Longitudinal Study Of Development Research Articles

Can this data be saved? Techniques for high motion in resting state scans of first grade children

Motion remains a significant technical hurdle in fMRI studies of young children. Our aim was to develop a straightforward and effective method for obtaining and preprocessing resting state data from a high-motion pediatric cohort. This approach combines real-time monitoring of head motion with a preprocessing pipeline that uses volume censoring and concatenation alongside independent component analysis based denoising. We evaluated this method using a sample of 108 first grade children (age 6–8) enrolled in a longitudinal study of math development. Data quality was assessed by analyzing the correlation between participant head motion and two key metrics for resting state data, temporal signal-to-noise and functional connectivity. These correlations should be minimal in the absence of noise-related artifacts. We compared these data quality indicators using several censoring thresholds to determine the necessary degree of censoring. Volume censoring was highly effective at removing motion-corrupted volumes and ICA denoising removed much of the remaining motion artifact. With the censoring threshold set to exclude volumes that exceeded a framewise displacement of 0.3 mm, preprocessed data met rigorous standards for data quality while retaining a large majority of subjects (83 % of participants). Overall, results show it is possible to obtain usable resting-state data despite extreme motion in a group of young, untrained subjects.

Paternity leave, family dynamics, and children's behavior in Singapore

AbstractObjectiveConduct the first empirical study to examine whether a father taking paternity leave is related to children's social–emotional development in Asia and the extent to which family dynamics mediate this relationship.BackgroundThe provision of paid paternity leave in Asia is relatively recent compared to many western societies. The impact of this policy on family dynamics and children's well‐being in Asia, where patriarchal ideology is more prevalent and women's labor force participation is high, is understudied. This study investigates this relationship in Singapore where government‐paid paternity leave was initiated in 2013.MethodThis study uses data from the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study which consists of 3895 children aged under 7. Multivariate regressions and propensity score matching analyses are conducted to assess the relationships between paternity leave‐taking, family dynamics, and children's behavioral outcomes. The KHB method is used to test the mediation effects of family dynamics.ResultsA 2‐week or longer paternity leave is significantly associated with lower family conflicts, mothers' parenting aggravation, higher marital satisfaction, fathers' involvement, and closer father–child relations. Paternity leave‐taking, mediated through positive family dynamics, is significantly associated with lower behavior problems in children.ConclusionRelatively short paternity leave (2 weeks) can benefit both family dynamics and children's social–emotional outcomes. These results have implications for policies that aim to enhance work‐family life balance and gender equality in society.

Prediction of gender from longitudinal MRI data via deep learning on adolescent data reveals unique patterns associated with brain structure and change over a two-year period

Deep learning algorithms for predicting neuroimaging data have shown considerable promise in various applications. Prior work has demonstrated that deep learning models that take advantage of the data's 3D structure can outperform standard machine learning on several learning tasks. However, most prior research in this area has focused on neuroimaging data from adults. Within the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) dataset, a large longitudinal development study, we examine structural MRI data to predict gender and identify gender-related changes in brain structure. Results demonstrate that gender prediction accuracy is exceptionally high (>97%) with training epochs > 200 and that this accuracy increases with age. Brain regions identified as the most discriminative in the task under study include predominantly frontal areas and the temporal lobe. When evaluating gender predictive changes specific to a two-year increase in age, a broader set of visual, cingulate, and insular regions are revealed. Our findings show a robust gender-related structural brain change pattern, even over a small age range. This suggests that it might be possible to study how the brain changes during adolescence by looking at how these changes are related to different behavioral and environmental factors.

Maternal-prenatal stress and depression predict infant temperament during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers have begun to examine the psychological toll of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Data are now emerging indicating that there may be long-term adverse effects of the pandemic on new mothers and on children born during this period. In a longitudinal study of maternal mental health and child emotional development during the pandemic, we conducted online assessments of a cohort of women at two time points: when they were pregnant at the beginning of the surge of the pandemic in the United States (baseline, N = 725), and approximately 1 year postpartum (follow-up, N = 296), examining prenatal and postnatal maternal mental health, prenatal pandemic-related stress, and infant temperament. Pandemic-related stress at baseline was associated with concurrent depressive symptoms and infant negative affect at follow-up. Baseline maternal depressive symptoms were associated with follow-up depressive symptoms, which in turn were also associated with infant negative affect. Pandemic-related stress during pregnancy may have enduring effects on infant temperament. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the emotional development of children who were in utero during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Four-Year Longitudinal Study of Self-Authorship Development: Evidence from the Wabash National Study

This descriptive qualitative study used longitudinal data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education to examine patterns in the development of self-authorship among the 175 undergraduate college students who participated in both the first and fourth years of the study. We found that the meaning making of 81% of the participants became more complex during college, developing from using Solely External meaning making to Crossroads meaning making by their fourth year of college. Although most experienced modest or moderate development, small groups of students experienced substantial development, no change, and even regression to less complex ways of making meaning. Differences by race/ethnicity and gender were also found in the extent of change over time. This distinctive database of longitudinal interviews revealed important differences in the direction and extent of change in students’ self- authoring capacities during college and pointed toward future areas of inquiry to help educators work more effectively with college students.

Strengthening associations between psychotic like experiences and suicidal ideation and behavior across middle childhood and early adolescence.

Understanding risk factors related to suicidal ideation (SI) and suicidal behaviors (SB) in youth is important for informing prevention and intervention efforts. While it appears that psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are strongly associated with both SI and SB at different points across the lifespan, the longitudinal nature of this relationship in middle childhood and early adolescence is understudied. The study used the unique longitudinal Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study data. Mixed effects linear models examined associations between PLEs and SI and SB over time using three time points of data from ages 9-13. First, analyses indicated that endorsement of SI and SB increased as youth grew older for those with increased distressing PLEs. Analyses found evidence of bidirectional relationships between PLEs with SI and SB, with evidence that PLEs at baseline were associated with worsening SI and SB over time, including a transition from SI to SB (β = 0.032, FDRp = 0.002). Exploratory analyses showed consistent evidence for strengthened associations over time for higher delusional ideation with both SI and SB (βs > 0.04, FDRps < 0.001), and for perceptual distortions with SB (βs = 0.046, FDRp < 0.001). When accounting for general psychopathology, for SB, the strengthened associations over time was significantly stronger for PLEs (β = 0.053, FDRp < 0.001) compared to general psychopathology (β = 0.022, FDRp = 0.01). The present study indicates both SI and SB show strengthened associations with PLEs over time, and that baseline PLEs may predict worsening of suicidality over time. The findings are important clarifications about the nature of the associations between youth-reported PLEs and suicidality over time.

The relevance of perceived work environment and work activities for personality trajectories in midlife.

Work is an important developmental context in adulthood, yet little is known about how it contributes to personality trajectories in midlife. The present study examines how subjectively perceived work environment (autonomy, innovation, social integration, stress) and objectively measured work activities (activities related to information and people, physical/manual activities) are related to levels of Big Five personality traits at age 44 and to change over 20 years. We analyzed four-wave longitudinal data from N=374 participants (born 1950-1952; Mage T1=44 years, SD=1; 44% women) from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development and Aging (ILSE) within the structural equation modeling framework. At baseline, subjective perceptions of work environments showed a higher number of significant associations with personality than objective work activities. Over time, small declines in neuroticism and extraversion and small increases in agreeableness and conscientiousness were observed, which were largely independent of work characteristics. Our findings show slight changes in most Big Five traits from age 44 to 64, which were mostly unrelated to work characteristics. More research is needed to uncover the sources and dynamics of personality trait change in midlife and the role of work for personality trajectories.

The AIMS home-video method: parental experiences and appraisal for use in neonatal follow-up clinics

BackgroundIn The Netherlands, prematurely born infants and their parents are offered regular developmental check-ups in a hospital setting. In line with providing healthcare at distance, the use of video footage showing the infant’s behavior and movements, taken by parents at home and assessed by professionals online, might be a fruitful future practice. The focus of this study was to gain insight into parental experiences with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale home-video method and their appraisal of its applicability for use in an outpatient neonatal follow-up clinic.MethodA qualitative descriptive study among parents of healthy extremely or very premature infants (GA 26.2–31.5 weeks) participating in a longitudinal study of motor development between 3–18 months corrected age. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Data was analyzed independently. Inductive content analysis was performed following the process of the AIMS home-video method.ResultsParents appraised the AIMS home-video method as manageable and fun to do. Instructions, instruction film, and checklists were clear. Transferring the video footage from their phone to their computer and uploading it to the web portal was sometimes time-consuming. Parents gained a better awareness of their infant’s motor development and found the provided feedback a confirmation of what they already thought about their infant’s development and was reassuring that their child was doing well. First-time parents seemed more uncertain and had a greater need for information about (motor) development, but on the other hand, also had confidence in their child.All parents thought that home-videos can be an addition to follow-up visits, but cannot replace (all) visits. It may be an opportunity to reduce the frequency of hospital visits, while still having their infant monitored.ConclusionParents appraised the AIMS home-video method positively and are of the opinion that home-videos can be of added value in monitoring infants at risk in neonatal follow-up additional to hospital visits. In future research a user-friendly application and/or platform to exchange video footage safely between parents and professionals should be developed with all possible stakeholders involved and implementation should be explored.

COVID-19 in the context of pregnancy, infancy and parenting (CoCoPIP) study: protocol for a longitudinal study of parental mental health, social interactions, physical growth and cognitive development of infants during the pandemic

IntroductionWhile the secondary impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological well-being of pregnant women and parents has become apparent over the past year, the impact of these changes on...

Identifying predictors of self-perceptions of aging based on a range of cognitive, physical, and mental health indicators: Twenty-year longitudinal findings from the ILSE study.

Research exploring whether health predicts self-perceptions of aging (SPA) has mostly focused on single predictors and has been hampered by short observational intervals. We examined whether 20-year changes in cognitive functioning, physical and mental health predict SPA. We used data of 103 German participants who remained of a sample of 500 participants born in 1930-1932 enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development (ILSE) in 1993/1996 (mean age at fourth measurement wave = 82.5 years). Health indicators included six cognitive tests, objective and subjective physical health, and self-reported depression. We used a new and multidimensional (awareness of age-related gains and losses) and a well-established (attitudes toward own aging) measure of SPA. Linear regression analyses showed that, among the cognitive tests, decline in information processing speed (Digit Symbol) predicted less awareness of age-related gains and more awareness of age-related losses but not attitudes toward own aging. Decline in subjective but not objective physical health, predicted more awareness of age-related losses and negative attitudes toward own aging, but not awareness of age-related gains. Increase in depressive symptoms predicted more awareness of age-related losses and negative attitudes toward own aging, but not awareness of age-related gains. The size of associations suggests that objective cognitive decline has limited influence on older adults' SPA and, if so, only when the decline is related to mental slowing. Similarly, perceived physical and mental health, but not objective health, have a small-to-moderate influence on awareness of age-related losses and attitudes toward own aging. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

A Mouse Model of Endometriosis with Nanoparticle Labeling for In Vivo Photoacoustic Imaging.

Endometriosis is a condition of the female reproductive tract characterized by endometrium-like tissue growing outside the uterus. Though it is a common cause of pelvic pain and infertility, there is currently no reliable noninvasive method to diagnose the presence of endometriosis without surgery, and the pathophysiological mechanisms that lead to the occurrence of symptoms require further inquiry. Due to patient heterogeneity and delayed diagnosis, animal models are commonly used to study the development of endometriosis, but these are costly due to the large number of animals needed to test various treatments and experimental conditions at multiple endpoints. Here, we describe a method for synthesis of multimodal imaging gold-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) nanoparticles with preclinical application via induction of nanoparticle-labeled endometriosis-like lesions in mice. Labeling donor endometrial tissue fragments with gold-FITC nanoparticles prior to induction of endometriosis in recipients enables in vivo detection of the gold-labeled lesions with photoacoustic imaging. The same imaging method can be used to visualize embryos noninvasively in pregnant mice. Furthermore, the conjugated FITC dye on the gold nanoparticles allows easy isolation of labeled lesion tissue under a fluorescence dissection microscope. After dissection, the presence of gold-FITC nanoparticles and endometrium-like histology of lesions can be verified through fluorescence imaging, gold enhancement, and immunostaining. This method for in vivo imaging of endometriosis-like lesions and fluorescence-guided dissection will permit new experimental possibilities for the longitudinal study of endometriosis development and progression as well as endometriosis-related infertility.

Kaitiakitanga – principles for protecting and promoting tamariki and rangatahi wellbeing in Growing Up in New Zealand

ABSTRACT Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) is the largest contemporary longitudinal study of child development in Aotearoa New Zealand. The aim of the study was to recruit a large, socioeconomically and ethnically diverse cohort of children, with successful recruitment of 1246 pregnant Māori women. This paper describes the development and operationalisation of the GUiNZ Kaitiaki principles which provide a framework for ensuring that Māori rights and aspirations for research and policy development are upheld as part of the study. We also consider how the Kaitiaki principles might inform the next phase of GUiNZ, particularly with respect to the potential guardianship role that rangatahi (young people) should have as their contribution to the study expands. Finally, this commentary seeks to highlight the significant opportunities that Māori values and philosophies bring to longitudinal research in Aotearoa including through strengthening our connections with whānau and Maori communities.

A longitudinal pathway from ethnic-racial discrimination to sexual risk behaviors among Black women and Latinas: Ethnic-racial identity exploration as a protective factor

BackgroundBlack women and Latinas in their thirties continue to be at risk for HIV transmission via heterosexual intercourse. MethodsInformed by the Theory of Gender and Power, this study investigated a longitudinal path model linking experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination in late adolescence to sexual risk behaviors in adulthood among 492 Black women and Latinas. We also tested whether ethnic-racial identity exploration served as a resilience asset protecting women against the psychological impact of ethnic-racial discrimination. Survey data from female participants in the Harlem Longitudinal Development Study, which has followed a cohort of New York City Black and Latinx youth since 1990, were analyzed. Data for this analysis were collected at four time points when participants were on average 19, 24, 29, and 32 years of age. Structural equation modeling was used to examine a hypothesized pathway from earlier ethnic-racial discrimination to later sexual risk behaviors and the protective role of ethnic-racial identity exploration. ResultsResults confirmed that ethnic-racial discrimination in late adolescence was linked with sexual risk behaviors in the early thirties via increased levels of affective distress in emerging adulthood, experiences of victimization in young adulthood, and substance use in the early thirties among women low in ethnic-racial identity exploration. We also found that ethnic-racial identity served as a resilience asset, as the association between discrimination in late adolescence and affective distress in emerging adulthood was not significant among women with higher levels of ethnic-racial identity exploration. ConclusionsThe results provide important preliminary evidence that ethnic-racial identity exploration may serve as a resilience asset among Black women and Latinas confronting racial discrimination. Further, we suggest that ethnic-racial identity exploration may constitute an important facet of critical consciousness.

A practical guide for researchers and reviewers using the ABCD Study and other large longitudinal datasets

As the largest longitudinal study of adolescent brain development and behavior to date, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study® has provided immense opportunities for researchers across disciplines since its first data release in 2018. The size and scope of the study also present a number of hurdles, which range from becoming familiar with the study design and data structure to employing rigorous and reproducible analyses. The current paper is intended as a guide for researchers and reviewers working with ABCD data, highlighting the features of the data (and the strengths and limitations therein) as well as relevant analytical and methodological considerations. Additionally, we explore justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts as they pertain to the ABCD Study and other large-scale datasets. In doing so, we hope to increase both accessibility of the ABCD Study and transparency within the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience.

Moderate-to-severe lower respiratory tract infection in early life is associated with increased risk of polysensitization and atopic dermatitis: Findings from the CHILD Study.

Respiratory infections in infancy are associated with the development of allergic asthma and atopy. Delineating whether symptomatic infections are a marker of atopic predisposition or contribute to atopic development is important for preventive strategies. We hypothesized that early, severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) may be a risk factor for the development of atopic disease. Our aim was to determine whether clinically defined, moderate-to-severe LRTIs in infancy are associated with the development of atopic dermatitis and allergic sensitization at preschool age. LRTI timing and severity in the first 18 months of life was defined by using the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development study questionnaires. Polysensitization and atopic dermatitis were determined by standardized skin prick testing and structured clinical assessments. Longitudinal associations between LRTI severity and clinical outcomes at ages 3 years and 5 years were determined by adjusted repeated measures generalized estimation equations. Moderate-to-severe LRTIs were associated with increased odds of polysensitization (odds ratio= 1.91 [95% CI= 1.16-3.15]; P= .014) and atopic dermatitis (odds ratio= 2.19 [95% CI 1.41-3.39]; P< .001) as compared with the odds in children with no history of LRTI in the first 18 months of life. The association between moderate-to-severe LRTI and polysensitization or atopic dermatitis remained robust after adjusting for sex; study site; breast-feeding duration; and mother, father, or both-parent atopy or asthma. These results highlight severe infant LRTI as an important risk factor for allergic and atopic disease (ie, polysensitization and atopic dermatitis), and they suggest that this risk is independent of maternal in utero environment, both-parent history of asthma, and both-parent genetic predisposition.

Annual dynamics of parameters of physical development of boys and girls aged 18 and 19

The questions concerning the terms of juvenile age body measurement as well as body composition variability remain relevance and academic novelty. Such studies results data are essential for systematic analysis on secular trend of young generation development.Material and methods. Longitudinal study of physical development (length, body weight, muscle and fat component) of boys and girls aged 18 and 19, studying at 1–2 courses of university and living in a dormitory has been applied.Results and discussion. In boys and girls aged 18–19, body length and body weight have increased for 1 year on average by 1.5 and 0.9 cm and by 1.3 and 1.2 kg, respectively. In 22.6 % of boys and 54.8 % of girls body length does not change. The annual changes in the fat component are not reliable, whereas the muscle component increases significantly by 3 % in boys and by 0.8 % in girls. Students living in a dormitory often experience a lack of night sleep, they do not have enough physical activity, consume not enough calories, valuable proteins and fats. Because of this, physical development may deteriorate.Conclusions. The annual variability of the indicators of physical development of students aged 18–19 years indicates the ongoing processes of growth and development, which are more pronounced in boys, in girls there is a tendency to stabilize the length of the body. Knowledge about the sensitivity of the body of first-year students mastering the requirements for studying at a university and independent living in a dormitory is necessary for the organization of work on pedagogical support during the adaptation of first-year students.

Teaching L2 pragmatics to young learners

Abstract This paper reviews research on teaching pragmatics – and more specifically speech acts – to young L2 learners from two perspectives: (1) studies investigating young L2 learners’ pragmatic competence and (2) studies examining the potential of different materials with regard to pragmatics instruction. The review of L2 learners’ speech act competence addresses cross-sectional and longitudinal developmental studies, as well as studies that examined the effects of specific instructional approaches, learning contexts or materials on young L2 learners’ pragmatic competence. The review of studies examining materials addresses both studies focusing on designated L2 teaching materials produced for the explicit purpose of foreign language instruction of young learners, as well as studies examining speech acts included in children’s books. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues relevant to young learners and the teaching and researching of L2 pragmatics.

Mind the gap – unequal from the start: evidence from the early years of the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study

ABSTRACT Growing Up in New Zealand is this country’s largest contemporary longitudinal study of child development. The study has been designed to provide insight into the lives of children and young people growing up in the context of twenty-first century New Zealand. The Growing Up in New Zealand cohort recruited 6853 children representative of the current ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of births in Aotearoa, New Zealand in 2009 and 2010. The developmental wellbeing of the children has been tracked in detail over their first thousand days of life and every two to three years since. While the majority of the cohort are growing up healthy and happy, a significant proportion of children are growing up in families who have been persistently burdened with multiple stressors associated with economic, material and social hardship. This has created a disproportionate burden of poorer overall wellbeing outcomes and limited life course opportunities for these children from an early age. This paper will explore some of the evidence collected from the diverse cohort of New Zealand children and their families and whānau from before birth to middle childhood, highlighting the key findings and the utility of the evidence to improve wellbeing.

The onset of voice onset time: Measuring the emergent timing of laryngeal and oral gestures in early speech development

Voicing contrasts in stop consonants are predominantly signaled by manipulation of voice onset time (VOT), the relative timing of oral and laryngeal gestures responsible for the release of the oral constriction and the onset of phonation. VOT is usually measured from the acoustic signal and defined by the time between the stop consonant burst and the following glottal period. Although this works well in adult speech, the same measure can be problematic when applied to child vocalizations. Infant productions of closant-vocant sequences perceived as consonant-vowel syllables by adults often do not exhibit full closure and are voiced throughout. Traditional measures of VOT cannot then be employed, even though evidence from the acoustic signal can still be used to deduce the presence and timing of precursors of the oral and laryngeal gestures from which adult voicing contrasts later emerge. This study illustrates these issues using data derived from home audio recordings made monthly from birth to three years as part of a large-scale, longitudinal study of infant vocal development. New methods for measuring VOT are proposed, using the relative amplitude, frequency and phase of the harmonics in the acoustic signal to infer the timing of underlying articulatory gestures.

Executive control throughout elementary school: Factor structure and associations with early childhood executive control.

This study examined the factor structure of executive control throughout elementary school, as well as associations between executive control abilities in preschool and elementary school. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of executive control development in a community sample of children (N = 294; 53% female, 47% male) oversampled for low family income (25.4% below poverty line; Mincome = $46,638; SD = $33,256). The sample was representative of the Midwestern city in which the study was conducted in terms of race (71.4% White, 24.5% multiracial, 3.7% Black, and .3% Asian American) and ethnicity (14% Hispanic). Children completed a battery of ten performance-based tasks assessing executive control abilities in grades 1 (Mage = 7.08 years), 2 (Mage = 8.04 years), 3 (Mage = 9.02 years), and 4 (Mage = 9.98 years). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor structure at each grade with factors representing working memory and inhibitory control/flexible shifting. Measurement invariance testing revealed partial scalar (indicator intercepts) invariance for working memory and partial metric (indicator loadings) and partial scalar invariance for inhibitory control/flexible shifting. Preschool executive control (age 4.5 years), represented by a unitary latent factor, significantly predicted working memory (βs = .79, .72, .81, .66) and inhibitory control/flexible shifting (βs = .69, .64, .63, .62) factors in grades 1 through 4. Follow-up analyses indicated that the findings were not attributable to general cognitive ability. Findings support greater separability of executive control components in elementary school versus preschool, and considerable continuity of executive control from preschool through elementary school. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).