NeuroSmog: Determining the Impact of Air Pollution on the Developing Brain: Project Protocol

Exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) may affect neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. The mechanisms underlying these relationships are not currently known. We aim to assess whether PM affects the developing brains of schoolchildren in Poland, a country characterized by high levels of PM pollution. Children aged from 10 to 13 years (n = 800) are recruited to participate in this case–control study. Cases (children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) are being recruited by field psychologists. Population-based controls are being sampled from schools. The study area comprises 18 towns in southern Poland characterized by wide-ranging levels of PM. Comprehensive psychological assessments are conducted to assess cognitive and social functioning. Participants undergo structural, diffusion-weighted, task, and resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PM concentrations are estimated using land use regression models, incorporating information from air monitoring networks, dispersion models, and characteristics of roads and other land cover types. The estimated concentrations will be assigned to the prenatal and postnatal residential and preschool/school addresses of the study participants. We will assess whether long-term exposure to PM affects brain function, structure, and connectivity in healthy children and in those diagnosed with ADHD. This study will provide novel, in-depth understanding of the neurodevelopmental effects of PM pollution.

Racial Disparities in Lifer Parole Outcomes: The Hidden Role of Professional Evaluations

One in seven people in prison in the US is serving a life sentence, and most of these people will eventually be eligible for discretionary parole release. Yet parole hearings are notoriously understudied. With only a handful of exceptions, few researchers have considered the ways in which race shapes decision-makers’ perception of parole candidates. We use a data set created from over seven hundred California lifer parole hearing transcripts to examine the factors that predict parole commissioners’ decisions. We find significant racial disparities in outcomes, with Black parole candidates less likely to receive parole grants than white parole candidates, and test two possible indirect mechanisms. First, we find that racial disparity is unassociated with differences in rehabilitative efforts of Black versus white parole candidates, suggesting that differential levels of self-rehabilitation are not responsible for the disparity. Second, we test the hypothesis that racial disparity owes to commissioners’ reliance on other professionals’ determinations: psychological assessments, behavioral judgments, and prosecutors’ recommendations. We find that reliance on these evaluations accounts for a significant portion of the observed racial disparity. These results suggest that inclusion of professional assessments is not race-neutral and may create a veneer of objectivity that masks racial inequality.

Erfassung von Merkmalen kindlicher Bindung in familienrechtlichen Verfahren: Methodische Überlegungen

Child attachment characteristics are important for family court decisions. This article provides a description of relevant attachment characteristics and their assessment criteria (presence of attachment, differences in attachment quality, attachment disturbances). In addition, potential problems and pitfalls of attachment assessments in psychological court expert reports are addressed, including the topics of deficits in knowledge of basic attachment concepts and behavioural criteria, poor internal validity of easy accessible diagnostic attachment or relationship tools, and the limits of transferring valid and sound attachment research methods to the psychological assessments in expert court reports. We recommend an eclectic approach informed by attachment theory, of aggregating and integrate several attachment indicators, including characteristics of attachment figures and different levels of attachment assessment (behaviour and representation). Finally, discuss the use of attachment characteristics for giving a professional opinion on the impact of child rearing experiences, a child’s resilience in face of current adversities, and for predicting potential developmental trajectories. Implications for education and training of experts are mentioned.

The prevalence of and factors associated with antenatal depression among all pregnant women first attending antenatal care: a cross-sectional study in a comprehensive teaching hospital

Background Antenatal depression has become a common and serious problem, significantly affecting maternal and fetal health. However, evaluation and intervention methods for pregnant women in obstetric clinics are inadequate. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for depression among all pregnant women at their first attending antenatal care in the obstetrics clinic, a comprehensive teaching hospital, southwest of China. Methods From June to December 2019, 5780 pregnant women completed online psychological assessments, and data from 5728 of the women were analyzed. The women were categorized into two groups according to the presence or absence of depression. Depression was assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), with a cutoff point of 10 for depression. Anxiety and somatic symptoms were measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), respectively. Univariate analysis and binary logistic regression analysis were used to determine the association among antenatal depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms and participants’ characteristics. Results The prevalence of antenatal depression among all the pregnant women at their first attending antenatal care was 16.3%, higher in the first trimester (18.1%). Anxiety symptoms (Mild anxiety AOR = 2.937; 95% CI: 2.448–3.524) and somatic symptoms (Mild somatic symptoms AOR = 3.938; 95% CI: 2.888–3.368) were major risk factors for antenatal depression among women and the risk increased more with the anxiety level or somatic symptoms level. Gestational weeks (second trimester AOR = 0.611; 95% CI: 0.483–0.773; third trimester AOR = 0.337; 95% CI: 0.228–0.498) and urban residence (AOR = 0.786; 95% CI: 0.652–0.947) were protective factors for antenatal depression among women. Conclusions About one in six pregnant women would experience depression, and special attention should be paid to some risk factors (i.e., early pregnancy, anxiety symptoms, somatic symptoms, rural residence). Online psychological assessments might be a time-saving and convenient screening method for pregnant women in obstetric clinics.

NeuroSmog: Determining the impact of air pollution on the developing brain: project protocol

Background Exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) may affect neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. The mechanisms underlying these relationships are not currently known. We aim to assess whether PM affects the developing brains of schoolchildren in Poland, a European country characterized by very high levels of particulate air pollution. Methods Between 2020 and 2022, 800 children aged 10 to 13 years are being recruited as participants in a case-control study. Cases (children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) are being recruited from psychology clinics. Population-based controls are being sampled from schools. The study area comprises 18 towns in southern Poland characterized by wide-ranging levels of PM. Comprehensive psychological assessments are being conducted to assess cognitive and social functioning. Cases and controls undergo MRI including T1, T2 and MP2RAGE structural imaging, task (Go/NoGo) and resting-state MRI, and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Concentrations of PM are being assessed using land use regression models, which incorporate data from air monitoring networks, dispersion models, and characteristics of roads and other land cover types. The estimated concentrations will be assigned to prenatal and postnatal residential and preschool/school addresses of all study subjects. We will assess whether long-term exposure to outdoor PM affects brain function, structure, and connectivity in healthy children and those diagnosed with ADHD. Results and Discussion This comprehensive study will provide novel, in-depth understanding of the neurodevelopmental effects of air pollution.

Unanswered Questions and Hypotheses about Domestic Cat Behavior, Ecology, and the Cat–Human Relationship

After recent publication of several reviews covering research results from the last 35 years of domestic cat studies, a number of important unanswered questions and hypotheses have arisen that could interest active researchers, especially those beginning their academic careers. Some sections of this paper concern methodologies that have yielded new insights and could provide more in the future; other sections concern findings and interpretations of those that need further testing. First, hypotheses arise from combining subjective (or psychological) assessments of cat and human personality traits and observational (ethological) studies of cat–human interactions: e.g., do owners with high attachment to their cats interact differently with them than owners with low attachment levels? New analytical methods of dyadic interaction observations open the door for testing further hypotheses. In particular, the Theme® (Noldus bv, NL) program could be used to determine if there are differences between cat breeds in interaction patterns with people, which is not only of interest to owners but also therapists employing cats in their practices. Cat breed differences have been found using subjective ratings, but these need to be corroborated by direct observational data from the home setting and/or non-invasive colony observations, since ratings based on anthropomorphic projections might not be reliable. This should be done before searching for the genetic basis of such differences. Reliable information on breed differences is also needed before prescribing certain breeds for animal-assisted interventions. A model has predicted that the degree of socialization as a kitten affects cats’ responses to positive and negative experiences with unfamiliar humans and their formation of feline–human relationships later on. This needs to be tested in an ethically approved manner on cats of known socialization status and has enormous consequences for cat adoptions from animal shelters. Observations of human–cat interactions have yielded many correlations, which can be tested by non-invasive manipulations of human behavior in the home setting. Examples of these will be given and are of general interest to the cat-owning public. A review of first findings on social cognition in cats has resulted in further unanswered questions and hypotheses. Finally, two aspects of domestic cat ecology will be considered (effects on wildlife and space utilization), which are of great interest to the public and conservationists alike.

Interpreting Cross-Cultural Bias in Psychological Assessments: An Empirical Example

Cockcroft et al. (2015) fit a multigroup confirmatory factor model to Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III (WAIS-III) data from South Africa and the United Kingdom. They found evidence for measurement bias and suggested that bias was greatest in those subtests of the WAIS-III that showcased the largest mean group differences. They went on to state that the "[i]dentification of tests that do not favor individuals from Eurocentric and favorable SES circumstances with advantaged educational backgrounds is valuable in providing direction for the development of culture fair tests", in effect suggesting that the results confirmed the test was biased towards culturally European groups. However, a reanalysis that included estimation of the effect sizes and directions of bias showed that, far from their conclusions, bias operated in different directions, but primarily in favor of the lower-scoring South African population examined in their study. The need for greater qualification in measurement invariance testing is shown and recommended.