Dental fear: one single clinical question for measurement.

A new dental fear measurement instrument, the Short Dental Fear Question (SDFQ), was developed and tested for clinical practice purposes. The correlations of the SDFQ with the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) were tested in 15-16-year-old adolescents. The Spearman correlations (rs) between the dental fear measurement instruments were: SDFQ - DFS: r(s) = 0.79, n = 26; DFS - DAS: r(s) = 0.72, n = 26; SDFQ- DAS: r(s) = 0.69, n = 27. DAS and DFS mean scores were clearly higher in the SDFQ fear group than SDFQ in the relaxed group. The SDFQ is a short and compact instrument which might be convenient for the measurement of dental fear in clinical practice.

Excessively crying infant in the family: mother-infant, father-infant and mother-father interaction.

METHOD: We studied mother-infant, father-infant and mother-father interaction in 32 families with an excessively crying infant and in 30 control families. The group with excessive criers was divided further into subgroups of severe colic (n=13) and moderate colic (n=19). The three dyads of the family were video-recorded when the infants were an average of 5 weeks old. The assessment was carried out during the infant's feeding, nappy change and discussion between the parents. During the assessment, only four infants were crying. The Parent Child Early Relational Assessment Scale and the Beavers Scale were used. RESULTS: The main findings suggest that both parents of colicky infants had less optimal parent-child interaction compared with the control parents. The problems in the interaction were most pronounced between the fathers and infants in the severe colic group. The father-infant interaction was less optimal in 13 items of 65 (20%) in the severe colic group, in one item of 65 (2%) in the moderate colic group and in none of the items in the control group. The mother-infant interaction was less optimal in six items out of 65 (9%) in the severe colic group, in three items out of 65 (5%) in the moderate colic, and in none of the items in the control group. Severely colicky infants were also less competent in interacting with their parents. In addition, interaction between the parents was more often dysfunctional in the severe colic group. CONCLUSIONS: The problems in early family interaction may threaten the well-being of families with excessively crying infants and they therefore deserve special attention from the health care professionals.

Family functioning 3 years after infantile colic.

Infantile colic causes stress to many families during the first weeks of an infant's life. In our previous studies, we found that families with severely colicky infants had more problems in their daily functioning than did families without colicky infants and that the affective state in these families was anxious and conflicted. These characteristics showed some stability from the colicky period to 1 year of age. In the present study, we examined the functioning of these families 3 years after the colicky period. The McMaster Family Assessment Device was used to evaluate the family interaction in 59 families with previously colicky infants and 58 control families. Three years after the colicky period, families with moderately and severely colicky infants did not differ significantly from control families with respect to psychological family characteristics.

Family life 1 year after infantile colic.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the persistence of family psychological characteristics associated with infantile colic. DESIGN: A 1-year follow-up survey of families with colicky infants was carried out. The family interview was used to evaluate the psychological factors of colicky and control families. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 59 families with a colicky infant and 58 control families were enrolled in the initial evaluation in the population-based study. On the basis of a structured diary of the infant's crying, filled in by the parents, 3 groups of families were formed: severe colic group (n = 36), moderate colic group (n = 23), and control group (n = 58). The families were interviewed when the infants were 2 and 12 months old. The Beavers-Timberlawn Family Evaluation Scale and the Oulu Family Assessment Scale were used. Thirty-two families (89%) from the severe colic group, 17 (74%) from the moderate colic group, and 49 (84%) from the control group participated in the 1-year assessment. RESULTS: At the 1-year assessment, the structural profile of the families did not differ between the groups. However, families in the severe colic group had more difficulties in communication, more unresolved conflicts, more dissatisfaction, and greater lack of empathy than families in the other groups. Furthermore, there was less flexibility in both colic groups than in the control group. During the follow-up period, coalition between parents in the moderate colic group became stronger compared with the first assessment, and the atmosphere improved significantly in all 3 study groups. However, the amount of empathy decreased in the severe colic group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that certain family characteristics associated with severe infantile colic persist. Families in the moderate colic group coped nearly as well as families in the control group. The family mood had improved a lot in all families when the infant was 1 year old.