Parental and late adolescent psychopathology: mothers may provide support when needed most.

Research links negative parenting and parental psychopathology to poorer outcomes among youth. Less research examines these effects simultaneously during late adolescence. The current study examines parenting, parental psychopathology, and late adolescent psychopathology as reported by late adolescents (N = 328) with the use of structural equation modeling. Results of measurement models indicate that parental psychopathology and parenting are related to late adolescent psychopathology. However, results of structural models indicate that the effect of parenting on late adolescent psychopathology becomes non-significant in the paternal model and reverses in the maternal model. Interestingly, maternal parenting is associated with higher levels of late adolescent psychopathology, suggesting that mothers provide their late adolescents with more supportive parenting when it is needed most. Overall, results suggest the importance of examining parenting characteristics simultaneously in the context of gender and other variables.

Parenting and late adolescent emotional adjustment: mediating effects of discipline and gender.

Research suggests that parenting styles are related to the types of discipline parents utilize and that the coupling of parenting styles and discipline techniques are related to child outcomes. Although extant research examines the effects of parenting styles and discipline on child and early adolescent adjustment, less is known about adjustment in late adolescents, also described as emerging adults. Thus, the current study investigated the relationships among parenting styles (e.g., authoritative, authoritarian, permissive), discipline strategies (e.g., non-violent discipline, psychological aggression, physical assault), and emerging adult emotional adjustment (e.g., self-esteem, depression, and anxiety). The sample consisted of 526 participants ranging in age from 18 to 22 years. Results were analyzed with structural equation modeling and suggest that, although perceived parenting styles and discipline are both correlated with emerging adult emotional adjustment, perceived parenting is associated with emerging adult emotional adjustment for females but not males when examined simultaneously with perceived discipline. This finding demonstrates the importance of examining the direct and indirect relationships in the context of gender dyads.

The envelope of motion of the cervical spine and its influence on the maximum torque generating capability of the neck muscles.

The posture of the head and neck is critical for predicting and assessing the risk of injury during high accelerations, such as those arising during motor accidents or in collision sports. Current knowledge suggests that the head's range-of-motion (ROM) and the torque-generating capability of neck muscles are both dependent and affected by head posture. A deeper understanding of the relationship between head posture, ROM and maximum torque-generating capability of neck muscles may help assess the risk of injury and develop means to reduce such risks. The aim of this study was to use a previously-validated device, known as Neck Flexibility Tester, to quantify the effects of head's posture on the available ROM and torque-generating capability of neck muscles. Ten young asymptomatic volunteers were enrolled in the study. The tri-axial orientation of the subjects' head was controlled via the Neck Flexibility Tester device. The head ROM was measured for each flexed, extended, axially rotated, and laterally bent head's orientation and compared to that in unconstrained neutral posture. Similarly, the torque applied about the three anatomical axes during Isometric Maximum Voluntary Contraction (IMVC) of the neck muscles was measured in six head's postures and compared to that in fully-constrained neutral posture. The further from neutral the neck posture was the larger the decrease in ROM and IMVC. Head extension and combined two-plane rotations postures, such as extension with lateral bending, produced the largest decreases in ROM and IMVC, thus suggesting that these postures pose the highest potential risk for injury.

Oncology nursing education: teaching strategies that work.

Faculty at a university school of nursing developed an innovative oncology nursing elective designed to enhance baccalaureate students' knowing and aesthetic appreciation of persons living with cancer. Following completion of the course, students rank ordered class activities they felt would help them most in their nursing careers. Students chose the cancer survivor interview first, followed by a seminar on spirituality and a clinical inquiry project. The implementation and outcomes of these three activities are described. Evaluative comments confirmed that experiential activities enhanced students' knowing of themselves and their patients.

Performance evaluation of child safety seats in far-side lateral sled tests at varying speeds.

Protection of children in Child Safety Seats (CSS) in side impact crashes has been a topic of recent studies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of CSS in far-side impacts through a series of sled tests conducted at varying test speeds. Forty eight sled tests were conducted at three speeds (24 km/h, 29 km/h and 36 km/h), under two different CSS attachment conditions (LATCH and seat belt attached), using rear facing and forward facing CSS from four different manufacturers. Analyses were conducted to examine head retention within the CSS, velocity of the head as it passes an imaginary plane (cross over into other occupant space or door), lateral trajectory of the head and knee; head, chest and pelvis accelerations; neck and lumbar loads and moments. In addition to these parameters, the CSS were visually inspected for structural integrity after each test. Results from these sled tests highlighted the differential performance of CSS in far-side impacts. During the tests, all CSS experienced significant lateral movement irrespective of attachment type. In rear facing CSS tests, one of the designs failed as the seat disengaged from its base. In forward facing CSS tests, it was observed that the seat belt attached CSS experienced less rotational motion than the LATCH attached CSS. ATD head retention within the seat was not achieved with either CSS attachments at any speed. The findings from this study augment the current efforts to define regulatory sled setup procedure for far-side impact crashes involving children in CSS, which currently does not exist and will eventually further the protection of children in automobiles.