Parental Investment Research Articles

Maternal investment, body condition and calf growth in humpback whales.

Given recent declines in North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) reproductive output and calf survival, there is additional urgency to better understand how mother-calf pairs allocate energy resources across their migratory cycle. Here, unoccupied aerial system (UAS; or drone) photogrammetry was used to quantify the body size and condition (BC) of humpback whales on their Hawai'i (HI) breeding and Southeast Alaska (SEAK) feeding grounds. Between 2018 and 2022, we collected 2410 measurements of 1659 individuals. Rates of change in body volume (BV) and length (BL) were quantified using 803 repeat measurements of 275 individuals. On average, HI mothers lost 0.106m3 or 96.84kgday-1 while fasting, equivalent to 2641MJday-1 or 830kg of krill and 424kg of Pacific herring daily. HI calf BV and BL increased by 0.035m3 and 2.6cmday-1, respectively. In SEAK, maternal BV increased by 0.015m3 or 14.54kgday-1 (367MJday-1), while calf BV and BL increased by 0.039m3 and 0.93cmday-1, respectively. Maternal investment in calf growth correlated with both female BL and BC, with larger females producing larger, faster-growing calves. Finally, using 330 measurements from 156 females, we quantified differences in BC increase over four feeding seasons. Lactating females exhibited an average BC increase of 6.10%, half that of unclassified females (13.51%) and six times lower than pregnant females (37%). These findings represent novel insights into the life history of humpback whales across their migratory cycle, providing key baseline data for bioenergetic models elucidating the effects of anthropogenic disturbance and rapidly changing ocean ecosystems. KEY POINTS: On average, Hawai'i (HI) mothers lost 0.106m3 or 96.84kgday-1, equivalent to 2641MJday-1. Over a 60day period, this corresponded to an estimated mean energetic cost of 158GJ, or ≈50tons of krill or ≈25tons of Pacific herring, surpassing the total energetic cost of gestation estimated for humpback whales of similar length. In Southeast Alaska (SEAK), maternal body volume (BV) increased by just 0.015m3 or 14.54kgday-1 (367MJday-1). Further, SEAK lactating females showed the slowest rates of growth in body width and condition over a 150day period compared to non-lactating females. Maternal investment in calf growth correlated with both maternal length and body condition, with larger females producing larger, faster-growing calves. In HI, however, the ratio between maternal BV lost and calf BV gained (conversion efficiency) was relatively low compared to other mammals.

Sex-Specific Variation in Foraging Behavior is Related to Telomere Length in a Long-Lived Seabird.

Foraging during breeding is a demanding activity linked to breeding investment and possibly constrained by individual quality. Telomere length, the protective nucleoproteins located at the ends of the chromosomes, is considered a trait reflecting somatic maintenance and individual quality. Therefore, foraging effort and parental investment may be positively related to telomere length, if individuals with longer telomeres are of better quality and thus able to maintain better body condition and allocate more resources to parental activities. In the brown booby (Sula leucogaster), we investigated if telomere length is related to body mass (a proxy of condition) and whether variation in foraging behavior and provisioning effort is related to telomere length or body mass. Then, we explored whether variation in foraging and provisioning influences the chick mass growth rate. In 34 pairs nesting in Isla de San Jorge, in the Gulf of California, México, we sampled their blood to estimate telomere length, measured their body mass, and for 10 days, recorded their foraging behavior via global positioning system (GPS) loggers and their chick provisioning rate and chicks' mass growth rate. We found a positive relationship between parents' body mass and telomere length. Body mass did not affect foraging behavior. Females with longer telomeres were more prone to travel longer distances toward offshore and deeper waters than females with shorter telomeres. In contrast, males with longer telomere lengths performed more nearshore foraging trips than males with shorter telomeres. The chick provisioning rate was unrelated to telomere length or body mass, but females fed the chick at a rate 2.4 times greater than males. Females' offshore foraging, but not males', was positively related to chick mass growth rate. Our results suggest that individual quality, indicated by telomere length, is an important driver of sex-specific, between-individual variation in foraging behavior, indirectly affecting offspring condition.

L’accompagnement de la relation mère-enfant lors d’un déni de grossesse total: point de vue des sages-femmes

Objectives: Total pregnancy denial is a phenomenon where the woman does not recognize her pregnancy until a late stage, sometimes just before childbirth. These complex situations raise many questions about the support of the mother-child dyad. This qualitative study aims to describe the experiences and strategies of midwives when dealing with cases of total pregnancy denial, as well as the relational dynamics within these particular dyads, in order to identify avenues for appropriate care.Methodology: Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with midwives practicing in Île-de-France (hospital, private practice, home hospitalization, and maternal and child protection services). The data were analyzed using grounded theory with the help of the Quirkos software.Results: The midwives' experiences show that the mother-child relationship evolves favorably in most cases, even in anonymous childbirth situations. The results are organized into several themes: the description of the mother-child relationship, the proposed care approaches, and the midwives' experiences. For the first theme, five sub-themes emerged: maternal investment, psychological ambivalence, childbirth circumstances, the influence of the social environment, and maternal guilt. The second theme highlights the importance of multidisciplinary and personalized support, respecting the pace of the dyad.Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of not stigmatizing women in total pregnancy denial when establishing the mother-child bond. A personalized and gradual care approach, based on empathetic, non-judgmental, and multidisciplinary support, fosters the mother-child bond.

The Structure of Child Adoption Based on the Relationship Between Adoptive Parents and Adoptive Children in Finland

AbstractHumans, like many other primates, possess the ability to adopt, and the practice of child adoption exists across human societies. It is well-known that there are three distinct categories of child adoption—kin adoption (i.e., when a relative adopts a child), intrafamilial adoption (i.e., when a stepparent adopts a child) and stranger adoption (i.e. when a child is unrelated to the adoptive parents). However, there is a lack of studies providing exact information on the relationship between adoptive parents and children. We calculated the relative frequencies of the adoption types using high-quality register data covering all child adoptions in Finland between 1999 and 2021 (n = 7422). Stranger adoption was the most common category of child adoption, followed by intrafamilial adoption, with kin adoption being the least frequent. Among stranger adoptions, it was found that single females were more likely to become adoptive parents than single males. In intrafamilial adoptions, stepfathers were more frequently adoptive parents than stepmothers, and female same-sex couples were more likely to be adoptive parents than male same-sex couples. In the case of kin adoptions, grandparents were the most common adoptive parents, followed by aunts and uncles. Maternal kin were more likely to become adoptive parents than paternal kin. The findings are discussed regarding evolutionary theories on parental investment and substitute parenting.

Single Parent Responsibilities and Efforts to Children Education: Analysis of Physical, Intellectual and Spiritual

Single Parent Responsibilities and Efforts to Children Education: Analysis of Physical, Intellectual and Spiritual

Environmental drivers of vigilance behaviour in painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) nesting colonies

Vigilance in animals, crucial for predator detection, impacts survival and reproduction by diverting time from activities like foraging and mating. Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), a colonially nesting bird, experiences disturbances from avian predators and human presence while nesting in colonies across varied habitats in India. We measured environmental vigilance behaviour at two diverse types of nesting sites in North India, the National Zoological Park and Keoladeo National Park. We studied the study role of several variables viz. sex, nestling age, number of neighbours, number of visitors, and other variables on vigilance, by camera techniques. Our findings revealed significant sex-based differences, with males being more vigilant than females, likely due to their roles in territoriality, mate guarding, and nest protection. Parental vigilance increased as nestlings aged, underscoring its importance as parental investment. Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) indicated that number of visitors, number of neighbours, and other habitat variables significantly affected vigilance behaviour. Painted Storks at the National Zoological Park displayed higher vigilance than Storks in Keoladeo National Park, attributed to site specific variables.

Senior-secondary vocational tracking and socio-economic inequality in student educational performance: evidence from the Taiwan Education Panel Survey

ABSTRACT Engaged in longstanding debates over the impacts of education tracking on educational inequality, this paper aims to examine whether senior-secondary vocational tracking has contributed to socio-economic inequality in student educational performance in Taiwan. Furthermore, this paper goes one step further to compare if there is any difference between education tracks in the level of socio-economic inequality in student performance. Methodologically, ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regressions, together with bootstrapped Sobel tests, are adopted to study the research questions, based on the data derived from the Taiwan Education Panel Survey (TEPS). This paper finds that vocational tracking could reinforce the influence of family socio-economic backgrounds and contribute to socio-economic inequality in student performance. In addition, compared to the vocational track, family socio-economic backgrounds are found to have larger impacts in determining student performance in the academic track. Such a track difference might be partially explained by the divergent pattern of parenting practices between tracks, including parent discipline and parental investment in private tutoring. To reduce socio-economic inequality in student performance, this paper proposes several policy suggestions that are tailored to the different circumstances of the two education tracks of Taiwan’s senior-secondary education system.

Exploring the gender gap in noncognitive abilities: the role of parental investment in preschool girls’ outperformance over boys in China

ABSTRACT This study examines gender disparities in noncognitive abilities among preschool children in mainland China, focusing on the role of parental investment. Using data from a large-scale survey, we find that girls consistently outperform boys in noncognitive abilities, particularly among low-income families. Our analysis shows that a level difference in nonfinancial parental investment, with boys receiving less, accounts for girls’ superior noncognitive abilities. Moreover, we find a return difference in some dimensions of nonfinancial investment, with boys benefiting more than girls do, which suggests that enhancing this investment may narrow the gender gap. However, we find neither level differences nor return differences in financial parental investment, which cannot explain the gender disparity in noncognitive abilities. These findings indicate that enhancing nonfinancial parental investment can effectively narrow the gender gap in noncognitive abilities during early childhood, especially for children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

The fall and rise of parental financial investments during the COVID‐19 pandemic

AbstractObjectiveThis research note investigates changes in American parents' financial investments in children during the COVID‐19 pandemic, as well as whether and how changes in parents' spending varied based on parental education.BackgroundParents purchase goods, experiences, and services that shape children's human capital and life chances. Socioeconomic differences in parental expenditures on children represent an important pathway for perpetuating inequality across generations. The COVID‐19 pandemic disrupted children's lives in ways that may have changed these levels of investment.MethodThe 2015–2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) is used to describe spending on five key categories of investments in children's human capital (educational spending, extracurricular activities and lessons, computers and tablets, formal childcare, informal childcare) overall and by parental education. Mediation analysis assesses the extent school closures explain these changes.ResultsChildcare and extracurricular expenditures initially decreased significantly and then gradually recovered to pre‐pandemic levels by the end of 2021. Cutbacks were primarily among more educated families. However, spending on schooling increased in 2021 and computer and tablet purchases spiked in 2020, particularly among more educated families. Mediation analysis suggests that when expenditures were most affected by the pandemic (in 2020), school closures explained 50%–70% of those changes.ConclusionThis note provides evidence that during the pandemic socioeconomic inequalities in child‐related spending decreased in some categories of spending (e.g., childcare and extracurriculars) and increased in others (e.g., computers and tablets). Many changes appeared short‐term, but changes in education point to possible longer‐term shifts in parents' preferences about children's educational environments.

Impact of fundamentalism on human capital, women's social status and demographics: Evidence from Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq

I analyze the impact of the religious fundamentalists’ rule on regional human capital development and women's social status by exploiting the unexpected rise and fall of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in northwestern Iraq (2014∼2017). I find a large downward impact of exposure to ISIS rule on female human capital and an upward one on fertility rate for women who were school-aged at the time of ISIS occupation. These women express more patriarchal family norms and are more likely to belong to a polygamous union, implying a decline in women's social status. This decline in human capital and the rise of patriarchal family norms doesn't cause a significant negative impact on the development of their pre-school-aged children, possibly implying that these women didn't decrease parenting effort for their children. In summary, even a brief period of extremist rule has potentially large impacts on human capital development and culture.

Psychoeducation: Impact of Gadget Use on Early Childhood at PAUD TKM Al-Khoiriyah

This research aims to increase parents’ comprehension of the influence of gadget use on early development by providing psychoeducation to parents of TKM Al-Khoiriyah students. This study uses quantitative research methods with experimental techniques to view the differences in parental knowledge before and after psychoeducation is conducted. Data collection was done using a questionnaire of parents’ knowledge and efforts regarding the use of gadgets in preschool children. This instrument consists of five dimensions including 1) early childhood growth and development, 2) Screen time in children, 3) positive impact on gadget use, 4) negative impact of gadget use, 5) parental efforts in overcoming gadget use in children. Data analysis was carried out using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tail. The results of the analysis stated that there were differences in knowledge among mothers after psychoeducation on the impact of gadget use on early childhood. The probability value shows that the p-value is 0.017 (p < 0.05). Keywords: psychoeducation, gadget, early childhood

Public and Parental Investments, and Children’s Skill Formation

Public and Parental Investments, and Children’s Skill Formation

Breeding zebra finches prioritize reproductive bout over self-maintenance under food restriction.

Reproduction requires high amounts of energy, and challenging environments during breeding can force parents to prioritize their current reproductive bout over self-maintenance or vice versa. However, little is known about how common stressors, such as food restriction, can influence these trade-offs during breeding, and the physiological mechanisms for these trade-off decisions. In this study, adult zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis) were subjected to a control diet (ad libitum) or a 40% food restriction while raising nestlings and fledglings, and we measured body mass, furculum fat, plasma corticosterone (CORT) and blood glucose levels of the parents at the time of pairing, when their offspring fledged, and when their offspring reached nutritional independence. We also measured body mass and growth rate in the offspring from hatching until the end of the treatment period. Food-restricted parents had lower body mass when their offspring fledged and reached nutritional independence and higher baseline CORT when their offspring fledged compared to controls. Offspring did not differ in body mass or growth rate between treatment groups. However, there was no effect of food restriction on parents' furculum fat, baseline glucose, the adrenocortical response, or the glucose response. Furthermore, path analysis results suggest that alterations in baseline glucose is the primary driver of changes in body mass in parents and offspring brood mass. Taken together, these results suggest that food restriction during chick rearing in a short-lived passerine drives parents to prioritize their current reproductive bout over self-maintenance, and glucose could potentially be a mechanism for diverting energy toward parental effort.

Infanticide is driven by unfamiliarity with offspring location and associated with androgenic shifts in mimic poison frogs

Infanticide is widespread across the animal kingdom, but the physiological drivers of infanticide versus care or neglect are relatively unexplored. Here, we identified salient environmental and physiological antecedents of infanticide in the mimic poison frog (Ranitomeya imitator), a biparental amphibian. We explored potential environmental cues influencing infant-directed behavior by evaluating changes in the frequency of food provisioning and tadpole mortality after either cross-fostering tadpoles between family units or displacing tadpoles within the terraria of their parents. We found that changes in offspring location reduce care and increase infanticide. Specifically, parents fed their displaced offspring less and, in some instances, tadpole mortality increased. We also investigated whether care and infanticide were related to changes in steroid hormone concentrations in an unfamiliar setting. Infanticide of fertilized eggs and hatchlings in the new territory included cannibalism and was associated with lower testosterone concentrations, but not with changes in corticosterone. Overall, our results support earlier findings that familiarity with offspring location drives parental investment in poison frogs, while indicating an association between low androgen levels and infanticidal behavior in an amphibian.

Sublethal fungicide-insecticide co-exposure affects nest recognition and parental investment in a solitary bee

Fungicides may interact synergistically with insecticides. However, our understanding of the impacts of sublethal insecticide-fungicide combinations on solitary bees is mostly restricted to laboratory studies, providing no information about potential consequences on behavior and reproductive success. We analyzed the effects of a fungicide application, alone and in combination with sublethal levels of an insecticide, on the nesting behavior and reproductive output of the solitary bee Osmia cornuta. We released individually-marked females into oilseed rape field cages, and subsequently sprayed the plants with four treatments: control (water), fungicide (tebuconazole), insecticide (acetamiprid at a sublethal concentration), and mixture (fungicide + insecticide). We recorded nesting activity before and after the sprays and assessed post-spray individual reproductive success. Bees of the single pesticide treatments were unaffected by the sprays and did not differ from control bees in any of the parameters measured. The longevity of bees of the mixture treatment was unaffected. However, these bees showed reduced foraging activity, shorter in-nest pollen-nectar deposition times, and increased difficulty recognizing their nesting cavity, leading to a decrease in provisioning rate, parental investment, and offspring production. Our study demonstrates that co-exposure to a fungicide with otherwise harmless levels of an insecticide caused behavioral effects with consequences on reproductive success. Because longevity was unaffected, these effects would not have been easily detected in a chronic laboratory test. Our results have important implications for bee risk assessment, which should account for exposure to multiple compounds and address behavioral effects and reproductive output under semi-field and/or field conditions.

Reduction of screen induced myopia by parental interventions

Abstract Background Excessive use of digital devices, including smartphones and tablets, has been shown to increase the risk of myopia in children. Gaps persist in understanding parental attitudes towards handheld screen use and effective interventions guiding eye health policies. This study examined the associations between parental behavior related to myopia and children’s handheld screen use. Methods Data obtained from 395 parents of pre-adolescents (Mean age 10.63; SD 1.09) were used, collected from an online community panel. Parents reported on various behavioral determinants related to myopia and their child’s screen time: knowledge, attitude, risk perception and self-efficacy. They reported on their child’s frequency and amount of screen use. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess associations between variables, using parental efforts to reduce screens as outcome measure. Results Of the 395 participating 9-12 year-olds, 73.4% of the children spent up to two hours a day on recreational handheld screens, 26% more than two hours. Of the parents surveyed, 28.1% perceived the risk of screen-induced myopia as significant, prompting 62.6% of them to take active measures to minimize screen time. The more knowledge parents had on child myopia the more they attempted to reduce screen time (OR = 2.57; 95% CI [1.57-4.19], p = <.001). Moreover, a more negative attitude towards screens was significantly related to attempting to reduce screen time (OR = 1.26; 95% CI[1.17-1.35],p = <.001). Key messages • These findings emphasize a need to address parental knowledge and attitude towards myopia and screen time reduction. • We recommend increasing knowledge, influencing attitude and searching for alternatives as a part of behavioral change strategies.

The Influence of Parental Education Involvement on the Social Development Level of Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Parent-child Relationship

In this study, 302 junior high school students aged 12 to 15 were selected as the research objects to investigate the overall situation of parental education investment, parent-child relationship and social development level of junior high school students. Simultaneously, the relationship between parental education investment and parent-child relationship and adolescent social development level was investigated. The results indicate that significant differences exist in the level of social development between adolescents with high scores and those with low scores. whether it is parental education involvement or parent-child relationship. There is a significant positive correlation between parental education involvement and parent-child relationship, parental education involvement and adolescent social development, parent-child relationship and adolescent social development; among them, parent-child relationship plays a significant mediating role in the path of parental education involvement affecting adolescents ' social development. Therefore, we should increase the participation of parents in education and strengthen the construction of parent-child relationship to promote the social development of adolescents.

Relationship between predation and maternal investment In Curly-Tailed Lizards

The Northern Curly-tailed Lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus armouri) is invasive in Florida, where it has establishedmultiple populations. Like most animals, the species faces various environmental pressures, including predation,which influences reproductive strategies. To test the hypothesis that a correlation exists between predation rates onfemales and offspring-resource allocation, we examined specimens from 11 populations in Florida, assuming that thosewith broken tails had encountered a potential predator. To quantify offspring-resource allocation, we used the numberof ovarian follicles in each female and the ratio of number to average size of the largest follicles. We predicted that thosetraits would differ between lizards with and without broken tails. We did not detect the expected correlation, suggestingthat predation pressure did not affect the number or size of follicles. Consistent with other lizard species, we did findthat larger body size was correlated with a greater number of follicles.

Peran Status Sosial Ekonomi dan Dukungan Orang Tua terhadap Performa Akademik Peserta Didik di SMA Negeri 3 Tondano

This study aims to investigate the role of socioeconomic status and parental support on the academic performance of students at SMA Negeri 3 Tondano. In the context of education, both factors are considered crucial in determining student success. A favorable socioeconomic status often provides greater access to learning resources and educational facilities, while parental support plays an important role in building students' motivation and self-confidence. Through surveys and interviews, this research collected data from students, parents, and teachers. The results indicate that students with higher socioeconomic status tend to have better academic performance; however, emotional and academic support from parents also significantly influences learning outcomes. Therefore, this study recommends the need for policies that enhance parental support and efforts to reduce socioeconomic disparities in order to create a better learning environment for all students.

Views of Peidu: Mothers Accompanying Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disorders to School in China

Abstract Educational opportunities for children with disabilities in China have increased recently, often due to parent efforts. This qualitative study sought to understand the practice of parents (mothers) accompanying their children with autism and other developmental disabilities to school (peidu), providing individualized support in a variety of school settings. Through interviews with parents of 12 children, and four teachers, four themes emerged from data analysis: 1) lack of formal support resources; 2) building relationships with leaders and teachers; 3) mothers as a bridge with other children; and 4) the essential role of managing behavior. This research shows the important role mothers play in securing and maintaining educational opportunities for their children, by going to school with their children (peidu); yet peidu is not a universal or desirable long-term solution. Challenges of effectively supporting students with disabilities in classrooms are not unique to China, and solutions involve and point to the importance of collaboration in education. We conclude with recommendations for supporting parents and teachers, and directions for future research.