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The purpose of the study was to investigate parent-related risk factor combinations that explain family violence (FV), which refers to intimate partner violence and child maltreatment (CM). The data were collected from parents with a 4-year-old child using a nationwide retrospective cross-sectional survey conducted in Finland (FinChildren) ( N  = 10,737). The research questions were as follows: (a) How are parent-related risk factors associated with FV against children and the spouse? (b) How does the accumulation of parent-related risk factors within three risk factor clusters explain FV? Analyses were carried out using cross-tabulations with χ 2 tests, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and binary logistic regression analyses. The risk factor clusters built based on the EFA were as follows: parental well-being, parent's childhood adversities, and parent's health. Our results indicated that even a single risk factor predicted the likelihood of FV. In the well-being risk factor cluster, the odds for the occurrence of FV in parents with one well-being risk factor were double (odds ratios [OR] = 2.21; confidence intervals [CI]: [1.99, 2.45]) and in parents with at least four risk factors was six times (OR = 6.05; CI: [4.48, 8.18]) compared to those with no risk factor. We concluded that (a) the more different risk factors parents had, the more likely they were to report FV and (b) the accumulation of risk factors for well-being contributes most to the occurrence of the risk of FV. As a result, we emphasize the importance of identifying families with concurrent risk factors. However, any individual concerns must be addressed with parents and they must be supported in coping with their everyday life., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interests with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

The social identity approach to health argues that well-being depends on the psychosocial circumstances of the groups to which individuals belong. However, little is known about how the average level of identification in the group - 'the identification environment' - buffers the negative health consequences of stressors. We used multilevel modelling to investigate whether identification environment in a school modified the association between the students' perceptions of the quality of their school's physical environment and their reported levels of anxiety. In two representative samples of Finnish school students (N = 678 schools/71,392 students; N = 704 schools/85,989 students), weak identification environment was related to increased anxiety. In addition, in schools where identification environment was weaker, the student level relationship between perceived physical environment and anxiety was stronger, and students were more anxious. Our results provide evidence that identification environment needs to be considered when we analyse how group membership affects well-being., (© 2023 The Authors. British Journal of Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)

Background: In Finnish society, child maltreatment is a health and social problem with harmful consequences. Identifying families at risk may help preventing child maltreatment recurrence., Objective: The aim of this nationwide retrospective cross-sectional study was to describe the child- and family-related risk factors associated with physical and psychological abuse experienced by 4-year-old children., Methods: This study analyzed nationwide survey data collected by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Overall, 17,009 parents (46%) visiting at a child health clinic filled out the survey consent form. For 8720 children, one or both parents completed the questionnaire (24%). Analyses were carried out using χ 2 tests and binary logistic regression., Results: Of the 4-year-olds, 44% had experienced at least one form of psychological abuse and 14% physical abuse. These forms of violence co-occurred in 25% of the reported cases (p < 001). Intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment co-occurred in 19.6% of psychological abuse (p < .001) and 22.5% of physical abuse cases (p < .001). Parents exposed to IPV was the risk factor most likely to predict an increased risk for both psychological abuse (OR 4.01, CI 3.41-4.72; p < .001), and physical abuse (OR 2.19, CI 1.81-2.64; p < .001). Approving of hair-pulling or pinching the child (i.e., using corporal punishment) was most likely to predict an increased risk of physical abuse (OR 13.70, CI 11.69-16.06; p < .001)., Conclusions: The findings emphasize the importance of preventing all forms of child maltreatment by identifying families at risk and supporting parenthood according to families' needs., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Hypothesis: Bioactive glass (BG) S53P4 reduces the viability of epidermal keratinocyte-derived immortalized cell line, HaCaT in sufficient concentrations in vitro., Background: Although used in mastoid obliteration surgery, there is no data available on whether BG S53P4 granules have an inhibitory or excitatory effect on keratinocytes, found in normal skin and ear cholesteatoma in vivo., Methods: HaCaT cell cultures were incubated with a direct BG S53P4 granule contact. Microscopic evaluation of the cultures was performed and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and -8 (IL-8) concentrations were measured from the medium samples. In addition, BG granules were incubated in two cell culture media for 6 days and the pure media were used in confluent HaCaT cultures preceding cell viability assay. Finally, a scratch assay test was performed to reveal the possible BG effect on HaCaT cultures., Results: Eight to ten cell thick layers of dead HaCaT cells were noticed after a 2-day BG granule contact. With a BG concentration of 2.5%, IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations were smaller compared with the control group without BG after 2 days' incubation. Overall, HaCaT cell viability decreased when BG was incubated in keratinocyte growth medium, but did not change in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium. In a scratch assay test, cell regrowth in the scratch area was notable in cultures without BG., Conclusions: BG S53P4 seems to have an inhibitory effect on HaCaT cell growth. Although further studies are needed, this observation seems advantageous for cholesteatoma treatment., Competing Interests: The authors disclose no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021, Otology & Neurotology, Inc.)

Sleep disorders have become increasingly prevalent affecting health and working ability. Restorative sleep may be considered important for athletes' successful recovery and performance. However, some athletes seem to experience major problems in sleeping. Thus far, there is limited scientific information about their sleep. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of sleep and the prevalence of sleep disorders as well as the impact of a structured sleep counselling protocol in professional athletes. A total of 107 professional ice hockey players participated in the study. The exploratory observational 1-year follow-up study consisted of questionnaire-based sleep assessment followed by general sleep counselling and, when needed, polysomnography and an individual treatment plan. One in every four players was found to have a significant problem in sleeping. All athletes considered sleep essential for their health and three in every four players considered that counselling would improve their performance. Counselling and individual treatment were found to improve significantly the quality of sleep with the mean alteration of 0.6 (95% CI 0.2-1.0, P = 0.004) in a scale from 0 to 10. Our results support that sleep problems are common in professional athletes. However, systematic examination, counselling and individual treatment planning can improve the quality of their sleep.

Background: Parental empowerment is known to increase parents' resources and to reduce stress, and therefore to improve family well-being. Professionals working in family services (child health clinics, school health care, day care, preschool and primary school) encounter families in various everyday settings and can significantly support parental empowerment., Aim: This study aimed (i) to identify associations between parental empowerment and demographic and family service characteristics (i.e. parents' participation and perceived influence, decision-making and access to information) and (ii) to identify predictors of maternal and paternal empowerment., Method: Study design was cross-sectional. Participants were mothers (n = 571) and fathers (n = 384) of children aged 0-9 who were selected by stratified random sampling in 2009. Associations were analysed by t-test, one-way analysis of variance and multiple linear regression analysis., Results: Sufficient perceived influence and joint decision-making by family and professionals on family service appointments emerged as significant variables of increased parental empowerment. Access to adequate information about municipal services was also associated with high empowerment. These family service characteristics were associated with parents' sense that they were able to manage in everyday life and had influence on specific service situations and family services in general. Mothers with a child aged under 3 or a child in home care or primary school, and fathers with a lower education feel less empowered in family services than other parents., Conclusion: Knowledge about the factors associated with parental empowerment can contribute to further reinforce parental empowerment, help identify parents who need special attention and contribute to the development of family services., (© 2015 Nordic College of Caring Science.)