Conspecific and congeneric interactions shape increasing rates of breeding dispersal of northern spotted owls.

Breeding dispersal, the movement from one breeding territory to another, is rare for philopatric species that evolved within relatively stable environments, such as the old-growth coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. Although dispersal is not inherently maladaptive, the consequences of increased dispersal on population dynamics in populations whose historical dispersal rates are low could be significant, particularly for a declining species. We examined rates and possible causes of breeding dispersal based on a sample of 4,118 northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) monitored in seven study areas over 28 yr, 1990-2017, in Oregon and Washington, USA. Using a multistate mark-resight analysis, we investigated the potential impacts of an emergent congeneric competitor (barred owl Strix varia) and forest alteration (extrinsic factors), and social and individual conditions (intrinsic factors) on 408 successive and 1,372 nonsuccessive dispersal events between years. The annual probability of breeding dispersal increased for individual owls that had also dispersed in the previous year and decreased for owls on territories with historically high levels of reproduction. Intrinsic factors including pair status, prior reproductive success, and experience at a site, were also associated with breeding dispersal movements. The percent of monitored owls dispersing each year increased from ˜7% early in the study to ˜25% at the end of the study, which coincided with a rapid increase in numbers of invasive and competitively dominant barred owls. We suggest that the results presented here can inform spotted owl conservation efforts as we identify factors contributing to changing rates of demographic parameters including site fidelity and breeding dispersal. Our study further shows that increasing rates of breeding dispersal associated with population declines contribute to population instability and vulnerability of northern spotted owls to extinction, and the prognosis is unlikely to change unless active management interventions are undertaken.

Relations among maternal physical activity during pregnancy and child body composition.

OBJECTIVE: Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy is associated with lower neonatal fat mass, but associations with child body composition are mixed. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between trimester-specific pregnancy PA and child body composition at 4 years. METHODS: Participants of the Minnesota Infant Nutrition, Neurodevelopment, and Obesity Study were asked to recall participation in any moderate or vigorous PA in the first (T1), second (T2) and third (T3) trimesters at about 5 years postpartum. Child fat mass and fat-free mass were measured via air displacement plethysmography at 2 weeks, 3 months and 4 years of age. Multivariate linear regression was used for analyses. RESULTS: Of 51 possible participants, 37 recalled pregnancy PA. Any vigorous PA in T3 was associated with lower child fat mass at 4 years (adjß = -1.077, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Late pregnancy PA may have lasting benefits for child body composition. Replication of these findings is needed in a larger sample with prospective measures.

Perspectives on the divorce process: parental perceptions of the legal system and its impact on family relations.

Through semistructured interviews, divorcing parents provide a consumer perspective of the legal process of divorce discussed in law and mental health literature. The parents offer a heightened awareness of families' basic needs within the legal system that may otherwise be overlooked by professionals. This article focuses on narrative accounts provided by 41 divorcing parents to describe both their positive and negative experiences with the legal system and court-related professionals. Although many parents entered the divorce process with hopes for a fair and reasonable experience and outcome, only 12 percent of the parents ended the process with positive expectations. Parents conveyed feelings of a lack of power and control over divorce outcomes. The responses from parents provide valuable insight into how reforms of the legal system can be structured best to increase the quality of the process and ameliorate potentially destructive effects of divorce on the family.

"Only God decides": young children's perceptions of divorce and the legal system.

OBJECTIVE: To describe research on perceptions of children aged 6 and younger from 21 families of their parents' divorce, of its impact on their families, and of legal officials. METHOD: Semistructured play interviews were conducted during home visits as parents were conjointly interviewed as part of a larger study on divorce in legal context. RESULTS: Children had much mis-information about divorce as an event and process. What they did know was often inappropriate, frightening, and confusing. They resented how the process "ruined their parents' being friends any more" and proposed reforms based on their wishes and observations. CONCLUSIONS: Greater awareness is needed of the child's desire to be heard during the process, to feel safe and less lonely, and to stay in touch with both parents and extended families. Age-appropriate explanations of psychological and legal aspects of the divorce process are likely to support children's positive adjustment and mental health.

Joint custody and shared parenting. Research and interventions.

Joint custody is a reality for many children of divorce. This article first examines the structure and forms joint custody takes, and then explores what is known about shared parenting from research that is relevant to clinical work with families of divorce. An overview of interventions for children and families of divorce that are relevant to coparenting issues follows, along with what is known about their effectiveness. The final section presents several modes of intervention to assist families in maximizing the effectiveness of shared parenting situations for children and their parents.

Fathers, divorce, and their children.

To minimize many of the negative consequences of divorce, it is beneficial to support a father's ongoing involvement in his child's life. Although the research literature isn't unequivocal on this point, it does strongly suggest that men who are "visitors" do not have as much impact on their children and that visits are a poor substitute for having a parental figure. The answer lies in creating meaningful roles for noncustodial fathers that elevate men's opportunities to contribute to their children's overall development. One of the most important messages parents can impart to children is that some commitments outlive change and that working together in the child's best interests is one of them.