Differing gender diverse children have differing experiences with same- and other-gender peers.

How gender diversity is exhibited varies: some individuals feel similar to the other gender; others experience little similarity to either gender, and some feel similar to both genders. For children, do these variations relate to differing relationships with peers? The goal was to assess whether a community sample of children (884, Mage = 9.04, SD = .90, 51% boys/1 transgender boy; 57% non-Latinx) with differing types of gender diversity have differing relationship experiences and beliefs about same- and other-gender peers. Gender diversity was determined by gender self-concepts (Both-Gender Similar, Cross-Gender Similar, Low-Gender Similar); these were compared among themselves and to gender-typical children (Own-Gender Similar). Results confirmed that children who exhibited differing gender diversity patterns varied in their peer experiences such that gender self-concept matching was found: Children who felt more similar to other-gender peers reported more contact and felt included and efficacious with other-gender peers; children who felt more similar to same-gender peers reported more contact and felt included and efficacious with same-gender peers. These findings suggest that children with two of the atypical patterns (i.e., Cross-Gender and Both-Gender) may experience social benefits that gender typical children do not. These findings illustrate the variability and strengths among gender diverse children.

Being helpful to other-gender peers: School-age children's gender-based intergroup prosocial behaviour.

Promoting prosocial behaviour towards those who are dissimilar from oneself is an urgent contemporary issue. Because children spend much time in same-gender relationships, promoting other-gender prosociality could help them develop more inclusive relationships. Our goals were to better understand the development of school-age children's intergroup prosocial behavior and the extent to which elementary school-age children consider their own and the recipient's gender in prosocial behaviour. Participants included 515 3rd, 4th and 5th graders (263, 51.1% boys, Mageinyears  = 9.08, SD = 1.00) surveyed in the fall (T1) and spring (T2). We assessed children's prosociality using peer nominations. Children became more prosocial toward same-gender peers over time but prosocial behavior toward other-gender peers remained stable. We found that gender mattered: Children showed an ingroup bias in prosociality favouring members of their own-gender group. Having other-gender friendships positively predicted children's prosocial behaviour towards other-gender peers over time. Children's felt similarity to other-gender peers was not directly, but indirectly, related to more prosocial behaviour toward other-gender peers. Findings shed light on potential pathways to fostering school-age children's intergroup prosocial behaviors.

A Population-Level, Randomized Effectiveness Trial of Recruitment Strategies for Parenting Programs in Elementary Schools.

Objective: A population-level, randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the effectiveness of a parent recruitment package for increasing initial engagement into a school-based parenting program and to identify strategies responsible for effects.Method: Participants were caregivers of kindergarten- to third-grade students (N = 1,276) attending one of five schools serving ethnically diverse families living in mostly low-income, urban conditions. First, families were randomly assigned to be recruited for research surveys or not, and then to a parenting program recruitment condition: 1) Engagement-as-usual (EAU) informational flyer; 2) EAU + testimonial booklet; 3) EAU + teacher endorsement; 4) EAU + recruitment call; or 5) all strategies (full package). Caregivers were offered a free parenting program at their child's school. Primary dependent variables were parenting program enrollment and attending at least one session (initiation). Exploratory analyses were conducted on program completion, attendance across sessions, homework completion, and in-session participation.Results: In the population-level sample, enrollment and initiation were higher for the full package compared to all other conditions except the recruitment call condition. Enrollment, initiation, and program completion were higher for the recruitment call and full package conditions compared to the EAU condition. In the subsample of initiators, parents in the full package condition attended fewer parenting sessions than in the EAU condition. Controlling for attendance across sessions, there were no condition effects on homework completion or in-session participation.Conclusions: The recruitment call can increase the public health impact of evidence-based parenting programs by improving enrollment, initiation, and program completion.

Comparison of intervention fidelity between COPE TEEN and an attention-control program in a randomized controlled trial.

Fidelity in implementing an intervention is critical to accurately determine and interpret the effects of an intervention. It is important to monitor the manner in which the behavioral intervention is implemented (e.g. adaptations, delivery as intended and dose). Few interventions are implemented with 100% fidelity. In this study, high school health teachers implemented the intervention. To attribute study findings to the intervention, it was vital to know to what degree the intervention was implemented. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to evaluate intervention fidelity and to compare implementation fidelity between the creating opportunities for personal empowerment (COPE) Healthy Lifestyles TEEN (thinking, emotions, exercise, and nutrition) program, the experimental intervention and Healthy Teens, an attention-control intervention, in a randomized controlled trial with 779 adolescents from 11 high schools in the southwest region of the United States. Thirty teachers participated in this study. Findings indicated that the attention-control teachers implemented their intervention with greater fidelity than COPE TEEN teachers. It is possible due to the novel intervention and the teachers' unfamiliarity with cognitive-behavioral skills building, COPE TEEN teachers had less fidelity. It is important to assess novel skill development prior to the commencement of experimental interventions and to provide corrective feedback during the course of implementation.

Validation and psychometric properties of the neonatal intensive care unit parental beliefs scale.

BACKGROUND: Parental perception of their infants and confidence/beliefs about their parenting are among the most salient factors influencing outcomes of preterm infants. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of scores on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Parental Beliefs Scale (NICU PBS) in a sample of mothers and fathers of preterm infants receiving intensive care. The NICU PBS is a rating instrument designed to assess parental beliefs about their premature infant and their role during hospitalization. METHODS: The sample consisted of 245 mothers and 143 fathers. As part of the Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment trial, participants completed the NICU PBS 4-8 days after NICU admission and again approximately 4 days before discharge. Validation data were obtained at various times throughout the study. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the NICU PBS factor structure. RESULTS: A three-factor solution was accepted (Parental Role Confidence, Parent-Baby Interaction, and Knowledge of the NICU). Reliability of scores on the total scale and subscales was high; Cronbach's alpha ranged from .75 to .91. Test-retest correlations ranged from .84 to .92. Younger maternal age; birth of another child; return to work within the past 12 months; and lower stress, depression, and anxiety were all significantly associated with higher scores on all subscales and the total score. Lower education, lower household income, receipt of Medicaid, and non-White race were associated with higher scores on the parent role confidence subscale and total. Lower household income and receipt of Medicaid were associated with higher Parent-Baby Interaction scores. DISCUSSION: The NICU PBS can be used reliably with mothers and fathers of premature infants who are hospitalized in the NICU, and it may be a useful scale in predicting parental stress, depression, and anxiety.

Reducing anxiety among children born preterm and their young mothers.

PURPOSE: To examine the efficacy of COPE on maternal and child anxiety associated with younger mothers of premature infants. The COPE program provides instruction and practice in parenting behaviors specific to the NICU, in combination with information that reduces ambiguity about their infant's appearance and behaviors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Secondary data analysis was conducted on data obtained from a larger randomized controlled trial with 253 mothers of low birthweight premature infants to examine the efficacy of the Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment (COPE) program, an educational-behavioral parent intervention in the NICU, on maternal and child anxiety based on maternal age. For these analyses, child and maternal anxiety were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 2 to 3 and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory collected at 24 months and 2 to 4 days postintervention, respectively. To test study hypotheses, we conducted multiple regression models using the structural equation modeling approach to path analysis. RESULTS: Multiple regression results for the full model indicated that there was a significant COPE × mothers' age interaction effect on both mothers' anxiety and child anxiety. Participation in the COPE program significantly predicted lower levels of mothers' anxiety at postintervention as well as lower levels of child anxiety at 24 months for younger mothers (18-21 years old), but not for mothers over 21 years old. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Participating in COPE was associated with more favorable mental health outcomes for younger mothers and their children than mothers over 21 years old. Participation in the COPE program may help close the health disparities gap by improving behaviors in infants of younger mothers to rates similar to those of children of mothers over 21 years old.

Characteristics of HIV-infected mothers associated with increased risk of poor mother-infant interactions and infant outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between individual and familial characteristics of HIV-infected mothers and their psychological health as it relates to parenting as well as their parenting beliefs/abilities. METHOD: A descriptive correlational design was used. Seventeen HIV-infected mothers and their infants were recruited from a university clinic in Alabama. Assessments were gathered at the infant's pediatric clinic appointments (approximately 6 weeks after delivery) and included a demographic questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Maternal Confidence Questionnaire, the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, and the Questionnaire About Physical Contact. RESULTS: Dysfunctional parent-child interactions significantly correlated with maternal confidence, parent stress, and overall feeling about physical contact. Difficult child temperament correlated with overall and current feelings of physical contact and parent stress. Significant correlations were found between parent distress, parent stress, and maternal depression. DISCUSSION: Beyond the need to assist HIV-infected mothers with stress and depression, an intervention is needed to facilitate optimal parent-child interactions and improve both child psychosocial and cognitive outcomes.

Effects of infant massage on HIV-infected mothers and their infants.

PURPOSE. To determine the feasibility of implementing an infant massage intervention and to evaluate the preliminary effects of infant massage on HIV-infected mothers and their infants. DESIGN AND METHODS. In this two-group, randomized controlled pilot study, intervention group mothers were taught to perform infant massage daily for 10 weeks. RESULTS. Infant massage training had a positive impact on maternal depression, parental distress, and infant growth along with facilitating more optimal parent-child interactions. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Infant massage, a quick, easy, and inexpensive intervention, is feasible in a clinic setting and may benefit human immunodeficiency virus-infected mothers and their infants.

The contraceptive needs for STD protection among women in jail.

We assessed the contraceptive needs of women in jails and their sexually transmitted disease (STD) history and risk to determine effective contraceptive methods for this population. A survey of demographics, sexual health, contraceptive use, and preferred method of contraception was completed by participants recruited at jails in a medium-sized metropolitan area. Results from 188 women indicated high rates of STDs, inconsistent contraceptive use, and use of unreliable and user-dependent contraception methods. Intended contraceptive use following release varied depending on women's ability to bear children. Women planning to use condoms after release were more likely to have had an STD and more sexual partners than were women not planning to use condoms. Racial differences were found for participants' sexual health and contraception histories. These women were at high risk for STDs and appeared to need education about contraception methods. Therefore, they might benefit from education on safe sex practices provided prior to release.

Outcomes of a massage intervention on teen mothers: a pilot study.

The difficulties that adolescent mothers encounter as a result of the combined stress of adolescence, parenthood, maintaining peer relationships, and establishing positive relationships with their infants have been identified in the literature, and these characteristics are often associated with poor infant outcomes. This study was designed to examine the effects of an infant massage intervention on adolescent mothers' attitudes and perceptions of their infants. Twenty-five African-American adolescent mothers (mean age 16.13 years), who were enrolled in a parent training program for high school students in a southern state, participated in the project. The mothers were assigned randomly to an intervention (9) or control group (16). After a brief training session, participants in the intervention group practiced massage with their infants for approximately 2 months. Data analysis was based on the 15 participants who completed both baseline and 2-month follow-up measures (8 in the control group and 7 in the intervention group). This study found some support for teaching infant massage to adolescent mothers as a way of enhancing maternal-infant physical contact and lowering depression, as well as positively influencing mothers' perceptions of infant temperament. Results indicate that infant massage training may lead to improvements beyond those achieved with a typical parent education curriculum and shows potential as a low-cost supplement to current teen mother education in high schools.

The contraceptive needs of incarcerated women.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed the contraceptive needs of women incarcerated in jails in the southeastern United States to determine feasible and effective birth control interventions based on the needs of this population. METHODS: Participants were recruited from local jails around a medium-sized metro area. Participants completed a survey of demographics, sexual health, contraceptive use, and preferred method of contraception. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 188 women in jail. Participants reported high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (50.5%), inconsistent use of birth control (36.5%), and use of unreliable and user-dependent methods of birth control. The majority did not desire to become pregnant in the future (61.5%) but intended to have sex after release from jail (76.9%). Women who were able to bear children were more likely to report intentions to use birth control or STD protection after release (77.9%). Additionally, significant racial differences were found. Specifically, nonwhites were more likely to be single and have more STDs and less use of a variety of birth control methods than whites. CONCLUSIONS: Women in this sample were at high risk for unplanned pregnancies. Therefore, a primary contraceptive need for this population appeared to be education about longer lasting, user-independent forms of contraception. Many of these women would be ideal candidates for such forms of contraception, especially if it was provided prior to release.

Screening for postpartum depression in a rural community.

Postpartum depression is a serious mental health issue affecting as many as 10-15% of families during the postpartum period. The current study discusses implementation of a screening protocol for postpartum depression in a rural community health setting with a sample of 498 primarily minority women utilizing the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale. Results indicate that 22.5% of the sample population demonstrate some symptoms of postpartum depression, with Hispanic women demonstrating less symptoms than other minority groups. Results also indicate that variables such as race, feeding method and history of depression impact scale scores.