Childhood poverty and school readiness: Differences by poverty type and immigration background.

Objectives: Poverty exposes children to adverse conditions that negatively impact development. However, there is limited understanding on how different types of poverty may affect children of various immigration backgrounds differently in outcomes such as school readiness. This study examined these relationships between household and/or neighbourhood poverty, poverty timing, and immigration background with school readiness outcomes at kindergarten. Methods: This study utilized a retrospective, population-based cohort of administrative records linked with surveys completed by kindergarten teachers for 15 369 children born in British Columbia, Canada. The exposures investigated were neighbourhood poverty (residing in a neighbourhood in the lowest income-quintile) and/or household poverty (receiving a health insurance subsidy due to low household income). Experiencing both neighbourhood and household poverty simultaneously was defined as "combined" household and neighbourhood poverty. The outcome of vulnerability on school readiness domains was assessed at kindergarten (47.8% female; mean age = 6.01 years) using teacher ratings on the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Results: Children exposed to combined poverty between age 0 and 2 had greater odds of being vulnerable in two or more domains of school readiness than children not exposed to any poverty during this period (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.07, 95% CI: [1.74; 2.47], p < 0.001). The effect of combined poverty was larger than household poverty only (aOR = 1.54, 95% CI: [1.31; 1.82], p < 0.001) or neighbourhood poverty only (aOR = 1.49, 95% CI: [1.30; 1.70], p < 0.001). Combined poverty was associated with negative outcomes regardless of timing. Both non-immigrants (aOR = 2.40, 95% CI: [1.92; 3.00], p < 0.001) and second-generation immigrants (aOR = 1.63, 95% CI: [1.22; 2.17], p < 0.001) experiencing combined poverty scored lower on school readiness. Conclusions: Children who experienced combined poverty had lower levels of school readiness at kindergarten, regardless of timing and immigration background.

Parent psychological distress and parent-child relationships two years into the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a Canadian cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been felt equally within populations. Parents with children living at home were early on identified as a population at heightened mental health risk, with concerns about the potential long-term impacts of the pandemic on parents' mental health, family functioning, and children's well-being. This study investigates impacts of the pandemic on parents' psychological distress, contextual sources of distress, and associations with family functioning nearly two years into the pandemic. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Data were drawn from a national cross-sectional survey of adults living in Canada in November and December 2021 that was representative by age, gender, household income, and region. Parents with children < 18 years old living at home (N = 553) reported their experiences of psychological distress, pandemic-related stressors, coping mechanisms, and family functioning (changes in parent-child interactions, children's anxiety). Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and linear regression analyses examined sociodemographic inequities in parents' levels of psychological distress, sources and mitigating mechanisms of distress, and associations between psychological distress and family functioning. Nearly two years into the pandemic, parents with children at home reported nearly double pre-pandemic population estimates of moderate to severe psychological distress. Psychological distress was more frequently reported among parents with pre-existing mental health conditions, disabilities, and financial stressors. Parents with greater psychological distress reported increases in negative parent-child interactions due to the pandemic and higher anxiety among their children. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies sustained negative impacts of the pandemic on parents' mental health and family functioning in Canada nearly two years into the pandemic, despite high vaccine uptake and declining infection rates. Disparities in financial stress, social support structures, and pre-existing mental health were identified as underlying sources of psychological distress. These results highlight that meaningful responses to promote mental health among parents and families must address social and structural inequities.

Early Adolescents' Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Changes in Their Well-Being.

Background: Early adolescence is a time of psychological and social change that can coincide with declines in mental health and well-being. This study investigated the psychological and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of students who responded to a survey in Grades 7 and 8 (ages 12-14) in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The objectives of this study were (i) to provide an overview on early adolescents' experiences and social-emotional well-being during the pandemic; and (ii) to examine whether changes in social experiences as well as feeling safe from getting COVID-19 at school were associated with changes in well-being outcomes over the course of a year. Methods: A sample of n = 1,755 students from a large public school district self-reported on their life satisfaction, optimism, and symptoms of sadness across two time points: First, in their Grade 7 year (pre-pandemic; January to March, 2020) and then 1 year later in their Grade 8 year (during the pandemic; January to March, 2021). In Grade 8, students also reported on pandemic-specific experiences, including changes in mental health, social relationships, and activities, as well as coping strategies and positive changes since the pandemic. Data were collected online using the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI), a population-based self-report tool that assesses children's social-emotional development and well-being in the context of their home, school, and neighborhood. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to examine associations between pandemic-related changes in relationships and perceived safety from getting COVID-19 at school with changes in well-being outcomes. Results: Students reported a range of experiences, with a large proportion reporting moderate concerns and impacts of the pandemic, including worries about their mental health and missing school activities. Students reported significantly lower optimism, lower life satisfaction, and higher sadness compared to the previous year. Within the sample, improvements in relationships with parents and other adults at home was associated with higher well-being during the pandemic. Implications: Results from this study can inform decision making of policy-makers, educators, and practitioners working with youth, by providing information on students' experiences during the pandemic and identifying factors that may be protective for students' mental health during and beyond the pandemic.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Mental Health in Canada: Findings from a Multi-Round Cross-Sectional Study.

Pandemic-related disruptions, including school, child care, and workplace closures, financial stressors, and relationship challenges, present unique risks to families' mental health. We examined the mental health impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among parents with children <18 years old living at home over three study rounds in May 2020 (n = 618), September 2020 (n = 804), and January 2021 (n = 602). Data were collected using a cross-sectional online survey of adults living in Canada, nationally representative by age, gender, household income, and region. Chi-square tests and logistic regression compared outcomes between parents and the rest of the sample, among parent subgroups, and over time. Parents reported worsened mental health compared with before the pandemic, as well as not coping well, increased alcohol use, increased suicidal thoughts/feelings, worsened mental health among their children, and increases in both negative and positive parent-child interactions. Mental health challenges were more frequently reported among parents with pre-existing mental health conditions, disabilities, and financial/relationship stressors. Increased alcohol use was more frequently reported among younger parents and men. Sustained mental health challenges of parents throughout nearly a year of the pandemic suggest that intervention efforts to support family mental health may not be adequately meeting families' needs. Addressing family stressors through financial benefit programs and virtual mental health supports should be further explored.

Honor, face, and dignity norm endorsement among diverse North American adolescents: Development of a Social Norms Survey.

This article examined the psychometric properties and validity of a new self-report instrument for assessing the social norms that coordinate social relations and define self-worth within three normative systems. A survey that assesses endorsement of honor, face, and dignity norms was evaluated in ethnically diverse adolescent samples in the U.S. (Study 1a) and Canada (Study 2). The internal structure of the survey was consistent with the conceptual framework, but only the honor and face scales were reliable. Honor endorsement was linked to self-reported retaliation, less conciliatory behavior, and high perceived threat. Face endorsement was related to anger suppression, more conciliatory behavior, and, in the U.S., low perceived threat. Study 1b examined identity-relevant emotions and appraisals experienced after retaliation and after calming a victimized peer. Honor norm endorsement predicted pride following revenge, while face endorsement predicted high shame. Adolescents who endorsed honor norms thought that only avenging their peer had been helpful and consistent with the role of good friend, while those who endorsed face norms thought only calming a victimized peer was helpful and indicative of a good friend. Implications for adolescent welfare are discussed.

Naturalistic development of trait mindfulness: A longitudinal examination of victimization and supportive relationships in early adolescence.

Scholars have only just begun to examine elements of young adolescents' social ecologies that explain naturalistic variation in trait mindfulness and its development over time. We argue that trait mindfulness develops as a function of chronically encountered ecologies that are likely to foster or thwart the repeated enactment of mindful states over time. Using data from 4,593 fourth and seventh grade students (50% female; MageG4 = 9.02; 71% English first language) from 32 public school districts in British Columbia (BC), Canada, we examined links from peer belonging, connectedness with adults at home, and peer victimization to mindfulness over time. Variable-centered analyses indicated that young adolescents with lower victimization in fourth grade reported higher mindfulness in seventh grade, and that cross-sectionally within seventh grade victimization, peer belonging, and connectedness with adults at home were each associated with mindfulness. Contrary to our hypothesis, connectedness with adults at home moderated the longitudinal association between victimization and mindfulness such that the negative association was stronger among young adolescents with high (vs. low) levels of connectedness with adults at home. Person-centered analysis of the fourth graders' data confirmed our variable-centered findings, yielding four latent classes of social ecology whose mindfulness levels in seventh grade largely tracked with their victimization levels (from highest to lowest mindfulness): (1) flourishing relationships, (2) unvictimized but weak relationships with adults, (3) moderately victimized but strong relationships, and (4) victimized but strong relationships. Overall, our findings contribute to a growing body of evidence indicating that trait mindfulness may develop as a function of ecologically normative experiences in young adolescents' everyday lives.

Immunotherapeutic approach for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the USA and the seventh leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Most of the patients' presentation is in advanced stages and remains resistant to currently available standard therapies. An in-depth understanding of PDAC's pathogenesis has shown that immunotherapy could bring about a revolution in the treatment response. Immunotherapy in PDAC appears promising in preclinical studies but failed to show benefits in clinical studies. These novel agents' therapeutic failure can be attributed to multiple variables including the tumor microenvironment, early metastasis, tumor heterogeneity and resistance to therapy. There is a need to develop biomarkers for the patient's stratification and provide individualized treatment to improve treatment outcomes.

Lay abstract Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the USA and the seventh leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. PDAC is a lethal cancer; most patients present at advanced stages with minimal clinical response to the current standard therapies. Immunotherapy treatment in PDAC showed promising results in the preclinical studies. However, the majority of clinical studies on immunotherapy in PDAC did not show clinical benefits. There is a need for research to explore the benefits of immunotherapy in PDAC patients. The development of new treatment strategies and a patient-tailored approach might improve future outcomes.