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OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether womens exposure to multiple types of violence during childhood and pregnancy was associated with childrens BMI trajectories and whether parenting quality moderated those associations. METHODS: A cohort of 1288 women who gave birth between 2006 and 2011 self-reported their exposure to childhood traumatic events, intimate partner violence (IPV), and residential address (linked to geocoded index of violent crime) during pregnancy. Childrens length/height and weight at birth and at age 1, 2, 3, 4 to 6, and 8 years were converted to BMI z scores. Observed mother-child interactions were behaviorally coded during a dyadic teaching task. RESULTS: Covariate-adjusted growth mixture models identified three trajectories of childrens BMI from birth to 8 years old: Low-Stable (17%), Moderate-Stable (59%), and High-Rising (22%). Children whose mothers experienced more types of IPV during pregnancy were more likely to be in the High-Rising than the Low-Stable (odds ratio [OR] = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.27-5.41) trajectory. Children whose mothers lived in higher crime neighborhoods were more likely to be in the High-Rising than the Low-Stable (OR = 1.11; 95% CI:1.03-1.17) or Moderate-Stable trajectories (OR = 1.08; CI: 1.03-1.13). Main effects of childhood traumatic events and moderation by parenting were not detected. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal experiences of violence during pregnancy increase childrens risk for developing overweight, highlighting intergenerational transmission of social adversity in childrens health.

ObjectiveExperiences of stress and adversity, such as intimate partner violence, confer risk for psychiatric problems across the life span. The effects of these risks are disproportionately borne by women and their offspring-particularly those from communities of color. The prenatal period is an especially vulnerable period of fetal development, during which time women's experiences of stress can have long-lasting implications for offspring mental health. Importantly, there is a lack of focus on women's capacity for resilience and potential postnatal protective factors that might mitigate these intergenerational risks and inform intervention efforts. The present study examined intergenerational associations between women's prenatal stressors and child executive functioning and externalizing problems, testing maternal parenting quality and child sex as moderators, using a large, prospective, sociodemographically diverse cohort.MethodsWe used data from 1,034 mother-child dyads (64% Black, 30% White) from the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) pregnancy cohort within the ECHO PATHWAYS consortium. Women's prenatal stressors included stressful life events (pSLE) and intimate partner violence (pIPV). Measures of child psychopathology at age 4-6 included executive functioning and externalizing problems. Parenting behaviors were assessed by trained observers, averaged across two sessions of mother-child interactions. Linear regression models were used to estimate associations between women's prenatal stressors and child psychopathology, adjusting for confounders and assessing moderation effects by maternal parenting quality and child sex.ResultsWomen's exposures to pSLE and pIPV were independently associated with child executive functioning problems and externalizing problems in fully-adjusted models. Maternal parenting quality moderated associations between pSLE and both outcomes, such that higher parenting quality was protective for the associations between women's pSLE and child executive functioning and externalizing problems. No moderation by child sex was found.DiscussionFindings from this large, sociodemographically diverse cohort suggest women's exposures to interpersonal violence and major stressful events-common for women during pregnancy-may prenatally program her child's executive functioning and externalizing problems. Women's capacity to provide high quality parenting can buffer this intergenerational risk. Implications for universal and targeted prevention and early intervention efforts to support women's and children's wellbeing are discussed.

BackgroundVitamin D is critical to embryonic neuronal differentiation and other developmental processes that may affect future neurocognitive function. However, observational studies have found inconsistent associations between gestational vitamin D and neurocognitive outcomes.ObjectivesWe examined the association of gestational 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] with children's IQ at 4-6 y, and explored whether associations differed by race.MethodsThis study used data from the CANDLE (Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood) cohort. Between 2006 and 2011, CANDLE recruited 1503 women in their second trimester of healthy singleton pregnancies. Inclusion criteria for this analysis were gestation of ≥34 wk and availability of 25(OH)D and IQ data. Associations between second-trimester 25(OH)D plasma concentration and Stanford-Binet IQ scores in offspring at 4-6 y were examined using multivariable linear regression; interaction terms were used to explore possible effect modification by race.ResultsMean ± SD 25(OH)D concentration among 1019 eligible dyads was 21.6 ± 8.4 ng/mL, measured at a mean ± SD gestational age of 23.0 ± 3.0 wk. Vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D

The impact of ocean ecosystems on marine boundary layer aerosols and clouds has been the subject of much research but remains uncertain. Five experiments were recently conducted in the western North Atlantic to assess if the seasonally recurring phytoplankton bloom affects aerosol properties. These experiments include the second Western Atlantic Climate Study and four North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystem Study cruises. Measurements of unheated and heated number size distributions, cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) concentrations, and aerosol composition were used to identify primary and secondary aerosol components that could be related to the state of the bloom. Only periods of clean marine air, as defined by radon, particle number concentrations, aerosol light absorption coefficient, and back trajectories, were included in the analysis. Nonvolatile material was found to be prevalent in the Aitken mode size range after heating to 230°, likely due to downward mixing from the free troposphere. CCN concentrations at 0.1% supersaturation were best correlated (r2 = 0.73) with accumulation mode nss SO4=. Sea spray aerosol was only correlated with CCN during November when bloom accumulation had not yet occurred and dimethylsulfide concentrations were at a minimum. The fraction of CCN attributable to sea spray aerosol was less than 20% during March, May/June, and September, indicating the limited contribution of sea spray aerosol to the CCN population of the western North Atlantic atmosphere. The strongest link between the plankton bloom and aerosol and cloud properties appears to be due to biogenic non-sea salt SO4=.

Disease treatment and prevention have improved the human lifespan. Current studies on aging, such as the biological clock and senolytic drugs have focused on the medical treatments of various disorders and health maintenance. However, to efficiently extend the human lifespan to its theoretical maximum, medicine can take a further proactive approach and identify the inapparent disorders that affect the gestation, body growth, and reproductive stages of the so‐called "healthy" population. The goal is to upgrade the standard health status to a new level by targeting the inapparent disorders. Thus, future research can shift from reaction, response, and prevention to proactive, quality promotion and vigor prolonging; from single disease‐oriented to multiple dimension protocol for a healthy body; from treatment of symptom onset to keep away from disorders; and from the healthy aging management to a healthy promotion design beginning at the birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined whether women's exposure to multiple types of violence during childhood and pregnancy was associated with children's BMI trajectories and whether parenting quality moderated those associations. Methods: A cohort of 1288 women who gave birth between 2006 and 2011 self‐reported their exposure to childhood traumatic events, intimate partner violence (IPV), and residential address (linked to geocoded index of violent crime) during pregnancy. Children's length/height and weight at birth and at age 1, 2, 3, 4 to 6, and 8 years were converted to BMI z scores. Observed mother–child interactions were behaviorally coded during a dyadic teaching task. Results: Covariate‐adjusted growth mixture models identified three trajectories of children's BMI from birth to 8 years old: Low‐Stable (17%), Moderate‐Stable (59%), and High‐Rising (22%). Children whose mothers experienced more types of IPV during pregnancy were more likely to be in the High‐Rising than the Low‐Stable (odds ratio [OR] = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.27–5.41) trajectory. Children whose mothers lived in higher crime neighborhoods were more likely to be in the High‐Rising than the Low‐Stable (OR = 1.11; 95% CI:1.03–1.17) or Moderate‐Stable trajectories (OR = 1.08; CI: 1.03–1.13). Main effects of childhood traumatic events and moderation by parenting were not detected. Conclusions: Maternal experiences of violence during pregnancy increase children's risk for developing overweight, highlighting intergenerational transmission of social adversity in children's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether siblings of children with disabilities have increased mental health problems, behavioral difficulties, or greater mental health service use as compared to siblings of children without disabilities. Data come from the 2006 National Health Interview Survey. Propensity score matching was used to complete the analysis. Twelve siblings and family demographic characteristics were used to create the propensity score. Hierarchical greedy matching without replacement was used to match siblings. Prior to the match, significant differences were present between sibling groups on all outcome variables. After the match, no significant differences remained. Effect sizes were compared and were smaller postmatch for all the three measured outcomes. Findings suggest that differences in siblings' mental health are not likely due to the presence of a brother or sister with a disability, but it is more likely that the co-occurring risk factors (e.g., living in a lower income household) contribute to the observed sibling differences.

Forty-five parents of children with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and sickle cell disease participated in 8 focus groups. Parents discussed how they, the child with the disability, and the siblings addressed community perceptions about the child's disability. Themes evolving from the interviews included (a) support and lack of support, (b) inclusion and exclusion, and (c) the family members' roles during their interactions with the community. Parents viewed their roles in the community as (a) advocating, (b) educating, (c) informing, (d) ignoring, and (e) hiding. The relationship between themes is presented, and the relationship between themes and parent empowerment is discussed as well as the ways in which the themes reflect underlying ableism.

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was explored in a sample of 119 custodial grandparents. A latent profile analysis identified three groups of grandparents along a continuum of good to poor HRQOL, with most custodial grandparents reporting Short Form-12 Health Survey (version 2) scores significantly below U.S. population means. Grandparent and grandchild characteristics that predicted grandparent HRQOL were identified. Grandchild health problems, number of grandchildren in custody, and grandparent education contributed to a moderate reduction in HRQOL. A large reduction in HRQOL was predicted by depression. Differences in depression were reported between groups, with grandparents with poor HRQOL also reporting clinically significant depression, grandparents with fair HRQOL reporting marginally clinically significant depression, and grandparents with good HRQOL reporting no depression. In a qualitative analysis, grandparent conceptualization of what they need to do to maintain and improve their health was explored for each group. Findings from the quantitative analysis indicate variation in grandparent health and mental health status and suggest that services should be tailored to address grandparent needs. The qualitative analysis highlights the importance of religion and spirituality to grandparents, the economic concerns of grandparents, and the need for transdisciplinary services.

This study addressed three basic questions involving the amount of measurement needed to obtain valid estimates of reading growth. Participants were 41 students with learning disabilities from Grades 3 to 8, monitored across 10 weeks using curriculum-based measurement (CBM) of words read correctly (WRC). We compared growth slopes based on measurements taken weekly, every 2 weeks, every 3 weeks, every 4 weeks to an estimate of "true slope." Results showed that frequency of progress monitoring could be significantly reduced without detracting from the validity of growth estimates. However, validity was negatively affected by minimizing the number of WRC scores collected at each measurement occasion and by employing only one rather than four scores to estimate baseline. (Contains 3 tables.)

Family involvement in planning and choosing services has become a key intervention concept in developmental disability services. This study (N = 547) modeled patterns of family decision making and assessed benefits to persons with developmental disabilities (DDs) and their family members. A latent profile analysis identified 4 classes that were highly involved in decision making (n = 118), involved only in planning (n = 166), involved only in financial decisions (n = 75), and uninvolved (n = 188). Multiple regression analysis indicated that consumers with DD whose family members were highly involved received more services than consumers in other families. A multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that the family members in the highly involved and planning classes experienced more family member satisfaction than others. Findings have implications for practice.