Mothers Of Children Research Articles

The Integrated Model: Dynamic Changes in Mother–Child Relationship in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence

The Integrated Model: Dynamic Changes in Mother–Child Relationship in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence

Effect of a targeted health education program on nurses’ awareness about postpartum depression

BackgroundPostpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent mental health disorder that affects women after giving birth. It seriously harms the mother–child bond. As nurses' expertise can have a significant impact on women after childbirth, this study aimed to compare the knowledge of nurses at the Maternity Hospital of Ain Shams University (ASU) before and after the implementation of an educational program regarding PPD.MethodsA pre-and post-quasi-experimental study was conducted among 63 nurses at ASU Maternity Hospital. A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate nurses' knowledge of PPD symptoms, diagnosis, risk factors, treatment, and consequences before and one month following an educational program that comprised PowerPoint, posters, and videos.ResultsThe mean age of nurses was 23.17 ± 1.45. About 76% had previously heard of PPD, and the most frequent sources of their information were nursing studies followed by conferences. After the intervention, there was a significant improvement in the knowledge score regarding PPD symptoms and diagnosis, with a mean score of 7.23 ± 1.32 compared to 6.13 ± 1.97 before the intervention. The knowledge score of PPD risk factors showed a considerable improvement, with a mean score of 11.52 ± 1.49 as compared to 9.69 ± 1.94 previously. There was a significant improvement in the knowledge scores regarding PPD treatment and consequences. Overall, the PPD total knowledge score of nurses improved significantly after the intervention, from 19.56 ± 3.49 to 23.2 ± 2.5 (p-value < 0.001).ConclusionThis study demonstrates the positive impact of a targeted health education program on enhancing nurses’ awareness about PPD. The program effectively increased knowledge levels among participating nurses, empowering them with essential skills to recognize, assess, and respond to PPD in their clinical practice. The improvement in awareness signifies the importance of implementing focused educational interventions to enhance nurses’ ability to identify this critical maternal mental health issue.ImplicationsBeyond the direct effect of this study on nurses' awareness, it has wider implications for patient care, healthcare policies, professional development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and public health awareness related to PPD.Trial registrationIt was registered on clinicaltrials.gov with identifier number NCT06424496.

Perceived Mental Health and Quality of Life in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Armed Forces in a Tertiary Care Center of North India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: To explore the impact on mental health and quality of life among mothers following the diagnosis of mild or moderate autism in their child.Methods: The study included 100 consecutive mothers with a defence background, each having a child aged 3 to 10 years diagnosed with mild to moderate autism. Participants were briefed about the study, and informed consent was obtained. A quantitative experimental design was employed, utilising the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) and the World Health Organisation Quality of Life Scale-Brief (WHOQOL-Brief) to assess the mothers.Results: The results indicated that mothers experienced moderate levels of anxiety (mean±standard deviation, 10±6.4) and stress (19±6.7), but lower levels of depression (11±7.7), as measured by the DASS-21 questionnaire. The WHOQOL-Brief revealed a moderate decline in psychological health (transformative [T]-score=38) and social relationships (T-score=31). However, satisfaction with their environment (T-score=75) and physical health (T-score=63) was higher, potentially due to their defence background, which may provide easier access to healthcare and improved living conditions.Conclusion: Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder experience moderate levels of stress and anxiety, and low levels of depression. Additionally, they face a decline in their quality of life.

Gestational diabetes mellitus as a predictor of health disorders and lipid metabolism in newborns and infants (literature review)

Background. Diseases of the endocrine system in their mothers, namely gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), have a significant impact on the increase in morbidity in newborns. The main adverse outcome for children of mothers with GDM is macrosomia, as prenatal exposure to hyperglycemia increases the risk and programs the offspring to develop diabetes and/ or obesity in adulthood.Objective. To summarize modern scientific ideas about the impact of GDM on immediate and long-term disorders of health and lipid metabolism in newborns and young children.Material and methods. An extensive literature review was conducted using the MEDLINE database (PubMed) using keywords and filter: randomized controlled trial, meta-analysis, systematic review.Research results. This review summarizes the main evidence on the impact of maternal hyperglycemia on the health of her child and provides new information on the role of GDM in lipid disorders in newborns and young children.Conclusion. Children born to mothers with GDM have an increased risk of developing obesity and impaired glucose tolerance from a very early age and throughout all periods of child-hood. Maternal hyperglycemia affects both during pregnancy and the rate of physical development of children in early life. These studies are important given that neonatal fat, rather than birth weight, is an important risk factor for the development of obesity later in life.to summarize modern scientific ideas about the effect of GDM on immediate and long-term disorders of health and lipid metabolism in newborns and young children.

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and sex-specific associations with offspring adiposity at 10 years of age: Metabolic perturbation plays a role

BackgroundPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been suspected as potential environmental obesogens, with several mechanisms being proposed, including the role of metabolomics. However, current epidemiological studies have yielded inconclusive findings. ObjectivesWe aimed to estimate the associations of prenatal exposure to PFAS with offspring adiposity measures, and to explore the potential metabolic pathways underlying these associations. MethodsA total of 464 mother–child pairs from the Sheyang Mini Birth Cohort Study (SMBCS) were included in this study. Cord serum concentrations of 12 PFAS and urine metabolite profiles at age 10 were obtained from the SMBCS database. Adiposity-related anthropometric measurements and body composition estimates of children aged 10 were used to assess offspring obesity. Multiple linear regression models and quantile g-computation were conducted to estimate the associations of prenatal exposure to individual and multiple PFAS with obesity at 10 years old. Metabolomics analysis was performed to characterize the biological pathways associated with PFAS exposure or obesity, subsequently identifying the overlapping metabolic pathways underlying the PFAS-obesity relationship. ResultsPrenatal exposure to several PFAS was significantly associated with elevated obesity-related markers in 10-year-old children. After stratification by sex, the effects were more pronounced in girls. Quantile g-computation results indicated that exposure to higher levels of PFAS mixtures during pregnancy was associated with increased odds of obesity in girls, with PFNA emerging as the predominant driving compound. Untargeted metabolomics results showed that several amino acid metabolic pathways were characterized as the overlapping pathways underlying the above associations. ConclusionsTaken together, our findings suggested the potential obesogenic effects of prenatal exposure to PFAS and offered insight into the possible metabolic mechanisms underlying PFAS-related offspring obesity.

Daylight duration and time allocation of children and adolescents

This study explores the allocation of time, particularly to sleep, among children and adolescents in response to daily daylight variation. Utilising a dataset of over 50,000 time-use diaries from two Australian cohorts spanning 16 years and employing an individual fixed effects estimator, we uncover a substantial causal impact of daily daylight duration on sleep patterns. Our findings reveal that days with longer daylight hours are associated with a decrease in total sleep duration, primarily driven by a later sleep onset time. Additionally, longer daylight hours correspond to reduced time spent on personal care and media activities, with increased dedication to school and physical activities. Furthermore, we identify socio-demographic factors moderating these effects, such as older age and weekend days exerting a stronger influence on sleep duration, while females and children of unemployed mothers exhibit a subtle impact. These insights contribute to our understanding of how environmental factors shape daily routines and offer implications for designing schedules that promote positive developmental outcomes in young individuals.

Maternal Disability and Early Child Preventive Care.

Preventive health care for children comprises routine well-child visits and immunizations. Women with physical, sensory, or intellectual or developmental disabilities tend to experience more barriers to preventive health care; yet it is unknown whether such barriers are observed among their young children. This population-based study in Ontario, Canada included children born between 2012 and 2019 whose mothers had a physical (n = 74 084), sensory (n = 26 532), or intellectual or developmental (n = 1391) disability, multiple disabilities (n = 5774), or no disability (n = 723 442). Primary outcomes were receipt of the recommended number of well-child visits and routine immunizations in the first 2 years. Secondary outcomes included receipt of the enhanced 18-month developmental assessment and any developmental screen. Relative risks (aRR) were generated using modified Poisson regression and adjusted for maternal sociodemographics and mental health and child sex. Compared with children of mothers without disabilities, those whose mothers had intellectual or developmental disabilities were less likely to receive the recommended number of well-child visits (56.3% vs 63.2%; aRR 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.88-0.97), routine immunizations (43.8% vs 53.7%; aRR 0.88, 95% CI 0.83-0.94), enhanced 18-month developmental assessment (52.3% vs 60.8%; aRR 0.92, 95% CI 0.88-0.97), or any developmental screen (54.9% vs 62.5%; aRR 0.94, 95% CI 0.90-0.99). Other disability groups did not experience such disparities. There is a need to develop resources to improve access to preventive health care for young children of women with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Interpregnancy intervals and behavioural outcomes in children: A population-based longitudinal study

BackgroundWhile the physical health consequence of short interpregnancy intervals (IPIs) is well documented, its mental health impact is not well explored. This study aimed to examine the associations between IPIs and behavioural outcomes in children born following the interval at four developmental time points between ages 7 and 16. MethodsOur study sample comprised participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort, an ongoing population-based longitudinal birth cohort in Bristol, Avon, United Kingdom. Behavioural problems, including total behavioural difficulties, hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, conduct problems, peer-problems, and problems of pro-social behaviour, were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Over 2300 mothers and their singleton children were included in this study. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were used to estimate odds ratios for the associations. ResultsChildren born to mothers with short IPI (<6 months) were 1.54 (95%CI: 1.12–2.11), 1.42 (95% CI: 1.12–1.81) and 1.37 (95%CI: 1.04–1.79) times more likely to have total behavioural difficulties, conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention problems across the child's age, respectively, compared with children of mothers with IPIs of 18–23 months. We found no evidence of associations between short IPI (<6 months) and emotional symptoms, peer-relationship problems and pro-social behaviour problems. ConclusionShort IPI (<6 months) was associated with externalising (conduct and hyperactivity/inattention) but not internalising (emotional and peer-relationship problems) problems. Further studies are needed to confirm this association and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

An Analysis of the Portrayals of Mothers in Children’s Picturebooks in China

An Analysis of the Portrayals of Mothers in Children’s Picturebooks in China

Mothers of Children with Stuttering and Their Daily Concerns: A Qualitative Study

Background: Stuttering is one of the most important speech disorders in children, which causes anxiety and worry in parents, especially mothers. The present study sought to investigate and identify the types of anxiety experienced by mothers of children with stuttering. Methods: This qualitative study adopted reflexive thematic analysis (Brown &amp; Clark) to investigate the anxiety and concerns experienced by mothers of children with stuttering. The participants were 15 mothers of children with stuttering who visited speech therapy centers in Isfahan and were selected through homogenous purposive sampling. The data were collected through interviews with the participants for 45 days and analyzed by the thematic analysis method. Results: Data analysis revealed two core categories, four organizing themes, and nineteen subthemes. The two core categories identified in this study were mother-centered anxiety (anxiety about public judgments on the mother and anxiety about the appropriateness of the mother’s behavior with the child who stutters) and child-centered anxiety (concerns about public reactions to the child’s stuttering and the concerns about the child’s future life and treatment). Conclusion: The findings indicated that the mothers of children with stuttering were mostly concerned about public reactions to the stuttering child and their judgments about the mother. Thus, promoting a sense of self-worth in these mothers can reduce such concerns. Moreover, raising public awareness about how to treat children with stuttering and their parents can make social life easier for such children and their mothers.

Reciprocal relationships between a child’s engagement with faces and mother–child interaction at 8, 30, and 60 months.

Reciprocal relationships between a child’s engagement with faces and mother–child interaction at 8, 30, and 60 months.

Manuscript :The Effect Of Self-Compassion Based Nursing Intervention On Self -Criticism And Psychological Flexibility Among Mothers Of Children With Cerebral Palsy

Manuscript :The Effect Of Self-Compassion Based Nursing Intervention On Self -Criticism And Psychological Flexibility Among Mothers Of Children With Cerebral Palsy

Supplemental Material for Reciprocal Relationships Between a Child’s Engagement With Faces and Mother–Child Interaction at 8, 30, and 60 Months

Supplemental Material for Reciprocal Relationships Between a Child’s Engagement With Faces and Mother–Child Interaction at 8, 30, and 60 Months

Atopy and asthma in children born to mothers at risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: a follow-up study

BackgroundGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most prevalent metabolic disturbance during pregnancy and is associated with adverse outcomes in offspring, including an elevated risk for developing atopic diseases in early childhood. Research is limited regarding only women at risk of GDM among whom some develop GDM while others do not. Information about adverse health outcomes in the offspring of these women is also lacking. The main aim was to assess whether maternal GDM increases the offspring’s risk of atopic dermatitis (AD), asthma and allergic rhinitis at 1, 2 and 5 years of age. The second aim was to analyze the association of other maternal health characteristics on the development of these disorders in offspring.MethodsThe follow-up study group of the Gestational Diabetes Study (GDS), conducted at Tartu University Hospital, Estonia, between 2014 and 2020, comprised 223 mother–child dyads. All women had at least one risk factor for GDM, of whom only some developed GDM. Information about the diagnoses of interest was obtained from Electronic Health Records. Allergen-specific IgE from children’s serum was measured using ImmunoCAP™ Phadiatop™ Infant, with results ≥ 0.35 kU/l considered positive. Statistical analysis was performed using the RStudio software (version 4.3.0).ResultsAccording to our results, only the cases of GDM requiring the use of antidiabetic medications were associated with the development of asthma and/or allergic rhinitis at 2 years of age (aOR 4.68, 95%CI 1.08–20.21, p = 0.039). Maternal obesity (BMI > 30) was associated with offspring´s asthma and/or allergic rhinitis diagnosis at 2 years of age (aOR 3.15, 95%CI 1.03–9.63, p = 0.045).Maternal abnormal weight gain during pregnancy was associated with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis at 5 years of age (aOR 2.76, 95%CI 1.04–7.31, p = 0.041).ConclusionAmong pregnant women at risk for GDM, maternal weight-related factors significantly influence the development of atopic diseases in their children between 1 and 5 years of age, regardless of the GDM diagnosis. This suggests that, besides women with GDM greater attention should also be paid to women at risk but who do not develop GDM, as their children seem to be at higher risk of atopic diseases.

Effects of Mediterranean diet during pregnancy on the onset of overweight or obesity in the offspring: a randomized trial.

The PREMEDI study was designed to assess the efficacy of nutritional counseling aimed at promoting Mediterranean Diet (MD) during pregnancy on the incidence of overweight or obesity at 24 months in the offspring. PREMEDI was a parallel-arm randomized-controlled trial. 104 women in their first trimester of pregnancy were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to standard obstetrical and gynecological care alone (CT) or with nutritional counseling promoting MD. Women enrolled in the MD arm were provided with 3 sessions of nutritional counseling (one session per trimester). The main outcome was the proportion of overweight or obesity among the offspring at the age of 24 months. Maternal MD-adherence and weight gain during pregnancy were also evaluated. Lastly, the evaluation of epigenetic modulation of metabolic pathways in the offspring was analyzed in cord blood. Five women in the MD arm and 2 in the CT arm were lost to follow-up, so a total of 97 completed the study. At 24 months, children of MD mothers were less likely to have overweight or obesity than those of the CT mothers (6% vs. 33%, absolute risk difference = -27%, 95% CI -41% to -12%, p < 0.001; number needed to treat 3, 95% CI 2 to 8, intention to treat analysis). A significantly higher increase of MD-adherence during the trial was observed in the MD arm compared to the CT arm. A similar body weight gain at the end of pregnancy was observed in the two arms. The mean (SD) methylation rate of the leptin gene in cord blood was 30.4 (1.02) % and 16.9 (2.99) % in the CT and MD mothers, respectively (p < 0.0001). MD during pregnancy could be an effective strategy for preventing pediatric overweight or obesity at 24 months. This effect involves, at least in part, an epigenetic modification of leptin expression.

Environmental exposures associated with early childhood recurrent wheezing in the mother and child in the environment birth cohort: a time-to-event study

BackgroundAntenatal factors and environmental exposures contribute to recurrent wheezing in early childhood.AimTo identify antenatal and environmental factors associated with recurrent wheezing in children from birth to 48 months in the...

Urban metabolic and airway immune profiles increase the risk of infections in early childhood

BackgroundInfections in childhood remain a leading global cause of child mortality and environmental exposures seem crucial. We investigated whether urbanicity at birth was associated with the risk of infections and...

Vaccine coverage and timeliness among children of adolescent mothers: A community-based study in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

BackgroundChildren born to adolescent mothers are more vulnerable to infant mortality and morbidity than those born to adult mothers. HIV-exposed children have lower antibody protection against vaccine-preventable diseases at birth compared to unexposed children. In South Africa, 17 % of adolescent girls aged 15–19 years are mothers, yet vaccination coverage and timeliness among their children is underreported. MethodsThis study estimated age-appropriate vaccination coverage and timeliness among children (n = 1080) of adolescent mothers (n = 1015) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Mother-child dyads were recruited through healthcare and community-based sampling strategies. Vaccination data were abstracted from 1013 home-based child health records (2017–2019). Coverage is reported for Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis 3rd dose (DTP3), under-1 vaccination among children over 12 months (n = 613) and measles 2nd dose (MCV2) among children over 24 months (n = 382) using proportions with 95 % confidence intervals (95 %CI). Timeliness is defined as receiving each vaccination within 4 weeks of recommended age. Findings are disaggregated by maternal HIV-status. ResultsOverall, 27.3 % of adolescent mothers were living with HIV. Coverage of DTP3 was 85.6 % (95 %CI: 82.6–88.3 %), under-1 coverage was 53.2 % (95 %CI: 49.1–57.2 %), and MCV2 coverage was 62.3 % (95 %CI: 57.2–67.2 %). Vaccination coverage was lower among children of adolescent mothers living with HIV (AMLHIV) than unexposed children (DTP3 80.3 % vs 88.2 % p-value: 0.01; under-1 46.5 % vs 56.4 % p-value: 0.02; MCV2 55.4 % vs 67.1 % p-value: 0.02). Timeliness of vaccinations declined over time from 98.0 % at birth, 70.7 % at 14 weeks, 71.9 % at 9 months and 37.3 % at 18 months. ConclusionVaccination coverage among children of adolescent mothers in the Eastern Cape are below national targets. Children of AMLHIV had lower coverage than HIV-unexposed children. Further research is needed to identify risk factors associated with incomplete and delayed vaccinations among this group, particularly among HIV-exposed children. Enhanced vaccination campaigns may be required for children of adolescent mothers.

Women’s Bargaining Power and Children’s Nutritional Status: Evidence from Indonesia

Child stunting is a serious challenge in Indonesia, one of the largest middle-income countries in the world. Beyond the influence of bio-behavioral determinants, mothers’ bargaining power in the household is expected to have an overarching contribution to stunting, particularly as the primary caregivers of their children. Using a dataset from the fifth wave of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS-5), this study examines whether and to what extent a mother’s bargaining power influences children’s nutritional status. The study uses the instrumental variables method to correct the potential endogeneity of the mother’s bargaining power. Results suggest that children of mothers with higher intrahousehold bargaining power have a lower prevalence of stunting and better anthropometric outcomes. However, other members of the household matter, in the sense that improved outcomes are evidenced when the mother exercises her choice in decision making in a more consensual manner, by consultation with other household members. HIGHLIGHTS In Indonesia, higher women’s bargaining power enhances child nutritional long-term outcomes. Child nutrition improves when women make decisions jointly with other family members. Boys appear to be the main beneficiaries of mothers’ higher bargaining power. Policies to increase women’s agency need to consider family support and social norms.

Effect of swimming initiation period and continuation frequency on motor competence development in children aged up to 3 years: the Japan environment and children’s study

BackgroundAlthough involvement of toddlers in swimming activities has increased recently, information regarding the impact of swimming during toddlerhood on subsequent child motor competence development is scarce. This study aimed to determine how swimming experience, particularly the timing of initiation and the continuity of swimming activities up to the age of 3 years, affects motor competence development.MethodsThis prospective cohort study included data on children aged 1.5 and 3 years (100,286 mother–child pairs) from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. The outcomes measured were gross and fine motor function, using the Japanese version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (Third edition). We assessed how these functions correlated with the continuous pattern of swimming pool use frequency from age 1 up to 3 years.ResultsThe group that used a swimming pool once a month or more from age 1–1.5 years but stopped from age 2–3 years showed consistently significant negative associations with gross motor development delay (minimum adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.60–0.73) and fine motor development delay (minimum aOR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.58–0.76). The group that continued swimming once a month or more from age 1–3 years showed consistently significant negative associations with gross motor development delay (minimum aOR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.54–0.75) and fine motor development delay (minimum aOR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.31–0.55).ConclusionsThese results suggest that swimming experience starting around age 1 year is positively associated with gross and fine motor function development. The beneficial impact on gross motor function persisted from age 1–3 years. In contrast, the effects on fine motor function were not evident until age ≥ 2.5 years after starting swimming at approximately age 1 year. These findings underscore the potential benefits of early swimming experiences in enhancing overall motor skills development during early childhood.