Mother Son Research Articles

Lost opportunities in Congenital Chagas disease: retrospective study in a high complexity hospital of La Plata city

Background: Congenital Chagas disease causes high morbimortality in new-borns. Timely diagnosis is of upmost importance, since treatment is highly effective in curing the disease. Methods & Materials: Retrospective, observational study. Clinical records were collected from pregnant patients with positive serology for Chagas disease, and from their children born at the maternity of the General Hospital “General San Martín” between 2011 and 2016. A diagnosis of Chagas disease was considered in the pregnant woman when two methods resulted reactive (being one of them ELISA or IIF). A diagnosis of congenital Chagas disease was considered after the direct detection of the parasite in blood of an infant under 10 months of age, using a parasitological micromethod. In negative cases, and those older than 10 months, it was considered congenital Chagas disease when two serological methods resulted positive (one of them being ELISA or IIF). Results: 55 mother–son binomials were analysed. 54.3% of the mothers were born in Bolivia (30/55), 30.9% were born in Argentina (17/55) and 14.5% were born in Paraguay (8/55). 3.6% (2/55) of the mothers recounted a history of transfusion of blood products. Serological diagnosis in the mother was attained before pregnancy in 47.3% (26/55), during the first trimester in 5.5% (3/55), in the second trimester in 38.2% (21/55) and in the third trimester in 9.1% (5/55%). 96.4% of the new-borns from women with Chagas disease were asymptomatic at birth (53/55) and 3.6% were symptomatic (2/55). The symptom identified was low birth weight. A microstrout assay was performed in 65.5% (36/55) of newborns, with 2.7% (1/36) of positive results. Follow-up with serological tests was performed in merely 18.2% (10/55) of the children, with negative results. Conclusion: With the data analysed we infer that follow-up of children under the year of age is deficient, with lost opportunities in early diagnosis and prompt treatment and thus cure of the disease. Given the small number of patients and lost data from clinical charts, the incidence of congenital Chagas disease could not be estimated.

Sex-dependent effects of maternal stress: Stressed moms invest less in sons than daughters.

Multigenerational effects can have important and sex-dependent effects on offspring. Sex allocation theory predicts that females should differentially invest in sons and daughters depending on sex-specific fitness returns and costs of investment. Maternal stress-relevant (glucocorticoid) hormones may be one mechanism driving this effect. We investigated how maternal stress hormones differentially affected sons and daughters by manipulating levels of the glucocorticoid, corticosterone (CORT), in gravid female eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) and quantifying reproductive investment and sex ratio of resulting clutches, and the mass, snout-vent length, and body condition of sons versus daughters at hatching. We found no effect of maternal CORT-treatment on the number or size of eggs laid or on the sex ratio of resulting offspring, but sons of CORT-treated mothers were shorter, lighter, and of poorer body condition at hatching than were sons of control mothers. We found no difference in size or condition of daughters with maternal treatment. Our results suggest that maternal stress, mediated by elevations in maternal CORT concentrations, can have sex-specific effects on offspring manifesting as lower investment in sons.

A qualitative study of mothers’ experiences of supporting the sexual development of their sons with autism and an accompanying intellectual disability

ObjectivesThe sexuality and sexual development of individuals with autism-spectrum disorder (ASD) and an accompanying intellectual disability is a neglected area, despite the fact that this group have the same sexual desires as their typically developing peers. Due to the socially marginalized position these individuals are often placed in, parents play a key role in supporting them with their developing sexuality. It is therefore important to understand parents’ experiences and perspectives about their offspring’s socio-sexual needs.MethodsFive mothers of sons with ASD and a moderate to severe intellectual disability aged 16–24 were recruited from voluntary organizations and interviewed. Interviews were audio recorded then transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis to draw out key themes from their narratives.ResultsThe mothers’ narratives were fraught with tensions. While they acknowledged the importance of their sons’ developing sexuality they also thought it brought many challenges. They wanted to provide their sons with appropriate sex education but were concerned that exposure to explicit materials could encourage inappropriate sexual behavior. They wanted support and information to help improve their confidence in supporting their sons’ socio-sexual needs. The mothers also expressed concerns about who would love their sons when they grew up.ConclusionThis study highlights the need for services to provide sensitive and timely help for mothers who are supporting their sons in relation to their sexual development.

Evaluation of genetic variability of the breed Norik of Muran according to pedigree information

The Norik of Muran, a unique draught horse bred in Slovakia, belongs to country’s biodiversity treasures. The genetic diversity of this horse type was evaluated on the basis of indicators derived from the common ancestry and the probability of gene origin. The pedigree file of the analyzed horses involved 115 individuals (15 stallions and 100 mares). The number of complete generations was 4.49 on average. The maximum number of ancestor generations at the examined population of living horses was 5.38 and the equivalent number in the generation of ancestors was 5.14. The highest average length of the generation interval was 10.97 years in the father–son direction compared to father–daughter (9.74), mother–son (10.87), and mother–daughter (8.99 years – the lowest average length). The generation interval overall average length was 10.14 years. The total coefficient of relatedness was 1.72% on average. The efficient number of core ancestors evenly used in breeding in comparison with the core ancestors mildly decreased to 198. Therefore the Austrian Norik incorporation in the breeding program is the opportunity how to maintain genetic diversity.

Effects of Post-Weaning Chronic Stress on Nociception, Spinal Cord μ-Opioid, and α2-Adrenergic Receptors Expression in Rats and Their Offspring.

Stressful situations can change biological process in human and animal, and some of these changes may transfer to the next generations. We used a communication box to induce chronic electrical foot-shock stress in rats. Tail flick latency and formalin test were done to determine the level of pain sensation. Real-time RT-PCR was used to measure the level of spinal cord μ-opioid (MOR) and α2-adrenergic receptors (α2-AR) mRNA. We demonstrate that chronic stress can change nociception and leads to hyperalgesia. Moreover, spinal cord MOR mRNA level decreased following chronic stress. We did not observe any significant changes in the level of spinal cord α2-AR mRNA between stressed and non-stressed rats. In addition, non-stressed sons of stressed mothers showed hyperalgesia compared to the control group. They showed lesser level of MOR mRNA level in comparison to the control rats. Furthermore, stressed sons of stressed mothers illustrated more hyperalgesia than the other stressed groups. We indicate that chronic stress can reduce spinal cord MOR mRNA level and lead to hyperalgesia. Additionally, these changes can transfer to offspring.

Maltreatment and Affective and Behavioral Problems in Emerging Adults With and Without Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms: Mediation by Parent–Child Relationship Quality

The current study examined the indirect effect of maternal and paternal emotional and physical maltreatment on affective and behavioral symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) through parent-child relationship quality; gender and overall ODD symptoms were examined as moderators. Participants included 2,362 emerging adults who completed questionnaires about parental emotional and physical maltreatment, parent-child relationship quality, and affective and behavioral ODD symptoms. These characteristics were compared across parent and child gender (i.e., maternal and paternal effects as well as male and female differences) as well as participants reporting high and low ODD symptoms. In the low ODD group, indirect effects of emotional maltreatment occurred in all parent-child dyads except the mother-son dyad, whereas in the high ODD group, indirect effects occurred only in the father-son dyad. Indirect effects of physical maltreatment occurred only in the father-son dyad in the low ODD group, and only in the mother-daughter dyad on behavioral ODD symptoms in the high ODD group. The results suggest that specific parent-child gender dyads respond differently, warranting further investigation of gender effects. Moreover, emerging adults in the low ODD symptoms group demonstrated a positive association between parental maltreatment and ODD symptoms and a negative association between parent-child relationship quality and ODD symptoms, whereas those high in the high ODD symptoms group did not demonstrate these associations. That is, emerging adults reporting high ODD symptoms demonstrated no relationship between their ODD symptoms and harsh parenting, suggesting an ineffective coercive process.

Growing up in Australia: paradox of overweight/obesity in children of immigrants from low-and-middle -income countries.

SummaryObjectiveChildren of immigrants from low‐and‐middle‐income countries show excess overweight/obesity risk relative to host populations, possibly due to socioeconomic disadvantage. The present study was conducted to estimate overweight/obesity prevalence and its association with the family socioeconomic‐position in 2–11‐year‐old Australian‐born children of immigrants and Australian‐mothers.MethodsA cross‐sectional analysis of 10‐year data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children was undertaken. Overweight/obesity was defined according to the International Obesity Taskforce, age‐and sex‐specific BMI cut‐off‐points.ResultsApproximately 24% children aged 2–3 years (22% sons, and 25% daughters), were overweight/obese with no significant difference between children of immigrants and Australian‐mothers. Overweight/obesity prevalence consistently increased with age for sons of mothers from low‐and‐middle‐income countries but not daughters. Adjusting for the family socioeconomic‐position did not explain excess overweight/obesity in children of mothers from low‐and‐middle‐income countries. The odds of overweight/obesity in sons were significantly higher at 8–9 years (OR 1.5; p = 0.03) and 10–11 years (OR 1.5; p = 0.03) and in daughters at 4–5 years (OR 1.7; p = 0.002) when the mothers were from low‐and‐middle‐income countries.ConclusionExcess weight in children of immigrants is not due to socioeconomic disadvantage alone. Other social processes and interactions between immigrants and host cultures may be involved.

Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and the Development of Eczema Phenotypes in Male Children: Results from the EDEN Mother-Child Cohort Study.

Background:Contradictory results exist regarding the importance of early-life exposure to phthalates for development of childhood eczema.Objectives:We evaluated the association between maternal urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites between the 24th and 28th week of gestation and occurrence of eczema in their sons up to 5 y of age, according to allergic sensitization as assessed by total immunoglobulin E (IgE) in a subsample of individuals.Methods:Data on health outcomes and background factors were collected using five standardized annual questionnaires completed by parents at the children’s ages of 1–5 y, and their associations with phthalate metabolite urinary concentrations were assessed in 604 mother–son pairs with adjusted multiple logistic regression and Cox’s survival model. Several eczema phenotypes were considered. Atopic status was assessed at 5 y of age in 293 boys through total IgE assessment.Results:At 5 y of age, the prevalence of ever eczema was 30.4%. Metabolites of di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP) and di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP) were positively associated with early-onset (0–24 mo of age) eczema (15.7%) and late-onset (24–60 mo of age) eczema (14.7%). Applying the Cox’s model showed a significant association of occurrence of eczema in the first 5 y of life with DiBP and DiNP metabolites. Among IgE-sensitized boys, metabolites of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and DiBP were significantly associated with ever eczema {hazard ratio [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10, 2.54], and (95% CI: 1.01, 3.48), , respectively}.Conclusions:Occurrence of eczema in early childhood may be influenced by prenatal exposure to certain phthalates in boys. Further investigations are needed to confirm this observation. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1829

Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures in a Mother and Her Son–Fate or Chance?

Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures (PNES) are defined as typical seizure-like activities or behaviors without cortical epileptiform discharges. The diagnosis of PNES remains a challenge and continuous video electroencephalography (cEEG) remains the gold standard to differentiate between epileptic seizures and PNES. Despite advances made in our understanding of PNES, diagnosing and treating this well-known entity remains a challenge. 25% of patients with seizures will be misdiagnosed as having PNES or epileptic seizures even by certified Neurologists. Do patient characteristics and demographics increase our accuracy to diagnose PNES? We present a case of a mother and her son, both diagnosed with PNES by cEEG monitoring in our epilepsy monitoring unit. While familial prevalence of conversion disorders is reported in the literature, this will be the first case report describing the incidence of PNES in two members of the same family. Do psychogenic epilepsies run in families? Will the diagnosis of PNES in one family member increase the probability of PNES in their relatives with seizures? Larger patient pools need to be studied to draw a definite conclusion regarding our observation.

Male homosexuality and maternal immune responsivity to the Y-linked protein NLGN4Y

We conducted a direct test of an immunological explanation of the finding that gay men have a greater number of older brothers than do heterosexual men. This explanation posits that some mothers develop antibodies against a Y-linked protein important in male brain development, and that this effect becomes increasingly likely with each male gestation, altering brain structures underlying sexual orientation in their later-born sons. Immune assays targeting two Y-linked proteins important in brain development-protocadherin 11 Y-linked (PCDH11Y) and neuroligin 4 Y-linked (NLGN4Y; isoforms 1 and 2)-were developed. Plasma from mothers of sons, about half of whom had a gay son, along with additional controls (women with no sons, men) was analyzed for male protein-specific antibodies. Results indicated women had significantly higher anti-NLGN4Y levels than men. In addition, after statistically controlling for number of pregnancies, mothers of gay sons, particularly those with older brothers, had significantly higher anti-NLGN4Y levels than did the control samples of women, including mothers of heterosexual sons. The results suggest an association between a maternal immune response to NLGN4Y and subsequent sexual orientation in male offspring.

Sex and rank affect how infant rhesus macaques look at faces.

We investigated how differences in infant sex and mothers' dominance status affect infant rhesus macaques' (Macaca mulatta) interest in visually exploring emotional facial expressions. Thirty-eight infants were presented with animated avatars of macaque facial expressions during the first month of life. Sons of high-ranking mothers looked more at faces, especially the eye region, than sons of low-ranking mothers, but no difference in looking duration was found for daughters. Males looked significantly more at eyes than females, but this effect was reversed in infants who were reared without mothers in a primate nursery facility. In addition, in mother-infant interactions, mothers of sons were more likely to gaze at their infant's face compared to mothers of daughters. Combined with previous research indicating that rhesus macaque mothers interact differently with infants based on their own rank and infant's sex, these results support the view that social experiences shape early face preferences in rhesus macaques.

Role of Activins in Hepcidin Regulation during Malaria.

ABSTRACTEpidemiological observations have linked increased host iron with malaria susceptibility, and perturbed iron handling has been hypothesized to contribute to the potentially life-threatening anemia that may accompany blood-stage malaria infection. To improve our understanding of these relationships, we examined the pathways involved in regulation of the master controller of iron metabolism, the hormone hepcidin, in malaria infection. We show that hepcidin upregulation in Plasmodium berghei murine malaria infection was accompanied by changes in expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/sons of mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD) pathway target genes, a key pathway involved in hepcidin regulation. We therefore investigated known agonists of the BMP/SMAD pathway and found that Bmp gene expression was not increased in infection. In contrast, activin B, which can signal through the BMP/SMAD pathway and has been associated with increased hepcidin during inflammation, was upregulated in the livers of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice; hepatic activin B was also upregulated at peak parasitemia during infection with Plasmodium chabaudi. Concentrations of the closely related protein activin A increased in parallel with hepcidin in serum from malaria-naive volunteers infected in controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) clinical trials. However, antibody-mediated neutralization of activin activity during murine malaria infection did not affect hepcidin expression, suggesting that these proteins do not stimulate hepcidin upregulation directly. In conclusion, we present evidence that the BMP/SMAD signaling pathway is perturbed in malaria infection but that activins, although raised in malaria infection, may not have a critical role in hepcidin upregulation in this setting.

Independent Contributions of Early Positive Parenting and Mother-Son Coercion on Emerging Social Development.

In the current study, we explored associations between parent-child coercion and positive parenting in the toddler period in relation to children's social-behavioral development during the school-age period. The data were drawn from the Pitt Mother & Child Project, a sample of 310 low-income, ethnically diverse boys. Drawing on tenets of both attachment and social learning theory, it was hypothesized that coercive mother-son interaction would lead to reductions in positive maternal parenting in the toddler period, and that both positive parenting and mother-son coercion in the toddler period would contribute to children's conduct problems at school entry and lower social skills and peer rejection in middle childhood. The results were largely confirmed, such that mother-son coercive interaction at 18 months was related to decreases in positive parenting at 24 months. Additionally, mother-son coercive interaction and positive parenting at 24 months were linked to child conduct problems at age 5, which in turn predicted child social skills and peer rejection during middle childhood. In addition to indirect effects through child conduct problems, mother-son coercion continued to be independently related to school-age peer rejection. The findings are discussed with respect to the importance of early coercive interactions in the growth of child social-behavioral development from early to middle childhood.

Female and child ‘husbands’: Rituals as HIV escape routes

Discourses on the struggle against HIV and AIDS tend to portray African traditional religio-cultural rituals as ‘harmful’ and African people as passive and clueless victims. By focusing on middle-aged widows, this study explores the utilisation of traditional rituals as HIV and AIDS escape routes in outlying areas such as the rural Manyika-Gandanzara area. Informed by the phenomenological approach, the study seeks to answer questions: Are African rural communities passive beneficiaries of the top-down HIV and AIDS intervention strategies? What localised responses have the communities developed in order to ‘escape’ from HIV? Data used to answer these questions were inductively gathered through key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and observations in the Manyika-Gandanzara community. The findings of the study suggest that instead of relying solely on official government and donor-funded HIV and AIDS interventions, the Manyika-Gandanzara community has renegotiated sex-oriented widow inheritance rituals into asexual female-to-female and mother–son symbolic unions in its attempt to escape the disease.

Maternal concerns and perceptions of elementary school-age children's weight status.

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics associated with maternal concerns for her child becoming overweight, and how these concerns are related to her perceptions of her child's weight. A school-based sample of 55 children and their mothers from Houston, Texas, participated in a cross-sectional survey. Mothers reported on their concerns and perceptions regarding their child's weight. Child and mother height and weight were directly assessed to calculate body mass index (BMI). Covariate-adjusted logistic regression models were conducted. Over one-third of mothers misperceived their child's weight status [9% (n=5) overestimated; 27% (n=15) underestimated]. Mothers of sons were less accurate compared with mothers of daughters. For every one unit increase in maternal BMI, mothers had 13% higher odds of being concerned of their child becoming overweight. Concerned mothers had 82% lower odds of underestimating their child's weight. In order for school-based childhood obesity prevention and intervention programs to be successful, parents must accurately perceive their elementary school-age child's weight status. School nurses can be vital to these efforts through proper training and resources. Nurses can use the "School Nurse Childhood Obesity Toolkit" and motivational interviewing techniques to address parental concerns and perceptions prior to teaching behavior modification strategies to children/families.

Anders Behring Breivik, master of life and death: Psychodynamics and political ideology in an act of terrorism

According to Anders Behring Breivik himself, his massacre of 77 innocent people on July 22, 2011 in Norway was motivated by ideology: Breivik sees himself as being morally justified to save Europe from multiculturalism and feminism. What makes a person join such an ideology? This paper argues that the demonization of Muslims and Eurabia fits into a psychologically threatened universe and a murderous lust for revenge. Against the background of different sources (the ideological “manifesto,” forensic reports, psychiatric assessment of the mother–son relationship in Breivik’s childhood, and interview material), the mass-murderer’s attitudes are understood as expressing inner dynamic forces. Hypotheses about Breivik’s personality and unconscious motivation are discussed using the concepts of splitting and personal myth and Oedipal catastrophe. The paper argues that the relationship between unconscious motives and ideology must be regarded as dialectical: the terrorist’s actions are founded in a subjective war scenario, expressing personally motivated hatred and vindictiveness, being displaced and projected, and justified with reference to a war “out there.” Thus, the terrorist seeks an ideology that fits unconscious intentions. The ideology, however, is indispensable to legitimate actions.

Mother-son discrepant reporting on parenting practices: The contribution of temperament and depression.

Despite low to moderate convergent correlations, assessment of youth typically relies on multiple informants for information across a range of psychosocial domains including parenting practices. Although parent-youth informant discrepancies have been found to predict adverse youth outcomes, few studies have examined contributing factors to the explanation of informant disagreements on parenting practices. The current study represents the first investigation to concurrently examine the role of mother and son's self-reported affective dimensions of temperament and depression as pathways to informant discrepancies on parenting practices. Within a community sample of 174 mother-son dyads, results suggest that whereas mother's self-reported temperament evidenced no direct effects on discrepancies, the association between the product term of mother's negative and positive temperament and discrepancies on positive parenting was fully mediated by mother's depression (a mediated moderation). In contrast, son's self-reported temperament evidenced both direct and indirect effects, partially mediated by depression, on rating discrepancies for positive parenting. All told, both son's self-reported affective dimensions of temperament and depression contributed to the explanation of discrepant reporting on parenting practices; only mother's self-reported depression, but not temperament, uniquely contributed. Results highlight the importance of considering both parent and youth's report in the investigation of informant discrepancies on parenting practices. (PsycINFO Database Record

Sex-specific association patterns in bonobos and chimpanzees reflect species differences in cooperation.

In several group-living species, individuals' social preferences are thought to be influenced by cooperation. For some societies with fission–fusion dynamics, sex-specific association patterns reflect sex differences in cooperation in within- and between-group contexts. In our study, we investigated this hypothesis further by comparing sex-specific association patterns in two closely related species, chimpanzees and bonobos, which differ in the level of between-group competition and in the degree to which sex and kinship influence dyadic cooperation. Here, we used long-term party composition data collected on five chimpanzee and two bonobo communities and assessed, for each individual of 10 years and older, the sex of its top associate and of all conspecifics with whom it associated more frequently than expected by chance. We found clear species differences in association patterns. While in all chimpanzee communities males and females associated more with same-sex partners, in bonobos males and females tended to associate preferentially with females, but the female association preference for other females is lower than in chimpanzees. Our results also show that, for bonobos (but not for chimpanzees), association patterns were predominantly driven by mother–offspring relationships. These species differences in association patterns reflect the high levels of male–male cooperation in chimpanzees and of mother–son cooperation in bonobos. Finally, female chimpanzees showed intense association with a few other females, and male chimpanzees showed more uniform association across males. In bonobos, the most differentiated associations were from males towards females. Chimpanzee male association patterns mirror fundamental human male social traits and, as in humans, may have evolved as a response to strong between-group competition. The lack of such a pattern in a closely related species with a lower degree of between-group competition further supports this notion.

Perceptions of Abusive Parenting Behaviors: A Preliminary Exploration Into the Underrecognition of Mother–Daughter Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACTThe current study examined the influence of the sex of the parent and the sex of the child on perceptions of sexually abusive behaviors. Vignettes illustrating different forms of sexual abuse were rated by 124 participants, with the different parent–child pairs (mother–daughter, mother–son, father–daughter, father–son) substituted into the vignettes being the only difference between groups. Two-way between subjects ANOVAs revealed that sexually abusive behaviors by mothers were perceived as less damaging to child victims (F (1, 120 = 7.56, p < .01) than the same sexually abusive behaviors committed by fathers. In addition, sexually abusive behaviors by mothers toward daughters were perceived as the least abusive (F (1, 120 = 16.30, p < .001) and the least criminal (F (1, 120 = 4.44, p < .05) as compared to the other three groups. Results suggest that perceptions of sexual abuse may be influenced by perceptions of sex and gender.

Voices from the ghetto of Thessaloniki: mother–son correspondence as a source of Jewish everyday life under persecution

The article discusses the content of 52 letters written by three different Jewish mothers living in the ghetto of Thessaloniki and sent to their sons, all residing in Athens, during the Second World War. This unique find can shed light on the lives of ordinary Jewish citizens in the ghetto of Thessaloniki, never before known in such a detail. The information presented in these letters is invaluable. These eyewitness accounts describe the general situation and the emotions right before and during the deportations, which is when these letters stop. Other than narrating some of the major events of this period, the reader learns details ranging from family and inter-communal relations, to the daily nutrition, diseases and the price of different goods. Last but not least, they provide a window into the daily life during the German occupation in Thessaloniki, free from hindsight.