children´s HRQoL over the 1-year follow-up period, we used linear mixed effects models.We compared 342 children receiving HC with 767 control patients. We could not detect any effects of the HC on HRQoL in children and their parents. This may be attributed to the relatively high levels of children´s HRQoL at baseline, or because of highly motivated pediatricians for the controls because of the selection of only participant within the Starke Kids program. Generally, HRQoL was lower in older children (-0.42 points; 95% CI [-0.73; -0.11]) and in boys (-1.73 points; 95% CI [-3.11; -0.36]) when reported by proxy. Parental HRQoL improved significantly over time (2.59 points; 95% CI [1.29; 3.88]).Although this study was not able to quantitatively verify the positive impact of this HC that had been reported by a qualitative study with parents and other stakeholders, and a cost-effectiveness study, the approach of the HC may still be valid and improve health care of children with MHP and should be evaluated in a more general population.

Parental playfulness as a mediator of the association between parents’ emotional difficulties and children’s psychosocial adjustment

ABSTRACT This study examined parental playfulness as a mediator of the association between mothers' emotional difficulties (anxiety, depression) and their children's psychosocial adjustment (externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviours). We also examined the associations between parental playfulness and mothers' supportive / unsupportive reactions to their child's negative emotions. Participants were 197 mothers of children aged 3–8 years, who completed online questionnaires. Mothers' higher levels of emotional difficulties were associated with lower levels of parental playfulness, and these were associated with children's higher levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms, and lower levels of prosocial behaviours. Parental playfulness mediated the relationship between mothers' emotional difficulties and children's externalizing symptoms. It was also positively related with mothers' supportive reactions to children's negative emotions and negatively related with unsupportive reactions. These findings underscore the importance of parental playfulness to children's emotional adjustment, particularly to externalizing symptoms, and may provide a basis for new parenting interventions.

The integrative role of parenting styles and parental involvement in young children's science problem-solving skills.

How parents encourage and engage young children to learn science and solve scientific problems remains an understudied issue. Parenting styles have been widely studied and found to be associated with children's various developmental outcomes. However, there is a dearth of research linking parenting styles to early science skills which build from both cognitive and social abilities. This cross-sectional study intended to pilot test a mediation model of parental involvement in the relationship between parenting styles and children's science problem-solving skills. A total of 226 children (M = 62.10 months, SD = 4.14, 108 girls) and their parents was recruited from five kindergartens in Fuzhou in China by adopting stratified random sampling. All parents completed the Demographics Questionnaire, the Parenting Style and Dimension Questionnaire, and the Chinese Early Parental Involvement Scale. Each child was tested with the Picture Problem Solving Task. Pearson's correlation analysis and intermediary effect analysis were conducted using IBM SPSS 25 in data analysis. Parental involvement had a significant mediating effect in the bidirectional associations between parenting styles and children's science problem-solving skills. The findings suggested that children with higher science problem-solving skills were likely to be raised by parents who were employing a flexible (i.e., authoritative) parenting style and had more involvement in children's formal and informal learning environments, while children's higher levels of science problem-solving skills predicted a higher level of parental involvement and a more flexible parenting style.

Black-White Differences in Offspring Educational Attainment and Older Parents' Dementia.

Emerging research documents the health benefits of having highly educated adult offspring. Yet less is known about whether those advantages vary across racial groups. This study examines how offspring education is tied to parents' dementia risk for Black and White parents in the United States. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, findings suggest that children's education does not account for the Black-White gap in dementia risk. However, results confirm that parental race moderates the relationship between children's education and dementia risk and that the association between children's education and parents' dementia risk is strongest among less-educated parents. Among less-educated parents, higher levels of children's attainment prevent the risk of dementia onset for Black parents, but low levels of offspring schooling increase dementia risk among White parents. The study highlights how offspring education shapes the cognitive health of social groups differently and points to new avenues for future research.

Developmental differences in reported overparenting, autonomy, and glucose monitoring within a medical specialty camp context

Developmentally inappropriate and excessive parenting can manifest at higher levels in children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). A child’s age, level of T1D training, and time since T1D diagnosis have been associated with higher levels of developmentally excessive parenting (i.e., overparenting), lower rates of autonomy granting, and lower rates of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Utilizing a structural equation model, the present study examined these associations with data collected from a medical specialty camp (MSC) serving 262 youth with T1D. Respondents primarily identified as female (59.5%), were an average 13.83 years old, and had attended the MSC for an average of 3.72 years. Respondents had an average of 5.95 years since T1D diagnosis, an average of 2.62 years utilizing a CGM, reported checking their CGM data an average of 12.75 times per day, and an average of 12.02 parent CGM checks per day. As youth age increased, rates of overparenting decreased. Similarly, youth with more MSC experience reported lower rates of overparenting. Contrary to the study hypotheses, overparenting had a positive effect on autonomy granting. Finally, a negative relation was found between years with T1D and average CGM checks, consistent with the broader T1D literature where adherence to diabetes management tends to decline in parallel with youth experience level managing T1D.

Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014-2021).

As one of the core elements of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey was conducted in 23 countries to generate EU-wide comparable HBM data. This survey has built on existing HBM capacity in Europe by aligning national or regional HBM studies, referred to as the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies included a total of 10,795 participants of three age groups: (i) 3,576 children aged 6-12 years, (ii) 3,117 teenagers aged 12-18 years and (iii) 4,102 young adults aged 20-39 years. The participants were recruited between 2014 and 2021 in 11-12 countries per age group, geographically distributed across Europe. Depending on the age group, internal exposure to phthalates and the substitute DINCH, halogenated and organophosphorus flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), cadmium, bisphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic species, acrylamide, mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol (total DON)), benzophenones and selected pesticides was assessed by measuring substance specific biomarkers subjected to stringent quality control programs for chemical analysis. For substance groups analyzed in different age groups higher average exposure levels were observed in the youngest age group, i.e., phthalates/DINCH in children versus teenagers, acrylamide and pesticides in children versus adults, benzophenones in teenagers versus adults. Many biomarkers in teenagers and adults varied significantly according to educational attainment, with higher exposure levels of bisphenols, phthalates, benzophenones, PAHs and acrylamide in participants (from households) with lower educational attainment, while teenagers from households with higher educational attainment have higher exposure levels for PFASs and arsenic. In children, a social gradient was only observed for the non-specific pyrethroid metabolite 3-PBA and di-isodecyl phthalate (DiDP), with higher levels in children from households with higher educational attainment. Geographical variations were seen for all exposure biomarkers. For 15 biomarkers, the available health-based HBM guidance values were exceeded with highest exceedance rates for toxicologically relevant arsenic in teenagers (40%), 3-PBA in children (36%), and between 11 and 14% for total DON, Σ (PFOA+PFNA+PFHxS+PFOS), bisphenol S and cadmium. The infrastructure and harmonized approach succeeded in obtaining comparable European wide internal exposure data for a prioritized set of 11 chemical groups. These data serve as a reference for comparison at the global level, provide a baseline to compare the efficacy of the European Commission's chemical strategy for sustainability and will give leverage to national policy makers for the implementation of targeted measures.

Relationship Between Optimism-Pessimism Levels of Mothers and Anxiety Levels of Children in Turkey During COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic affects all aspects of the population including children, elderly, and vulnerable people. The aim of this study is to examine, for the first time, the relationship optimism-pessimism levels of mothers and anxiety level of children in turkey during COVID-19 pandemic. Optimism-Pessimism Scale and Preschool Anxiety Scale were used to collect data from a representative sample of 33,362 mothers with children aged 3-6 years. Of the parents, 53% of them reported that their children were slightly anxious due to COVID-19 pandemic. Lower optimism and higher pessimism were significantly related with higher levels of children's anxiety including social, generalized, separation, and overall anxiety as well as obvious fear. Group comparison analysis indicated that very anxious children reported the highest level of different types of anxiety and fear compared to less anxious and not at all anxious children. These findings suggest that mental health of children has been adversely affected during the pandemic and this has important implications for designing and implementing interventions aimed at reducing anxiety levels of children and determining protective and risk factors associated with anxiety in the face of adversity.

Cluster analysis of nasal cytokines during rhinovirus infection identifies different immunophenotypes in both children and adults with allergic asthma.

Infection with rhinovirus (RV) is a major risk factor for disease exacerbations in patients with allergic asthma. This study analysed a broad set of cytokines in the noses of children and adults with asthma during RV infection in order to identify immunophenotypes that may link to virus-induced episodes. Nasal wash specimens were analysed in children (n=279 [healthy, n=125; stable asthma, n=64; wheeze, n=90], ages 2-12) who presented to a hospital emergency department, and in adults (n=44 [healthy, n=13; asthma, n=31], ages 18-38) who were experimentally infected with RV, including a subset who received anti-IgE. Cytokines were measured by multiplex bead assay and data analysed by univariate and multivariate methods to test relationships to viral load, allergic status, airway inflammation, and clinical outcomes. Analysis of a core set of 7 cytokines (IL-6, CXCL8/IL-8, IL-15, EGF, G-CSF, CXCL10/IP-10 and CCL22/MDC) revealed higher levels in children with acute wheeze versus those with stable asthma or controls. Multivariate analysis identified two clusters that were enriched for acutely wheezing children; one displaying high viral load ("RV-high") with robust secretion of CXCL10, and the other displaying high IgE with elevated EGF, CXCL8 and both eosinophil- and neutrophil-derived mediators. Broader assessment of 39 cytokines confirmed that children with acute wheeze were not deficient in type 1 anti-viral responses. Analysis of 18 nasal cytokines in adults with asthma who received RV challenge identified two clusters; one that was "RV-high" and linked to robust induction of anti-viral cytokines and anti-IgE; and the other associated with more severe symptoms and a higher inflammatory state featuring eosinophil and neutrophil factors. The results confirm the presence of different immunophenotypes linked to parameters of airway disease in both children and adults with asthma who are infected with RV. Such discrepancies may reflect the ability to regulate anti-viral responses.

Patterns of Parental Reactions to Their Children's Negative Emotions: A Cluster Analysis with a Clinical Sample.

Parents’ emotion socialization practices are an important source of influence in the development of children’s emotional competencies This study examined parental reactions to child negative emotions in a clinical sample using a cluster analysis approach and explored the associations between clusters of parents’ reactions and children’s and parents’ adjustment. The sample comprised 80 parents of Portuguese children (aged 3–13 years) attending a child and adolescent psychiatry unit. Measures to assess parental reactions to children’s negative emotions, parents’ psychopathological symptoms, parents’ emotion dysregulation, and children’s adjustment were administered to parents. Model-based cluster analysis resulted in three clusters: low unsupportive, high supportive, and inconsistent reactions clusters. These clusters differed significantly in terms of parents’ psychopathological symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and children’s adjustment. A pattern characterized by high supportive reactions to the child’s emotions was associated with higher levels of children’s adjustment. On the other hand, an inconsistent reactions pattern was associated with the worst indicators of children’s adjustment and parental emotion dysregulation. These results suggest the importance of supporting parents of children with emotional and behavioural problems so that they can be more responsive to their children’s emotional manifestations.