South African Mothers Research Articles

Economic Status, Community Danger and Psychological Problems among South African Children.

An extensive literature links community violence and poverty in the US to psychological difficulties in children. To test the cross-national generalizability of these relationships, 625 young, South African mothers residing in black townships with different levels of community danger and material hardship rated their 6-year-olds on emotional functioning and behavioral problems. Most mothers were African, employed and of low educational attainment. Community danger was confirmed as a risk factor for anxiety, depression, aggression, opposition and low affability in children. A composite measure of socioeconomic status as indexed by education and job status was unrelated to behavioral and emotional adjustment. However, children experiencing material hardship had fewer problems related to behavioral self-control than children in families with greater access to material resources.

Predicting perinatal human immunodeficiency virus infection by antibody patterns

The evolution of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) antibody titers determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay between birth and 18 months of age was investigated in 118 babies born to HIV-1-seropositive South African mothers. By 18 months 41 (34.7%) children were diagnosed as HIV-1-infected by standard criteria. All 77 uninfected babies cleared maternal antibodies by 15 months; 94.5% of these babies seroreverted by 12 months. By 9 months of age a significant difference (P < 0.05) was noted between antibody decay rates in infected and uninfected children. Of the children subsequently shown to be uninfected, 95.8% demonstrated > or = 50% decay in antibody titers between 6 and 9 months; only 1 in the infected group showed a similar pattern (sensitivity, 97.8%; specificity, 93.8%). The approach of assessing the progression of antibody decay in infected and uninfected babies makes it a feasible and useful tool for estimating vertical transmission rates and diagnosis of perinatal HIV-1 infection earlier than standard practice.

Cradling and Transport of Infants by South African Mothers: A Cross-Cultural Study

Cradling and Transport of Infants by South African Mothers: A Cross-Cultural Study

On Child Transport in Sri Lanka

Previous articleNext article No AccessDiscussion and CriticismOn Child Transport in Sri LankaJan WindJan Wind Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Current Anthropology Volume 23, Number 3Jun., 1982 Sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/202847 Views: 2Total views on this site Citations: 2Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1982 The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological ResearchPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:L.J. Harris Babes in Arms: Studies in Laterality, (Jan 2007): 83–113.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012373734-2/50008-X Michael M. Saling , and Wendy-Lynne Cooke Cradling and Transport of Infants by South African Mothers: A Cross-Cultural Study, Current Anthropology 25, no.33 (Oct 2015): 333–335.https://doi.org/10.1086/203140

Racial and Environmental Influences on Fetal Lung Maturation

Claims that fetal lung maturation is more rapid in blacks than in whites were investigated. Histologic measurements of lung maturation and the frequency of hyaline membrane disease were compared in four groups of Neonates: 490 South African blacks, 841 Ethiopians, 767 US blacks, and 560 US whites. Lungs matured much more rapidly in the Ethiopian and more slowly in the South African than in the US fetuses. The rate of maturation was about the same in the US blacks and whites. Hyaline membrane disease was more frequent in the South Africans and less frequent in the Ethiopians than in either US group. Environmental factors in the mother may explain some of these differences. Lungs matured more rapidly in the fetuses of cigarette smokers than in fetuses of nonsmokers. Half of the US mothers but almost none of the South African mothers smoked during pregnancy. The rate of lung maturation had an inverse correlation with maternal body weights. The South African women were heavier and the Ethiopians lighter than women in the United States.

Multidimensional Locus of Control Beliefs among English-Speaking South African Mothers

Multidimensional Locus of Control Beliefs among English-Speaking South African Mothers

The composition of breast milk of south African Bantu mothers

Two hundred and sixty-six samples of breast milk mainly from urban South African Bantu mothers have been analysed. In respect of total solids, ash, protein, fat, lactose, calcium and phosphorus, it has been found that mean valyes closely approximate to corresponding means given for the milks of British and American mothers. The composition of the milks does not appear to be influencd by the tribal group of the mothers, by their habitual diet (largely composed of maize, bread, legumes), nor by their nutritional state. Their capacity to breast-feed is almost invariable, moreover, impressions suggest that the yield is satisfactory at least for the first 6 months. It is submitted that either the rôle of diet in lactation is over-emphasized, or that the body has a greater capacity to adapt itself to an inferior diet than is usually accepted.