Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life in Parents of Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Longitudinal Study.

Purpose: The parents of adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease may experience impaired mental health and quality of life. This longitudinal study aimed to verify whether the mental health and quality of life of the parents of adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease declined when their children had active disease. Methods: Sociodemographic data, parental anxiety, depression, and quality of life were analyzed using validated questionnaires for each variable. After the baseline survey, the second and follow-up surveys were conducted at 3 and 12 months, respectively. The active disease group comprised eight parents whose children had active disease during the baseline and second surveys. The remission group comprised 14 parents whose children remained in remission during both surveys. The improved group comprised nine parents whose children experienced active disease at baseline and remission during the second survey. Parental mental health and quality of life were compared among the groups. Results: Significantly higher levels of anxiety were observed in the active disease group in all surveys (p<0.050). Although depression levels and quality of life did not differ significantly among the three groups, pairing the active disease group with other groups showed some large effect sizes. Conclusion: Parents tended to experience decreased mental health and quality of life when their adolescents experienced active inflammatory bowel disease. Consequently, our hypothesis was partially verified. Therefore, parents need support when their children have active disease; this finding highlights the need for parental support systems.

Parental loneliness, perceptions of parenting, and psychosocial factors among parents having new children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individuals who had new children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic became parents in challenging situations, starting from pregnancy and continuing to after birth. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of parental loneliness, perceptions of parenting, and psychosocial factors among parents having new children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants comprised a first-child group (523 parents; those who had their first child) and a second-child group (621 parents; those who had their second or subsequent child). We used web-based questionnaires to explore parental loneliness, perceptions of parenting, and psychosocial factors (distress, parental burnout, well-being, marital satisfaction, and social isolation). Participants answered the questionnaires in November 2022, during the eighth COVID-19 wave in Japan. We compared the groups and subgroups according to parental sex and determined the relationship between variables. The parents in the first-child group felt lonelier than the parents in the second-child group (p < 0.05), and their loneliness was correlated with psychosocial factors. Significantly, more mothers in the second-child group answered "agree" to negative perceptions of parenting than mothers in the first-child group. Additionally, parenting difficulties were correlated with a negative perception of parenting and parental burnout in both groups. Furthermore, providing parental support may improve parenting and promote parents' health.

Changes in parental involvement and perceptions in parents of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional observational study in Japan.

This study aimed to clarify changes in parental involvement with their children and parental perceptions related to parenting in both fathers and mothers of young children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A cross-sectional observational design was used. Data were collected using a web-based questionnaire from 28 fathers and 115 mothers between October 1 and November 30, 2020. Parents answered questions regarding themselves, basic sociodemographic variables, perceived changes in involvement with their children, the presence or absence of abusive behavior (e.g., violence toward children), and parental perceptions related to parenting. Many parents indicated that they did not experience major changes in their involvement or perceptions compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of the fathers considered themselves to be in more physical contact or communication with their children; there was a significant difference between fathers and mothers regarding eating meals with their children (p = 0.00). Fathers felt tired due to parenting (35.7%) or a lack of free time (42.9%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. While significantly more mothers than fathers responded that their partners took care of their children (p = 0.03), significantly greater number of mothers than fathers also reported feeling overburdened (p = 0.00). Family support workers should help fathers maintain involvement with their young children without high stress levels and support mothers to reduce their heavy burden of parenting continuously. This would contribute to young childrens growth and development despite a public health crisis.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3ß inhibition of 6-(methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate derived from wasabi (Wasabia japonica Matsum).

A new biological activity of 6-(methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate derived from Wasabia japonica was discovered as an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3ß. The most potent isothiocyanate, 9-(methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate, inhibited glycogen synthase kinase-3ß at a K(i) value of 10.5 µM and showed ATP competitive inhibition. The structure-activity relationship revealed an inhibitory potency of methylsulfinyl isothiocyanate dependent on the alkyl chain length and the sulfoxide, sulfone, and/or the isothiocyanate moiety.