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• The grid frequency is reflected accurately in T&D co-simulation. • The impact of uncertainty in flexible load aggregation on SFR is analyzed. • The CUCB-Avg algorithm for user selection is integrated into co-simulation framework. • Time, power deviation, affected users, and regret of SFR are reduced. Aggregated flexible loads offer a promising solution for secondary frequency regulation (SFR) in power systems with increasing intermittent renewable energy sources. However, uncertainties in users' behaviors may create a mismatch between the aggregated power of flexible loads and the control target of SFR. Furthermore, as these loads are dispersed across distribution networks, distribution network's topology and its interplay with the transmission network may affect the performance of aggregated flexible loads in SFR. Therefore, this paper proposes an adaptive combinatorial multi-armed bandit (CMAB) flexible load aggregation strategy to enhance SFR performance in co-simulated transmission and distribution (T&D) networks. First, a dynamic T&D co-simulation framework is proposed based on the HELICS platform. Then, the combinatorial upper confidence bound-average (CUCB-Avg)-based CMAB algorithm is employed to manage users' uncertain responses. Case studies on the IEEE 14-bus system with five IEEE 8,500-node feeders demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework and method. The SFR performance of the proposed strategy based on CUCB-Avg algorithm outperforms the average and CUCB strategies in terms of accuracy, rapidity, robustness, and the number of affected users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at providing a profile of the association between different types of child victimization and polyvictimization and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among school-aged children, and examining the impact of family structure and social support on the negative health consequences associated with violent victimization. We conducted a cross-sectional school survey in Hong Kong using a two-stage stratified sampling procedure. The final sample comprised 4139 children’s self-reports and proxy-reports (boys = 51.5%; mean age = 6.3). The main outcome was HRQoL measured with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Family structure was represented by parents’ marital status, major caregivers, number of siblings and the living arrangement of children. Child victimization, social support, and demographic characteristics were also measured. All types of child victimization were associated with compromised HRQoL, and the strength of association varied across different types of child victimization. Family structure (in particular the number of siblings and whether additional childcare was received from grandparents) and social support were associated with better HRQoL. The negative associations between child victimization and polyvictimization and HRQoL were reduced when there was an adjustment made for family structure and social support. Findings show that family structure and social support are related to a reduction in negative health consequences for child victimization. The varying strengths of negative associations between victimization and HRQoL highlight the possibility that the effects of child victimization on health might not be homogeneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grandparents play an essential role in childrearing and fill the parenting gap for dual-earner Chinese families. Many Chinese grandparents engage heavily in childcare, which may increase the risk of child abuse. This study aimed to examine grandparental use of psychological and physical aggression toward children and explore its associated risk factors. This was a cross-sectional study which involved purposive sampling of 278 grandparents (204 females and 74 males) taking care of at least one grandchild below 18 years old in Shenzhen, China. Information on childcare was collected, including grandparents' use of psychological and physical aggression and their involvement in childcare in terms of intensity and activity. An alarming percentage (57.1 %) of grandparents had used psychological aggression, while 26.5 % had used corporal punishment, in the past year. The average use of psychological aggression and corporal punishment was 16.10 times and 10.08 times per year, respectively. Grandparents taking care of two or more grandchildren were more likely to use psychological aggression and corporal punishment compared to those taking care of only one grandchild. Higher mental and physical health summary scores were associated with lower likelihood of psychological and physical aggression of grandparents. This study advances our understanding of negative grandparenting behavior in childcare. As grandparents play a significant role in childcare, we need to improve their grandparenting skills, provide more formal childcare services to ease their childcare burden, and support their physical and mental well-being to reduce the risk of child abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive evidence has demonstrated that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) predict a high risk of negative health and behavioral outcomes in later life. However, the influence of individuals' psychosocial characteristics and environmental stressors have been mostly omitted in previous research. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of ACEs among LGB (lesbian, gay, and bisexual) and heterosexual emerging adults, and the associations between different patterns of ACE exposure and depressive symptoms after adjusting for factors at different levels. A representative sample of 928 college students in Xiamen city, China was recruited. Latent class analysis was applied to identify the patterns of ACEs. A series of regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between ACEs and depression and whether ACEs interacted with sexual identity to influence depression, after controlling for individual characteristics, family, school, and society-level factors. Over 35 % of the participants reported they had experienced at least one type of moderate to extreme childhood maltreatment, and those who identified as LGB reported a higher level of ACE exposure. Higher levels of ACE exposure based on score and clustering approaches were associated with higher risks of depression among Chinese emerging adults. However, the associations between ACEs and depression were not significantly moderated by sexual identity. The findings highlighted the importance of early screening for ACEs particularly among sexual minorities and of delivering tailored interventions based on ecological backgrounds. Both the traditional scoring approach and a data-driven approach can be effective in detecting the cumulative effect of ACEs. • Prevalence of childhood maltreatment was above 35 % among Chinese emerging adults. • LGBs in Chinese emerging adults reported a higher level of ACE exposure. • Higher levels of ACE exposure were associated with higher risks of depression. • The associations between ACEs and depression were not moderated by sexual identity. • Both score and clustering approaches can be useful in detecting the effect of ACEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using cross-sectional data regarding 793 rural children aged 10–16 in Sichuan Province of China, the present study examined the preceding-year rates of seven forms of child victimization (physical assault, property crime, peer/sibling victimization, child maltreatment, sexual victimization, witnessing family violence, and exposure to community violence) and poly-victimization, and found children’s victimization experiences increased as the degree of parental absence increased (from the presence of two biological parents, to parental migration and parental separation and divorce). Elevated levels of depression were also found among left-behind children and children of separated or divorced parents, compared to children living with both biological parents; and child poly-victimization added to the risk of child depression. Certain demographic characteristics (being a boy and younger) and parental factors were associated with child victimization in rural China. This study highlights the need for child protection in rural China, and in particular for parent-absent children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence has consistently shown that poverty is associated with the violent victimization of children. Most studies have used family income as a predictor of child poverty. However, it is unclear how multidimensional material deprivation perceived by children is associated with their victimization experiences. This study aimed to examine the association between children's perceived material deprivation and self-reported violent victimization, as well as the role of perceived social support in mediating this relationship. This cross-sectional school-based study included 445 children aged between 8 and 16 years living in Shenzhen, China. The conventional crime module of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ), the material deprivation index based on the Poverty and Social Exclusion in Hong Kong (PSEHK) project, and the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) were employed to measure children's experiences of violent victimization, material deprivation, and perceived social support. This study discovered that, when income and other factors were controlled for, children's perceived material deprivation was positively associated with self-reported violent victimization (β = 0.31, p <.01). However, the role played by material deprivation was undermined by high levels of perceived social support, demonstrating the full mediating relationship between perceived material deprivation and violent victimization. The findings of this study underline the importance of understanding and reducing children's perceived material deprivation in poverty alleviation and child victimization prevention. Social support is vital for children who perceive themselves as living in deprived circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reporting of suspected CSA cases to authorities in a timely manner is important in preventing continued abuse and protecting abused children at early ages. The current study seeks to explore parents’ intentions of reporting their own children’s CSA experiences to authorities as well as their reporting willingness when they become aware of possible CSA cases happening to children in other families. Two rounds of semi-structured interviews were conducted among a sample of 26 parents in Beijing; these parents were purposefully selected so as to be diverse in terms of gender, age, and socioeconomic status. The data were analyzed thematically. The findings showed that the reporting of suspected CSA to authorities was a choice made by only a few Chinese parents; it was often even a last resort. By using a holistic-interactionistic approach, the interaction between Chinese parents’ intentions of reporting CSA and the Chinese socio-cultural context was analyzed as a dynamic and continuously ongoing process. The impacts of the definition and perceptions of CSA on reporting, the balance of children’s rights and parents’ power, and the double effect of informal social control are discussed. The implications, both locally and globally, are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of sleep deprivation in the relationship between child poly-victimization and pediatric quality of life (PedsQL) has received little attention. This study aims to provide a profile of the association between child victimization and poly-victimization and PedsQL among children, examining the role of sleep quality patterns in these relationships. We conducted a cross-sectional school survey study of family structure and child victimization among families in Hong Kong in 2016–17 with two-stage stratified sampling. The final sample consisted of 5, 567 students recruited from a representative sample of 107 kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools in all districts of Hong Kong. Multi-phase regression analysis and simple slope analysis were conducted to examine the moderating effects of sleep quality between child victimization and PedsQL. The findings showed that children who experienced four or more types of victimization were more likely to show parasomnia and daytime dysfunction symptoms than those experiencing one to three types of victimization and non-victims. It also revealed significant relationships between child poly-victimization and lower levels of PedsQL, which were moderated by parasomnia and daytime dysfunction. This study has implications for clinicians in targeting the pattern of sleep changes combined with holistic screening in outpatient services for early detection of child poly-victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]