Parent-infant conversations are differentially associated with the development of preterm- and term-born infants.

Preterm birth is a risk factor for language difficulties. To better understand the language development of preterm-born infants, the current study investigated the concurrent associations between parent-infant conversations and the development of 22 preterm-born and 25 term-born infants at 2 years of age. Conversations occurring during mother/father-infant free-play interactions were analyzed to characterize features of parental speech (volubility, speech rate, lexical diversity, and morphosyntactic complexity) and parent-infant exchanges (parent responsiveness, turn-taking, and conversational balance). The infants' language development (receptive communication and expressive communication) and non-language development (cognitive, social-emotional, and executive function) was assessed using standardized measures. Parent-infant conversations were associated with both language and non-language development. This suggests that parent-infant conversations may support language development directly and/or through advancing non-language skills that could promote language learning. The associations between parent-infant conversations and development varied as a function of birth status (preterm or term). This finding may signal the operation of different developmental processes within preterm- and term-born groups. Finally, infant development was differentially associated with mother-infant and father-infant conversations. This may point to the distinct contributions made by mothers and fathers to the development of both preterm- and term-born infants. To optimize language outcomes, these findings indicate that families should be guided to tailor parent-infant conversations to the unique developmental needs and processes of preterm-born infants. Families should also be supported to leverage the distinct developmental contributions of mothers and fathers. Future recommendations are made regarding how to investigate the proposed preterm-term differences in language development processes and the differential developmental contribution of mothers and fathers.

Depression Literacy and Self-Reported Help-Giving Behaviour in Adolescents in Ireland.

This questionnaire-based study aimed to explore depression literacy (DL) and help-giving experiences in 12-18-year-old adolescents (N = 535, Mage = 14.9 years, 51.8% male) in Ireland. In response to a vignette depicting a character displaying symptoms of depression, 46.7% labelled these symptoms 'depression', with increasing age and empathy associated with increased likelihood of labelling as such. Almost all (92.1%) believed the character needed help, but the perceived helpfulness of potential responses varied. Over one-third (38.2%) indicated they knew someone who had displayed similar symptoms in the past year, with 85.2% of these reporting having helped this person. Reported help-giving responses included comforting the person, encouraging professional help-seeking, and informing an adult. The findings suggest adolescent DL can be best supported by developmentally-sensitive interventions that encourage empathy and the importance of engaging adults' assistance.

Talk outside the box: Parents' decontextualized language during preschool years relates to child numeracy and literacy skills in middle childhood.

Children's literacy and numeracy skills are fundamental for early academic performance and later academic success, mental health, and employment prospects in adulthood. Given that parents play a key role in promoting child development, identifying early parenting behaviors that predict literacy and numeracy skills is a research imperative. Emerging evidence suggests that parental use of decontextualized language (DL)-talk that requires cognitive abstraction and transcends the here and now-predicts children's literacy skills. However, its relation to numeracy remains underexplored. Accordingly, the current study examined how DL during interaction with children in infancy (T1) and preschool years (T2) relates to child literacy and numeracy in middle childhood (T3). Participants were 26 Irish mother-father-child triads (16 female children). At T1 and T2, participants engaged in 5-min interactions that were coded for DL. At T3, child literacy and numeracy were assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition and teacher report of child scores on national standardized tests. Controlling for child age and contextualized utterances, child reading in middle childhood was negatively related to maternal and child DL in infancy but was positively related to DL during preschool years, suggesting that the benefits of DL may become apparent later in development. Mothers', fathers', and children's DL during preschool years was also positively linked with child numeracy in middle childhood. Thus, embedding DL in conversation with children may have positive domain-specific and cross-domain effects on children's literacy and numeracy performance. Findings provide incentive for future research to examine relations between DL and children's school performance across a wider range of developmental domains.

Joint attention episodes during interactions with fathers but not mothers at age 2 years is associated with expressive language at 3 years.

Joint Attention (JA) in parent-infant interaction has been demonstrated to contribute to infants' language outcomes. A limited number of studies have investigated the characteristics of JA episodes during parent-toddler interaction in relation to toddlers' language development. The majority of these studies were conducted with mothers, whereas JA with fathers remains understudied. The current study investigated JA episodes during interactions with mothers and fathers separately as well as longitudinal associations with child language outcomes. A total of 31 toddlers (18 girls) and their mothers and fathers participated in the study at ages 2 years (M = 24.07 months, SD = 1.45) and 3 years (M = 37.44 months, SD = 1.72). JA episodes were observed during free play interactions at age 2 and were coded microanalytically; receptive and expressive language skills were assessed by Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition at ages 2 and 3. No significant differences in JA episodes were found between mother-toddler and father-toddler dyads. Whereas JA characteristics with mothers were not found to be significantly associated with toddlers' language outcomes, multiple linear regression analyses showed that paternal education and parent-followed JA episodes during father-toddler interaction at age 2 explained a significant amount of variance in toddlers' expressive language skills at age 3. Findings suggest that JA episodes during interactions with fathers might benefit toddlers' expressive language development.

Experiences of Hearing Children of Deaf Parents in Ireland.

Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs) are uniquely positioned at the intersection between Deaf and hearing communities and often act as interpreters for their parents and hearing individuals. Informed by previous research which has highlighted language brokering as a core element of CODAs' experiences, along with the research which identifies the risk for parentification among CODAs, the aim of this study is to explore CODAs' experiences of their roles within deaf-parented households and beyond the household, at the intersection between the Deaf and hearing worlds. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 CODAs (Mean age 36.33 years, Range 22-54 years) in Ireland. Three themes were generated from the analysis of the interviews: "It was really normal", Facing the Stigma associated with Deafness, and Being a Language Broker. The findings suggest that healthcare and education providers need a better understanding of the unique situations faced by CODAs in their roles as mediators between their parents and the hearing community, so that children and Deaf parents can be appropriately supported in their interactions with professionals.

'You Lose Confidence in Being a Human Being, Never Mind Being a Parent': The Lived Experience of Mothers With Spinal Cord Injury.

Little research to date has explored the experiences of parenting among mothers with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). The aim of the study was to explore the lived experiences of mothers with SCI. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight mothers and an interpretive phenomenological analysis was carried out. Two super-ordinate themes were identified. The first theme, entitled: 'A sit-down mummy: The visibility of differences as a mother with SCI' highlighted how mothers faced challenges when undertaking practical parenting tasks, thus making them feel less than their non-injured peers, and how they navigated the visible and physical intrusion of the wheelchairs in their relationships with their children. The second theme, entitled: 'What kind of mother? Being a good enough parent' reflected mothers' heightened sense of guilt with respect to unmet expectations of the self as mother, and the contrasting positive experiences of availing of support and finding new ways to connect with their children. Clinical implications, methodological considerations and future directions are discussed.

How to use the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development.

The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley-III) is a gold standard series of behavioural assessments used by clinicians and researchers to assess the developmental functioning of young children. The rigorous psychometric properties of the tool are attributed to the carefully standardised normative sample and quantitative scoring system. It is a common end-point assessment used in neonatal trials and is routinely used in a clinical setting to assess the development of children at risk of delay. Incidence of developmental delay is higher in clinical populations such as those born preterm or with complications such as neonatal encephalopathy. Early identification of delay is critical as early intervention is most effective in minimising impairment; therefore, routine assessment of developmental outcomes is recommended, particularly among high-risk populations.

Glycosylation of Volatile Phenols in Grapes following Pre-Harvest (On-Vine) vs. Post-Harvest (Off-Vine) Exposure to Smoke.

Taint in grapes and wine following vineyard exposure to bushfire smoke continues to challenge the financial viability of grape and wine producers worldwide. In response, researchers are studying the chemical, sensory and physiological consequences of grapevine smoke exposure. However, studies involving winemaking trials are often limited by the availability of suitable quantities of smoke-affected grapes, either from vineyards exposed to smoke or from field trials involving the application of smoke to grapevines. This study compared the accumulation of volatile phenol glycosides (as compositional markers of smoke taint) in Viognier and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes exposed to smoke pre- vs. post-harvest, and found post-harvest smoke exposure of fruit gave similar levels of volatile phenol glycosides to fruit exposed to smoke pre-harvest. Furthermore, wines made from smoke-affected fruit contained similar levels of smoke-derived volatile phenols and their glycosides, irrespective of whether smoke exposure occurred pre- vs. post-harvest. Post-harvest smoke exposure therefore provides a valid approach to generating smoke-affected grapes in the quantities needed for winemaking trials and/or trials that employ both chemical and sensory analysis of wine.

Communicative functions of parents' child-directed speech across dyadic and triadic contexts.

This study examined the roles of parental gender and context in the communicative functions of parents' child-directed speech. Seventy three families with toddlers participated in the study. Dyadic and triadic parent-toddler interactions were videotaped during structured play activities. Results indicated context-dependent variability in parents' facilitative speech and gentle guidance. Parental gender effects were observed in parents' directive speech but no gender or contextual effects were observed in parents' referential speech. Results suggest the need for a closer examination of parental gender and contextual factors related to parents' speech functions.

Fathers' but not Mothers' Repetition of Children's Utterances at Age Two is Associated with Child Vocabulary at Age Four.

Repetition in child-directed speech has been shown to benefit child language development, yet fathers remain largely understudied in this context because research is primarily dominated by a focus on mothers. Accordingly, the current study, using a comparative approach, examined concurrent and longitudinal associations between parental repetition of children's utterances and child language ability. A period of 10 min of triadic structured play interaction for 21 families was analyzed using bivariate and partial correlations. No associations were found between parents' repetition and children's standardized measures of language ability; however, both mothers and fathers of 2-year-olds (M = 23.82 months, SD = 1.32; 11 girls) engaged in more repetition when their children used less diverse vocabularies in interaction, tentatively suggesting synergies between parental language input and concurrent child vocabulary. Furthermore, although maternal repetition at 2 years of age showed no significant relationship with children's language abilities at 4 years, fathers' repetition of 2-year-olds' utterances showed positive associations with children's vocabulary diversity at 4 years of age even after controlling for maternal repetition and children's language abilities at 2 years. Although these results are inconclusive, it is possible that paternal repetition of children's utterances may contribute to vocabulary development.

Parents' Experiences of Their Child's Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse.

A child's disclosure of sexual victimization is a difficult experience for parents and has been associated with traumatization, disbelief, denial, self-blame, and clinical difficulties. To date, most studies on parents' responses have been quantitative assessments of the psychological impact of disclosure on parents. A paucity of research has qualitatively explored mothers' experiences of their child's disclosure of child sexual abuse (CSA) and fathers' experiences have been even further neglected. The current study seeks to characterize parents' experiences of their child's disclosure of CSA and to uncover the process-oriented nature of parental responses. This qualitative study, using a grounded theory approach to analysis, involved interviews with 10 mothers and four fathers whose children (3-18 years) had experienced sexual abuse. Three themes emerged from the analysis. The first theme-making sense of the abuse in retrospect-captured the process through which parents sought to make sense of their child's disclosure, focusing on why their child had not disclosed the abuse to them earlier, and how they had noticed something was wrong but misattributed their child's behavior to other factors. The second theme-negotiating parental identity as protector-reflected how parents' identity as a protector was challenged, their perception of their world had been forever altered, and they now experienced themselves as hypervigilant and overprotective. The final theme-navigating the services-pertained to parents' struggle in navigating child protection and police services, and feelings of being isolated and alone. These findings highlight the need for empathy and parental support following child disclosure of sexual victimization.

La revelación de victimización sexual de un hijo es una experiencia difícil para los padres y se ha asociado con el trauma, la incredulidad, el rechazo, la autoculpabilización y las dificultades clínicas. Hasta la fecha, la mayoría de los estudios sobre las respuestas de los padres han sido evaluaciones cuantitativas del efecto psicológico de dicha revelación en los padres. Muy pocas investigaciones han analizado cualitativamente las experiencias de las madres con respecto a la revelación de sus hijos de abuso sexual infantil, y las experiencias de los padres se han pasado por alto aun más. El presente estudio tiene como finalidad caracterizar las experiencias de los padres con respecto a la revelación de sus hijos de abuso sexual infantil y descubrir la índole orientada a procesos de las respuestas de los padres. Este estudio cualitativo, que utilizó una metodología de muestreo teórico del análisis, consistió en entrevistas con diez madres y cuatro padres, cuyos hijos (de entre 3 y 18 años) habían sufrido abuso sexual. Del análisis surgieron tres temas. El primer tema- dar sentido al abuso retrospectivamente - captó el proceso por el cual los padres intentaron dar sentido a la revelación de su hijo, centrándose en por qué su hijo no había revelado el abuso antes, y en cómo habían notado que algo estaba mal pero atribuyeron erróneamente el comportamiento de su hijo a otros factores. El segundo tema -la negociación de la identidad parental como protectora- reflejó cómo se cuestionó la identidad de los padres como protectora; la percepción de su mundo se había modificado para siempre y ahora se sentían hipervigilantes y sobreprotectores. El último tema - cómo orientarse entre los servicios - estuvo relacionado con la dificultad de los padres para orientarse entre los servicios de protección infantil y policiales, y con el sentimiento de estar aislados y solos. Estos resultados destacan la necesidad de empatía y de apoyo a los padres después de la revelación de victimización sexual de un hijo.

Peer Support and Role Modelling Predict Physical Activity Change among Adolescents over Twelve Months.

Physical activity levels decline during adolescence; however, some individuals initiate or maintain physical activity participation during this period of life. Socialisation impacts physical activity participation, yet few studies have explored the role of parental and peer processes concurrently on youth physical activity transitions over time. This study examined whether mother's father's and friends' support, modelling and teasing predicted adolescents' physical activity initiation, drop-off or maintenance over twelve months. In total, 803 adolescents (62.5% females, M age = 13.72) from Dublin, Ireland, completed self-report measures of support, modelling, teasing, and physical activity. Participants were classified as physical activity maintainers (17.8%), low active maintainers (58.8%), drop-offs (10.3%) or physical activity initiators (13.1%). The results revealed that parental support and modelling were unrelated to adolescents' physical activity transitions, however mother's and father's support predicted sustained physical activity participation twelve months later. In contrast, peer processes predicted physical activity maintenance, initiation and drop-off at one-year follow-up underscoring the salient role of peers for adolescents' behaviour change. In line with expectancy-value theory, the findings indicate that parents and peers represent distinct socialising agents that impart their influence on adolescents' physical activity maintenance and behaviour change through various mechanisms, highlighting the need to consider both sources of socialisation concurrently in future studies of adolescent behaviour change.

Infant language predicts fathers' vocabulary in infant-directed speech.

Research on sources of individual difference in parental Infant-Directed Speech (IDS) is limited and there is a particular lack of research on fathers' compared to mothers' speech. This study examined the predictive relations between infant characteristics and variability in paternal lexical diversity (LD) in dyadic free play with two-year-olds (M = 24.1 months, SD = 1.39, 35 girls). Ten minutes of interaction for sixty-four father-infant dyads were transcribed and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the effects of a set of distal and proximal sources of infant influence on paternal LD. Fathers' LD was predicted only by infant language, both standardised language scores and dynamic language measures, and was not predicted by infant age, gender, executive function, or temperament. Findings are discussed in the light of the complex interplay of factors contributing to variability in IDS and the infant's linguistic environment.

Exploring the association of infant receptive language and pitch variability in fathers' infant-directed speech.

The objective of this study was to examine the links between prosodic features of paternal Infant-Directed Speech (IDS) and child characteristics. Pitch variability measures were extracted from the speech samples of 50 fathers during unstructured play with their two-year-old children. Evidence for a link between child receptive language ability (measured by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III) and fathers' pitch variability was obtained from Multiple Hierarchical Regression. Findings support the hypothesis that fathers tailor their speech to their children. This is one of the few studies to examine the relationship between fathers' IDS and child language ability.

"Weathering the storm:" Mothers' and fathers' experiences of parenting a preterm infant.

Parenting preterm infants is a unique experience distinct from parenting full-term infants, characterized by a delayed transition to parenthood and limited caregiving opportunities. This study explored mothers' and fathers' lived experiences of parenting during infancy in the context of preterm birth. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 parents (6 fathers, 7 mothers) of preterm infants. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four superordinate themes emerged: (a) An unnatural disaster: The traumatic nature of preterm birth, (b) The immediate aftermath: Disconnected and displaced, (c) Breaking the ice: Moving from frozen to melted, and (d) Aftershocks: Transitioning home. Both parents experienced preterm birth as traumatic. Similarities and differences in mothers' and fathers' experiences were identified. Preterm birth posed challenges for nurturant and social caregiving and resulted in anxiety, hypervigilance, and overprotective parenting behavior. The results highlight the need for trauma-informed care and further research developing and testing empirically based interventions.

Criar a infantes nacidos prematuramente es una experiencia única, distinta de criar a infantes nacidos a los nueve meses, caracterizada por una transición retrasada al hecho de ser padres y por oportunidades limitadas de prestación de cuidados. Este estudio exploró las experiencias de crianza vividas por las mamás y los papás durante la infancia dentro del contexto del nacimiento prematuro. Se llevaron a cabo entrevistas cualitativas semiestructuradas con 13 progenitores (6 papás, 7 mamás) de infantes nacidos prematuramente. Se analizó la información usando el Análisis Fenomenológico Interpretativo. Surgieron cuatro temas superiores: (i) Un desastre no natural: La naturaleza traumática del nacimiento prematuro; (ii) Las consecuencias inmediatas: Desconectados y desplazados; (iii) El rompimiento del hielo: Pasar de estar congelado a derretirse; y (iv) La conmoción posterior: En transición a casa. Ambos padres experimentaron el nacimiento prematuro como traumático. Se identificaron las similitudes y las diferencias en las experiencias de las mamás y de los papás. El nacimiento prematuro presentó retos para el cuidado de crianza y social y resultó en ansiedad, excesiva vigilancia y conducta de crianza sobreprotectora. Los resultados subrayan la necesidad de un cuidado fundamentado en la comprensión del trauma y de una investigación futura que desarrolle y examine las intervenciones con base empírica.

Le parentage de nourrissons prématurés est une expérience unique distincte du parentage de nourrissons à terme, caractérisée par une transition retardée au parentage et par des opportunités de prendre soin du bébé limitées. Cette étude a exploré les expériences vécues de parentage des mères et des pères durant la petite enfance dans le contexte d'une naissance prématurée. Des entretiens qualitatifs semi-structurés ont été faits avec 13 parents (6 pères, 7 mères) de nourrissons prématurés. Les données ont été analysées en utilisant l'Analyse Interprétative Phénoménologique. Quatre thèmes sur-ordonnés ont émergé : (i) Un désastre contre nature : la nature traumatique de la naissance prématurée, (ii) Le lendemain immédiat : déconnecté et déplacés, (iii) La glace brisée : de l'état de glace au dégel, et (iv) Les secousses secondaires : la transition au domicile. Les deux parents ont fait l'expérience de la naissance prématurée comme étant traumatique. Les similarités et les différences dans les expériences des mères et des pères ont été identifiées. La naissance prématurée s'est avérée difficile pour les soins nourriciers et sociaux et a résulté en anxiété, hypervigilance et en comportement de parentage surprotecteur. Les résultats de l'étude mettent en valeur le besoin de soin tenant en compte le trauma et de procéder à des recherches plus approfondies sur le développement et le test d'interventions basées sur des faits empiriques.

Variations in adolescents' motivational characteristics across gender and physical activity patterns: A latent class analysis approach.

BACKGROUND: Neglecting to take account of the underlying context or type of physical activity (PA) that underpins overall involvement has resulted in a limited understanding of adolescents' PA participation. The purpose of the present research was to identify male and female adolescents' leisure time PA patterns and examine whether psychological processes derived from self-determination theory differ as a function of the pattern of PA undertaken. METHODS: Nine hundred ninety-five students (61.2% females, 38.8% males; M age = 13.72 years, SD = 1.25) from eight secondary schools in Dublin, Ireland completed a physical activity recall 7 day diary and measures of intrinsic motivation, competence, relatedness, autonomy and autonomy support. Based on the diary five binary indicators of physical activity were derived reflecting recommended levels of MVPA on a minimum of 3 days, at least three sessions of non-organized physical activity (e.g. jog), team sport, individual sport, and organized non-sport physical activity (e.g. dance). Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of adolescents that engaged in similar patterns of physical activity. Profiles of physical activity participation were subsequently compared on motivational characteristics using Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: Latent class analysis revealed six distinct classes for girls (Organized Run/Swim & Dance/Gym; Organized Dance; Leisure Active Team Sport; Active Individual Sport; Walk/Run/Outdoor games; Non-Participation) and five for boys (Leisure Active Gym; Leisure Active Individual Sport; Active Team Sport; Active Mixed Type; Non-Participation). Significant differences were found between the classes. Girls characterized by participation in team or individual sport, and boys represented by team sport participation demonstrated significantly higher self-determined motivational characteristics relative to other profiles of physical activity. CONCLUSION: This research offers a nuanced insight into the underlying type of activities that constitute overall patterns of PA among adolescent boys and girls and further reveals that psychological processes vary dependent on the profile of physical activity undertaken. The findings may be useful for informing interventions aimed at promoting physical activity among young people.

The Synergistic Effects of Preterm Birth and Parent Gender on the Linguistic and Interactive Features of Parent-Infant Conversations.

PURPOSE: To investigate the language environments experienced by preterm-born infants, this study compared the linguistic and interactive features of parent-infant conversations involving 2-year-old preterm- and term-born infants. The study also explored how mother-infant and father-infant conversations may be differentially affected by preterm/term birth status. METHOD: Twenty-two preterm-born (< 37 weeks' gestation) and 25 term-born (≥ 37 weeks' gestation) 2-year-old infants engaged in dyadic mother/father-infant free-play interactions that were transcribed to quantify the linguistic (parental volubility, speech rate, lexical diversity, and morphosyntactic complexity) and interactive (infant/parent responsiveness, turn-taking, and conversational balance) features of parent-infant conversations. Language, cognitive, socioemotional, and executive function skills were assessed via standardized tools. RESULTS: Compared to the term group, the preterm group was characterized by lower maternal speech rate, parental lexical diversity, and parent-infant turn-taking, as well as greater mother-infant conversational balance. The preterm group presented poorer language and executive function skills when compared to the term group. CONCLUSIONS: Both similarities and differences exist between the language environments of preterm and term groups. Similarities may be due to the partial developmental catch-up of preterm-born infants (cognitive and socioemotional skills) and parental scaffolding. Differences may partly reflect a parental adaptation to the language and executive function difficulties of preterm-born infants. These findings suggest that researchers/clinicians should appraise the language environment with respect to the unique developmental needs of preterm/term-born infants. Future research directions are provided to advance a more holistic characterization of the language environment and a deeper understanding of the developmental significance of preterm-term differences in such environments. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25021931.

Preterm toddlers' joint attention characteristics during dyadic interactions with their mothers and fathers compared to full-term toddlers at age 2 years.

The current study investigates Joint Attention (JA) characteristics (duration, frequency, source of initiation, type of JA, agent of termination, missed and unsuccessful episodes) in preterm and full-term toddlers' interactions with their mothers and fathers, separately. Thirty-one singleton full-term (Mage = 24.07 months, SD = 1.45; 13 boys) and 17 singleton preterm toddlers (Madjustedage = 24.72 months, SD = 3.39; 12 boys) participated in the study with both parents. JA episodes were examined during dyadic five-minute free play sessions, were coded second-by-second, and were analysed using two-way mixed ANOVAs. Although the total amount of time spent in JA was not significantly different between the preterm and the full-term groups, JA episodes were more frequent, specifically supported JA episodes, and were more often terminated by the child during parent-preterm toddler interactions. Moreover, preterm toddlers missed their fathers' attempts for JA more often than their mothers' and more often than full-term toddlers missed their fathers' and mothers' bids for JA. Further, regardless of the birth status, toddlers initiated more JA with mothers than fathers, and fathers redirected their child's attention to initiate JA more than mothers. Findings indicate that preterm toddlers may struggle to respond to JA bids, especially with their fathers, and to sustain their attention on a specific object or event during interactions. Preterm toddlers may need more support to engage in JA relative to their full-term peers, and redirecting attention strategy may not be optimal for them. Also, toddlers' JA interactions may be different with their mothers and fathers. Findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating preterm toddlers' JA characteristics with both parents compared to full-term toddlers at age two.

Genetic evidence for spatio-temporal changes in the dispersal patterns of two sympatric African colobine monkeys.

Western black-and-white colobus and Temmink's red colobus are two forest-dependent African primates with similar ecological requirements, often found in sympatry. Their most striking difference lies in their social system: black-and-white colobus live in small groups with mainly male-mediated dispersal but where females can also disperse, whereas red colobus live in larger groups with males described as philopatric. To investigate whether genetic evidence supports the reported patterns of dispersal based on observational data, we examined eight black-and-white and six red colobus social groups from Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. Microsatellite markers revealed a lack of sex-biased dispersal for black-and-white colobus. Gene flow, mainly mediated by females, better explained the genetic patterns found in red colobus, with some evidence for less extensive male dispersal. In contrast to the microsatellite data, low mitochondrial diversity for the black-and-white colobus suggests that historical and/or long-range male-mediated gene flow might have been favored. In red colobus, the co-existence of three divergent mitochondrial haplogroups suggests that the Cantanhez population contains a secondary contact zone between divergent lineages that evolved in allopatry. Female-biased dispersal in this species may be a major factor contributing to the colonization by such differentiated mitochondrial lineages in the region. Overall, we find evidence for a spatio-temporal change in the dispersal patterns of the colobus monkeys of Cantanhez, with mitochondrial DNA indicating dispersal by mainly a single sex and microsatellite data suggesting that recently both sexes appear to be dispersing within the population.

Self-efficacy for healthy eating and peer support for unhealthy eating are associated with adolescents' food intake patterns.

Adolescence, with its change in dietary habits, is likely to be a vulnerable period in the onset of obesity. It is considered that peers have an important role to play on adolescents' diet, however, limited research has examined the role of peers in this context. This study examined the relationship between self-efficacy for healthy eating, parent and peer support for healthy and unhealthy eating and food intake patterns. Participants were 264 boys and 219 girls (N=483), aged 13-18years, recruited from post-primary schools in Ireland. Self-report measures assessed self-efficacy, parent and peer support for healthy eating, and for unhealthy eating. Dietary pattern analysis, a popular alternative to traditional methods used in nutritional research, was conducted on a FFQ to derive food intake patterns. Two patterns were identified labelled 'healthy food intake' and 'unhealthy food intake'. Multi-group modelling was used to evaluate whether the hypothesized model of factors related to dietary patterns differed by gender. The multi-group model fit the data well, with only one path shown to differ by gender. Lower self-efficacy for healthy eating and higher peer support for unhealthy eating were associated with 'unhealthy food intake'. Higher self-efficacy was associated with 'healthy food intake'. Prevention programs that target self-efficacy for eating and peer support for unhealthy eating may be beneficial in improving dietary choices among adolescents.