Middle-aged Children Research Articles

Researching children’s physical environment: a systematic review of research methods

PurposeThe aim is to examine, critique, and synthesize commonly used methodological approaches that capture middle-aged children’s experiences of their physical environments.Design/methodology/approachThe systematic review identified 174 empirical studies from peer-reviewed journals published in English between 2014 and 2023. Fifty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. A thematic analysis (1) identified study characteristics and common methodological approaches, (2) synthesized the literature to reveal major themes and trends, and (3) pointed out significant research gaps.FindingsQualitative methods, combining traditional and participatory approaches, are most effective in capturing children’s spatial experiences. Participatory methods offer more authentic insights and reduce power imbalances compared to traditional methods. Place-based methods, such as child-led walks and participant observations, are particularly valuable for capturing the multidimensional and sensory aspects of children’s interactions with their environments.Research limitations/implicationsThe choice of keywords, selected databases, and the English-language criterion restricted the number of captured reviewed articles that might contribute to the topic.Originality/valueThis systematic review contributes to a deeper understanding of the methodological approaches used in researching middle-aged children’s experiences of their physical environments. It highlights common strategies used with children to communicate their experience of place, identifying the strengths and limitations of each method. Additionally, the review discusses the various aspects of space revealed by different methods.

Becoming a Caregiver: The Role of the Environment in the Process of Children Becoming Responsible for Others.

This article aims to illustrate the pivotal role that the environment plays in early child development (ECD), drawing upon data derived from the ethnographic research on children's daily routines. Participant observation and in-depth interviews were conducted over the course of several fieldwork periods (2013-2018). The concept of "mutual raising" is employed to examine the daily interactions between middle-aged children and their domestic animals. To gain an insight into how children develop sophisticated and ecologically relevant skills to become autonomous and responsible for the care of others within the context of environmental interdependence, we present and analyze a cultural practice that is salient to the identity and way of life in rural communities of the Andean region in South America: becoming a shepherd. Considering the aforementioned findings, it can be posited that being able to care for others represents a significant developmental milestone. This discussion highlights the limitations of the dominant theoretical and disciplinary lens through which ECD is currently studied, those so-called W.E.I.R.D societies. Consequently, it is imperative to advocate for an integrative and transdisciplinary framework for ECD studies that incorporates anthropological evidence and the cultural experiences of children and families who have been historically marginalized by dominant ECD models.

Navigating Virtual Collisions: Insights Into Perception–Action Differences in Children and Young Adults Using a Head-On Avoidance Task

Children tend to make more last-minute locomotor adjustments than adults when avoiding stationary obstacles. The purpose of this study was to compare avoidance behaviors of middle-aged children (10–12 years old) with young adults during a head-on collision course with an approaching virtual pedestrian. Participants were immersed in a virtual environment and completed a perceptual decision-making task in which they had to respond to the future direction of an approaching virtual pedestrian once they disappeared. Following the perceptual task, participants walked along an 8-m pathway toward a goal, while avoiding a collision with a virtual pedestrian who approached along the midline than veered toward the left, right, or continued walking straight. Results revealed that children were able to correctly predict the future directions of the virtual pedestrian similar to adults, albeit at a slower response time (0.55 s vs. 0.33 s). During the action task, children initiated a deviation in their travel path later (i.e., closer to the virtual pedestrian) compared to adults (1.65 s vs. 1.52 s). Children were also more variable in their onset of deviation and time-to-contact. Although children appear to have developed adult-like perceptual abilities and can avoid an approaching virtual pedestrian, children employ riskier avoidance strategies and are highly variable, suggesting middle-aged children are still fine-tuning their perception-action system.

Verify the Development of the CRE-FATD Module to Enhance Young Children's Creative Thinking

The purpose of this chapter is to verify the development of the CRE-FATD module to enhance young children's creative thinking. Statistical analysis methods include independent sample t-tests and paired sample t-tests for difference analysis, comparing the significance of the observed subjects' Torrance Creative Thinking Test scores before and after the test to understand whether the observed young children's creative thinking has improved. To make the experiment more rigorous, the post-measurement of creative thinking is conducted for two classes Transform data Conduct an independent sample t-test to observe whether there is a significant difference in the creative thinking of the two classes of children after the start of the course. Before each round of activities, a pre-test is conducted on a total of 20 observation subjects in the two classes, and a post-test is conducted after the activities. By comparing the pre- and post-test data of the two classes, the conclusion is drawn whether creative dance can promote the development of creativity in middle-aged children, and the process and results of the action research are reflected and evaluated.

How does intergenerational coresidence affect the physical health of middle-aged children? Evidence from China

ABSTRACT Due to increasing longevity and decreasing fertility, the middle-aged generation has emerged as the primary caregivers for their elderly parents in China. Using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey, this study employs an endogenous treatment effect model to estimate the causal impact of intergenerational coresidence on the physical health of middle-aged children. The findings reveal that coresidence significantly deteriorates the physical health of middle-aged children. Notably, this effect is more pronounced in employed individuals compared to unemployed ones. Marginal effect analysis uncovers that coresidence has adverse effects on middle-aged children who are either particularly healthy or particularly unhealthy, while the marginal impact of coresidence on children in average health conditions is insignificant.

한 여성 상담자의 노모와의 동거 경험에 대한 자문화기술지

The purpose of this study is to reflect upon and explore the meaning of the experience of living together with an elderly mother whose overall functioning has deteriorated, from the perspective of middle-aged child. An autoethnography was used as a study method, and various sources of data were employed for the study, including researcher’s recollections, records, and interview data. The collected data were organized and analyzed cyclically in line with the study topic. Results of the study were categorized into four main themes, namely “the context of family caregiving”, “like blocked veins”, “reversed roles” and “still a long way to go”. Through the study process, the researcher gained an understanding of the challenges of living together while unprepared, breakdowns in communication, changes in the roles within the mother-daughter relationship, and the need for healthy separation and individualization. Furthermore, beyond the conflicts inherent in the experience of living together, the researcher came to accept the heartwarming love for her mother. This study aims to not only understand the anger and guilt experienced by those facing difficulties in living together with their parents but also hopes to translate this understanding into ethical practices in the context of life.

Case Study for Hepatic Involvement of Children with Malaria

Background: Malaria has a significant impact on public health and economic development in affected regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a global problem affecting people every year leading to a substantial number of deaths especially among children under the age of 5.
 Aim: A cross sectional study of Evaluation of hepatic involvement of children with malaria among the middle age children (6-10years) attending some hospitals and schools in South South region of Nigeria was conducted. 
 Methodology: Following ethical approval from the institutions as well as concrete consent from the children’s families, 418 randomly selected children aged 6 to 10 years participated in the study. Out of this number, 298 children had malaria and 120 children who had no malaria were taken to be the control. Blood was collected through the vein using syringe into ethylene diaminetetracetic acid and lithium bottles. Giemsa stain was used to stain the blood films. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), albumin and total protein were analysed with the conventional biochemical methods. 
 Results: Analysis of the data obtained showed that Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 18.12±0.47, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 8.56±0.12, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 69.55± 0.87 and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) 21.41±0.29 values increased (P<0.05) in malaria subjects significantly when compared with the control 5.58±18, 4.62±0.17, 16.58±0.57 and 16.64±0.29 respectively. The study equally revealed that the test group showed significant (P<0.5) decrease of albumin 30.40±0.37 values when compared with the control group54.87±0.90.
 Conclusion: The changes in these liver parameters go on to suggest that plasmodiasis might have adverse effect on the hepatic functionality (integrity) as well as the function. Therefore, this should not be neglected as such neglect might result to mortality.

Авторские сказки Н. А. Алексеева: традиция, специфика

The purpose of this work is to identify the compositional and stylistic features of the texts of the author’s fairy tales by historian, ethnographer, folklorist N. A. Alekseev. The scientific novelty of this work consists in examining one unknown facet of the work of a prominent scientist in the field of ethnography and folklore of the peoples of Siberia N. A. Alekseev — the works of children’s fairy tales. In Yakut literary and folklore studies, this issue has not yet been the object of special research. Results. For the first time, five author’s fairy tales of the famous scientist were analyzed separately, such as «The Deer — Golden Horns», «Bunny-Aika and the Chipmunk», «The Tale of the Little Town», «The Merry Drummer», «The Tale of Two Friends», and their compositional and stylistic features were revealed. The main results of the study are related to the characteristics of the language and the style of the author’s fairy tales, which contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of magic and the display of magical actions in fairy-tale plots, as a result, the character system, the composition of the author’s fairy tales by N. A. Alekseev correspond to the canons of traditional fairy tales, which form the spiritual and moral qualities and norms of young and middle-aged children. The author’s fairy tales by N. A. Alekseev are based on the folklore tradition of the Yakut people.

Lateralized Functional Connectivity of the Sensorimotor Cortex and its Variations During Complex Visuomotor Tasks.

Previous studies have shown that the left hemisphere dominates motor function, often observed through homotopic activation measurements. Using a functional connectivity approach, this study investigated the lateralization of the sensorimotor cortex during handwriting and drawing, two complex visuomotor tasks with varying contextual demands. We found that both left- and right-lateralized connectivity in the primary motor cortex (M1), dorsal premotor cortex (PMd), somatosensory cortex, and visual regions were evident in adults (males and females), primarily in an interhemispheric integrative fashion. Critically, these lateralization tendencies remained highly invariant across task contexts, representing a task-invariant neural architecture for encoding fundamental motor programs consistently implemented in different task contexts. Additionally, the PMd exhibited a slight variation in lateralization degree between task contexts, reflecting the ability of the high-order motor system to adapt to varying task demands. However, connectivity-based lateralization of the sensorimotor cortex was not detected in 10-year-old children (males and females), suggesting that the maturation of connectivity-based lateralization requires prolonged development. In summary, this study demonstrates both task-invariant and task-sensitive connectivity lateralization in sensorimotor cortices that support the resilience and adaptability of skilled visuomotor performance. These findings align with the hierarchical organization of the motor system and underscore the significance of the functional connectivity-based approach in studying functional lateralization.

The Association between BMI and Body Weight Perception among Children in Turkey: A Cross-Sectional Study.

There is a complex relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body weight perception. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between BMI and body weight perception among middle-aged children. This study was cross-sectional, and conducted among 333 children (9-11 yr) from the largest public school in Istanbul, Turkey between Oct 2019 and Jan 2020. BMI was calculated as weight divided by height squared (kg/m2). Body weight perception was determined using a photograph figure rating scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24.0. Overall, 325 children (mean age 10.01 ± 0.99 yr) completed the study. According to the BMI classification, 8.6% of children were severely underweight, 4.9% underweight, 68.0% normal weight, 8.3% overweight, and 10.2% obese. However, 38.8% of the children perceived themselves as overweight, 21.2% as underweight, 20.3% as normal, 10.3% as overweight, and 9.4% as obese. 59.1% of children underestimated their current body weight. On the other hand, 14.2% of children overestimated their current body weight. There were statistical differences between body weight perception and BMI (P<0.001). There was a discrepancy between body weight perception and BMI among middle-aged children. More than half of the children tend to underestimate their actual body weight. Therefore, evaluating the nutritional status of children and learning which body type children perceive can guide the preparation of individual nutrition programs.

Predicting food waste in households with children: socio-economic and food-related behavior factors.

The consumption phase accounts for approximately half of the food waste generated within the food system. Numerous studies have identified families with children as the primary contributors to food waste. The aims of this paper is to enhance the comprehension of food waste behaviors in households with children by characterizing it and studying how socioeconomic characteristics and food-related behaviors can predict it. A survey was conducted among 806 families with children, categorized by the child's age and family structure. The study utilized descriptive statistics to summarize the food waste behaviors and binary regression to evaluate the predictive abilities of 12 variable related to the socio-economic characteristic, purchase, and preparation behaviors and diet quality factors. Perishable food items, such as fruits, vegetables, cereal-based product, and dairy products, were the primary items wasted in households with children. Two patterns of food waste were identified: inadequate food management leading to small amounts of waste in families with young and middle-aged children, and over-purchasing perishable items leading to waste in other households with children. Household type and purchasing habits were significant predictors, while the purchaser's age and buying channel showed lower predictive capacity. Policies to reduce food waste should prioritize raising awareness among children, promoting good practices at the household level, and creating favorable conditions during purchases. Strategies include enlisting children's participation in meal planning and food preparation as well as limiting the promotion of ultra-processed products and incentivizing the sale of bulk products at supermarket.

Improving health-related quality of life in middle-age children with cerebral palsy following selective percutaneous myofascial lengthening and functional physiotherapy

Introduction and objectivesChildren with cerebral palsy (CP) experience decreased health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study aimed to assess the HRQOL of children with CP before versus after a combined program of minimally invasive selective percutaneous myofascial lengthening (SPML) and functional physiotherapy. Material and methodsA single-group pre–posttest design was used. Twenty-six middle childhood children with spastic CP, aged 5–7 years, with Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II–IV underwent SPML surgery and 9 months of postoperative functional strength training therapy. The proxy version of the DISABKIDS-Smiley questionnaire was completed by one parent of each child. Dependent t-tests were used to compare mean pre- and post-measurement scores. ResultsAfter the 9-month intervention, the children with CP had significantly higher quality of life scores (mean difference, 11.06±9.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.40–14.71; p<0.001). ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that children with CP had better HRQOL after a combined program of minimally invasive SPML surgery and functional physiotherapy (ACTRN12618001535268).

Prevalence and intensity of caries in children

Aim. To evaluate the dental health of children in early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence.Materials and Methods. The prevalence and intensity of caries were assessed in 90 children from different age groups: 20 children from the early childhood group (6 years old), 45 children from the middle childhood group (12 years old), and 25 teenagers (15 years old).Results. In the middle childhood group, the “Decayed” component of the DMFT index (Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth) starts to appear, showing a clear increase with age. For instance, in teenagers, it is 4.04 ± 2.08, which is more than twice as high as in middle childhood children. A similar trend is observed with the “Filled” component of the index - while it was only 0.1 ± 0.02 in 6-year-old children, this indicator shows a clear increase with age, amounting to 2.15 ± 0.15 in teenagers. Consequently, in teenagers, the “Filled” component prevails at 2.15 ± 0.15, while the “Decayed” component is 1.57 ± 0.13, which is 1.3 times lower.Conclusion. An age-related prevalence and intensity of caries have been established, with the “Decayed” component of the DMFT index characteristically being identified in middle-aged children, with a tendency to increase. Both mothers and children lack sufficient dental education to prevent dental caries and other dental diseases. The survey showed that about two-thirds (84.6%) of the respondents prefer soft foods. A comprehensive revision of the existing methodology for organizing and conducting educational work among children on caries prevention is required.

Middle-aged children's perceptions of receiving accommodation from their parent and instrumental caregiving intentions

Grounded in communication accommodation theory, this study examined the association between middle-aged children's perceptions of receiving accommodation from their parent and children's intentions to provide instrumental care for the parent. Children's communication satisfaction was also tested as a mediator of this association. Perceptions of receiving accommodation were directly and positively associated with caregiving intentions. Although perceptions of receiving accommodation were also positively associated with communication satisfaction, communication satisfaction did not mediate the association between perceived accommodation and instrumental caregiving intentions. Findings are discussed with respect to how they advance the mediating mechanism phase of communication accommodation theory.

Sketch, Photo, Sound: Lived and Represented Space of the Child Experience in the Green Built Environments. Studying the Eco-districts in France

In contemporary forms of habitats and more precisely in the eco-districts, the nature presence becomes obviously dominant. The capacity of green infrastructure seems to welcome children in different urban typologies. The study crosses the effect of certain natural urban elements with the children sensory experiences that is reflected on specific behavioral attitudes taking place during the children’s free play. It draws the behavioral map of middle-aged children, about 5–12 years of age, in two selected eco-districts, in Paris suburbs and Grenoble, France, through multi-tasked qualitative methodologies. These collecting data methods include the following triad: children’s drawings, photographs, and sound recordings, where 16 sample were chosen for each. Reintroducing children in public spaces, seems crucial to investigate the form and type of young children’s presence in the Eco-Districts. Considered as special space users, the study aims to unveil the way they conceive, interact with, and experience their surrounding environment.

A Study on the Performance of STEAM Education on 5 Essential Abilities for Middle-Aged Children in China

The ongoing 4th industrial revolution has caused some nerves for Chinese government. Its intention in catching up the worlds fast-paced development leads to the implementation of STEAM to nurture more compound talented individuals to create and innovate. This paper observes Chinese current primary school education system and methods in delivering STEAM. While it being observed, one of the core problems in STEAM delivery in China is the educators general confusion in what type of person STEAM hopes to bring out to middle-aged children. The paper aims to list 5 essential abilities that are necessary for young children in China to develop under the concept of STEAM. It will also evaluate the efficacy and provide some feasible recommendations in delivering STEAM concept. It is recommended to carefully encourage adopting 5 essential abilities in designing teaching methods.

Activities of Daily Living Needs and Support in Adult Child-Parent Dyads.

This study examined whether changes in middle-aged children's perceptions of their parents' activities of daily living needs (ADL needs) were associated with changes in the mutuality of support in their relationship. A group of 366 middle-aged children in Waves 1 (2008) and 2 (2013) of the Family Exchanges Study self-reported providing and receiving tangible, emotional, and informational support to and from their n = 468 parents. Increased perceived parental ADL needs were associated with increased provision of tangible and informational support to parents but not with changes in support received. Increases in perceived parental ADL needs were associated with higher incongruence for all three support types (the child providing more support than they receive).

Digital and Non-Digital Solidarity between Older Parents and Their Middle-Aged Children: Associations with Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We incorporated intergenerational digital communication (frequency of texting, video call, and social media interaction) into the intergenerational solidarity paradigm and identified new types of intergenerational and digital solidarity with adult children among older parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we examined whether those types are associated with older parents’ mental health (depressive symptoms, psychological well-being, and self-esteem). We used the 2021/2022 wave of the Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG), and a sample of 519 older parents (mean age = 69 years). Latent class analysis identified four classes describing intergenerational and digital solidarity with adult children (distant-but-digitally connected, tight-knit-traditional, detached, and ambivalent). We found that older parents who had distant-but-digitally connected and tight-knit-traditional relationships with their adult children reported better mental health, compared to those who had detached and ambivalent relationships with their adult children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings suggest that intergenerational digital communication should be considered as a digital solidarity in intergenerational solidarity paradigm, which is useful for measuring multidimension of intergenerational relationships within family members during and after the pandemic.

ВПЛИВ ПОРЯДКУ НАРОДЖЕННЯ ДИТИНИ В СІМ’Ї НА ФОРМУВАННЯ ЇЇ ЖИТТЄВОГО СТИЛЮ

The article is devoted to an empirical study of the influence of the sequence of child’s birth in the family on its lifestyle formation. The paper summarizes the knowledge of world experience in studying the phenomenon of lifestyle in the perspective of socio-psychological approaches, including the research of modern scholars. It is revealed that the lifestyle is manifested in an individual’s integrity in interaction with the social environment. The basic concepts, characteristics and mechanisms of lifestyle formation are studied. According to A. Adler, early childhood is defined as a sensitive period of establishing a person’s lifestyle. The relevance of the study in high school students’ age category, taking into account their socio-psychological characteristics. The methodological approaches to studying the problem are substantiated and the psycho-diagnostic tools of the research are determined. The use of psychological analysis of children’s memories is relevant in the work due to the fact that the peculiarities of their experience by the child form a picture of the world in the mind and encourage the development of certain behavioral strategies in accordance with the situations. Research of the motivational sphere according to the method of A.O. Rean allowed to determine the direction of high school students’ behavior and the peculiarities of motivation. The psychological essence of the types of respondents’ lifestyles was experimentally studied. It is found out that middle-aged children are more motivated to succeed and form the most effective lifestyle. Regularities that help to identify general trends in the sequence of child’s birth in the family on its lifestyle formation have been revealed. Key words: sequence of birth, lifestyle, motivation to succeed, avoidance of failures.

Children's Independent Mobility: A Study of Middle Childhood Home Ranges in Two Different Socio-Physical Settings in El-Shorouk City, Egypt

Independent mobility has a positive impact on children's cognitive, physical, and social development. Many factors affect how children utilize spaces surrounding their homes. The characteristics of both the physical and the social environments are important influencing factors. The aim of this study was to explore children's independent mobility and free exploration within their home range extent. The study investigated children's home range extent and independent mobility-related activities in two different settings selected to represent two of the most common socio-physical contexts in the new settlements being developed around Cairo. Methods of data collection included semi-structured interviews with children and parents in addition to neighborhood walk-through observations. The forty children interviewed were categorized into two age groups, 7 to 9 and 10 to 12-year-old and included an equal number of girls and boys. The findings of the study appear to confirm the influence of gender, age, socio-economic context, and physical characteristics of the neighborhood environment on middle-aged children's independent mobility in the Egyptian context. The study suggests that land use diversity and residential density are issues that are closely related to parents' perceptions about the safety of their children around the neighborhood and need to be carefully considered in the planning of new settlements and housing projects.