Overnight Visits Research Articles

First Overnight Visit: Key West, Florida

First Overnight Visit: Key West, Florida

Decreased nocturnal oxytocin levels in anorexia nervosa are associated with low bone mineral density and fat mass.

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-induced starvation and associated with severe bone and fat loss. Oxytocin is a peptide hormone involved in appetite and energy homeostasis. Recent data show that oxytocin has an anabolic effect on bone and stimulates osteoblast function. There is limited information about oxytocin levels or their relationship to decreased bone mineral density in anorexia nervosa. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between oxytocin levels, bone mineral density, and body composition in women with anorexia nervosa. We studied 36 women, mean ± SEM age 27.6 ± 1.3 years: 17 with DSM-IV anorexia nervosa and 19 healthy controls in a cross-sectional study. Oxytocin levels were determined from pooled serum samples obtained every 20 minutes from 8 pm to 8 am during an inpatient overnight visit. Fasting leptin levels were measured. Bone mineral density at the anterior-posterior and lateral spine and hip and body composition were assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. The study was conducted from September 2004 to June 2008. Subjects with anorexia nervosa versus healthy controls had lower mean ± SEM oxytocin levels (14.3 ± 1.5 vs 31.8 ± 5.1 pg/mL, P = .003), leptin levels (2.7 ± 0.5 vs 11.4 ± 1.1 ng/mL, P < .0001), bone mineral density (anterior-posterior spine: 0.83 ± 0.02 vs 1.04 ± 0.03; lateral spine: 0.63 ± 0.02 vs 0.81 ± 0.02; total hip: 0.79 ± 0.03 vs 0.97 ± 0.03 g/cm², P < .0001), and fat mass (8.8 ± 0.6 vs 19.7 ± 0.9 kg, P < .0001). Oxytocin levels were associated with bone mineral density at the anterior-posterior (r = 0.40, P = .02) and lateral (r = 0.36, P = .04) spine, fat mass (r = 0.42, P = .01), and leptin levels (r = 0.55, P = .001). Overnight secretion of oxytocin in women with anorexia nervosa is decreased compared with healthy women. Low oxytocin levels are associated with decreased bone mineral density and body fat and may contribute to anorexia nervosa-induced bone loss.

The rural-urban divide: health services utilization among older Mexicans in Mexico.

Mexico. Using the health care service utilization model as a framework, this paper will analyze the differences in health care service use among older Mexicans living in urban and rural areas in Mexico. The Mexican Health and Aging Survey (MHAS) data were used to test the applicability of Andersen's "model of health services" of predisposing (ie, age, sex, etc.), enabling (education, insurance coverage, etc.) and need factors (diabetes, hypertension, etc.) to predict ever being in the hospital and physician visits in the past year by place of residence (urban, rural, semi-rural). Results showed that older Mexicans living in the most rural areas (populations of 2,500 or fewer) were significantly less likely to have been hospitalized in the previous year and visited the physician less often (P < .0001) than their urban counterparts. The significant difference in hospitalization between rural and urban residing older Mexicans was largely accounted for by having health care coverage. Certain need factors such as diabetes, previous heart attack, hypertension, depression, and functional limitations predicted frequency of physician visits and hospitalization, but they did not explain variations between rural and urban older Mexicans. Not having insurance coverage was associated with a lower likelihood of spending an overnight visit in the hospital and visiting a physician for older Mexicans. This lower utilization may be due to barriers to access rather than better health.

Decision-Making Criteria in Child Custody Disputes That Involve Requests for Overnight Visits with Infants and Toddlers: Derived from a Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT The court, child custody evaluators, and mediators are often faced with difficult decisions regarding how to best meet the needs of children from families who are involved in child custody disputes. In some cases, the court, child custody evaluators and mediators are asked to make decisions about parenting plans for infants and toddlers. When decision makers are faced with actual cases, they are likely to be assisted by lines of inquiry that help them gather the most relevant data to answer the question at hand. A review of the literature has led to the development of 13 criteria that decision makers can use to reach conclusions about whether overnight visits would be advisable with a given infant or toddler. The criteria are considered neutral and are not based on any bias or preconceived opinion about whether overnights with infants and toddlers are or are not advisable. Instead, the criteria proposed provide the decision-maker with an objective way of structuring their thinking about a particular case to insure that all pertinent information has been considered before reaching a conclusion about whether overnight visitation is in the best interest of a given child.

The Visit

A pregnant ex-lover returns for a visit with her lesbian ex-lover; she comes alone, without her new husband. Through all their differences there remains a deep awareness of the importance of staying present in each other's lives. The overnight visit offers a unique opportunity for the narrator to connect to her ex-lover and the child she is carrying. What transpires is a unique and loving experience that leaves a feeling of wonder and love tinged with longing.

COMMENTARY ON WARSHAK'S “BLANKET RESTRICTIONS: OVERNIGHT CONTACT BETWEEN PARENTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN”

In a previous issue of this journal, Richard A. Warshak provided a summary of the developmental literature as it bears on overnight restrictions during custody arrangements. Here, the authors comment on points of agreement and disagreement with Warshak based on their reading of the theoretical and empirical literature on development. Particular reference is made to Warshak's interpretation of attachment theory and research. Points of agreement include the importance of fathers and all caregivers in the infant/young child's life as well as the overstatement in the literature of the significance of separation experiences and a “sensitive period” for attachment. Points of clear disagreement include what the author contends is an erroneous review of the empirical literature on overnights with other caregivers. Based on their review of the data on overnight visitation, the authors conclude on a more cautious note.

THE DEBATE CONTINUES…OVERNIGHT VISITATION FOR INFANTS:Editor's Note

Family Court ReviewVolume 39, Issue 4 p. 354-354 THE DEBATE CONTINUES…OVERNIGHT VISITATION FOR INFANTS:Editor's Note First published: October 2001 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.174-1617.2001.tb00616.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume39, Issue4October 2001Pages 354-354 RelatedInformation

Grandmothers Providing Care for Grandchildren: Consequences of Various Levels of Caregiving

Grandmothers Providing Care for Grandchildren: Consequences of Various Levels of Caregiving* This article explores the differences between grandmothers who provide different levels of caregiving responsibility for a grandchild. One-hundred and one grandmothers participated in the study: 23 who were providing full-time care for a grandchild, 33 who were providing part-time care for a grandchild, and 45 who visited a grandchild regularly but had no caregiving responsibilih for that grandchild. Results showed that the grandchild's behavior problems made the largest impact on the grandmother increasing her feelings of burden and parenting stress and decreasing her grandparenting satisfaction. In addition, full-time caregiving grandmothers experienced more burden and parenting stress and less grandparenting satisfaction than part-time caregiving grandmothers. Full-time caregiving grandmothers also reported less life satisfaction than other grandmothers in the study. An area that deserves attention in future -tudies is how the relationship with the adult child (the grandchild 's parent) influences the stress& burden, and satisfaction associated with full-time caregiving. Key Words: caregiver burden, family caregiving, grandparenting, grandparents raising grandchildren. In 1997, as many as 5.6% of U.S. children under the age of 18 (approximately 4 million) lived in households headed by their grandparents (Lugaila, 1998). The incidence of this type of household arrangement has increased over the last three decades. In 1970, approximately 3.2% of children under 18, or 2.2 million children, lived in a household headed by a grandparent. By 1980 these numbers had risen to approximately 3.6% of children under 18, or 2.3 million children. These changes represent a 76% increase, over the last 27 years, in the number of children that live in grandparent headed households (Lugaila,1998). Grandparents often provide care and assistance to their grandchildren. This level of assistance can range from providing full custodial care to occasional overnight visits. The reasons for providing care usually vary according to the level of care provided. Some grandparents provide day care for their grandchildren because the mother and father of the child are working full time, because they don't want the child to go to a day care center or sitter's home, and because they want to assist the parents of the child financially (Jendrek, 1994). Other grandparents live with their adult children and grandchildren providing part-time care as a way to help the parents out financially, because the mother of the child is working full time, because it gives them something to do, or because the parents of the child are divorced or were not married when the child was born (Jendrek,1994). Grandparents are sometimes called on to provide full custodial care for their grandchildren. These grandparents are often providing this level of care because their own children (the grandchildren's parents) are no longer capable of providing the necessary parenting. This may be due to the parents having alcohol or drug abuse problems, having mental or emotional problems, neglecting or abusing the children, going through a divorce, losing their job, needing child care, going to jail, or even dying (Burton, 1992; Creighton, 1991; Hayslip, Shore, Henderson, & Lambert, 1998; Jendrek, 1994; Larsen, 1991; Minkler & Roe, 1993; Minkler, Roe, & Price, 1992; Shore, 1990). Research has shown that grandparents do not choose to take on the full-time care of their grandchildren (Albrecht, 1954; Cherlin & Furstenberg, 1986; Hayslip et al., 1998; Jendrek, 1994; Thomas, 1986a; Thomas, 1986b; Timberlake, 1981; Troll, 1983). However, when the grandchild's home circumstances become troubled, grandparents are often the ones that step in to assist. In many cases this is a last resort option occurring after the circumstances in the grandchild's home have deteriorated to the point that the state has required an out-of-home placement for the child (McAdoo, 1990). …

Tourism and advertising: Evidence from Virginia beach

In recent years, the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been spending more than two million dollars per year to promote tourism for the city. However, very little is known about the effects of such advertising on overnight visitors. On the basis of a survey of 1,200 overnight visitors during the summer of 1991, this study estimates the effect on tourism and the subsequent fiscal effect of tourism advertising expenditures. The study also calculates a rate of return from advertising from the perspective of a governmental revenue maximization objective function. This paper develops a travel cost model of the impact of advertising on overnight visitation to the city. The model provides, ceteris paribus, that advertising expenditures of 2.4 million dollars in 1991 resulted in an estimated 600,000 additional visitors. The paper concludes that if the City's objective is to maximize public profit, then it should expand its advertising budget.

The effects on attachment of overnight visitation in divorced and separated families

To evaluate the effects of maternal lead exposure during pregnancy on toddler cognitive development and the potential effect modification by maternal stress.We conducted a prospective birth-cohort study in Shanghai from 2010 to 2012 and investigated 225 mother-infant pairs. The mothers were recruited in mid-to-late pregnancy and children were followed up until 24–36 months old. A self-administered Symptom Checklist-90-Revised Scale (SCL-90-R) was used to assess maternal emotional stress during pregnancy. Maternal whole blood lead levels were measured during gestational weeks 28–36. The toddlers’ cognitive levels were assessed using the Gesell Development Scale. Multiple linear regression models were established to explore the main effects of prenatal lead exposure on toddlers’ cognitive abilities and the modifying effects of maternal stress. Covariate information was collected through interviews, questionnaires and medical records.The mean maternal blood lead concentration was 3.30 (95%CI: 3.05, 3.57) μg/dL. After adjusting for relevant confounders, no significant associations of maternal blood lead concentrations with toddlers' cognitive levels were observed in all five domains of the Gesell scale (P > 0.05). However, the interaction between prenatal maternal blood lead and stress was significant in the domains of adaptive behavior, language and social behavior. When stratified by maternal stress levels, compared with non-significant associations (P > 0.05) among low (P1-P75) prenatal stress group, adverse associations between maternal blood lead concentrations (log10-transformed) and toddlers’ cognitive levels were observed among high (P75-P100) prenatal stress group in the domains of language (β = −33.82, 95%CI: −60.04, −7.59), social behavior (β = −41.00, 95%CI: −63.11, −18.89) and adaptive behavior (β = −17.93, 95%CI: −35.83, −0.03).Prenatal maternal stress may exacerbate the deleterious effects of prenatal exposure to lead on toddler cognitive development.

Bioactivity of beaver castoreum constituents using principal components analysis

North American beaver (Castor canadensis) were observed to sniff from the water and make land visits to some synthetic chemical components of castoreum placed on experimental scent mounds (ESM). In previous analysis, the elicitation (presence/absence), completeness, and/or strength (number, duration) of these key responses served as separate measures of biological activity. In this paper, we used principal components analysis (PCA) to combine linearly six related measures of observed response and one index of overnight visitation calculated over all trials. The first principal component accounted for a majority of the variation and allowed ranking of the samples based on their composite bioactivity. A second PCA, based only on response trials (excluding trials with no responses), showed that responses to the synthetic samples, once elicited, did not vary greatly in completeness or strength. None of the samples evoked responses as complete or strong as the castoreum control. Castoreum also elicited more multiple land visits (repeated visits to the ESM by the same individual or by more than one family member) than the synthetic samples, indicating that an understanding of the castoreum chemosignal requires consideration of responses by the family unit, and not just the land visit by the initial responder.

Child sexual abuse by uncles: A risk assessment

Using a sample of 982 mothers who reported on child care and living arrangements involving uncles, and case records documenting the sexual abuse of 171 children by 148 uncles, this study examined the ways uncles ordinarily become involved with children, the conditions under which that involvement becomes associated with sexual abuse, and the role gender plays in this dysfunction. Among the findings, it was noted that although aunts were responsible for 28 times more child care than uncles, uncles were responsible for 48 times more child sexual abuse. Although female children do not have more exposure to uncles than do males, they appeared four times more likely to be victimized. About 19% of the abusive uncles lived with the children they abused, and most of the remainder came into contact with them as child care providers or during overnight visits. Implications for practice are discussed.