Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience, and Cardiovascular Disease in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs: e.g., abuse, neglect and/or household dysfunction experienced before age 18) and resilience on risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) has not previously been investigated in adult survivors of childhood cancer. METHODS: We conducted a nested case-control study among long-term, adult-aged survivors of childhood cancer from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS). Self-report questionnaires ascertained ACEs and resilience, and scores were compared between cases with serious/life-threatening CVD and controls without CVD matched on demographic and cardiotoxic treatment factors. RESULTS: Among 95 cases and 261 controls, the mean ACE score was 1.4 for both groups; 53.4% of survivors endorsed ≥1 ACE. There was no association between ACEs or resilience and CVD in adjusted models. CONCLUSIONS: ACEs and resilience do not appear to contribute to CVD risk for adult survivors of childhood cancer with cardiotoxic treatment exposures. IMPACT: Although not associated with CVD in this population, ACEs are associated with serious health issues in other populations. Therefore, future studies could investigate effects of ACEs on other health outcomes affecting childhood cancer survivors.

Adverse childhood experiences and resilience in childhood and adolescent and young adult cancer patients.

Childhood and adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors experience poor health outcomes in adulthood. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) also portend poor health outcomes for the general population. Resilience can mitigate effects of ACEs. We examined the feasibility of assessing ACEs and resilience in childhood and AYA cancer patients. We also described occurrences of ACEs, resilience, and poor health outcomes. Of 52 participants, most rated their study experience favorably, with privacy in answering sensitive questions. Half reported ACEs, and those with ACEs had lower resilience; X2 (3, N = 52) = 9.4, p = .02. Further investigations of ACEs and resilience in larger cohorts are warranted to delineate associations with long-term health outcomes.

Strengthening Home Visitor Practice Through an Embedded Model of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation.

Home visitors face the difficult task of engaging and supporting families who experience economic, social, and mental health challenges. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) is one strategy to improve early childhood professionals' abilities to promote maternal and children's mental health through relationship building and collaboration. To date, most of the evidence showing positive effects of IECMHC comes from evaluations conducted in center-based early childhood programs. Only a few have examined the implementation and outcomes of IECMHC in home visiting programs. Using a longitudinal, matched-comparison group design, a three-year pilot study of a cross-system, embedded model of IECMHC assessed implementation and outcomes for teachers and home visitors. Here, we focus on intervention effects on home visitor-family relationships based on an analysis of 42 recordings of home visits. We used the Home Visit Rating Scales Adapted & Extended to Excellence (HOVRS-A+ v.2.1; Roggman et al., in  2010) and created another scale, the IECMHC scale, of items aligned with the expected outcomes of the model. Home visitors in the intervention group scored significantly higher on the HOVRS-A+ home visitor responsiveness to family scale over time than those in the comparison group. Additionally, scores of home visitors in the intervention group increased at a greater rate, on average, on the newly developed IECMHC scale than scores of home visitors in the comparison group. We conclude that the Illinois model of IECMHC successfully improved home visitors' responsiveness to families and improved the quality of home visits. Due to the small sample, we recommend further study of the model in home visiting and further development of the IECMHC scale as part of the HOVRS-A+ .

Building reflective capacity and improving well-being of early childhood professionals through an embedded cross-system model of infant early childhood mental health consultation.

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) aims to improve early childhood professionals' abilities to promote children's mental health through relationship building and collaboration. Using a longitudinal, matched-comparison group design, a 3-year pilot study of a cross-system, embedded model of IECMHC assessed teachers and home visitors in intervention and comparison programs in reflective capacity, burnout, and perceptions of children's behavior. A sample of 136 staff (n = 72 intervention group; n = 64 comparison group; 21% Black; 51% White; 28% Latina/Hispanic) participated in surveys over a 21-month implementation period. A subsample of staff (n = 26) participated in interviews that included a narrative measure of reflective capacity; and a smaller subsample of teachers only (n = 21) completed assessments of children. Staff in the intervention group significantly increased reflective capacity after 21 months. For the staff interview subsample, receiving the intervention predicted lower levels of burnout at 12-15 months post-baseline. Among teachers completing child assessments, those with higher reflective capacity rated children's behaviors more positively than teachers with lower reflective capacity. We conclude that this IECMHC model successfully improved reflective capacity in staff. Future research should investigate reflective capacity as a potential mechanism of change for IECMHC.

La Consulta de Salud Mental de la Infancia y la Temprana Niñez (IECMHC) se propone mejorar las habilidades de los profesionales de la temprana niñez para promover la salud mental de los niños por medio de establecer relaciones y de la colaboración. Usando un diseño longitudinal, de un grupo de comparación emparejado, un estudio experimental de tres años con un modelo incorporado de IECMHC a lo largo del sistema, evaluó a instructores y visitadores a casa en programas de intervención y comparación en cuanto a la capacidad de reflexión, el agotamiento, así como las percepciones del comportamiento de los niños. Un grupo muestra de 136 miembros del personal (n = 72 en el grupo de intervención; n = 64 en el grupo de comparación; 21% negros; 51% blancos; 28% hispano/latino) participó en entrevistas que incluían una medida narrativa de la capacidad de reflexión; y un más pequeño subgrupo muestra de instructores solamente (n = 21) completaron evaluaciones de los niños. Los miembros del personal en el grupo de intervención significativamente aumentaron la capacidad de reflexión después de 21 meses. Para la entrevista del personal en el subgrupo muestra, recibir la intervención predijo más bajos niveles de agotamiento a los 12 a 15 meses después del punto de partida. De los instructores que completaron las evaluaciones del niño, aquellos con más alta capacidad de reflexión evaluaron el comportamiento de los niños más positivamente que los instructores con una más baja capacidad de reflexión. Concluimos con que este modelo de IECMHC mejoré con éxito la capacidad de reflexión del personal. La investigación futura debe investigar la capacidad reflexión como un potencial mecanismo de cambio para IECMHC.

La consultation de Santé Mentale du Nourrisson et de la Petite Enfance (abrégé IECMHC en anglais) a pour but d'améliorer les compétences des professionnels de la petite enfance à promouvoir la santé mentale des enfants au travers de l'établissement de relations et de la collaboration. En utilisant une conception de groupe témoin apparié, longitudinale, une étude pilote de trois années d'un modèle inter-système et intégré de IECMHC a évalué des enseignants et des visiteurs à domicile dans des programmes d'intervention et de comparaison pour ce qui concerne la capacité de réflexion, le burnout et les perception du comportement des enfants. Un échantillon de 136 employés (n = 72 groupe d'intervention; n = 64 groupe de comparaison; 21% Noirs; 51% Blancs; 28% Hispaniques / Latinas) ont participé à des enquêtes sur une période de mise en place de 21 mois. Un sous-échantillon d'employés (n = 26) a participé à des entretiens qui ont inclus une mesure narrative de capacité de réflexion; et un plus petit sous-échantillon d'enseignants uniquement (n = 21) a rempli des évaluations des enfants. Les employés dans le groupe d'intervention ont fortement augmenté leur capacité de réflexion après 21 mois. Pour le sous-échantillon d'employés, le fait d'avoir reçu l'intervention a prédit des niveaux plus bas de burnout à 12-15 mois après référence. Des enseignants ayant rempli les évaluations des enfants, ceux avec la capacité de réflexion la plus élevées ont évalué les comportements des enfants de manière plus positive que les enseignants avec une capacité de réflexion moins élevée. Nous concluons que ce modèle IECMHC a amélioré avec succès la capacité de réflexion chez les employés. Des recherches futures devraient se pencher sur la capacité de réflexion comme mécanisme potentiel de changement pour l'IECMHC.

Breastfeeding is related to atypical autonomic and behavior regulation in infants with a history of excessive crying.

The study investigated autonomic regulation during feeding in six-month old infants with a history of excessive crying (EC) and social-behavioral development at 12 and 24 months. When contrasted with non-EC infants (NEC), EC infants had atypical autonomic responses observed as dampened reductions in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and decreases in heart period (HP) during feeding. EC infants demonstrated atypical autonomic regulation only if they were bottle-fed, while breastfed EC infants had patterns of autonomic regulation similar to NEC infants. Behavioral data suggest that while a history of EC was related to social-emotional behaviors at 12 and 24 months, breastfeeding may buffer the behavioral effects of EC on sociability at 24 months.

Development and validation of the infant crying and parent well-being screening tool.

This article describes the development and validation of the infant crying and parent well-being (ICPW) screening tool, developed to provide an effective and efficient way of identifying families struggling with infant crying and soothing. Construct validity for the ICPW was assessed using survey data from 290 parents of infants. Scores on the ICPW were associated with parental depression, parenting stress, and low co-parent confidence. Parents with positive ICPW screens-indicating additional support is needed-were more likely to have high or clinical levels of parenting stress than parents with negative screens. Inconsolable and excessive infant crying negatively impacts the well-being of parents, and most importantly, is the primary trigger for infant abuse. The ICPW is a unique, efficient tool that allows providers to screen for families who may need additional support around infant crying and soothing.

Increasing parenting self-efficacy: The Fussy Baby Network® intervention.

High levels of infant crying place families at risk for disrupted relationships, parenting stress, and even for child maltreatment. We conducted an evaluation of the Fussy Baby Network® (FBN), a program supporting families struggling with infant crying and related concerns. The study contrasted 29 families who sought help from FBN with 27 families with excessively crying infants who did not seek services. Researchers measured parenting self-efficacy, depression, and stress in each group before and after the intervention. Results from hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated greater improvements over time in parenting self-efficacy for parents receiving FBN services. Furthermore, the greater improvements in parenting self-efficacy in the intervention group were not directly attributable to reductions in infant crying. These findings provide preliminary evidence that the FBN approach may be effective at boosting the confidence of parents struggling with caring for their infants. Future research with larger samples with baseline equivalence and stronger research designs should explore this intervention further. This study also suggests that interventions for families with excessively crying infants should move beyond the focus of reducing infant crying to a broader strategy of supporting parents and strengthening relationships between parents and their infants to build parenting capacity.