scholarly journals Reward Responsiveness, Optimism, and Social and Mental Functioning in Children Aged 6-7: Protocol of a Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Vrijen ◽  
Mégane A. M. Ackermans ◽  
Anna Bosma ◽  
Tina Kretschmer
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Reward Responsiveness ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Background: There is evidence that reward responsiveness and optimism are associated with mental and social functioning in adolescence and adulthood, but it is unknown if this is also the case for young children. Part of the reason for this gap in the literature is that the instruments that are used to assess reward responsiveness and optimism in adolescents and adults are usually not suitable for young children. Objective: Two behavioural tasks to assess reward learning, a questionnaire on reward responsiveness, and a questionnaire on optimism/pessimism will be tested on their feasibility and reliability in children aged 6-7 years. Depending on their feasibility and reliability, these instruments will also be used to investigate if reward responsiveness and optimism are associated with mental and social functioning in young children. Methods: For the present pilot study, we adapted a number of tasks and questionnaires to the needs of 6-7-year-old children, by simplification of items, oral rather than written assessment, and reducing the number of conditions and items. We will approach teachers and, with their help, aim to include 70 children aged of 6-7 years to assess the feasibility and reliability of the tasks and questionnaires. Feasibility measures that will be reported are: the proportion of children completing the task/questionnaire, the proportion of children that were able to explain the instructions in their own words to the researcher, and the proportion of children that correctly answered the control questions. The reliability of the scales will be assessed by computing Cronbach's alphas and item-total score correlations and the reliability of the tasks by correlations between different consecutive blocks of trials. Ethics approval was obtained from the ethics committee of the Department of Pedagogy and Educational Sciences. Results: Data collection was originally planned in March and April 2020, but has been postponed due to Corona virus regulations. We expect to collect the data in the first half of 2021. The findings will be disseminated in preprints and peer-reviewed publications. Conclusions: The development of feasible and reliable instruments for assessing reward responsiveness and optimism in young children is expected to benefit future research on underlying mechanisms of mental and social functioning in young children. If the instruments assessed in the present study are usable with young children, it would be particularly interesting to include them in cohort studies because this would enable investigating not only concurrent associations, but also prospective associations between reward responsiveness and optimism early in life and mental and social functioning later in life. If, as we hypothesize, reward responsiveness and optimism are not only associated with (prospective) mental and social functioning in adults and adolescents but also in young children, this could provide a way of identifying vulnerable children already at an early stage.

scholarly journals Reward Responsiveness, Optimism, and Social and Mental Functioning in Children Aged 6-7: Protocol of a Cross-Sectional Pilot Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Vrijen ◽  
Mégane Alice Ackermans ◽  
Anna Bosma ◽  
Tina Kretschmer
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Reward Responsiveness ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

BACKGROUND There is evidence that reward responsiveness and optimism are associated with mental and social functioning in adolescence and adulthood, but it is unknown if this is also the case for young children. Part of the reason for this gap in the literature is that the instruments that are used to assess reward responsiveness and optimism in adolescents and adults are usually not suitable for young children. OBJECTIVE Two behavioral tasks to assess reward learning, a questionnaire on reward responsiveness, and a questionnaire on optimism/pessimism will be tested on their feasibility and reliability in children aged 6-7. Depending on their feasibility and reliability, these instruments will also be used to investigate if reward responsiveness and optimism are associated with mental and social functioning in young children. METHODS For this cross-sectional pilot study, we adapted a number of tasks and questionnaires to the needs of 6-7-year-old children, by simplification of items, oral rather than written assessment, and reducing the number of conditions and items. We will approach teachers and, with their help, aim to include 70 children aged 6-7 to assess the feasibility and reliability of the tasks and questionnaires. Feasibility measures that will be reported are the proportion of children completing the task/questionnaire, the proportion of children that were able to explain the instructions in their own words to the researcher, and the proportion of children that correctly answered the control questions. The reliability of the scales will be assessed by computing Cronbach α and item-total score correlations and the reliability of the tasks by correlations between different consecutive blocks of trials. Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Department of Pedagogy and Educational Sciences. RESULTS Data collection was originally planned in March and April 2020, but has been postponed due to Corona virus regulations. We expect to collect the data in the first half of 2021. The findings will be disseminated in preprints and peer-reviewed publications. CONCLUSIONS The development of feasible and reliable instruments for assessing reward responsiveness and optimism in young children is expected to benefit future research on underlying mechanisms of mental and social functioning in young children. If the instruments assessed in this study are usable with young children, it would be particularly interesting to include them in cohort studies because this would enable investigating not only concurrent associations, but also prospective associations between reward responsiveness and optimism early in life and mental and social functioning later in life. If, as we hypothesize, reward responsiveness and optimism are not only associated with (prospective) mental and social functioning in adults and adolescents but also in young children, this could provide a way of identifying vulnerable children already at an early stage. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT PRR1-10.2196/18902

scholarly journals Reward Responsiveness, Optimism, and Social and Mental Functioning in Children Aged 6-7: Protocol of a Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

10.2196/18902 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e18902
Author(s):  
Charlotte Vrijen ◽  
Mégane Alice Ackermans ◽  
Anna Bosma ◽  
Tina Kretschmer
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Reward Responsiveness ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Background There is evidence that reward responsiveness and optimism are associated with mental and social functioning in adolescence and adulthood, but it is unknown if this is also the case for young children. Part of the reason for this gap in the literature is that the instruments that are used to assess reward responsiveness and optimism in adolescents and adults are usually not suitable for young children. Objective Two behavioral tasks to assess reward learning, a questionnaire on reward responsiveness, and a questionnaire on optimism/pessimism will be tested on their feasibility and reliability in children aged 6-7. Depending on their feasibility and reliability, these instruments will also be used to investigate if reward responsiveness and optimism are associated with mental and social functioning in young children. Methods For this cross-sectional pilot study, we adapted a number of tasks and questionnaires to the needs of 6-7-year-old children, by simplification of items, oral rather than written assessment, and reducing the number of conditions and items. We will approach teachers and, with their help, aim to include 70 children aged 6-7 to assess the feasibility and reliability of the tasks and questionnaires. Feasibility measures that will be reported are the proportion of children completing the task/questionnaire, the proportion of children that were able to explain the instructions in their own words to the researcher, and the proportion of children that correctly answered the control questions. The reliability of the scales will be assessed by computing Cronbach α and item-total score correlations and the reliability of the tasks by correlations between different consecutive blocks of trials. Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Department of Pedagogy and Educational Sciences. Results Data collection was originally planned in March and April 2020, but has been postponed due to Corona virus regulations. We expect to collect the data in the first half of 2021. The findings will be disseminated in preprints and peer-reviewed publications. Conclusions The development of feasible and reliable instruments for assessing reward responsiveness and optimism in young children is expected to benefit future research on underlying mechanisms of mental and social functioning in young children. If the instruments assessed in this study are usable with young children, it would be particularly interesting to include them in cohort studies because this would enable investigating not only concurrent associations, but also prospective associations between reward responsiveness and optimism early in life and mental and social functioning later in life. If, as we hypothesize, reward responsiveness and optimism are not only associated with (prospective) mental and social functioning in adults and adolescents but also in young children, this could provide a way of identifying vulnerable children already at an early stage. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/18902

scholarly journals Engagement with daily testing instead of self-isolating in contacts of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex F. Martin ◽  
Sarah Denford ◽  
Nicola Love ◽  
Derren Ready ◽  
Isabel Oliver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Negative Test ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Close Contacts

Abstract Background In December 2020, Public Health England with NHS Test and Trace initiated a pilot study in which close contacts of people with confirmed COVID-19 were given the option to carryout lateral flow device antigen tests at home, as an alternative to self-isolation for 10–14 days. In this study, we evaluated engagement with daily testing, and assessed levels of adherence to the rules relating to behaviour following positive or negative test results. Methods We conducted a service evaluation of the pilot study, examining survey responses from a subset of those who responded to an evaluation questionnaire. We used an online cross-sectional survey offered to adult contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases who consented to daily testing. We used a comparison group of contacts who were not offered testing and instead self-isolated. Results Acceptability of daily testing was lower among survey respondents who were not offered the option of testing and among people from ethnic minority groups. Overall, 52% of respondents reported being more likely to share details of people that they had been in contact with following a positive test result, if they knew that their contacts would be offered the option of daily testing. Only 2% reported that they would be less likely to provide details of their contacts. On the days that they were trying to self-isolate, 19% of participants reported that they left the house, with no significant group differences. Following a negative test, 13% of respondents reported that they increased their contacts, but most (58%) reported having fewer risky contacts. Conclusions Our data suggest that daily testing is potentially acceptable, may facilitate sharing contact details of close contacts among those who test positive for COVID-19, and promote adherence to self-isolation. A better understanding is needed of how to make this option more acceptable for all households. The impact of receiving a negative test on behaviour remains a risk that needs to be monitored and mitigated by appropriate messaging. Future research should examine attitudes and behaviour in a context where infection levels are lower, testing is more familiar, and restrictions on activity have been reduced.

Evidence from young children regarding emotional responses to music

2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 581-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven John Holochwost ◽  
Carroll E. Izard
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Emotional Response ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Future Research

AbstractJuslin & Västfjäll (J&V) propose a theoretical framework of how music may evoke an emotional response. This commentary presents results from a pilot study that employed young children as participants, and measured musically induced emotions through facial expressions. Preliminary findings support certain aspects of the proposed theoretical framework. The implications of these findings on future research employing the proposed framework are discussed.

Epidemiology of Injury Among Handlers and Dogs Competing in the Sport of Agility

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1032-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Y. Kerr ◽  
Sarah Fields ◽  
R. Dawn Comstock
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Prevention Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Lower Trunk ◽  
Risk Of Injury ◽  
Social Motivations ◽  
Logistic Regressions

Background:Little is known about the epidemiology of dog sport–related injuries. This study examines injuries among handlers and dogs in the sport of dog agility.Methods:A cross-sectional pilot study captured data on demographics, exposures, and injury for a sample of agility handlers and dogs. Logistic regressions predicted odds of injury.Results:Survey of 217 handlers and 431 dogs identified 31 handler injuries (1.55 training injuries per 1000 hours, 2.14 competition injuries per 1000 runs) and 38 dog injuries (1.74 training injuries per 1000 hours, 1.72 competition injuries per 1000 runs). Handlers most commonly injured knees (48.4%) and lower trunk (29.0%). Most common diagnoses were strains (51.6%) and sprains (32.3%). Obese handlers had increased odds of injury compared with normal weight handlers (OR = 5.5, P < .001). Dogs most commonly injured front paws (23.7%) and shoulders (15.8%). Most common diagnoses were strains (44.7%) and cut/scrapes (21.1%). Injury was positively associated with dog’s age (P < .05). Handlers more commonly reported positive physical, emotional, and social motivations for participation than competitive.Conclusions:Despite many health benefits, dog agility poses a risk of injury to both handlers and dogs. Future research on specific mechanisms of injury should drive evidence-based injury prevention strategies.

A pilot study of depression, stigma, and attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help among Arab adolescents

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Latefa A. Dardas ◽  
Susan Silva ◽  
Devon Noonan ◽  
Leigh Ann Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mild Depression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Moderate Depression

Abstract The Arab region has the largest proportion of young people in the world and many of the factors that contribute to the onset of depression. Yet, very little is known about the current situation of depression and its associated stigma in this region. The purpose of this pilot study was to obtain preliminary data examining clinically significant depressive symptoms, depression stigma, and attitudes towards seeking professional help for depression among a sample of Arab adolescents from Jordan. Cross-sectional data were collected from 88 adolescents attending public schools in Jordan using self-report questionnaires that were available in, or translated into, Arabic. Among the 88 adolescents, 22% reported scores suggesting mild depression and 19% reported scores suggesting moderate depression, while 24% reported scores suggesting severe depression. The most frequently reported depressive symptoms were changes in sleep patterns (76%), changes in appetite (63%), agitation (62%), and crying (61%). The majority (73%) had moderate depression stigma, and 43% had negative attitudes towards seeking professional help. Yet, 67% believed they would find relief in psychotherapy if they ever had a serious emotional crisis. Findings suggest that the prevalence of depressive symptoms may be high among Jordanian adolescents. Further, many of these adolescents may experience depression-related stigma that affects their attitudes and willingness to seek professional help. To determine the true scope of these issues, including the prevalence of depression among Jordanian adolescents, future research should obtain data from a nationally representative sample.

A systematic literature review of emotional labor research from the hospitality and tourism literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 2808-2826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Lee ◽  
Juan M. Madera
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism ◽  
Labor Stress ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an exhaustive review of emotional labor research from the hospitality and tourism literature by outlining the theories, the antecedents and the outcomes of emotional labor, as well as the underlying mechanisms (i.e. mediators and moderators) of emotional labor. Design/methodology/approach This study provides a qualitative and critical review of emotional labor research from the hospitality and tourism literature, providing insights into the trends and gaps in the literature. Findings The conservation of resources theory and affective event theory are the two most common theories in the reviewed literature. Emotional intelligence and personality are the most commonly investigated antecedents while burnout and job satisfaction are the most investigated outcomes of emotional labor. Stress and burnout are the most examined mediators of emotional labor and subsequent outcomes, such as commitment, turnover intentions and well-being. Moderators include leader-member exchange, job position, gender and climate of authenticity. Practical implications Four major gaps for research and practice are identified as follows: the lack of an overarching theoretical framework; inconsistency in how emotional labor is defined and measured; the vast majority of emotional labor studies are cross-sectional studies; and no research examines potential interventions to help service employees engage in effective emotional labor strategies. Originality/value This review offers a model providing a comprehensive framework that outlines the various antecedents, outcomes, mediators and moderators of emotional labor and corresponding theories for future research.

scholarly journals Instagram Use, InstaMums, and Anxiety in Mothers of Young Children

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Mara Moujaes ◽  
Diarmuid Verrier
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Comparison Theory ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Comparison Orientation

Abstract. The emergence of social media has revolutionized communication and has had a profound effect on many aspects of motherhood. Image-centric social media, despite its overwhelming popularity, has faced much criticism for over-idealistic portrayals and the pressures it may place on women throughout pregnancy and the early years of their child’s life. This research aimed to determine whether a significant relationship exists between postnatal anxiety and Instagram usage in mothers with young children. The associational, cross-sectional design uses a sample of 210 mothers, aged 22–45, who have one or more children aged under 5 years. An online questionnaire measured anxiety, Instagram usage, and several potentially moderating traits. We found that the relationship between anxiety and online engagement with InstaMums – mothers made famous by Instagram – was moderated by both social comparison orientation and self-esteem. Engagement with InstaMums was associated with greater anxiety in those with higher social comparison orientation; it was also associated with greater anxiety in those with lower self-esteem. These findings are discussed in connection with social comparison theory, implications for healthy social media use, as well as avenues for future research.

scholarly journals Engagement with daily testing instead of self-isolating in contacts of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex F Martin ◽  
Sarah Denford ◽  
Nicola Love ◽  
Derren Ready ◽  
Isabel Oliver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Negative Test ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Close Contacts

AbstractBackgroundIn December 2020, Public Health England with NHS Test and Trace initiated a pilot study in which close contacts of people with confirmed COVID-19 were given the option to carryout lateral flow device antigen tests at home, as an alternative to self-isolation for 10-14 days. In this study, we evaluated acceptability of and engagement with daily testing, and assessed levels of adherence to the rules relating to behaviour following positive or negative test results.MethodsWe conducted a service evaluation of a pilot study, involving an online cross-sectional survey offered to adult (> 18 years) contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases who were invited to participate in seven days of daily testing instead of isolation. We used a comparison group of contacts who were not offered testing and performed self-isolation. Herein, we examine survey responses from a subset of those who took part in the pilot study and who responded to the evaluation questionnaire.ResultsAcceptability of daily testing was lower among survey respondents who were not offered the option of having it and among people from ethnic minority groups. Overall, 52% of respondents reported being more likely to share details of people that they had been in contact with following a positive test result, if they knew that their contacts would be offered the option of daily testing. Only 2% reported that they would be less likely to provide details of their contacts. On the days that they were trying to self-isolate, 19% of participants reported that they left the house, with no significant demographic group differences. Following a negative test, 13% of respondents reported that they increased their contacts, but most (58%) reported having fewer risky contacts.ConclusionsOur data suggest that daily testing is potentially acceptable, and may facilitate sharing contact details of close contacts among those who test positive for COVID-19, and promote adherence to self-isolation. A better understanding is needed of how to make this option more acceptable for all households. The impact of receiving a negative test on behaviour remains a risk that needs to be monitored and mitigated by appropriate messaging. Future research should examine attitudes and behaviour in a context where infection levels are lower, testing is more familiar, much of the population has been vaccinated and restrictions on activity have been reduced.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document