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Objectives: This paper investigates a community-based intervention for young fathers, FatherWorks, compared to care-as-usual, 24/7 Dads. We hypothesized that utilizing the FatherWorks intervention (a 15 session parenting intervention, 13 session employment class, paid internship, case management, and access to behavioral health services) will assist in readiness to use condoms and increase condom usage, which may differ by race/ethnicity. Methods: Eligible males (n = 328) were enrolled into a Randomized Control Trial. Participants were 15–24 years old and had fathered one or more children with a female under the age of 21. A survey was taken at baseline and at 15 weeks following the intervention. Results: Analyses of changes indicated that intervention participants improved from the pre-contemplation stage of condom usage towards contemplation, and from preparation to action. The pattern of improvement in the condom use stage of change was different in African-American versus Hispanic participants. Changes in condom use during last intercourse were not significant. Conclusions: Study findings indicate that FatherWorks is successful in increasing the intent to use condoms, with the effect manifesting differently in African-American and Hispanic young fathers. Future work with minority fathers indicates a need for cultural adaptation of the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of information concerning adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially with regards to their access to health care. A paper and electronic survey was sent to 1,580 primary care physicians in Connecticut. 346 respondents returned a survey and provided care to adults with an ASD. This physician survey provides data on adults with ASD such as: reasons for physician visits, living arrangements, employment status, and any services they are receiving. Responses revealed inadequate training in the care of adults with an ASD and physicians interest in obtaining additional training. The ability to provide a medical home for adults with autism will need to address effective strategies to train current and future physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined adolescent paternity through structured interviews with their social workers. It adds to the literature by exploring if there were young men involved with the child protection services (CPS) system who are fathers, identifying their unique needs, and beginning discussions on working with these young men. CPS social workers from six area offices and one juvenile detention facility completed surveys for each father on their caseload. A 3.5% rate of adolescent paternity was observed across these offices. Information about the nature of the young men's involvement with CPS, their involvement with their children, and their unique needs as fathers are provided. This paper also identifies some practice and policy implications for adolescent fathers and CPS charged with their care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of relatively recently resettled refugees have noted social disconnection, linked to various physical and mental health outcomes, as a concern. Limited studies have examined whether social disconnection and its effects persists within refugee populations resettled more than 3 decades prior. The relationship between social disconnection and self-reported health was explored in a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional needs assessment survey with a snowball sample of 100 Cambodian refugees residing in Connecticut. Social disconnectedness and comorbid health conditions were prevalent. Lack of religious and community engagement were associated with poor health outcomes, while individuals with a lack of ethnic engagement reported better overall health. This study underscores the importance of understanding the specific risks that social disconnection poses to refugees who have resettled many years before and their offspring that may assist in better serving currently settling refugees within the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine changes that occur in infant and parent salivary oxytocin (OT) and salivary cortisol (SC) levels during skin-to-skin contact (SSC) and whether SSC alleviates parental stress and anxiety while also supporting mother–father–infant relationships. Methods: This randomized crossover study was conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with a sample of 28 stable preterm infants and their parents. Saliva samples were collected from infants, mothers, and fathers on Days 1 and 2 (1/parent) for OT and cortisol measurement pre-SSC, during a 60-min SSC session, and a 45-min post-SSC. Parental anxiety was measured at the same time points. Parent–infant interaction was examined prior to discharge on Day 3 via video for synchrony and responsiveness using Dyadic Mutuality Coding. Results: Salivary OT levels increased significantly during SSC for mothers (p < .001), fathers (p < .002), and infants (p < .002). Infant SC levels decreased significantly (p < .001) during SSC as compared to before and after SSC. Parent anxiety scores were significantly related to parent OT and SC levels. Parents with higher OT levels exhibited more synchrony and responsiveness (p < .001) in their infant interactions. Conclusion: This study addresses a gap in understanding the mechanisms linking parent–infant contact to biobehavioral responses. SSC activated OT release and decreased infant SC levels. Facilitation of SSC may be an effective intervention to reduce parent and infant stress in the NICU. Findings advance the exploration of OT as a potential moderator for improving responsiveness and synchrony in parent–infant interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess longitudinal changes in occupational effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and demand-control (DC) scores across pregnancy and examine associations with blood pressure (BP) during pregnancy. Methods: A pilot repeated-measures survey was administered four times to a sample of working women across pregnancy using the ERI and DC instruments. Demographic data and blood pressure measurements were collected at each interval. Growth mixture modeling was used to examine trajectories of change in occupational characteristics. Associations with BP were examined using repeated-measures linear regression models. Results: ERI model components (effort, reward, and overcommitment) all declined across pregnancy while job control remained stable. Increasing ERI trajectory was associated with higher systolic BP (b = 8.8; p < 0.001) as was high overcommitment; declining ERI also showed a lesser association with higher BP. Associations between DC trajectories and BP were much smaller, and non-significant once controlled for overcommitment. Conclusions: Self-assessed efforts, rewards, and overcommitment at work decline across pregnancy in our participants, while job control remains stable. Replication in a more diverse pregnant working population is warranted to confirm these results. These preliminary data suggest that further investigation into the factors that may be linked with improved work psychosocial climate during pregnancy may be useful in order to improve pregnancy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study that determined factors associated with sexting in emerging adult minority men and how sexting is associated with sexual risk. Findings discussed include increased likelihood of participants to sext with casual partners than with steady partners, multiple regression analyses revealed significantly more unprotected vaginal intercourse and oral sex for those who sent sexts to steady partners, and more partners for those who sent sexts to casual partners.

A father's perception of his role or, how his partner views his role, at mealtimes influences his feeding practices is currently unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of father-reported maternal and paternal perceptions of the role of the father on child feeding practices, as well as child body weight. Biological fathers of varied racial, ethnic, education, and income backgrounds (n = 150) of preschool age children from a Northeastern state in the United States were interviewed one-on-one using the Role of the Father Questionnaire to assess a father's perception of his role and of his partner's perception of his role in mealtimes and The Child Feeding Questionnaire to assess paternal feeding practices. Height and weight for each father and child were measured. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between the role of the father, paternal feeding practices and child BMI z-score. Overall, the findings revealed that only the father's perception of his role at mealtimes was associated with higher perceived responsibility for child feeding (β = .033, p = 0.020), and lower use of controlling feeding practices, including pressure to eat (β = −.048, p = 0.029) and restriction (β = −.030, p = 0.05) and was not moderated by the father's appraisal of his partner's perception of his role at mealtimes. Thus, a father's beliefs regarding his role at mealtimes, and not his views of the mother's perception, may be related to his own feeding practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pilot test of clinician-rated validity of scores on a Correction Modified-Global Assessment of Functioning (CM-GAF) scale was performed by assessing a random sample of 60 adult male and female offenders at two correctional facilities. Pairs of trained clinicians assessed the offenders with the CM-GAF and GAF instruments. Regression analyses were conducted. Variables included in the analysis were demographic characteristics (age, gender, and race), criminal history (number of incarcerations, violent/non-violent offense, year of current incarceration), number of disciplinary reports (tickets), and Connecticut Department of Corrections (CDOC) risk scores. The model for the CM-GAF yielded one significant predictor variable, Presence of Pending Charges Risk Score (B = −7.25, p = .003), predicting 44.4% of the variance. This finding suggests that higher functioning offenders tend not to have pending charges, which may be a proxy for length of incarceration. Newly admitted offenders are more likely to have pending charges and more likely to exhibit disruptive and disorganized behaviors. Management of mentally ill persons who are incarcerated is facilitated when inter-professional frontline staff can communicate using a common language. Frequent assessment with an instrument that is understandable across disciplines has the potential to improve care, and as few standardized mental health instruments are modified and tested for use in the prison environment. Additional studies, refining scoring across subsamples by age, race, gender, diagnosis, and levels of security, are still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has been conducted on the prevalence of physical health problems in Cambodian refugees and the relationship between their mental and physical health. We identified the relationship between mental and physical health problems and barriers to healthcare access in Cambodian refugee adults. We used a cross-sectional survey design with a snowball sample of 136 Cambodian refugee adult residents of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. 61 % reported being diagnosed with three or more physical conditions and 73 % with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or both. Language and transportation problems were the primary barriers to accessing care. Participants with probable comorbid PTSD and depression had 1.850 times more physical health problems than those without either condition ( p > .001; CI 1.334-2.566). Age moderated this relationship. Participants who had been diagnosed with both depression and PTSD reported a consistent number of health conditions across the age span while those who had no mental health conditions or only one of the two reported fewer health conditions when they were younger and more when they were older. These two groups were significantly different from the group reporting both. There is a significant relationship between chronic comorbid mental and physical health diseases affecting Cambodian refugees resettled in the US Having comorbid depression and PTSD puts Cambodian refugees at risk for physical health problems no matter their age. It is vital that those treating Cambodian genocide survivors identify and treat their prevalent comorbid health conditions. Language and transportation barriers must be addressed to improve access to mental and physical health care in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND The Institute of Medicine (2012) concluded that we must ' strengthen schools as the heart of health.' To intervene for better outcomes in both health and academic achievement, identifying factors that impact children is essential. Study objectives are to (1) document associations between health assets and academic achievement, and (2) examine cumulative effects of these assets on academic achievement. METHODS Participants include 940 students (grades 5 and 6) from 12 schools randomly selected from an urban district. Data include physical assessments, fitness testing, surveys, and district records. Fourteen health indicators were gathered including physical health (eg, body mass index [ BMI]), health behaviors (eg, meeting recommendations for fruit/vegetable consumption), family environment (eg, family meals), and psychological well-being (eg, sleep quality). Data were collected 3-6 months prior to standardized testing. RESULTS On average, students reported 7.1 health assets out of 14. Those with more health assets were more likely to be at goal for standardized tests (reading/writing/mathematics), and students with the most health assets were 2.2 times more likely to achieve goal compared with students with the fewest health assets (both p < .001). CONCLUSIONS Schools that utilize nontraditional instructional strategies to improve student health may also improve academic achievement, closing equity gaps in both health and academic achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A convenience survey of swine workers on large and small commercial farms in the Northeast and Midwest United States regarding zoonotic influenza awareness and precautions was conducted. Workers reported low levels of concern regarding the risk of contracting influenza from swine, and were generally not aware of national guidelines for influenza prevention. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) varied by task, N95 respirator use was rare, and no workers were enrolled in respirator programs. Reported influenza vaccination coverage was greater than the national average in 2009–2010, but declined in 2010–2011. Workers on large farms were more likely to use PPE in some tasks and to report using more precautions when pigs appeared ill. Although reporting low levels of concern regarding zoonotic influenza and low adherence to national influenza guidelines, swine workers reported making task-based and risk-based decisions about use of PPE, suggesting opportunities for enhanced prevention of zoonotic disease transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A major effort is under way nationally to shift long-term care services from institutional to home- and community-based settings. This article employs quantitative and qualitative methods to identify unmet needs of consumers who transition from a statewide home- and community-based service program for older adults to long-term nursing home residence. Administrative data, care manager notes, and focus group discussions identified program service gaps that inadequately accommodated acute health problems, mental health issues, and stressed family caregivers; additional unmet needs highlighted an inadequate workforce, transportation barriers, and limited supportive housing options. National and state-level policy implications are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aims To determine whether collaborative behavioral management (CBM) reduces substance use, crime and re-arrest among drug-involved parolees. Design Step'n Out was a randomized behavioral trial of CBM versus standard parole (SP) during 2004-08. CBM adapted evidence-based role induction, behavioral contracting and contingent reinforcement to provide parole officer/treatment counselor dyads with positive tools in addition to sanctions to manage parolees' behavior over 12 weeks. Setting Six parole offices in five states in the USA. Participants Parolee volunteers with a mandate for addiction treatment and a minimum of 3 months of parole ( n = 476). Follow-up was 94% at 3 months and 86% at 9 months. Measurements Drug use and crime in a given month from calendar interviews 3 and 9 months after parole initiation, and re-arrests from criminal justice administrative data. Findings The CBM group had fewer months in which they used their primary drug [adjusted risk ratio (ARR) 0.20, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.05, 0.78, P = 0.02] and alcohol (ARR 0.38, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.66, P = 0.006) over follow-up. CBM had its greatest effects among parolees who reported marijuana or another 'non-hard' drug as their primary drug; parolees who preferred stimulants or opiates did not benefit. No differences were seen in total crime, re-arrests or parole revocations. Conclusions Collaborative behavioral management may reduce substance use among primary marijuana or other 'non-hard' drug-using parolees without increasing revocations. Because the majority of drug violation arrests in the United States are for marijuana, these findings have important implications for the management of a substantial proportion of the US community correctional population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapidly expanding number of baby boomers provide care to aging parents. This study examines associations between caregiver status and outcomes related to awareness and anticipation of future long-term care (LTC) needs using 2007 Connecticut Long-Term Care Needs Assessment survey data. Baby boomers who were adult child caregivers (n = 353) versus baby boomers who were not (n = 1242) were more likely to anticipate some future LTC needs and to have considered certain financing strategies. Although baby boomer adult child caregivers more readily anticipate some future LTC needs, they are not taking specific actions. It is important to address the need for public education directed toward those who are currently (or have recently completed) caring for aging parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]