Crying Without a Cause and Being Easily Upset in Two-Year-Olds: Heritability and Predictive Power of Behavioral Problems

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 393-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria M. Groen-Blokhuis ◽  
Christel M. Middeldorp ◽  
Catharina E. M. van Beijsterveldt ◽  
Dorret I. Boomsma
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Heritability Estimate ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Attention Problems ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Shared Environment ◽  
Maternal Characteristics

In order to estimate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on ‘crying without a cause’ and ‘being easily upset’ in 2-year-old children, a large twin study was carried out. Prospective data were available for ~18,000 2-year-old twin pairs from the Netherlands Twin Register. A bivariate genetic analysis was performed using structural equation modeling in the Mx software package. The influence of maternal personality characteristics and demographic and lifestyle factors was tested to identify specific risk factors that may underlie the shared environment of twins. Furthermore, it was tested whether crying without a cause and being easily upset were predictive of later internalizing, externalizing and attention problems. Crying without a cause yielded a heritability estimate of 60% in boys and girls. For easily upset, the heritability was estimated at 43% in boys and 31% in girls. The variance explained by shared environment varied between 35% and 63%. The correlation between crying without a cause and easily upset (r = .36) was explained both by genetic and shared environmental factors. Birth cohort, gestational age, socioeconomic status, parental age, parental smoking behavior and alcohol use during pregnancy did not explain the shared environmental component. Neuroticism of the mother explained a small proportion of the additive genetic, but not of the shared environmental effects for easily upset. Crying without a cause and being easily upset at age 2 were predictive of internalizing, externalizing and attention problems at age 7, with effect sizes of .28–.42. A large influence of shared environmental factors on crying without a cause and easily upset was detected. Although these effects could be specific to these items, we could not explain them by personality characteristics of the mother or by demographic and lifestyle factors, and we recognize that these effects may reflect other maternal characteristics. A substantial influence of genetic factors was found for the two items, which are predictive of later behavioral problems.

scholarly journals Genetics and Not Shared Environment Explains Familial Resemblance in Adult Metabolomics Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-155
Author(s):  
René Pool ◽  
Fiona A. Hagenbeek ◽  
Anne M. Hendriks ◽  
Jenny van Dongen ◽  
Gonneke Willemsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Biological Tissues ◽  
Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Shared Environment ◽  
Familial Resemblance ◽  
Environmental Variance ◽  
Metabolomics Data ◽  
Significant Heritability

AbstractMetabolites are small molecules involved in cellular metabolism where they act as reaction substrates or products. The term ‘metabolomics’ refers to the comprehensive study of these molecules. The concentrations of metabolites in biological tissues are under genetic control, but this is limited by environmental factors such as diet. In adult mono- and dizygotic twin pairs, we estimated the contribution of genetic and shared environmental influences on metabolite levels by structural equation modeling and tested whether the familial resemblance for metabolite levels is mainly explained by genetic or by environmental factors that are shared by family members. Metabolites were measured across three platforms: two based on proton nuclear magnetic resonance techniques and one employing mass spectrometry. These three platforms comprised 237 single metabolic traits of several chemical classes. For the three platforms, metabolites were assessed in 1407, 1037 and 1116 twin pairs, respectively. We carried out power calculations to establish what percentage of shared environmental variance could be detected given these sample sizes. Our study did not find evidence for a systematic contribution of shared environment, defined as the influence of growing up together in the same household, on metabolites assessed in adulthood. Significant heritability was observed for nearly all 237 metabolites; significant contribution of the shared environment was limited to 6 metabolites. The top quartile of the heritability distribution was populated by 5 of the 11 investigated chemical classes. In this quartile, metabolites of the class lipoprotein were significantly overrepresented, whereas metabolites of classes glycerophospholipids and glycerolipids were significantly underrepresented.

Low Self-Control of Emotions as an Antecedent of Self-Reported Physical Symptoms: A Longitudinal Perspective

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marja Kokkonen ◽  
Lea Pulkkinen ◽  
Taru Kinnunen
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Eysenck Personality Questionnaire ◽  
Positive Direction ◽  
Data Collections ◽  
Low Self Control

The study was part of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, underway since 1968, in which children's low self-control of emotions was studied using teacher ratings at age 8 in terms of inattentiveness, shifting moods, aggression, and anxiety. The study was based on data from 112 women and 112 men who participated in the previous data collections at ages 8, 27, and 36. At age 27, the participants had been assessed in Neuroticism (N) using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire , and at age 36 they filled in several inventories measuring, among others, conscious and active attempts to repair negative emotions in a more positive direction as well as physical symptoms. The present study used structural equation modeling to test the hypothesis that personality characteristics indicating low self-control of emotions at ages 8 and 27 are antecedents of self-reported physical symptoms at age 36; and that this relationship is indirect, mediated by attempts to repair negative emotions in a more positive direction. The findings showed, albeit for men only, that inattentiveness at age 8 was positively related to self-reported physical symptoms at age 36 via high N at age 27 and low attempts to repair negative emotions at age 36. Additionally, N at age 27 was directly linked to self-reported physical symptoms at age 36. The mediation of an active attempt to repair negative emotions was not found for women. Correlations revealed, however, that shifting moods and aggression in girls were antecedents of self-reported physical symptoms in adulthood, particularly, pain and fatigue.

scholarly journals Indirect drivers of plant diversity-productivity relationship in semiarid sandy grasslands

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1277-1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. A. Zuo ◽  
J. M. H. Knops ◽  
X. Y. Zhao ◽  
H. L. Zhao ◽  
T. H. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Wet Meadow ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Sandy Grasslands

Abstract. Although patterns between plant diversity and ecosystem productivity have been much studied, a consistent relationship has not yet emerged. Differing patterns between plant diversity and productivity have been observed in response to spatial variability of environmental factors and vegetation composition. In this study, we measured vegetation cover, plant diversity, productivity, soil properties and site characteristics along an environmental gradient (mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, fixed dune, dry meadow, wet meadow and flood plain grasslands) of natural sandy grasslands in semiarid areas of northern China. We used multivariate analysis to examine the relationships between environmental factors, vegetation composition, plant diversity and productivity. We found a positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity. Vegetation composition aggregated by the ordination technique of non-metric multidimensional scaling had also a significantly positive correlation with plant diversity and productivity. Environmental gradients in relation to soil and topography affected the distribution patterns of vegetation composition, species diversity and productivity. However, environmental gradients were a better determinant of vegetation composition and productivity than of plant diversity. Structural equation modeling suggested that environmental factors determine vegetation composition, which in turn independently drives both plant diversity and productivity. Thus, the positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity is indirectly driven by vegetation composition, which is determined by environmental gradients in soil and topography.

Effect of Environmental Factors on Knowledge Sharing in Construction Organization

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katun M. Idris ◽  
Kherun N. Ali ◽  
Godwin U. Aliagha ◽  
Ali Keyvanfar
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Managerial Leadership ◽  
Leadership Strategy ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
Strategy Planning ◽  
Construction Organization

The processes of environmental factors are milieu-focus, which  can influence the knowledge sharing in construction organization. This study examines the possible effect of environmental factors in respect to managerial leadership, strategy/planning and culture on the relationship to the knowledge sharing.  The study was carried out on project managers in construction organizations in Nigeria using a stratified random sample of 323 of  different designations. A hypothesized model of knowledge sharing, and environmental factors was tested using structural equation modeling approach, and a proposed model was therefore developed. All the factor loadings were significant, leading to a prudent model achievement. The study serves as a guide to the construction managers for sharing knowledge in the construction organization. The finding indicated that environmental factors demonstrated significant influence on knowledge sharing. 

Investigating the adoption of social media in the construction industry: empirical evidence from project teams in China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guofeng Ma ◽  
Shan Jiang ◽  
Jianyao Jia
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Content Type

PurposeA lack of reliable and effective communication tools poses major barriers impeding the performance of construction projects consisting of diverse participants. Although some construction project teams (CPTs) begin to apply social media (SM) as an available approach for project management the entire mechanism of SM adoption in this specific context remains understudied. Therefore, this study aims to adopt a CPT's lens to investigate the critical antecedents and associated effects underlying SM adoption in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) theory, a conceptual model was proposed and tested by empirical data collected from 159 CPTs in China. Structural equation modeling technique was employed for data analysis.FindingsThe results demonstrate that all the five extracted TOE-based antecedents including two technological factors (i.e. compatibility and expected cost), one organizational factor (i.e. top management support) and two environmental factors (i.e. project partner collaboration and project fit) are crucial to the adoption of SM in CPTs. Besides, SM acceptance is found to mediate the relationships between organizational and environmental factors and SM use. Moreover, SM use significantly predicts the communication effectiveness of CPTs.Research limitations/implicationsA questionnaire study based on cross-sectional data from China may only unveil the logic of SM adoption in the context of Chinese construction industry within a shorter time interval. It is recommended that future research could develop longitudinal studies among various construction practitioners in different countries to further specify and generalize the current findings.Originality/valueThis paper provides a comprehensive understanding of SM adoption in the construction industry by exploring the preadoption antecedents and postadoption effects from the perspective of project teams. The empirical findings advance the current web-based project management literature and afford new insights for construction practitioners into better managing SM application to reap its full capabilities in projects.

scholarly journals Workaholism, Work Engagement and Child Well-Being: A Test of the Spillover-Crossover Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 6213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihito Shimazu ◽  
Arnold B. Bakker ◽  
Evangelia Demerouti ◽  
Takeo Fujiwara ◽  
Noboru Iwata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Attitudes ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

This study examines how working parents’ work attitudes (i.e., workaholism and work engagement) are associated with their child’s psychological well-being. Based on the Spillover-Crossover model (SCM), we hypothesize that (a) work-to-family spillover (i.e., work-to-family conflict and facilitation) and (b) employee happiness will sequentially mediate the relationship between parents’ work attitudes and their child’s emotional and behavioral problems. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Japanese dual-earner couples with pre-school child(ren). On the basis of valid data from 208 families, the hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling. For both fathers and mothers simultaneously, workaholism was positively related to work-to-family conflict, which, in turn, was negatively related to happiness. In contrast, work engagement was positively related to work-to-family facilitation, which, in turn, was positively related to happiness. Fathers’ and mothers’ happiness, in turn, were negatively related to their child’s emotional and behavioral problems. Results suggest that parents’ workaholism and work engagement are related to their child’s emotional and behavioral problems in opposite ways, whereby parents’ spillover and happiness mediate this relationship. These findings support the SCM and suggest that decreasing workaholism and improving work engagement may not only improve employees’ happiness, but also decrease their child’s emotional and behavioral problems.

Investigating school children’s behavioral and emotional problems using pediatric symptoms checklist-17 in a structural equation modeling framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-275
Author(s):  
Jin Liu ◽  
Siying Guo ◽  
Ruiqin Gao ◽  
Christine DiStefano
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Emotional Problems ◽  
Attention Problems ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Measures Of Academic Progress ◽  
Symptom Checklist ◽  
Behavioral And Emotional Problems ◽  
Pediatric Symptom Checklist ◽  
Reading And Math

The Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 was originally used in primary care settings with parents to identify their children’s behavioral and emotional problems, but there has been some research supporting use of this scale in school settings. This study examined: (a) the factor structure and measurement invariance of the teacher-rated Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 and (b) complex relationships among demographic characteristics, behavioral and emotional problems, and learning outcomes using structural equation modeling in elementary schools. A sample of 508 children in grades one and two were rated by their teachers with the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17. Measures of Academic Progress test was utilized to measure participants’ learning outcomes in reading and math. The results confirmed a three-factor structure of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and attention problems) and attested the measurement invariance across different demographic groups (i.e. gender, ethnicity, and grade levels). Boys were more likely to have severe attention problems which were associated with lower learning outcomes as seen by Measures of Academic Progress reading and math scores. Attention problems mediated the relationship between gender and learning outcomes. This study has implications for the use of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 in school-based settings. Additionally, it highlights the potential relationships among gender, attention problems, and learning outcomes.

Child and Family Factors Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Responses Following a Traumatic Medical Event: The Role of Medical Team Support

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 1063-1073
Author(s):  
Yaara Sadeh ◽  
Rachel Dekel ◽  
Amichai Brezner ◽  
Jana Landa ◽  
Tamar Silberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Medical Team ◽  
Pediatric Injury

Abstract Objectives This study examined the contribution of pretrauma psychosocial factors (child emotional functioning, family resources, family functioning, and social support) and environmental factors (mother’s posttraumatic stress symptoms [PTSSs], medical team support [MTS]) to PTSSs of injured or seriously ill children within a pediatric rehabilitation setting. It was hypothesized that psychosocial variables would be strongly associated with child’s PTSS; that mother’s PTSS and MTS would mediate the association between psychosocial factors and child’s PTSS; that mother’s report on child’s PTSS would mediate the association between mother’s PTSS and child’s PTSS. Methods Participants were 196 children hospitalized following an injury/illness and assessed M = 47.7 days postevent. Children completed measures of PTSS, mothers completed measures of their own PTSS, child’s PTSS, and pretrauma psychosocial factors. Family’s therapist completed a MTS measure. Structural equation modeling was employed to evaluate the study hypotheses. Results Pretrauma family structure and resources were associated with child’s self-reported PTSS; each pretrauma variable and mother’s report of child’s PTSS was significantly associated. Although mother’s PTSS was not directly associated with child’s PTSS, this relationship was mediated by mother’s report of child’s PTSS. MTS mediated the relationship between pretrauma social support and mother’s PTSS. Conclusion This study further explicates the utility of a biopsychosocial framework in predicting childhood PTSS. Findings confirm the role of pretrauma factors and environmental factors at the peritrauma period in the development of PTSS following a pediatric injury/illness. Mother’s PTSS and MTS may be appropriate targets for prevention and early intervention.

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