Adsorption of ß-Lactoglobulin on Thiol-Functionalized Mesoporous Silica.

SBA-15 mesoporous materials were synthesized with different pore sizes (5 and 10 nm) and thiol-functionalized groups and then characterized to describe their ability to differentially adsorb ß-lactoglobulin (BLG), a globular protein with an ellipsoid shape measuring 6.9 nm in length and 3.6 nm in width. All adsorption experiments showed that the adsorption capacities of mesoporous materials for BLG were dependent on the duration of contact between the two materials (mesoporous material and BLG) and the initial BLG concentration. It was also shown that the pore sizes and thiol groups of SBA-15-based adsorbents are important factors for the BLG adsorption capacities. Among the tested adsorbents, thiol-functionalized SBA-15 with a 10 nm pore size (SBA-15-SH-10) showed the highest adsorption capacity (0.560 g·g-1) under optimal experimental conditions. Kinetics studies demonstrated that the adsorption occurs predominantly inside the pores, with interactions occurring on heterogeneous surfaces. In addition, the thermodynamic parameters indicate a spontaneous and exothermic behavior of the BLG adsorption process onto the thiol-functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous adsorbent. Finally, the characterization of the SBA-15-SH-10 adsorbent at 308 K showed the occurrence of an oxidation reaction of the thiol groups to sulfonate groups during the adsorption process as confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. The spectra recorded after adsorption of the protein showed that this adsorption did not affect the secondary structure of the protein.

A colorimetric assay adapted to fragment screening revealing aurones and chalcones as new arginase inhibitors.

Arginase, a difficult-to-target metalloenzyme, is implicated in a wide range of diseases, including cancer, infectious, and cardiovascular diseases. Despite the medical need, existing inhibitors have limited structural diversity, consisting predominantly of amino acids and their derivatives. The search for innovative arginase inhibitors has now extended to screening approaches. Due to the small and narrow active site of arginase, screening must meet the criteria of fragment-based screening. However, the limited binding capacity of fragments requires working at high concentrations, which increases the risk of interference and false positives. In this study, we investigated three colorimetric assays and selected one based on interference for screening under these challenging conditions. The subsequent adaptation and application to the screening a library of metal chelator fragments resulted in the identification of four compounds with moderate activity. The synthesis and evaluation of a series of compounds from one of the hits led to compound 21a with an IC50 value of 91.1 µM close to the reference compound piceatannol. Finally, molecular modelling supports the potential binding of aurones and chalcones to the active site of arginase, suggesting them as new candidates for the development of novel arginase inhibitors.

Parental sensitivity and family conversation: A naturalistic longitudinal study with both mothers and fathers across three time-points in early infancy.

Parental verbal sensitivity is known to promote child language skills, but few studies have considered: (a) links between global (i.e., verbal, behavioral, and affective) measures of parental sensitivity and infant-initiated conversations, an important precursor to language development; (b) whether maternal and paternal sensitivity show similar links with infant-initiated conversation; or (c) the transactional role of infant conversation for later parental sensitivity. Addressing these gaps, this study of 186 British first-time parents (93 families) examines the developmental dynamics between parental sensitivity and infant communication across the first year of life. We explore; (i) the role of maternal and paternal sensitivity (assessed during structured home observations at 4 months post-partum) for parent-infant conversational interactions at 7 months (indexed by day-long naturalistic recordings), and (ii) whether these mother-infant and father-infant conversations at 7 months shape maternal and paternal sensitivity at 14 months (also assessed via structured home observations). For both male and female infants, maternal (but not paternal) sensitivity at 4 months predicted infant vocalisations and conversational initiation at 7-months. By contrast, neither index of infant talk predicted maternal or paternal sensitivity at 14 months. Together these findings refine understanding of theoretical models of social development and suggest new possibilities for future research.

Se sabe que la sensibilidad verbal del progenitor promueve las habilidades del lenguaje del niño, pero pocos estudios han considerado (a) las conexiones entre medidas globales (v.g verbales, de comportamiento y afectivas) de sensibilidad del progenitor y conversaciones iniciadas por el infante, un precursor importante para el desarrollo del lenguaje; (b) si la sensibilidad materna y paterna muestran conexiones similares con las conversaciones iniciadas por el infante; o (c) el papel transaccional de la conversación del infante para la posterior sensibilidad del progenitor. Tomando en cuenta estos vacíos, este estudio de 186 progenitores británicos primerizos (93 familias) examina las dinámicas de desarrollo entre la sensibilidad del progenitor y la comunicación del infante a lo largo del primer año de vida. Exploramos: (i) el papel de la sensibilidad materna y paterna (evaluada durante observaciones estructuradas en casa a los 4 meses después del parto) para las interacciones conversacionales entre progenitor e infante a los 7 meses (catalogadas por grabaciones naturalísticas de un día entero), y (ii) si estas conversaciones mamá­infante y papá­infante a los 7 meses le dieron forma a la sensibilidad materna y paterna a los 14 meses (también evaluada por medio de observaciones estructuradas en casa). Tanto para los infantes varones como las niñas, la sensibilidad materna (pero no la paterna) a los 4 meses, predijo las vocalizaciones y la iniciación conversacional del infante a los 7 meses. En contraste, ningún índice del habla del infante predijo la sensibilidad materna o paterna a los 14 meses. Juntos, estos resultados refinan la comprensión de modelos teóricos de desarrollo social y sugieren nuevas posibilidades para la futura investigación.

Effects of time management interventions on mental health and wellbeing factors: A protocol for a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Poor employee mental health and wellbeing are highly prevalent and costly. Time-related factors such as work intensification and perceptions of time poverty or pressure pose risks to employee health and wellbeing. While reviews suggest that there are positive associations between time management behavior and wellbeing, there is limited rigorous and systematic research examining the effectiveness of time management interventions on wellbeing in the workplace. A thorough review is needed to synthesize time management interventions and their effectiveness to promote employee mental health and wellbeing. METHOD: A systematic search will be conducted using the following databases: PsychINFO via OVID (1806-Present), Web of Science, Scopus via Elsevier (1976-Present), Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), Cochrane Library via Wiley (1992-Present), and MEDLINE via OVID (1946-Present). The review will include experimental and quasi-experimental studies that evaluate the effects of time management interventions on wellbeing outcomes on healthy adults in a workplace context. Only studies in English will be included. Two authors will independently perform the literature search, record screening, data extraction, and quality assessment of each study included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Data will be critically appraised using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tools. Depending on the data, a meta-analysis or a narrative synthesis will be conducted. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed in the development of this protocol. The protocol has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD4202125715). DISCUSSION: This review will provide systematic evidence on the effects of time management interventions on wellbeing outcomes in the workplace. It will contribute to our understanding of how time management approaches may help to address growing concerns for employee mental health and wellbeing.

Grappling with tradition: the experiences of cisgender, heterosexual mothers and fathers in elective co-parenting arrangements.

Elective co-parenting families, meaning two (or more parents) who are not in a romantic relationship having a child together, are becoming more common amongst cisgender, heterosexual parents. The study of elective co-parenting families offers researchers a unique opportunity to decouple co-parenting relationships from romantic relationships, but little research to date has explored their experiences. This study explored two research questions: why do individuals decide to enter into elective co-parenting arrangements? And how do they manage their co-parenting arrangement and their relationship with their co-parent? Interview data from 10 elective co-parents (5 mothers and 5 fathers) were analyzed according to the principles of reflexive thematic analysis. Sociological theorisations of family practices, family display and family thinking were utilized to make sense of the data. The results centred around two organizing themes ('Reproducing the traditional family' and 'Modernising the traditional family'), and participants experienced a tension between these two ideas. Participants aimed to manage their co-parenting relationship with shared values and friendship, but defining their relationship was complex and gendered parenting patterns were ubiquitous. Findings add nuance to theorisations of family life and demonstrate that traditional parenthood ideologies remain pervasive, as parents aim to imagine and pursue parenthood on their own terms.

Living With Endometriosis: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis Examining Women's Experiences With the Irish Healthcare Services.

Endometriosis is an incurable chronic condition associated with debilitating pain and subfertility, affecting 1 in 10 women. The current study aims to explore the perceptions and experiences of women with endometriosis regarding the diagnosis, support and treatment options available in Ireland. It will further determine whether additional supports or improvements are needed to care well and effectively for women with this disease in the Irish healthcare system. A qualitative study design was deemed most suitable. Twenty participants, women aged 18 and over with a diagnosis of endometriosis and experience of the Irish healthcare system, were recruited through purposeful sampling to complete semi-structured, one-to-one online interviews. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, and five themes were identified: 'dismissive attitudes normalising severe pain', 'inadequate health system', 'the impact of delayed diagnoses', 'lack of education and awareness' and 'navigating ignorance, taboo and societal views'. Insights into the experiences and needs of women diagnosed with endometriosis in Ireland were gained, and we discuss the implications of our findings for Irish healthcare services with reference to feminist health equity and recent national action plans. We propose a series of recommendations for patient-centred care models including increased access to training and education, as well as support for longer-term chronic pain management.

The Bobath Clinical Reasoning Framework: A systems science approach to the complexity of neurodevelopmental conditions, including cerebral palsy.

The current recommended developmental Bobath practice within the Bobath Clinical Reasoning Framework (BCRF) can be conceptualized using the lens of systems science, thereby providing a holistic perspective on the interrelatedness and interconnectedness of the variables associated with childhood-onset disability. The BCRF is defined as an in-depth clinical reasoning framework that can be applied to help understand the relationships between the domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, how those domains can be influenced, and how they impact each other. The BCRF is a transdisciplinary observational system and practical reasoning approach that results in an intervention plan. This provides a holistic understanding of the complexity of situations associated with disorders such as cerebral palsy (CP) and the basis for the lifelong management and habilitation of people living with neurological disorders. The clinical reasoning used by the BCRF draws on the important contextual factors of the individual and their social environment, primarily the family unit. It is rooted in an understanding of the interrelationships between typical and atypical development, pathophysiology (sensorimotor, cognitive, behavioural), and neuroscience, and the impact of these body structure and function constructs on activity and participation. The systems science model integral to the BCRF is a useful way forward in understanding and responding to the complexity of CP, the overarching goal being to optimize the lived experience of any individual in any context.

A longitudinal study of families created using egg donation: Family functioning at age 5.

Findings are reported from Phase 2 of a longitudinal study of family functioning in heterosexual-couple families with 5 year olds conceived using identity-release egg donation. Seventy-two egg donation families were compared to 50 in vitro fertilization (IVF) families (ethnicity: 93% White British) using standardized observational, interview, and questionnaire measures. There were no differences between family types in the quality of mother-child or father-child interaction, apart from lower structuring by fathers in egg donation families. Egg donation mothers and fathers reported higher levels of parenting stress and lower levels of confidence and competence than their IVF counterparts. Egg donation mothers reported lower social support and couple relationship quality, greater anger toward their child, and perceived their child as more angry and less happy, compared to IVF mothers. Egg donation fathers showed greater criticism and anger toward their child, less joy in parenting, and were less satisfied with the support they received, than IVF fathers. Children in egg donation families showed higher levels of externalizing problems than IVF children as rated by mothers, fathers, and teachers, whereas they were rated as having higher levels of internalizing problems by teachers only. Externalizing problems were predicted by mothers' lower initial social support, steeper increases in parenting stress and greater concurrent criticism, whereas internalizing problems were associated with poorer initial couple relationship quality as rated by mothers. Both were predicted by fewer gains in reflective functioning. There was a moderation effect such that parenting stress was a stronger predictor of externalizing problems for egg donation than IVF families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors influencing the effectiveness of nature-based interventions (NBIs) aimed at improving mental health and wellbeing: Protocol of an umbrella review.

Several systematic reviews support the use of nature-based interventions (NBIs) as a mechanism of enhancing mental health and wellbeing. However, the available evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions is fragmentary and mixed. The heterogeneity of existing evidence and significant fragmentation of knowledge within the field make it difficult to draw firm conclusions regarding the effectiveness of NBIs. This mixed method umbrella review aims to synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of nature-based interventions through a summative review of existing published systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A systematic search in PsycINFO, PubMed, Greenfile, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), Environment Complete (EBSCO), Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Health Policy Reference Centre and Google Scholar will be performed from inception to present. The search strategy will aim to find published systematic reviews of nature-based interventions (NBIs) where improving health and wellbeing is an explicit goal. This is a mixed method review, and systematic reviews with both quantitative and qualitative data synthesis will be considered. Two authors will independently perform the literature search, record screening, data extraction, and quality assessment of each included systematic review and meta-analysis. The individual qualitative and quantitative syntheses will be conducted in parallel and combined in an overarching narrative synthesis. The quantitative evidence will be used to assess the strength and direction of the effect of nature-based interventions on mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Evidence drawn from qualitative studies will be analysed and synthesised to understand the various pathways to engagement, involvement process and experiential factors that may mediate experiences. The risk of bias of the systematic reviews will be assessed using a 16-item Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2) checklist. Trail registration: This review is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022329179).

Mental Health Professionals' Experiences of Adapting Mental Health Interventions for Autistic Adults: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis.

Autistic adults experience high rates of metal health difficulties and face significant barriers to accessing appropriate mental health care. Empirical research and recent professional guidelines emphasise the importance of modifying standard mental health interventions to best meet the needs of autistic adults. This systematic review explored mental health professionals' experiences of adapting mental health interventions for autistic adults. A systematic search was conducted on CINAHL, PsychINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science in July 2022. The findings from 13 identified studies were synthesised using thematic synthesis. Three major analytical themes were generated, the unique experience of adapting interventions for autistic clients, factors which facilitate successful adaptations, and challenges to adapting interventions. Each theme contained a number of subsequent sub-themes. Professionals view the process of adapting interventions to be a highly individualised process. A range of personal traits, professional experiences, and systemic, service-based issues were identified in facilitating or challenging this individualised process. Further research regarding adaptations with different intervention models and increased supportive resources are required to enable professionals to successfully adapt interventions for autistic adult clients.

A longitudinal study of families formed through third-party assisted reproduction: Mother-child relationships and child adjustment from infancy to adulthood.

The seventh phase of this longitudinal study investigated whether children born through third-party assisted reproduction experienced psychological problems, or difficulties in their relationship with their mothers, in early adulthood. The impact of disclosure of their biological origins, and quality of mother-child relationships from age 3 onward, were also examined. Sixty-five assisted reproduction families, including 22 surrogacy families, 17 egg donation families, and 26 sperm donation families, were compared with 52 unassisted conception families when the children were aged 20. Less than half of the mothers had completed tertiary education and less than 5% were from ethnic minority backgrounds. Standardized interviews and questionnaires were administered to mothers and young adults. There were no differences between assisted reproduction and unassisted conception families in mothers' or young adults' psychological well-being, or the quality of family relationships. However, within the gamete donation families, egg donation mothers reported less positive family relationships than sperm donation mothers, and young adults conceived by sperm donation reported poorer family communication than those conceived by egg donation. Young adults who learned about their biological origins before age 7 had less negative relationships with their mothers, and their mothers showed lower levels of anxiety and depression. Associations between parenting and child adjustment did not differ between assisted and unassisted reproduction families from ages 3 to 20. The findings suggest that the absence of a biological connection between children and their parents in assisted reproduction families does not interfere with the development of positive mother-child relationships or psychological adjustment in adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationships between mothers and children in families formed by shared biological motherhood.

STUDY QUESTION: Does shared biological motherhood, in which a woman gives birth to the genetic child of her female partner, result in more positive mother-child relationships than donor insemination, in which only one mother is biologically related to the child? SUMMARY ANSWER: Mothers in both family types showed high levels of bonding with their children and viewed their relationship with their child positively. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: There is some evidence of feelings of inequality regarding their relationship with their child between biological and non-biological mothers in lesbian mother families formed by donor insemination, with a qualitative longitudinal study showing a tendency for children to form stronger bonds with their biological than their non-biological mother. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Thirty lesbian mother families created through shared biological motherhood were compared with 30 lesbian mother families formed by donor-IVF. All families had two mothers who both participated in the study, and the children were aged from infancy up to 8 years old. Data collection took place over 20 months beginning in December 2019. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Each mother in the family was interviewed separately using the Parent Development Interview (PDI), a reliable and valid measure of the nature of the parent's emotional bond with their child. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded separately by one of two trained researchers who were unaware of the child's family type. The interview produces 13 variables that relate to the parent's representations of themselves as a parent, 5 variables that relate to the parent's representations of the child, and a global variable that assesses the extent to which the parent can reflect on the child and their relationship. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Families formed through shared biological parenthood did not differ from families created by donor-IVF in terms of the quality of mothers' relationships with their children as assessed by the PDI. Neither were differences identified between birth mothers and non-birth mothers across the entire sample, or between gestational and genetic mothers within the families formed by shared biological parenthood. Multivariate analyses were conducted to minimize the role of chance. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Ideally, larger samples of families and a narrower age range of children would have been studied, but this was not possible as we were reliant on the small number of families formed through shared biological motherhood in the UK when the study began. To maintain the anonymity of the families, it was not possible to request information from the clinic that may have shed light on differences between those who responded to the request to participate and those who did not. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The findings show that shared biological motherhood is a positive option for lesbian couples who wish to have a more equal biological relationship to their children. One type of biological connection does not appear to have a greater influence on the quality of parent-child relationships than the other. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant ES/S001611/1. KA is Director, and NM is Medical Director, of the London Women's Clinic. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Developmental links between executive function and emotion regulation in early toddlerhood.

Developmental associations between poor executive function (EF) and problem behaviors in toddlerhood indicate that the interplay between cognition and affect begins very early in life (Hughes, Devine, Mesman, & Blair, 2020). However, very few longitudinal studies of toddlers have included direct measures of both EF and emotion regulation (ER). In addition, while models of ER highlight the importance of situational contexts (e.g., Miller, McDonough, Rosenblum, Sameroff, 2005), existing work is limited by a heavy reliance on lab-based observations of mother-child dyads. Addressing these twin gaps, the current study of 197 families included video-based ratings of ER in toddlers' dyadic play with both mothers and fathers at each of two time-points (14- and 24-months), with parallel measures of EF being gathered in each home visit. Our cross-lagged analyses showed that EF at 14 months predicted ER at 24 months, but this association was limited to observations of toddlers with mothers. It was also asymmetric: ER at 14 months did not predict EF at 24 months. These findings support co-regulation models of early ER and highlight the predictive utility of very early individual differences in EF.

Mind-mindedness in new mothers and fathers: Stability and discontinuity from pregnancy to toddlerhood.

This study examined the development of caregiver mind-mindedness-defined as the propensity to see one's child as an agent with an independent mind-across the first 1,000 days of life. At four time-points (i.e., third trimester of pregnancy, 4, 14, and 24 months postpartum), 384 first-time mothers (Mage = 32.55, SD = 3.63 years) and fathers (Mage = 33.96, SD = 4.40 years) gave 5-minute speech samples about their infant that were coded for mind-mindedness (Meins & Fernyhough, 2015). Reflecting the local population, the 192 heterosexual couples were highly educated (84.6% of mothers, 77.1% of fathers had a degree) and ethnically homogenous (92.7% of mothers, 94.8% of fathers identified as White British). Results showed significant variability in mind mindedness within both expectant mothers and expectant fathers, with no mean group difference. Auto-regressive models demonstrated modest positive associations between prenatal and postnatal mind-mindedness. Latent change score models showed gains in mean mind-mindedness over time that, on average, were stronger for mothers than for fathers. For fathers, gains in mind-mindedness were positively associated with having an infant daughter and infant surgency. For mothers, higher socioeconomic status and more equal childcare were associated with greater gains in mind-mindedness across toddlerhood. Within-couple associations were evident for changes in mind-mindedness, but not for initial (prenatal) scores. We apply the relational account of mind-mindedness to frame our discussion of these findings that, by highlighting both developmental stability and change in mind-mindedness, suggest fruitful avenues for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Cross-cultural equivalence of parental ratings of child difficulties during the pandemic: Findings from a six-site study.

OBJECTIVES: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been shown to be invariant across informants, developmental stage and settings, but tests of cross-cultural equivalence are limited to adolescents' self-reports. The COVID-19 pandemic makes this gap particularly pertinent, given the need to understand whether distinct government approaches (e.g., school closures) are uniquely associated with variability in children's psychosocial outcomes and the reliance on parents' ratings for young children. METHODS: Within a Confirmatory Factor Analysis framework, we tested the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the SDQ across six countries: Australia, China, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom and USA, using a sample of 1761 parents of 3- to 8-year-olds (M = 5.76, SD = 1.09). RESULTS: A five-factors model showed good fit to the data and partial cross-cultural scalar invariance. In this sample, Swedish parents reported the fewest peer problems (Cohen's d = 0.950) and the highest prosocial scores (Cohen's d = 0.547), whilst British parents reported the greatest child emotional (Cohen's d = 0.412) and hyperactivity problems (Cohen's d = 0.535). CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that the parent-version of the SDQ is appropriate for use and comparison across different contexts during the pandemic.

Measuring antenatal depressive symptoms across the world: A validation and cross-country invariance analysis of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in eight diverse low-resource settings.

Measures that produce valid and reliable antenatal depressive symptom scores in low-resource country contexts are important for efforts to illuminate risk factors, outcomes, and effective interventions in these contexts. Establishing the psychometric comparability of scores across countries also facilitates analyses of similarities and differences across contexts. To date, however, few studies have evaluated the psychometric properties and comparability of the most widely used antenatal depressive symptom measures across diverse cultural, political, and social contexts. To address this gap, we used data from the Evidence for Better Lives Study-Foundational Research (EBLS-FR) project to examine the internal consistency reliability, nomological network validity, and cross-country measurement invariance of the nine-item version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in antenatal samples across eight low-resource contexts. We found that the PHQ-9 scores had good internal consistency across all eight countries. Correlations between PHQ-9 scores and constructs conceptually associated with depression were generally consistent, with a few exceptions. In measurement invariance analyses, only partial metric invariance held and only across four of the countries. Our results suggest that the PHQ-9 yields internally consistent scores when administered in culturally diverse antenatal populations; however, the meaning of the scores may vary. Thus, interpretation of PHQ-9 scores should consider local meanings of symptoms of depression to ensure that context-specific conceptualizations and manifestations of antenatal depressive symptoms are adequately reflected. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Expectant mothers' not fathers' mind-mindedness predicts infant, mother, and father conversational turns at 7 months.

Parental mind-mindedness (MM), defined as the propensity to view one's child as an agent with thoughts, feelings, and desires, is associated with positive child outcomes (McMahon & Bernier, 2017) and can be assessed in expectant parents by using five-minute speech samples (Magaña et al., 1986). Individual differences in MM appear stable across the transition to parenthood (Foley et al., in press), offering an exciting intervention opportunity, as expectant mothers' thoughts and feelings about their unborn infants are associated with the quality of mother-infant interactions. To assess prenatal MM as a predictor of parent-infant conversation at 7 months, we followed 93 low-risk British heterosexual couples across the transition to parenthood. Mothers' and fathers' MM was measured both in the third trimester of pregnancy and at 4 months. Wearable LENA devices were used to gather detailed measures of mother-, father-, and infant-initiated conversations at 7 months. Prenatal MM in both parents was associated with more frequent infant-initiated conversations at 7 months, while prenatal maternal (not paternal) MM was also associated with more mother- and father-initiated conversations. While longitudinal research with more diverse samples is needed, these findings highlight the importance of parental mentalizing in the prenatal period for early family interactions.

Patterns of adverse childhood experiences and associations with prenatal substance use and poor infant outcomes in a multi-country cohort of mothers: a latent class analysis.

BACKGROUND: This paper enumerates and characterizes latent classes of adverse childhood experiences and investigates how they relate to prenatal substance use (i.e., smoking, alcohol, and other drugs) and poor infant outcomes (i.e., infant prematurity and low birthweight) across eight low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: A total of 1189 mother-infant dyads from the Evidence for Better Lives Study cohort were recruited. Latent class analysis using the Bolck, Croon, and Hagenaars (BCH) 3-step method with auxiliary multilevel logistic regressions was performed. RESULTS: Three high-risk classes and one low-risk class emerged: (1) highly maltreated (7%, n = 89), (2) emotionally and physically abused with intra-familial violence exposure (13%, n = 152), (3), emotionally abused (40%, n = 474), and (4) low household dysfunction and abuse (40%, n = 474). Pairwise comparisons between classes indicate higher probabilities of prenatal drug use in the highly maltreated and emotionally abused classes compared with the low household dysfunction and abuse class. Additionally, the emotionally and physically abused with intra-familial violence exposure class had higher probability of low birthweight than the three remaining classes. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the multifaceted nature of ACEs and underline the potential importance of exposure to childhood adversities on behaviors and outcomes in the perinatal period. This can inform the design of antenatal support to better address these challenges.

Perceived stress during the prenatal period: assessing measurement invariance of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) across cultures and birth parity.

Maternal prenatal stress places a substantial burden on mother's mental health. Expectant mothers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have thus far received less attention than mothers in high-income settings. This is particularly problematic, as a range of triggers, such as exposure to traumatic events (e.g. natural disasters, previous pregnancy losses) and adverse life circumstances (e.g. poverty, community violence), put mothers at increased risk of experiencing prenatal stress. The ten-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a widely recognised index of subjective experience of stress that is increasingly used in LMICs. However, evidence for its measurement equivalence across settings is lacking. This study aims to assess measurement invariance of the PSS-10 across eight LMICs and across birth parity. This research was carried out as part of the Evidence for Better Lives Study (EBLS, vrc.crim.cam.ac.uk/vrcresearch/EBLS). The PSS-10 was administered to N = 1,208 expectant mothers from Ghana, Jamaica, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Vietnam during the third trimester of pregnancy. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested a good model fit of a two-factor model across all sites, with items on experiences of stress loading onto a negative factor and items on perceived coping onto a positive factor. Configural and metric, but not full or partial scalar invariance, were established across all sites. Configural, metric and full scalar invariance could be established across birth parity. On average, first-time mothers reported less stress than mothers who already had children. Our findings indicate that the PSS-10 holds utility in assessing stress across a broad range of culturally diverse settings; however, caution should be taken when comparing mean stress levels across sites.