Association between Parenthood and Health Behaviour in Later Life—Results from the Population-Based CARLA Study

Previous research has focused on comparing health behaviour between parents and non-parents at younger ages, while little is known about the impact of being a parent on health behaviours in later life. We studied whether parenthood is associated with later physical activity (PA), dietary pattern, smoking status and alcohol consumption in German adults of middle and old age. We used data from the baseline examination of the population-based CARLA-study in Halle (Saale), comprising 1779 adults aged 45–83. Linear and logistic regression analyses assessed the relationship between parenthood and health behaviours while controlling for age, partner status, education, income, occupational position, socioeconomic status in childhood, and number of chronic diseases. Of the participants, 89.1% had biological children. Being a father was associated with higher PA in sports (sport index ß = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [0.14; 0.44]), but not with PA in leisure time (excluding sports), dietary pattern, consumption of alcohol and smoking status. No associations were found between being a mother with all outcome variables. Provided that PA of fathers is typically reduced when the children are young, the development towards higher PA at later age needs to be studied in more detail.

Machismo and Caballerismo Linked with Perceived Social Discrimination and Powerlessness in U.S. Latino Men

Concepts from the Threat Appraisal and Coping Theory, Precarious Manhood Theory, and Ambivalent Sexism suggest that U.S. Latino men who perceive social discrimination and powerlessness may respond with machismo beliefs that serve as coping responses to empower themselves and reassert their manhood. Machismo beliefs include both aggressive “traditional machismo” and gentlemanly family-focused “caballerismo.” Because past research has revealed that individuals respond to social abuse with anger, prompting them to feel empowered but less empathetic, we hypothesized that Latino men who perceive social discrimination combined with a sense of powerlessness would report more traditional machismo and less caballerismo. We also hypothesized that this three-variable sequence would be stronger for men with high rather than low in Latino identity, since discrimination would be a more personal threat to their identity and manhood. Participants included 1,530 U.S. Latinos who completed online surveys to report demographics (age, education, employment, sexual orientation, partner status, household size), perceived social discrimination, powerlessness, traditional machismo, caballerismo, and Latino identity. Mediational analyses confirmed the three-variable sequence in which powerlessness mediated associations between social discrimination and (more) aggressive machismo, and (less) gentlemanly caballerismo. Also as hypothesized, moderated mediational analysis revealed that these three-variable sequences were stronger for men with high rather than low Latino identity. With recent increases in social discrimination against U.S. Latinos, present results caution that men may respond to these challenges with increased aggressive patterns of traditional machismo.

Parenthood, Parental Benefits, and Career Goals Among Pediatric Residents: 2008 and 2019

OBJECTIVES Examine reported availability of parental benefits for pediatric residents and impact of parenthood on reported importance of characteristics of post-training positions and career goals in 2008 and 2019. METHODS We analyzed data from American Academy of Pediatrics surveys of graduating residents in 2008 and 2019 querying (1) parenthood, (2) benefits during residency, (3) importance of parental benefits and job characteristics in post-training position, and (4) subspecialty career goal. Logistic regression was used to estimate independent effects of gender, partner status, and parenthood via derived predicted values (PVs). RESULTS Of 1021 respondents, three-fourths were women. Respondents in 2019 were less likely than in 2008 to have children (24.5% vs 33.8%, P < .01). In 2019, respondents were less likely to report availability of maternity (PV = 78.5% vs 89.5%, P < .001) or parental leave (PV = 42.5% vs 59.2%, P < .001) and more likely to report availability of lactation space (PV = 77.8% vs 56.1%, P < .001.). Most residents reported control over work hours, family considerations, and number of overnight calls per month as essential or very important characteristics in post-training positions. Controlling for resident characteristics, parenthood was associated with importance of family considerations and overnight calls in post-training position. Parenthood did not associate with subspecialty career goals, but gender did. CONCLUSIONS Residents are less likely to report availability of parental benefits during residency training in 2019. Most residents, both those with children and those without, consider parent friendly characteristics important in post-training positions. Parenthood does not correlate with subspecialty career goals independent from gender.

Dynamics of Well-Being of Fathers and Mothers with Minor Children

The purpose of the article is to continue the analysis of the dynamics of the life styles and wellbeing of Russian parents. The article presents foreign research directions of studying the influence of the ideology of intensive parenting on the well-being of parents, the lifestyle before the birth of the child/ children, the composition of children by gender, the external similarity of children and parents, the selfassessment of the fulfillment of their parental role, the marital/partner status of parents. It is shown that according to the data of ESS–2018 and RLMS HSE–2019, in the age group of 30–44 years, statistically not significantly more fathers are happy and satisfied with life than their peers who do not have children. No differences were found in these variables between mothers and their peers without children. To analyze the dynamics of parental well-being, sub-samples of parents were formed, regardless of their age and place of residence, according to the criterion of whether they have minor children, according to representative samples of the RLMS HSE. In 2004, this sub-sample was 2,270 parents, in 2008 – 2,220, and in 2019 – 2,645. Subsamples for these years are formed based on the ability to compare data on identical indicators. The analysis of the data shows that from 2004 to 2019, the share of fathers and mothers who are satisfied with their lives and assess their health as good, as well as satisfied with their work in general, their pay, and their professional growth opportunities, increased. For parents who drink alcohol, as well as those who are satisfied with their financial situation, there is almost no change, there are fewer smokers among fathers, but not mothers. According to the RLMS HSE–2019 data, there are more well-off people among married parents, less among never-married mothers and widows, as well as among divorced fathers and mothers. More fathers and mothers with special education are satisfied with life and work, much less of them smoke incomparison with those with secondary education. It does not depend on the level of education of alcohol consumption by parents, satisfaction with the financial situation and the assessment of health. In conclusion, it is proposed to revise the concepts in official documents on family policy, in statistics and in the media in relation to parents and children in non-normative families. The author emphasizes the relevance of developing educational programs for various categories of parents and future parents, and improving their competence.

COLOMBIAN MILITARY TRANSFORMATION: STRATEGIC REALITY AND OVERCOMING RESISTANCES

After the signing of peace in Colombia, attention has been directed to the difficult process of implementing the agreements. This complex scenario has downplayed the problem of Colombian military transformation. The basis of that transformation, the Damasco doctrine, the, has encountered resistance within the Colombian Military Forces. Through the application of a process tracing method, we infer that there is a non-linear process, but in progress towards the fulfillment of the objectives of the doctrine. Thus, we identify three drivers that are making this transformation progress: a renewed confrontation with Venezuela; the changing nature of the domestic conflict; and the Colombia’s NATO global partner status.

Race matters: cardiovascular disease risk in male US prisoners

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): NIH/National Institute of Nursing Research, 1RC2NR011948 Introduction Approximately 10% of the 2.2 million prisoners in the US have a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and in 2016, 28% of all deaths in custody were attributable to CVD. Black race, inadequate health literacy, and poor perceived control are predictors of increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, which are prevalent in prisoners. However, little is known about the relationships among race, health literacy, and perceived control in CVD risk for male prisoners. Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among race, health literacy, perceived control, and CVD risk while controlling for well-known risk factors (education, partner status, and body mass index) in male prisoners. Methods We used baseline data from 349 male prisoners in a biobehavioral CVD risk reduction intervention. Health literacy was measured using the Newest Vital Sign and perceived control by the Control Attitudes Scale- Revised. CVD risk was quantified with the Framingham Risk Score (FRS). Three indirect effects of race on CVD risk were examined using serial mediation model with two sequential mediators (i.e., health literacy and perceived control) and 95% confidence intervals from 5000 bootstrap samples. Results Of the participants (mean age = 36 + 10 years), 64.2% were white and 35.8% were black. Mean education level was 12 years and most (85.8%) were not married or partnered. Mean BMI was 28.3 + 5.0. Mean FRS was 6.63 + 4.90, indicating risk percentages of 2.3 to 13.3% over the next ten years. Black prisoners were younger (35 + 9 versus 37 + 10, p = .047) and had lower levels of health literacy (3.84 + 1.90 versus 4.69 + 1.63, p < .001) than white prisoners. No statistically significant differences in perceived control, education, partner status, or body mass index were noted between races. All three indirect effects of race on CVD were significant while the direct effect of race was not. Compared to white prisoners, black prisoners had higher levels of CVD risk through health literacy (a1b1 = .3571, 95% CI [.0948, .7162]) and lower levels of CVD risk through perceived control (a2b2 = -.1855, 95% CI [-.4388, -.0077]). Black prisoners had higher levels of CVD risk through health literacy influenced by perceived control (a1b2d21 = .0627, 95% CI [.0028, .1409]) indicating that despite the protective effect of higher levels of perceived control in black prisoners, CVD risk remained higher compared to their white counterparts. Conclusion Future CVD risk reduction interventions in prisoners of all races, but specifically black male prisoners, should include goals of improving health literacy and perceived control in addition to the traditional modifiable risk factors often included in biobehavioral interventions.

The COVID Connection: Pandemic Anxiety, COVID-19 Comprehension, and Digital Confidence

This article presents logistic models examining how pandemic anxiety and COVID-19 comprehension vary with digital confidence among adults in the United States during the first wave of the pandemic. As we demonstrate statistically with a nationally representative data set, the digitally confident have lower probability of experiencing physical manifestations of pandemic anxiety and higher probability of adequately comprehending critical information on COVID-19. The effects of digital confidence on both pandemic anxiety and COVID-19 comprehension persist, even after a broad range of potentially confounding factors are taken into account, including sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, metropolitan status, and partner status. They also remain discernable after the introduction of general anxiety, as well as income and education. These results offer evidence that the digitally disadvantaged experience greater vulnerability to the secondary effects of the pandemic in the form of increased somatized stress and decreased COVID-19 comprehension. Going forward, future research and policy must make an effort to address digital confidence and digital inequality writ large as crucial factors mediating individuals’ responses to the pandemic and future crises.

ACTUALIZATION OF THE CONCEPT PARTNER IN GERMAN VIRTUAL POLITICAL DISCOURSE

Scientific research is focused on identifying the means of actualizing the concept PARTNER in German virtual political discourse. First, the theoretical preconditions for the analysis of the concept PARTNER in virtual political discourse are considered. The views of many leading domestic and foreign scholars on the concepts of "discourse", "virtual discourse", and "concept" are analyzed to develop our interpretation of definitions of virtual discourse, virtual political discourse, and concept. Possible means of actualization of the concepts and the researched concept PARTNER, in particular, are clarified. The meaning of the lexical unit and identifier of the concept (the word Partner) is studied, and its synonymic row is described. 500 lexical items and phrases that form the empirical basis of the study were identified with the help of a continuous sampling method on the web pages of the German government bundesregierung.de and the German parliament bundestag.de. All empirical material is subdivided into groups that are filled inhomogeneously. The noun Partner is the first or second component of compounds, and some derivative words are also formed from it. The concept of Partner is elaborated by the use of definite verbs that name actions which can be taken both by a partner and others towards him to achieve a certain goal. The lexical unit Partner is combined with a large number of adjectives (the most frequent group), which are semantically divided into five subgroups. The "partner status" subgroup is the most filled one. Two more subgroups, such as "international/national relations" and "qualities of partners " have almost the same number of words. Examples of the use of selected lexical units in context are given, and a model of the nominative field of the concept PARTNER is constructed. Its nucleus is defined with a lexical unit and identifier, a nuclear zone containing synonyms of a nuclear lexical unit, compounds with the component Partner and derivative words, and periphery (free phrases with verbs and adjectives) included. The conclusions summarize the results of the study and outline the prospects for further research.

Nonmarital Fertility in Europe and North-America: What Is the Role of Parental SES and Own SES?

Previous research has shown that parental as well as own socio-economic status (SES) influence nonmarital fertility. This chapter examines to what extent the effect of parental SES on partner status at first birth is mediated through own SES. Data from the Generations and Gender Survey, British Understanding Society Survey, Dutch Survey on Family Formation, American National Survey on Family Growth, and Canadian General Social Survey are used to examine 16 national contexts. In the majority of countries, the effect of parental SES on the likelihood of having a first birth in cohabitation and in marriage is partly explained by the intergenerational transmission of SES. A direct effect of parental SES is found in Canada, USA, Norway, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, and Romania. The effect of parental SES on the likelihood of having a first birth while being single and in marriage is partly explained by the intergenerational transmission of SES. In the USA, Austria, and Norway, a direct effect of parental SES was also found. The results suggest that in addition to the intergenerational transmission of SES, differences in family aid may influence the transition to adulthood. It is also possible that parental SES influences the motivation and ability to prevent pregnancies.

The Effect of Lockdown on the Mental and Physical Health of Romanian Medical Undergraduates

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, medical universities were closed in Romania, between March 2020 and July 2020. The educational process was transferred to an on-line environment, in person contact becoming nonexistent outside the group of people from one’s household. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the mental health status in medical undergraduates in Romania during lockdown. A questionnaire was used in April 2020 to collect information regarding the life of students during social isolations and to assess the mental health of students using a self reported 1-7 scale on 21 relevant endpoints. After data quality control, the remaining 1978 data entries were analysed in SPSS 20. We identified multiple factors that may contribute to the mental health of undergraduate students, such as: partner status and offline contact, personality traits, social media and streaming platforms usage. There were differences regarding the mental health status indicated by endpoints between: genders, living environment, owning a pet, etc. This study describes how mental health, a neglected subject in the Romanian public health arena, is influenced by various factors during lockdowns. Further research should be conducted and appropriate measures should be taken to prevent the degradation of mental health in medical students under pandemic circumstances.