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Introduction:  Placental insufficiency is one of the reasons for the reduction of hormone production. Thus, if one of the suspected causes of hypospadias is placental insufficiency, then the neurodevelopmental status of boys with hypospadias may be impaired. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neurodevelopmental status of boys with hypospadias and guide the parents of those who need support to related departments for early intervention., Materials and Methods:  Boys were divided into two groups, those with hypospadias (group H) and healthy children undergoing traditional circumcision (group C). The parents of the boys completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and ASQ-Social Emotional (SE), both of which are screening instruments for the early identification of developmental and social-emotional problems, respectively., Results:  Seventy-eight boys had hypospadias and 59 were admitted for traditional circumcision. The group H had statistically significant more impaired scores than group C in communication, gross motor, and personal-social skill sections. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that hypospadias was the independent predictive factor for communication and personal-social skills., Conclusion:  Hypospadias and neurologic impairment may share common etiologic factors. Accordingly, physicians should keep in mind that if a boy presents with hypospadias, the possibility of having neurologic impairment is higher than normal population and early intervention has crucial importance. Every boy with hypospadias should be evaluated for neurodevelopmental status., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between mothers and their developmentally normal infants in terms of maternal alexithymia, depression and anxiety, and marital satisfaction., Methods: Fifty children between 18 and 48 months of age, and their mothers, were referred consecutively to the Infant Mental Health Unit of Ankara University School of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The sociodemographic features of the families and the depressive symptoms, anxiety, marital satisfaction and alexithymia levels of the mothers were assessed. The relationships between children in normal developmental stages and their mothers were evaluated and rated using a structured clinical procedure., Results: There was a negative correlation between the mothers' alexithymia scores and the quality of the mother-infant relationship (p < 0.05). Mothers with high alexithymia showed higher depression and lower relationship qualities than mothers with low alexithymia, according to the correlation analysis. When depression and anxiety were controlled, high alexithymia levels were predictive of a low, impaired mother-infant relationship., Conclusion: Since alexithymia is a trait-like variable which has a negative correlation with impairment in a mother-infant relationship, it must be investigated in the assessment of mothers' interactions with their babies.

Objectives: To develop an instrument which could assess the extent to which emotionally maltreating parental behavior was recognized by Turkish parents (Study 1) and to evaluate a group of parental and family characteristics that were related with their recognition of emotional maltreatment (Study 2)., Methods: Self-administered instruments were used in both studies. In Study 1, a representative sample consisting of a total of 498 parents of children attending public and private preschools, elementary, and high schools in Ankara, were recruited. A 21-item Recognition of Emotional Maltreatment Scale (REMS) was developed. In addition to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed and convergent validity was examined by utilizing the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI) and the Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ). Its test-retest reliability and internal consistency were also investigated. In Study 2, a total of 296 parents who were various public and private sector office workers and maintenance employees were recruited. Parents completed a socio-demographic form and the REMS., Results: In Study 1, exploratory factor analyses revealed four factors. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the four-factor model met the criteria standards for adequacy of fit. A moderate correlation of the REMS with CAPI and PARQ (r=.40 and .44, respectively) supported its convergent validity. Its test-retest stability was .73 and internal consistency was .70. In Study 2, a three-way analysis of variance showed that gender of the parent, family income and parent education were significant. Correlation analyses showed that there were significant negative correlations of mean REMS scores with parental age (r=-.27; p<.0001) and positive correlations with number of children in the family (r=.20; p<.007). Mothers who were housewives had higher mean REMS scores than employed mothers., Conclusions: The REMS had acceptable validity and reliability properties. Fathers, parents with lower income and lower education levels showed lesser recognition of child emotional maltreatment. Maternal unemployment, younger parent age and more children in the family were related with lower levels of recognition., Practice Implications: This is the initial effort in developing an instrument that may guide professionals in the selection and assessment of at-risk parent groups which need educational programs regarding child emotional maltreatment.

The current study examined the psychometric properties and cut-off scores of the Beck Depression Inventory II in Turkish adolescents. A total of 503 non-clinical and 166 clinical adolescents participated in the study. Test-retest (r = .89) and internal consistency (alpha = .90) reliabilities, convergent validity (r = .81) and discriminant validities (r = .39, r = .49 and r = .42) were satisfactory. Exploratory factor analyses yielded two factors. The cut-off score for mild depression in Turkish adolescents was lower than that reported previously for adults. The findings are discussed in relation to those of previous studies conducted in other countries.