Lifespan Approach Research Articles

Explicit and implicit timing across the adult lifespan.

The study of whether temporal processing in the millisecond-to-seconds range changes with age is an active and debated research field. Here, we adopted a lifespan approach in which younger to older participants performed both explicit and implicit timing tasks (time bisection and foreperiod tasks, respectively) in a single session. Three hundred seven participants (age range: 20-85 years) took part in the study. Participants performed two timing tasks to test explicit and implicit time processing. Age was used as a continuous predictor to elucidate whether explicit and implicit temporal processing change with increasing age. The results from the explicit timing task showed reduced precision with age, as indexed by a flatter psychometric curve and greater just noticeable difference metrics. By contrast, implicit processing of time was not significantly affected by age, as evinced by a comparable foreperiod effect across age. These findings provide first adult lifespan evidence that only explicit, but not implicit, timing is sensitive to age-related changes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A Workshop and Toolkit to Support Late-Career Transitions for Faculty.

Twenty percent of medical school faculty are 60 years or older. These senior-career academic faculty often find a paucity of support for decision-making about late-career transitions. To help fill this professional development gap, we developed and tested an interactive workshop to facilitate deliberation and discussion among mid- and late-career faculty in various stages of career transition planning. The workshop included individual and small-group activities and a takeaway packet/toolkit for career transition planning. We conducted mixed methods analyses of postworkshop survey data to evaluate the workshop content, methods, and toolkit. The workshop was implemented six times, at four national conferences, one state-level conference, and one single institution, for a total of 207 participants. Evaluations were completed by 60% of participants. Thirty-one percent were thinking generally about transition, 40% were making specific plans for transition within 1-5 years, 15% were currently in transition, and 10% had fully transitioned. Perception of workshop objectives met received a median ranking of 4 (rated on a 5-point Likert scale). Participants reported positive outcomes, including taking time to think/reflect, finding starting points for transition planning, and sharing conversations. This highly rated, interactive workshop provides support and practical tools for faculty considering late-career transitions. In addition to providing resources for individual faculty, this workshop has value for an institution to support their senior-level faculty. We encourage the incorporation of this workshop into institutional faculty development programming to ensure a career lifespan approach to faculty development.

Adolescent dating violence and leader role occupancy

AbstractWho becomes a leader is of considerable importance to employees, organizations and society. Recently, researchers have considered whether early life events outside of the workplace affect who occupies leadership roles within organizations. Informed by the lifespan approach to leadership, and the work–home resources model, we investigate whether violence in adolescent dating relationships is associated with leader role occupancy in adulthood. We hypothesize that experiencing psychological aggression and physical violence indirectly lowers the likelihood of occupying a leadership role through depressive symptoms. Moreover, we hypothesize that the indirect effects will be weaker when parent–adolescent relationship quality is higher, when adolescents come from higher household incomes, and stronger for women. Drawing on four waves of ADD Health, results showed that experiencing early psychological aggression in dating relationships increased depressive symptoms, hindering leader role occupancy; however, this effect was buffered by income, and stronger for women. Experiencing physical violence exerted indirect negative effects on leader role occupancy via depressive symptoms, regardless of parent–adolescent relationship quality, income or gender. There were no direct effects of aggression or violence on leader role occupancy. Our findings suggest that early personal relationships can impact young adult's mental health, which in turn can influence leadership outcomes into adulthood.

Child and adolescent psychiatric disorders and ICD-11.

An important change in ICD-11 is the lifespan approach, whereby previous child and adolescent disorders have been amalgamated with adult disorders. There have been changes in the definition/descriptions of neurodevelopmental and disruptive disorders, some of which may have an impact on service development.

Design, Synthesis, Characterization, Molecular Docking Studies, In vitro and In vivo Cervical Cancer Activity of Novel N-Substituted Pyrazole Derivatives

The aim of this study is to design, synthesize, characterize few novel N-substituted pyrazole derivatives and evaluated for their anticancer capabilities; these compounds were selected based on their ability to inhibit the HPV E6 protein. The IR, 1H & 13C NMR, mass spectral and elemental analysis were used to determine the structural details of the newly synthesized substances. The molecular docking was performed using Auto Dock Vina, and the protein-ligand interaction was analyzed using Discovery Studio. The sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay was used to determine the in vitro anticancer activity against the HeLa cell line. Body weight analysis, mean survival time and % increase in life span approaches were used to assess in vivo anticancer effectiveness in Swiss albino mice bearing Dalton’s Lymphoma Ascites (DAL) tumor model. Synthesized compounds have excellent docking energies, according to docking experiments. Compounds I, II and III were selected for anticancer activity in vivo DAL-bearing mice based on the findings of their in vitro and SRB assays exhibiting the antiproliferative activity. Pyrazole derivatives, compounds I and III, demonstrated significant potential as anticancer agents.

Career exploration among hospitality workers during the COVID-19 pandemic – insights for future

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyse the career exploration trends among hospitality employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, gain insights into the labour shortages, and provide implications for the future of the hospitality industry’s workforce. The pandemic decimated local, national, and international mobility, decimating the hospitality industry. All the hospitality organizations downsized, furloughed and/or reduced the compensation of their employees to keep up with turbulent times. Post-pandemic, the hospitality industry is ready to rehire the employees that were laid off or furloughed during the pandemic. However, the employees have not returned, and the industry is undergoing chronic labour shortages. Using the tenets of the career exploration theory, we collected data from 198 individuals who were/are employed in the hospitality industry about their career exploration tendencies during the pandemic. The results showed heightened levels of career exploration within and outside the hospitality industry; it is imperative that HRD practitioners should respond to the changing needs of hospitality industry employees. The study contributes to the lifespan approach to career exploration by highlighting self-exploration and environmental exploration by hospitality industry employees during the pandemic irrespective of demographic differences.

Equal Ground: Meaningful Collaboration with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families of Children with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities

ABSTRACT Despite increased attention and research during the past three decades, systemic barriers continue to hamper meaningful collaboration between school personnel (e.g. teachers, consultants) and culturally and linguistically diverse families of children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD). In this critical review of recent research, we address both the ideal of culturally responsive family-professional partnerships and the frequent reality of persistent systemic barriers, adversarial interactions, and the expectation of advocacy (rather than participation) by families. We highlight the cultural mismatch and inherently hierarchical nature of formal interactions with school personnel. Framed by a life span approach and drawing from our research and first-hand experiences shared as testimonios, we provide descriptive examples and make recommendations for structural change to improve family-school collaboration and outcomes for children with I/DD.

Black youths' ethnic and racial identity development from childhood to emerging adulthood.

This qualitative study employed a retrospective inquiry design to trace changes in the course of ethnic and racial identity (ERI) development of 20 African American college students (18-22 years old) attending a large, predominantly White university in the Midwestern United States. Through interviews, participants recalled life experiences that they considered crucial to their understanding of their own ERI in childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. Using longitudinal qualitative analysis, three distinct pathways of ERI development were identified: consolidating (no change to the understanding they developed earlier in life), cumulative (successive additions or expansions to their current understanding of their own ERI), and transformative (their ERI trajectory is qualitatively altered by a turning point event). Results revealed that the development of ERI components is influenced by the interplay of contextual, individual, and developmental factors, along with the ongoing meaning-making of identity-relevant experiences. Findings lend empirical support for adopting a lifespan approach to ERI development, demonstrating ERI development as a dynamically interactive and continuous process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

World Psychiatric Association-Asian Journal of Psychiatry Commission on Public Mental Health

Although there is considerable evidence showing that the prevention of mental illnesses and adverse outcomes and mental health promotion can help people lead better and more functional lives, public mental health remains overlooked in the broader contexts of psychiatry and public health. Likewise, in undergraduate and postgraduate medical curricula, prevention and mental health promotion have often been ignored. However, there has been a recent increase in interest in public mental health, including an emphasis on the prevention of psychiatric disorders and improving individual and community wellbeing to support life trajectories, from childhood through to adulthood and into older age. These lifespan approaches have significant potential to reduce the onset of mental illnesses and the related burdens for the individual and communities, as well as mitigating social, economic, and political costs. Informed by principles of social justice and respect for human rights, this may be especially important for addressing salient problems in communities with distinct vulnerabilities, where prominent disadvantages and barriers for care delivery exist. Therefore, this Commission aims to address these topics, providing a narrative overview of relevant literature and suggesting ways forward. Additionally, proposals for improving mental health and preventing mental illnesses and adverse outcomes are presented, particularly amongst at-risk populations.

Multitasking across the lifespan in different task contexts

We assessed lifespan development of multitasking in a sample of 187 individuals aged 8–82 years. Participants performed a visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) task together with either postural control or reaction time (RT) tasks. Using criterion-referenced testing we individually adjusted difficulty levels for the VSWM task to control for single-task differences. Age-differences in single-task performances followed U-shaped patterns with young adults outperforming children and older adults. Multitasking manipulations yielded robust performance decrements in VSWM, postural control and RT tasks. Presumably due to our adjustment of VSWM challenges, costs in this task were small and similar across age groups suggesting that age-differential costs found in earlier studies largely reflected differences already present during single-task performance. Age-differences in multitasking costs for concurrent tasks depended on specific combinations. For VSWM and RT task combinations increases in RT were the smallest for children but pronounced in adults highlighting the role of cognitive control processes. Stabilogram diffusion analysis of postural control demonstrated that long-term control mechanisms were affected by concurrent VSWM demands. This interference was pronounced in older adults supporting concepts of compensation or increased cognitive involvement in sensorimotor processes at older age. Our study demonstrates how a lifespan approach can delineate the explanatory scope of models of human multitasking.

2023 clinical practice guidelines on autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents in Singapore.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that is increasing in prevalence worldwide. There has been an exponential increase in autism-related research since 2010, when the first Singapore Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on autism was published. Understanding of autism has since evolved to adopt a lifespan approach beyond that of a childhood condition. The aim of this CPG was to provide an updated set of recommendations for children and adolescents to aid clinical practice for professionals. A multidisciplinary workgroup that comprised representatives from various sectors worked on this CPG. Clinical questions were organised into 10 different sections, each with its own subgroup of members. Seventeen existing international guidelines were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch & Evaluation II (AGREE-II) framework, of which 4 met criteria to act as references. Literature review across multiple databases was conducted between January 2011 to 2023; Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE-like) methodology was used to synthesise evidence. Recommendation statements were derived, following Delphi-style consensus surveys among the workgroup. The draft guidelines underwent external review and public consultation before being formalised. Recommendation and good practice statements pertaining to care of children and adolescents on the autism spectrum across 10 different sections were developed. Evidence matrices complement these recommendations and detail relevant evidence behind each recommendation statement. It is intended for these guidelines to promote effective management and healthcare services for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum, by reinforcing good and evidence-based clinical practice within our national context.

Lifetime stressors relate to invisible symptoms of multiple sclerosis

Aim: Childhood stressors can increase adult stress perception and may accumulate over the lifespan to impact symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Growing evidence links childhood stressors (e.g., abuse, neglect) to fatigue, pain, and psychiatric morbidity in adults with MS; yet literature in this area is lacking a comprehensive lifespan approach. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine contributions of childhood and adulthood stressor characteristics (i.e., count, severity), on three individual outcomes: fatigue, pain interference, and psychiatric morbidity in People with MS (PwMS). Methods: An online survey was distributed through the National MS Society. Hierarchical block regression modeling was used to sequentially assess baseline demographics, childhood stressors, and adult stressors per outcome. We hypothesized that child and adult stressors would significantly contribute to fatigue, pain interference, and psychiatric morbidity. Results: Overall, 713 PwMS informed at least one final analytic model. Both childhood and adult stressors significantly contributed to pain interference and psychiatric morbidity. Adult stressor severity independently correlated with psychiatric morbidity (P < 0.0001). Childhood stressors significantly contributed to fatigue (LR test P < 0.0001). Childhood stressor severity independently significantly correlated with both fatigue likelihood (P = 0.03) and magnitude (P < 0.001). Conclusions: This work supports a relationship between stressors across the lifespan and fatigue, pain, and psychiatric morbidity in PwMS. Stressor severity may have an important role which may not be captured in count-based trauma measurement tools. Clinicians and researchers should consider lifetime stress when addressing fatigue, pain, and psychiatric morbidity among PwMS.

Experiences of Parenting an Autistic Individual During Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood in the Indian Context: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Background and aims: The needs of autistic individuals and their families are unique in each developmental phase, but this diversity is more palpable during adolescence. Literature generally presents a view that caregivers experience challenges in caring for autistic children, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where formal support services are uneven or unavailable. The present study explored the lived experiences of parents of autistic adolescents in the Indian context. Methods: In-depth interviews with 12 parents were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Results: Three superordinate themes were derived: (a) Acceptance alongside recurring experiences of grief and loss, (b) post-traumatic growth and vicarious transformation, and (c) What after me? Planning for future care services with limited systemic support. Beginning with the initial recognition and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, parents progressed through a series of experiences that strengthened and challenged their understanding and aided in their acceptance. Parents recognize their adolescents’ key attributes, growth, development, and persisting differences that could contribute to future challenges. Grief experiences, however, sporadic, persisted alongside acceptance. Conclusion: Despite challenges, families were adapting to the changing needs of the developmental phases in unique ways, with or without formal support available to them. Nonetheless, there is a considerable need to address the existing gaps and felt needs of parents, focusing on empowering parents and capacity building toward providing comprehensive services to autistic individuals with a lifespan approach.

A Female-Specific Treatment Group for ADHD-Description of the Programme and Qualitative Analysis of First Experiences.

Background: The diagnostics and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in women remain insufficient. Fluctuations of reproductive hormones during the premenstrual period, postpartum period, and (peri)menopause are neglected, even though they impact ADHD symptoms and associated mood disorders. Therefore, we created a female-specific treatment group for women with ADHD and premenstrual worsening of ADHD and/or mood symptoms. Methods: We describe the group programme and underlying rationale, offering a qualitative analysis of the participants' evaluation. Results: The seven bi-weekly sessions foreground the menstrual cycle and address several ADHD-specific topics in relation to this cyclical pattern. Concurrently, women track their menstrual cycle and (fluctuating) ADHD and mood symptoms with an adjusted premenstrual calendar. In total, 18 women (25-47 years) participated in three consecutive groups. We analysed the evaluation of the last group. Participants experienced the group as a safe and welcoming space. Recognition was valued by all. The topics discussed were deemed valuable, and the structure suited them well. Completing the premenstrual calendar augmented the awareness and recognition of individual cyclical symptoms. A lifespan approach increased self-understanding. Participants took their menstrual cycle more seriously, prioritising self-acceptance and self-care. Conclusions: Exploring a cyclical approach in a group setting seems to be a positive addition to treatment for female ADHD.

Linking Childhood Cultural Health Capital Factors with Adult Health Literacy.

Adult health outcomes are linked to childhood factors such as socioeconomic status via cultural health capital (CHC). Specifically, these factors shape opportunities for developing skills for navigating health environments via experience and the intergenerational transfer of health-related knowledge and skills. Health literacy (HL) is considered a part of and/or result of CHC. HL develops similarly to CHC via opportunities and experiences. Most research to date has ignored the effect of childhood factors on adult HL. The purpose of this study was to explore how childhood factors are related to adult HL. Data were collected from adults (N = 736, mean age = 40.65 years, standard deviation [SD] = 15.39; 52% female; 53.8% White, 31.3% Hispanic and Latino/a/e) in the United States using Qualtrics Panel. Multivariate ordinal and binary logistic regressions predicting HL (as measured by the Newest Vital Sign and Single-Item Literacy Scale) from childhood factors and accounting for demographic covariates were estimated. After accounting for covariates, such as the presence of an employed adult in a white-collar (odds ratio [OR] = 3.34) or blue-collar (OR = 3.68) occupation (versus unknown/not employed) increased the odds of being categorized as possible limited literacy and adequate literacy (versus limited literacy) as measured by the Newest Vital Sign. Similarly, having an employed adult during childhood who had a blue-collar occupation (vs. unknown/not employed) increased the odds of being categorized as adequate literacy (OR = 2.06) as measured by the Single-Item Literacy Scale. Because the adult's employment played a role in the child's adult HL after accounting for other factors and demographics, these findings support using a lifespan approach to assess and identify risk factors for lower HL. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence of how HL is interconnected with social determinants of health across the lifespan and the need to address HL skills in those with poor social determinants of health. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2024;8(2):e79-e88.].

White matter trajectories over the lifespan.

White matter (WM) changes occur throughout the lifespan at a different rate for each developmental period. We aggregated 10879 structural MRIs and 6186 diffusion-weighted MRIs from participants between 2 weeks to 100 years of age. Age-related changes in gray matter and WM partial volumes and microstructural WM properties, both brain-wide and on 29 reconstructed tracts, were investigated as a function of biological sex and hemisphere, when appropriate. We investigated the curve fit that would best explain age-related differences by fitting linear, cubic, quadratic, and exponential models to macro and microstructural WM properties. Following the first steep increase in WM volume during infancy and childhood, the rate of development slows down in adulthood and decreases with aging. Similarly, microstructural properties of WM, particularly fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), follow independent rates of change across the lifespan. The overall increase in FA and decrease in MD are modulated by demographic factors, such as the participant's age, and show different hemispheric asymmetries in some association tracts reconstructed via probabilistic tractography. All changes in WM macro and microstructure seem to follow nonlinear trajectories, which also differ based on the considered metric. Exponential changes occurred for the WM volume and FA and MD values in the first five years of life. Collectively, these results provide novel insight into how changes in different metrics of WM occur when a lifespan approach is considered.

The Elephant in the Nursery: Paediatric Exceptionalism?

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (hereafter, ‘the pandemic’), there was already widespread concern about the adequacy of health care resources across Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these concerns exponentially, widening already significant cracks in provincial health care systems. Currently the system is struggling with the exacerbation of wait times for surgeries previously delayed by mandated closures during the pandemic. In Ontario, the backlog of surgeries, and associated backlogs in radiology and other services critical to paediatric care, led to the creation of a consortium of paediatric hospitals committed to advocacy for more funding for paediatrics. Thus far, the provincial and federal governments have agreed to a one-time cash infusion, but the consortium is calling for a permanent increase in funding for paediatrics. A challenge is that the adult sector has also suffered from delays and backlogs. Furthermore, as already noted, older adults have borne the brunt of morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. The challenge for the paediatric sector is whether and how to defend the prioritization of children and youth. In this paper, we review four approaches to just allocation – utilitarian ageism, fair innings, the prudential lifespan approach, and prioritarian ageism – and examine their strengths and weaknesses. We conclude by endorsing prioritarian ageism (prioritarianism). Prioritarianism retains the strengths of utilitarian ageism and fair innings while avoiding their weaknesses. Furthermore, because prioritarianism does not treat age as an independent moral criterion, allocation schemes based on this foundation are less susceptible to legal challenge and may be more palatable to the general public.

The Advanced BRain Imaging on ageing and Memory (ABRIM) data collection: Study design, data processing, and rationale.

To understand the neurocognitive mechanisms that underlie heterogeneity in cognitive ageing, recent scientific efforts have led to a growing public availability of imaging cohort data. The Advanced BRain Imaging on ageing and Memory (ABRIM) project aims to add to these existing datasets by taking an adult lifespan approach to provide a cross-sectional, normative database with a particular focus on connectivity, myelinization and iron content of the brain in concurrence with cognitive functioning, mechanisms of reserve, and sleep-wake rhythms. ABRIM freely shares MRI and behavioural data from 295 participants between 18-80 years, stratified by age decade and sex (median age 52, IQR 36-66, 53.20% females). The ABRIM MRI collection consists of both the raw and pre-processed structural and functional MRI data to facilitate data usage among both expert and non-expert users. The ABRIM behavioural collection includes measures of cognitive functioning (i.e., global cognition, processing speed, executive functions, and memory), proxy measures of cognitive reserve (e.g., educational attainment, verbal intelligence, and occupational complexity), and various self-reported questionnaires (e.g., on depressive symptoms, pain, and the use of memory strategies in daily life and during a memory task). In a sub-sample (n = 120), we recorded sleep-wake rhythms using an actigraphy device (Actiwatch 2, Philips Respironics) for a period of 7 consecutive days. Here, we provide an in-depth description of our study protocol, pre-processing pipelines, and data availability. ABRIM provides a cross-sectional database on healthy participants throughout the adult lifespan, including numerous parameters relevant to improve our understanding of cognitive ageing. Therefore, ABRIM enables researchers to model the advanced imaging parameters and cognitive topologies as a function of age, identify the normal range of values of such parameters, and to further investigate the diverse mechanisms of reserve and resilience.

Empowering Teachers in Schools with Basic Counseling Skills

Mental disorders are behavioral or psychological syndromes or patterns manifesting in individuals, indicating an underlying psychobiological dysfunction. The rising prevalence of mental disorders among children and adolescents is a significant public health issue, as a newly introduced lifespan approach stresses that childhood mental health issues lie on the developmental continuum and can manifest at different stages of life as severe mental health disorders. To assist the public health system in fulfilling this burgeoning and alarming need, in the last two decades, schools have moved towards achieving the goal of a health education system wherein student well-being and academic output are supported hand in hand. School-based interventions are sought to improve mental health literacy and reduce stigma, which can prevent these disorders and promote wellbeing. The main rationale of the current review article is as follows. One in eight children and young people aged 5 to 19 years have at least one mental disorder. Research shows that high demand has caused a shortage of qualified school psychologists and counselors. Hence, there is a need for teachers to support the mental health team. It is seen that with the advantage of their direct contact with students, they can effectively support student wellbeing along with academic output. Also, there is a need for interventions to reduce stigma and increase mental health literacy. This may facilitate help-seeking and the use of mental health services by young people. Among other rationales are: it is seen that school-based interventions carried out by professionals in a school other than mental health professionals can prevent the onset of mental health issues by supporting students in dealing with minor mental health issues, improving mental health literacy, and reducing stigma. Hence, this review discusses and posits equipping teachers with basic counseling skills as a valuable strategy and methodology of intervention in school mental health programs

Call for Papers: Autism and Aging: A Lifespan Approach: Deadline for Manuscript Submission: January 15, 2024.

Call for Papers: Autism and Aging: A Lifespan Approach: Deadline for Manuscript Submission: January 15, 2024.