Heterogeneity in Perceptions of Parenting Among Arab Refugee Adolescents in Jordan.

Heterogeneity in parenting was examined in 883 Arab refugee adolescents in Jordan (Mage  = 15.01 years, SD = 1.60). Latent profile analyses of five parenting dimensions rated separately for mothers and fathers yielded authoritative, authoritarian, indifferent, punitive, and for mothers, permissive profiles, with most mothers (60%) and fathers (66%) classified as authoritative. Parenting was more often authoritative for women than men and punitive (for fathers) or permissive (for mothers) of boys than girls. Authoritative fathers and authoritarian mothers were better educated than punitive parents, whose offspring reported more norm breaking and internalizing symptoms and lower academic achievement than other youth. Adjustment was better when adolescents had at least one authoritative parent than when parents were either consistent or discrepant but nonauthoritative.

Iraqi, Syrian, and Palestinian Refugee Adolescents' Beliefs About Parental Authority Legitimacy and Its Correlates.

This study examined intra- and interindividual variations in parental legitimacy beliefs in a sample of 883 Arab refugee adolescents (M(age) = 15.01 years, SD = 1.60), 277 Iraqis, 275 Syrians, and 331 Palestinians in Amman, Jordan. Confirmatory factor analyses showed distinct latent factors for moral-conventional, prudential, and personal legitimacy items. Older adolescents rated legitimacy lower for personal issues, but higher for prudential issues. Beliefs were associated with socioeconomic status (fathers' education, family size), particularly for personal issues, but were more pervasively associated with displacement-related experiences. Greater war trauma was associated with less prudential legitimacy for all youth and more authority legitimacy over moral-conventional issues for Syrian youth. Greater hopefulness was associated with more authority legitimacy over all but personal issues.

Neonatal mechanical ventilation: Indications and outcome.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Decreasing mortality in sick and ventilated neonates is an endeavor of all neonatologists. To reduce the high mortality in this group of neonates, identification of risk factors is important. This study was undertaken to find out the indications of ventilation and complications in ventilated neonates and also study possible predictors of outcome. SUBJECTS: Age <1-month; mechanically ventilated; not having suspected metabolic disorders or congenital anomalies; excluding postoperative patients. METHODS: Neonates consecutively put on mechanical ventilation during the study period (October 2011 to November 2013) enrolled. Primary disease of the neonates along with complications present listed. Clinical and laboratory parameters analyzed to find the predictors of mortality. RESULTS: Total 300 neonates were ventilated. 52% were male. Mean age, weight, and gestational age were 21 ± 62 h, 2320 ± 846.2 g, and 35.2 ± 4.9 weeks, respectively. 130 (43%) neonates died. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (31.1%), sepsis (22.7%), and birth asphyxia (18%) were the most common indications for ventilation. Mortality in ventilated patients with sepsis, pneumonia, RDS or birth asphyxia was 64.7%, 60%, 44.6%, and 33.3%, respectively. Weight <2500 g, gestation <34 weeks, initial pH <7.1, presence of sepsis, apnea, shock, pulmonary hemorrhage, hypoglycemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia were significantly associated with mortality (P < 0.05). Resuscitation at birth, seizures, intra ventricular hemorrhage, pneumothorax, ventilator-associated pneumonia, PO2, or PCO2 did not have a significant association with mortality. On logistic regression, gestation <34 weeks, initial pH <7.1, pulmonary hemorrhage, or shock were independently significant predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Weight <2500 g, gestation <34 weeks, initial arterial pH <7.1, shock, pulmonary hemorrhage, apnea, hypoglycemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia were significant predictors of mortality in ventilated neonates.

Palestinian Refugee Youth in Jordan: Parental Practices, Neighborhood Cohesion and Assistance, and Adolescent Wellbeing.

In this study, a total of 335 Palestinian refugees (M = 15.5 years, SD = 1.05, 49% males), recruited from four United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) schools at the Al-Baqa'a and Jabal Al-Hussein refugee camps in Jordan, rated their neighborhood physical environment and neighborhood support and cohesion, separately rated their mothers' and fathers' parenting on several dimensions, and reported on their adjustment to these circumstances (internalizing symptoms, self-concept clarity, and norm breaking). Living in more dangerous physical environments was associated with higher levels of refugee youths' internalizing symptoms and norm breaking, but effects were not significant when parenting was considered. Our study showed that higher levels of psychological control-disrespect (significantly for fathers and marginally for mothers) and marginally, higher levels of maternal harsh punishment were associated with more teen internalizing symptoms. In addition, fathers' greater psychological control and lower levels of support had a marginally significant effect on teens' greater norm breaking. For behavioral control, only mothers' greater behavioral control was associated with refugee youths' greater self-concept clarity but not with paternal behavioral control. Thus, fathers' psychological control and mothers' behavioral control had the biggest association with adolescent outcomes.

Estimating students' online learning satisfaction during COVID-19: A discriminant analysis.

This study aims to examine online learning effects regarding self-efficacy, generalized anxiety, and fear of COVID-19 on three distinct online learning satisfaction levels (low, moderate, and high) among university students. A cross-sectional survey was utilized for data collection between June 2020 and August 2020 to assess students' online self-efficacy, general anxiety, fear of COVID-19, and online learning satisfaction. The descriptive data analysis demonstrated a fundamental understanding of the gathered data results. Meanwhile, discriminant data analysis was employed to explore different online learning satisfaction levels following various study factors. The correlational analysis implied online learning self-efficacy to be significantly and positively associated with online learning satisfaction while general anxiety and fear of COVID-19 were significantly and negatively related to online learning satisfaction. The discriminant analysis revealed the emergence of three online learning satisfaction levels from online self-efficacy, general anxiety, and fear of COVID-19. This study theoretically justified the essentiality of online learning self-efficacy towards online learning satisfaction. High online learning satisfaction levels occurred with high online self-efficacy, moderate general anxiety, and low fear of COVID-19. Two discriminant functions (academic engagement and fear) were subsequently evolved. Academic engagement corresponded to online self-efficacy and general anxiety while fear was associated with COVID-19. In this vein, online learning self-efficacy and moderate general anxiety led to high online learning satisfaction. The fear of COVID-19 also required alleviation towards online learning satisfaction. For example, academicians and policymakers needed to focus on developing online self-efficacy and reducing the fear of COVID-19 for high online learning satisfaction.

Design and Experimental Analysis of Multiband Frequency Reconfigurable Antenna for 5G and Sub-6 GHz Wireless Communication.

A low-profile frequency reconfigurable monopole antenna operating in the microwave frequency band is presented in this paper. The proposed structure is printed on Flame Retardant-4 (FR-4) substrate having relative permittivity of 4.3 and tangent loss of 0.025. Four pin diode switches are inserted between radiating patches for switching the various operating modes of an antenna. The proposed antenna operates in five modes, covering nine different bands by operating at single bands of 5 and 3.5 GHz in Mode 1 and Mode 2, dual bands (i.e., 2.6 and 6.5 GHz, 2.1 and 5.6 GHz) in Mode 3 and 4 and triple bands in Mode 5 (i.e., 1.8, 4.8, and 6.4 GHz). The Voltage Standing Waves Ratio (VSWR) of the presented antenna is less than 1.5 for all the operating bands. The efficiency of the designed antenna is 84 % and gain ranges from 1.2 to 3.6 dBi, respectively, at corresponding resonant frequencies. The achieve bandwidths at respective frequencies ranges from 10.5 to 28%. The proposed structure is modeled in Computer Simulation Technology microwave studio (CST MWS) and the simulated results are experimentally validated. Due to its reasonably small size and support for multiple wireless standards, the proposed antenna can be used in modern handheld fifth generation (5G) devices as well as Internet of Things (IoT) enabled systems in smart cities.

Clinical Spectrum of Disorders of Sex Development: A Cross-sectional Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: Disorders of sex development (DSD) constitutes a small but difficult and equally important area of endocrinology. It is often a social emergency as the decision regarding sex assignment in these cases is extremely disturbing and difficult to both families and healthcare professionals. Our study was devised to assess the clinical and chromosomal profile of patients with suspected DSD and classify them according to the new DSD consensus document. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional observational study carried out in the department of pediatrics of a tertiary care hospital from August 2012 to August 2014. All patients with suspected DSD in the age group of 0-19 years were included. After detailed history and examination, karyotyping, abdominal sonography, and hormonal analysis were done. Additional studies like gonadal biopsy, laparoscopy, and hormone stimulation tests were done in selected cases. RESULTS: About 41 patients were included in the study. The mean age of presentation was 87 months (1 day to 16 years). Only seven (13.7%) patients presented in neonatal period. In total, 25 patients had ambiguous genitalia; 46, XX DSD were diagnosed in 24 (58.5%) patients, 46, XY DSD in 10 (24.4%) patients, and sex chromosome DSD in 7 (17.1%). Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) was the commonest disease diagnosed in 21 (51.2%) patients. Turner syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, androgen insensitivity syndrome, 46, XX ovotesticular disorder, and 46, XY gonadal dysgenesis were diagnosed in 3, 3, 4, 3, and 5 patients, respectively. Eleven patients with CAH presented in shock and six had history of sib deaths. CONCLUSION: 46, XX DSD were the commonest etiological group in our study and CAH was the commonest individual disease. There is a need for educating general public and practitioners regarding DSD to allow early intervention. Moreover, there is a need to introduce routine neonatal screening for CAH in our country.

The Diagnostic Dilemma of Traumatic Lumbar Puncture: Current Standing of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leukocyte Corrections and Our Experience With Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic efficiency of cerebrospinal fluid markers of procalcitonin, lactate, and cerebrospinal fluid/serum lactate ratio for detecting bacterial meningitis during traumatic lumbar puncture, and to compare these markers with routinely used uncorrected and corrected leukocyte measurements. METHODS: Infants aged ≤90 days with traumatic lumbar puncture were prospectively studied. The diagnostic characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid assays of uncorrected and corrected leukocyte count, procalcitonin, lactate, and lactate ratio were described and compared. RESULTS: Considering the area under the curve (95% CI) analysis and standard cutoff values, the lactate-ratio (0.985 [0.964-0.989] at cutoff 1.2) had the best test indexes for identifying meningitis, followed by lactate (0.964 [0.945-0.984] at cutoff 2.2 mmol/L) and procalcitonin (0.939 [0.891-0.986] at cutoff 0.33 ng/mL) measurement, whereas the corrected total leukocyte count assay (0.906 [0.850-0.962] at cutoff 350 cells/mm3) had diagnostic properties moderately superior to uncorrected total leukocyte count measurement (0.870 [0.798-0.943] at cutoff 430 cells/mm3). CONCLUSION: Cerebrospinal fluid levels of procalcitonin, lactate, and lactate-ratio are reliable markers to diagnose bacterial meningitis in blood-contaminated cerebrospinal fluid.

Beliefs about parental authority legitimacy among refugee youth in Jordan: Between- and within-person variations.

We examined within- and between-person variations in parental legitimacy beliefs in a sample of 883 Arab refugee youth (M(age) = 15.01 years, SD = 1.60), 277 Iraqis, 275 Syrians, and 331 Palestinians, in Amman, Jordan. Latent profile analyses of 22 belief items yielded 4 profiles of youth. The normative profile (67% of the sample, n = 585) most strongly endorsed parental authority legitimacy for prudential (risky) items, followed by moral, conventional, and then friendship items, with legitimacy lowest for personal items. The low-normative profile (10%, n = 85) followed a similar pattern, although legitimacy ratings were significantly lower than normative youth for most items, but not the personal ones. Rebellious youth (11%, n = 96) held deviant peer values; they endorsed less legitimacy, particularly for prudential and friendship items, than did youth in other profiles. Mixed youth (12%, n = 101) were similar to rebellious youth in some judgments and ryouth in others. Profile membership did not differ by adolescents' age or parental socioeconomic status but did differ by gender and national background. Youth fitting the normative (and to some extent, the low-normative) profile rated parents higher in support, behavioral control, and knowledge of adolescents' activities and lower in psychological control-disrespect and harsh punishment than did rebellious or mixed youth. Normative (and also, but less consistently, low-normative) youth reported better psychosocial adjustment across multiple measures than did rebellious and mixed youth. (PsycINFO Database Record

Hereditary folate malabsorption with extensive intracranial calcification.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is a common accompaniment of cerebral palsy, mental retardation and neurodegenerative disorders. CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS: A 4-year-old boy with chronic megaloblastic anemia, global developmental delay, seizures, intracranial calcification and new onset neuro-regression. OBSERVATION: A diagnosis of hereditary folate malabsorption was made, and he was put on oral and injectable folinic acid. OUTCOME: Marked improvement at 6 month follow up. MESSAGE: Hereditary folate malabsorption should be suspected in any child having megaloblastic anemia and neuro degeneration disorder.

The relations of Arab Jordanian adolescents' perceived maternal parenting to teacher-rated adjustment and problems: the intervening role of perceived need satisfaction.

Although the effects of important parenting dimensions, such as responsiveness and psychological control, are well documented among Western populations, research has only recently begun to systematically identify psychological processes that may account for the cross-cultural generalization of these effects. A first aim of this study was to examine whether perceived maternal responsiveness and psychological control would relate differentially to teacher ratings of adolescent adjustment in a vertical-collectivist society (i.e., Jordan). The most important aim of this study was to examine, on the basis of self-determination theory, whether these associations would be accounted for by perceived satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Results in a large sample of Jordanian adolescents (N = 545) showed that perceived maternal psychological control and responsiveness yielded, respectively, a positive and negative association with teacher-rated problems, whereas psychological control was negatively related to teacher-rated adjustment. Further, these 2 parenting dimensions related to adjustment and problems via perceived satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy and competence (but not relatedness). The findings are discussed in light of the ongoing debate between universalistic and relativistic perspectives on parenting and adolescent adjustment.

Perceived maternal parenting as a mediator of the intergenerational similarity of dependency and self-criticism: a study with Arab Jordanian adolescents and their mothers.

This study investigated the intergenerational similarity of personality vulnerability to depression as conceptualized by Blatt (1974) in a sample of Arab Jordanian mothers and their adolescents. Perceived maternal parenting was examined as a mediator of the intergenerational similarity of two personality vulnerabilities; that is, dependency and self-criticism. Both mothers and adolescents (N = 298 families) completed the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) to tap into personality vulnerability and adolescents additionally provided ratings of maternal parenting (support and psychological control) and depressive symptoms. Findings showed significant and specific associations between mothers' and adolescents' dependency and self-criticism. Perceived maternal parenting was found to mediate this intergenerational similarity at least partially. This study is among the first to test developmental hypotheses derived from Blatt's theory in a non-Western sample. Findings show striking similarity with data obtained in the West and, as such, contribute to the cross-cultural generalization of the theory.