Behavioral and Social Functioning of Children With and Without Positional Plagiocephaly: Late Infancy to School Age

Positional plagiocephaly and/or brachycephaly (PPB) is associated with cognition, motor, and other developmental outcomes, but little is known about the social-behavioral adjustment of children with PPB. The primary aim of this study was to compare the social-behavioral development of preschool and school-age children with and without PPB and to examine the potential moderating effects of PPB severity on group differences. Two hundred twenty children with a history of PPB and 164 controls participated in at least one behavioral assessment at 4-11 months, 18 months, 36 months, and 7 years. The frequencies of observed problem behaviors and social competence were estimated using the Child Behavior Checklist Ages 1.5-5 (CBCL/1.5-5), Caregiver-Teacher Report Form(C-TRF), CBCL/6-18, and Teacher Report Form. Children with PPB were similar to controls on the internalizing, externalizing, or total problems composites. At 7 years, CBCL/6-18 total competence scores were significantly lower in children with histories of PPB than controls. In analyses stratified by PPB severity, we found that children with moderate/severe PPB had slightly higher scores on the C-TRF internalizing scale at 36 months and lower total competence scores at age 7 years. Children who had a history of mild PPB were similar to controls on all outcomes. This study is the first to examine social and behavioral outcomes in a large cohort of children with and without a history of PPB. We found limited evidence of an association between PPB and parent and teacher-reported social-emotional and behavioral adjustment through early school-age.

IMPACT OF SOCIAL DISTANCING IN CURBING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Social distancing includes strategies to ban public gatherings and advise individuals to stay at their home or maintain distance to one another by at least 1-2 meters. This study aims to intend to assess all the available evidence of social distancing in decreasing COVID-19 transmission in the general population. We conducted an electronic search of published literature using MEDLINE/Pubmed, Science direct, PMC, Wiley, and Google Scholar and we use Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist to assess methodological qualities. A total of 7 articles were decided to be included in this study. Social distancing has curb down the number and saved approximately 10 thousand Brazilian lives. A study by VoPham et al on the association of social distancing and COVID-19 incidence found higher social distancing was associated with a 29% reduction of COVID-19 incidence (adjusted IRR 0.71;95% CI (0,57-0,87) and 35% reduction of COVID-19 mortality (adjusted IRR 0,65; 95% CI 0,55-0,76). Social distancing is one of the major policies implemented for long-term behavioral adjustment in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Passive social distancing is not enough to drag down the number, there needs to be large scale testing, isolation, and contact tracing. However, we believe we have illuminated the impact of social distancing on the COVID-19 pandemic and add to the available literature the basis of social distancing in reducing transmission of COVID-19.

Parental mediation on children’s emotional behavioral adjustment in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Background: The present research was designed to investigate the influence of parental mediation on children’s emotional, behavioral adjustment and the moderation effect of children’s gender and parents’ education level on the association. Methods: 177 parents from Kota Kinabalu (central capital of Sabah) participated as the respondents answering online questionnaires which involved Livingstone and Helsper (2008) Parental Mediation (LHPM), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: Multiple regression analysis indicated a significant positive association of monitoring and active co-use with prosocial behaviors; F (2, 174) = 14.393, p < .05. Monitoring was negatively significantly associated with conduct problems; F (1, 175) = 5.267, p < .05 and hyperactivity/inattention; F (1, 175) = 13.920, p < .05. Active co-use was negatively significantly associated with peer problems; F (1, 175) = 7.005, p < .05. Interaction and technical restriction were not significantly associated with any contexts of SDQ. The moderation analysis for children’s gender and parents’ education level reflected no significant association. Conclusions: Overall, integrating monitoring and active co-use as parental mediation strategies is encouraged in Malaysia’s context. Both strategies significantly influence children’s adjustment in the emotional, behavioral context, promote positive behavior, and decrease the risk of negative ones.

Altered functional network activities for behavioral adjustments and Bayesian learning in young men with Internet gaming disorder

Background and aimsDeficits in cognitive control represent a core feature of addiction. Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) offers an ideal model to study the mechanisms underlying cognitive control deficits in addiction, eliminating the confounding effects of substance use. Studies have reported behavioral and neural deficits in reactive control in IGD, but it remains unclear whether individuals with IGD are compromised in proactive control or behavioral adjustment by learning from the changing contexts.MethodsHere, fMRI data of 21 male young adults with IGD and 21 matched healthy controls (HC) were collected during a stop-signal task. We employed group independent component analysis to investigate group differences in temporally coherent, large-scale functional network activities during post-error slowing, the typical type of behavioral adjustments. We also employed a Bayesian belief model to quantify the trial-by-trial learning of the likelihood of stop signal – P(Stop) – a broader process underlying behavioral adjustment, and identified the alterations in functional network responses to P(Stop).ResultsThe results showed diminished engagement of the fronto-parietal network during post-error slowing, and weaker activity in the ventral attention and anterior default mode network in response to P(Stop) in IGD relative to HC.Discussion and conclusionsThese results add to the literatures by suggesting deficits in updating and anticipating conflicts as well as in behavioral adjustment according to contextual information in individuals with IGD.