Unequal Opportunities and Individual Achievements: Effect of Family Background

Equal opportunity theory is based on the idea that inequality of individual achievements is a complex phenomenon. It is formed by two groups of factors: (1) one's own decisions and efforts (inequality of efforts) and (2) circumstances beyond one's control (inequality of opportunities). Therefore, wealth inequality caused by effort factors (1) is fair and is not to be compensated for, whereas differences in welfare caused by objective circumstances (2) are unfair and should be compensable (the compensation principle). This paper introduces an assessment of circumstances associated with family background: composition, psychological atmosphere, well-being, occupation, education, etc. Parents' education and two-parent status appeared to be the most important circumstances. Respondents who grew up in a two-parent family with both biological parents had a higher income than those who grew up in one-parent families or with one biological and one stepparent. The low economic status of the parental family also proved to affect the well-being of grown-up children. Thus, efforts to provide equal opportunities can have a long-term effect on social inequality and build a more just society.

Parental care status and sexual risk behavior in five nationally-representative surveys of sub-Saharan African nations

Background About 10% of children worldwide do not live with either of their biological parents, and although some of these children are orphans, many have living parents. While research shows that orphaned children in Sub-Saharan Africa tend to engage in more sexual risk behaviors than their peers, possibly due to decreased parental oversight and support, it is unclear if these effects also apply to children separated from their living parents. Exploring the question of whether living without parents, regardless of whether they are deceased, is linked to greater sexual risk-taking, this study is the first, to our knowledge, to examine correlates of parental care status in a multi-country, nationally-representative analysis. Methods This study was a secondary analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Violence Against Children Surveys from Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Zambia. We conducted logistic regressions on N = 6770 surveys of youth aged 13 to 17 years to determine if living with their biological parents predicted the odds of engaging in risky sexual behavior, controlling for demographic factors including orphanhood. Post-hoc regressions examined specific risk behaviors. Results Compared to those living with both parents, youth not living with either parent had heightened odds of engaging in any sexual risk behavior, even when controlling for orphanhood (OR = 2.56, 95% CI: [1.96, 3.33]). Non-parental care predicted heightened odds of non-condom use (OR = 3.35, 95% CI: [2.38, 4.72]), early sexual debut (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: [1.31, 2.46]), and more sexual partners (β = .60, p < .001). Conclusions This study extends prior research linking orphanhood and sexual risk behavior, lending credence to the idea that it is not parental death, but rather parental absence, that leads to sexual risk in youth. Public health programming in Sub-Saharan Africa should consider targeting not only “orphaned youth,” but all children separated from their parents.

Emotional intelligence and coping with stress in foster parents

Although much research on emotional intelligence (EI) and coping with stress has been performed in recent years, little is known about these dimensions of individual differences in both foster and biological parents. The main purpose of this study is to examine emotional intelligence and coping styles in foster parents in comparison to biological parents. The study included 124 individual participants aged between 30 and 64 years old (M = 45.18, SD = 8.72), including foster parents (n = 63, 50.81%) and biological parents (n = 61, 49.19%). The cross-sectional survey study was conducted using the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). In comparison to biological parents, foster parents demonstrated significantly higher levels of emotional intelligence (EI), more frequently used task-oriented coping styles, and less often pursued emotional and avoidant coping strategies to deal with stress. EI was positively correlated with task-oriented coping and negatively so with emotional coping. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that EI was a strong predictor of task-oriented coping. Training focused on the enhancement of both EI and coping with stress should be considered as an effective way to improve parents’ competence.

Cochlear implantation in a Chinese patient with a novel frameshift variant in POU3F4 gene and incomplete partition type III: a case report

Variations in the POU Class 3 Homeobox 4 ( POU3F4) gene are associated with X-linked mixed deafness. Here, the identification of a novel variant of POU3F4 in a male paediatric patient (the proband) with incomplete partition type III (IP-III) hearing impairment, is described. Clinical data were collected from the proband and his biological parents. Whole exome sequencing of the proband revealed a novel frameshift insertion mutation in POU3F4 (c.717_718ins GTGCCTTGCAG : p.Leu240Valfs*5) in a hemizygous state. This variant likely truncates the protein within the POU-specific domain, and the proband’s biological mother was found to be a carrier of this variant. After excluding all contraindications, the proband underwent cochlear implantation in the right ear in June 2020. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) gushing was observed during surgery, but there were no postoperative complications, such as CSF leak, meningitis, or facial nerve stimulation. A novel pathogenic frameshift variant of POU3F4 was identified, enriching the known mutation spectrum of POU3F4. Effective perioperative prevention and response measures should be taken to reduce the incidence of CSF gushing and meningitis in patients receiving IP-III cochlear implantation.

Atypical Neural Responses of Cognitive Flexibility in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Impaired cognitive flexibility has been repeatedly demonstrated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is strong evidence for genetic involvement in ASD. First-degree relatives of individuals with ASD may show mild deficits in cognitive inflexibility. The present study investigated cognitive flexibility and its neuroelectrophysiological mechanisms in first-degree relatives of individuals with ASD to assess its potential familiality. Forty-five biological parents of individuals/children with ASD (pASD) and thirty-one biological parents of typically developing individuals/children (pTD), matched by gender, age, and IQ, were enrolled. The broad autism phenotype questionnaire (BAPQ) and cognitive flexibility inventory (CFI) were used to quantitatively assess autistic traits and cognitive flexibility in daily life, respectively. The task-switching paradigm was used to evaluate the behavioral flexibility in a structured assessment situation. Event-related potentials (ERPs) induced by this paradigm were also collected. Results showed that compared with the pTD group, the pASD group had lower CFI scores (t = −2.756, p &lt; 0.01), while both groups showed an equivalent “switch cost” in the task-switching task (p &gt; 0.05). Compared with the pTD group, the pASD group induced greater N2 amplitude at F3, F4, Fz, and C4 (F = 3.223, p &lt; 0.05), while P3 amplitude and latency did not differ between the two groups. In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between the CFI total scores and BAPQ total scores in the pASD group (r = −0.734, p &lt; 0.01). After controlling for age and IQ, the N2 amplitude in the frontal lobe of pASD was negatively correlated with the CFI total scores under the repetition sequence (r = −0.304, p = 0.053). These results indicated that pASD had deficit in cognitive flexibility at the self-reported and neurological levels. The cognitive flexibility difficulties of parents of children with ASD were related to autistic traits. These findings support that cognitive flexibility is most likely a neurocognitive endophenotype of ASD, which is worthy of further investigation.

Dualisme Kompetensi Peradilan Permohonan Pengangkatan Anak Bagi Pemohon Yang Beragama Islam

The Child adoption application for Moslem applicants and Moslem adopted children potential are legal by the State court and the religion court in pratice, for this reason this matter causes the competency dualism in accepting, examining, and assigning that child adoption application. in the Mojokerto state court Decicion No.04/Pdt P/2012//PN Mkt, the Purwokerto faith courtroom Desicion No.a hundred thirty/Pdt P/2014/PA Pwt. the ones fourt courtsstate that they are legal to accept, examine and assign the adoption of children. according to the research, by way of yuridis normative approch sesult of the child adoption application proposed by means of Moslem applicants, both in the religion court and trough the state court have the authority to just accept, have a look at, grant, and assign the child adoption application, but with different legal consideration. inside the state court decision, the judicial legal consideration refers back to the common legislation law such as the child Protrction laws, the population Administrations law, the Goverment Ordinance, and the supreme court circular, however, the religious court in based on the Islamic law compilation. The legal consequences caused by child adoption decision carried out inside the state court, the adopted kids have inheritance rights from the adoptive mother and father, at the same time as in the religious Courts, the adoyed children do not server ties with the biological parents. consequently the adopted children do not inherit property from the adoptive mother and father.

Family Structure in Association with Alcohol Use Among Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context: It is proposed that family structure influences adolescent alcohol use; however, the findings are mixed, and no systematic review has been conducted to summarize the evidence. Objectives: We aimed to identify the association between family structures and adolescent alcohol consumption through a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Evidence Acquisition: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched until June 2017 for observational studies, which examined the relationship between family structure and adolescent alcohol use. A random-effects model was used to derive the overall odds ratio (OR) for the likelihood of alcohol use in different non-intact families compared with intact families (adolescents growing up with both biological parents). Results: Fifty-seven articles met the eligibility criteria for the systematic review, and 29 were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed a significant increase in alcohol use among adolescents with non-intact families (OR = 1.27, 95% confidence interval: 1.19, 1.36) compared with adolescents with intact families in which both biological parents were present. Living with one biological parent, living in a divorced family, loss of parents, and other types of the non-intact family also significantly increased the odds of alcohol use in adolescents (P < 0.05). Conclusions: All types of the non-intact family were linked to adolescents' alcohol use. The family structure could have an essential role in reducing high-risk behaviors, including alcohol use and its consequences in adolescents.

Sosialisasi Pengangkatan Anak Dalam Adat Melayu Dalam Perspektif Hukum Islam Dan Positif

This thesis aims to find out how the practice of adopting traditional children, and how the position of children adopted by Langkat Pepadun and Saibatin customs, to find out how to adopt Langkat Pepadun and Saibatin traditional children in a positive and Islamic legal perspective. This research uses field research methods, and is a type of qualitative research. This analytic research is a continuation of descriptive research which aims not only to describe certain characteristics, but also to analyze and explain why and how it happened. The approach used in this study uses an empirical normative approach. The data criteria used were interviews, literature studies, and documentation studies. The adoption of traditional children is carried out if there is a marriage of different ethnic groups and is carried out before the wedding and is carried out openly and in cash, namely by way of deliberation and presenting the parties concerned with the help of local traditional leaders. And the position of the adopted child in the customs is equated with the biological child, in the sense that his care and affection is the same as that of the biological child by not breaking the lineage relationship of the adopted child with his biological parents. The adoption of the traditional children of is done only for someone who comes from outside the tribe in order to get recognition from the ethnic group and so that the Langkat tribe itself does not lose its status in adat as indigenous people. Keywords: Adoption of children

Investigation of Expected Longevity Using Medical Conditions and Lifestyle Details to Calculate A Female Patient’S Health Age Based on GH-Method: Math-Physical Medicine (No. 490)

The author was a mathematician and an engineer. His view of longevity is similar to his past experience on designing and building a structure or a machine which he calls an “object”. The expected lifespan of an object is similar to the longevity of a human being based on the following three factors: (1) The availability of good and strong building materials that are similar to the genetic factors of a human body health conditions. (2) The engineering design and site construction of this object are similar to the lifestyle, life-long habits, and environmental factors which are related to the health of the human body. (3) The building’s damaged cracks or the machine’s malfunctioned parts under external forces are similar to the medical conditions and symptoms of disease in the human body. If the object suffers from operational problems due to external forces that is similar to the human body being affected by various diseases, then we can repair the object such as adopting the reinforcement of the building structural part or replacing the operational part of the machine. They are similar to the medical treatments including medication interventions, different surgeries, or organ transplants. Once the author understood the analogy and similarity between an engineering object and a human body, he can then distinguish the differences among genetic reason, lifestyle maintenance, disease control, and medical treatments. It is extremely difficult, almost impossible at present time, to change our genes because we cannot select our biological parents; however, we can focus on our daily lifestyle management to either prevent from having diseases or controlling the progression of existing diseases.

The Stepparent Role: How It Is Defined and Negotiated in Stepfamilies in New Zealand

<p>Many children in New Zealand spend at least part of their lives growing up in stepfamilies. Yet despite the prevalence of stepfamilies and indications that they are increasing, there is little certainty regarding the parenting role stepparents should adopt to benefit their stepchildren the most. This ambiguity is further reflected in the law; with stepparents having few legal responsibilities to their stepchildren. This research sought to identify how individuals define and negotiate the stepparent‘s role in newly formed stepfamilies in New Zealand. Previous research and clinical practice indicates that how this role is defined is closely tied to stepfamily well-being. However there is still a great deal we do not understand about how stepfamily members construct this role, the nature of change over time, and how it is negotiated among stepfamily members. One hundred and five stepfamilies that had been cohabiting full-time for less than four years completed questionnaires assessing individual perceptions of stepparent roles and stepfamily functioning. Three stepfamily members completed questionnaires at two points in time, twelve months apart– a target stepchild between the ages of seven and eleven, the resident biological parent, and stepparent. Results suggest that stepparents, parents and children perceive stepparents to play active roles in both the warmth and control aspects of the stepparent role and these perceptions change minimally over a twelve-month period. When discrepancies between actual and ideal role scores were examined (intra-role discrepancies), all stepfamily members reported wanting the stepparent to be more involved in warmth behaviours than they actually were. However, although parents and stepparents reported ideally wanting stepparents to be more involved in control behaviours as well, children wanted them to be less involved in control behaviours than they were currently. Role discrepancies at time 1 were associated with aspects of stepfamily functioning at time 2, particularly for children.There was some evidence that role discrepancies reduced over time. In particular, stepparents and children reported lower inter-role discrepancies (higher role agreement) and stepparents and children both reported lower intra-role discrepancies over time. When role discrepancies between stepfamily members were examined (inter-role discrepancies), stepchildren reported wanting stepparents to be less involved in warmth and control dimensions than either parents or stepparents. Regression analyses revealed that children‘s inter and intra role discrepancies were significantly associated with their reports of stepfamily functioning twelve months later, after taking into account the stepparent‘s actual involvement. Adults in stepfamilies used various strategies to negotiate the stepparent role; including partner discussions, talks with children, checking in for feedback with children and biological parents, and gate keeping behaviours by the biological parent. Role negotiation was more likely to occur in the following twelve months when stepfamily functioning was more problematic at time 1, and there was some evidence that this led to improvements in functioning over time. This was not the case for gate keeping behaviours—while these were reported to be more frequently used when stepfamily functioning was problematic; they had a detrimental effect on the quality of the stepparent-stepchild relationships. These findings have important implications for organisations that work with, and make decisions affecting stepfamilies.</p>