Why Do Students Become Cyberbullies? Elucidating the Contributions of Specific Developmental Risks to Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is currently considered as a widespread problem among children and adolescents; in particular, the risks of cyberbullying have recently been examined. The empirical analyses of the present work are based on data from a German longitudinal study. The self-reports of adolescents from Dortmund and Nuremberg on both cyberbullying and individual and contextual characteristics were taken into account. The two-wave panel encompasses N = 871 adolescents (44.5% male); the average age was M = 15.1 years (SD = 0.83) at t1. Data on cyberbullying refer to sending insults or threats to others via the Internet, spreading rumours or talking badly about others via the Internet, and sending private e-mails, photos or similar from others in order to embarrass or ridicule the persons concerned. Other characteristics relate to single aspects of psychopathy (egocentric egotism, low self-control, empathy deficits), acceptance of violence, and delinquent peers. The path analytical findings illustrate the predictive relationships between both individual and contextual risks and cyberbullying in adolescence. The empirical results are discussed, among others, from the perspective of developmental and life-course criminology.

Altitude and early child growth in 47 countries

The relationship between altitude of residence and child linear growth is studied using data for 630,499 children below age 5 years born between 1992 and 2016, as recorded in 47 countries at elevations ranging from − 377 to 4498 m above sea level. Regressions are used to measure the role of household, community, and environmental factors in explaining an observed altitude effect on linear growth. Controlling for birth year and country effects, and a range of factors correlated with altitude and associated with nutrition outcomes, for each 1000 m gain in elevation, height for age z score (HAZ) declines by 0.195 points on average. Country-specific estimates of the association vary and include positive associations. Results highlight the potential links between developmental risks for children and features of their physical environment.

Prolonged Screen Exposure During COVID-19—The Brain Development and Well-Being Concerns of Our Younger Generation

COVID-19 is a significant public health crisis and it has given a major impact especially in the field of education. The situation has forced educators around the world to shift to an online mode of teaching and children are forced to study online at home. The benefits of online learning are undeniable, but the possible long-term developmental risks of prolonged screen use should not be overlooked. Recent research findings have clearly suggested the negative effects of screen time on the brain development and well-being of our younger generation. Considering the possible long-term developmental risks of prolonged screen use, policy makers should consider appropriate public health policy (e.g., recommendations on screen time) and guideline for the implementations of online learning (e.g., allowing flexibility to suit individual needs). Multidisciplinary collaboration between policy makers, health care professionals, schools, and parents is required to rethink the current situation before it is too late.

Adapting an Evidence-Based Home Visiting Intervention for Mothers With Opioid Dependence: Modified Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up

Infants born to mothers who are dependent on opioids often have difficulty regulating behavior and physiology at birth. Without sensitive maternal care, these infants are at risk for ongoing problems with self-regulation. Mothers who are dependent on opioids may experience challenges related to their substance use (e.g., unsupportive and/or risky environment, impulse control and reward system problems) that increase the likelihood of insensitive parenting in the absence of effective intervention. In this paper, we describe a home-visiting intervention we have adapted to enhance sensitive, responsive caregiving tailored to the specific needs of mothers with opioid dependence. The original intervention, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), was designed for mothers of infants aged 6–24 months who were exposed to early adversity. ABC has been shown to enhance sensitive parenting as well as children's behavioral and biological functioning, with positive outcomes extending into at least middle childhood. Mothers who are opioid dependent need earlier support than provided by ABC because opioid-exposed infants are often vulnerable at birth. The adapted intervention (modified ABC or mABC) includes one prenatal session and one early postnatal session, followed by 10 sessions every 2–3 weeks. In the initial two sessions in particular, mothers are helped to anticipate the challenges of caring for a baby who may be difficult to soothe while nonetheless providing sensitive care. mABC is intended to help mothers see the importance of responding sensitively so as to help infants overcome the developmental risks associated with opioid exposure. Additionally, mABC is structured to support mothers with the challenges of early parenting, especially if the mother herself was not parented sensitively. Throughout, the focus is on helping the mother nurture the distressed infant, attend to the infant's signals, and avoid behaving in overstimulating or intrusive ways. Case examples are presented that highlight both the challenges of working with this population as well as the gains made by mothers.

Excess Screen Time - Impact on Childhood Development and Management: A Review

In recent years children are immersed in both traditional and new forms of digital media around the globe. Screen time is now embedded in the daily lives of young children beginning from infancy. Pre-schoolers exposed to screen and interactive media may benefit in many ways but excessive and inappropriate screen exposure could potentially lead to several health and developmental risks. Environmental factors such as parents, siblings, peers have a profound influence on a child’s development. Despite challenges of screen media parenting practices and those posed by lockdown (work from home, online schooling) during this pandemic, parents hold the key to navigate these challenges by serving as role models to ensure positive developmental outcomes in their children.

Managing a patient exposed to a teratogenic drug at different stages of pregnancy

Pregnancy-related information provided by leaflets usually contains inadequate data to interpret risks of teratogenicity; and in the absence of data, prescribing information often recommends discontinuing use in anticipation of and during pregnancy. In contrast, individual information on drug risk assessment addresses three different clinical perspectives: 1) looking for drugs of choice or planning pregnancy under medication; 2) assessment of drugs’ risk after exposure during an unplanned pregnancy; 3) assessment of causality in cases of adverse pregnancy outcomes in association with drug exposure. Unfortunately, for many women with chronic rheumatic diseases, discontinuation of all medication leaves an unacceptable risk of disease reactivation. Although, for the majority of drugs, human data are still insufficient to rule out developmental risks it is possible to distinguish antirheumatic drugs of choice with apparently low or negligible risks from those with scarce data or controversies on their safety and those with evidenced risk for the unborn.

New trends in instruments for child development screening in Brazil: a systematic review

Introduction: Screening instruments are widely used to monitor child development. The accurate use of standardized tools is an indispensable condition for clinical practice and research aimed at detecting developmental risks and other problems in children. Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to analyze the use of standardized tools for child development screening used in studies with Brazilian children. Methods: Two independent researchers selected references in English and Portuguese from five databases through which they searched for studies that used screening tests to assess the development of Brazilian children. All articles were read to determine the main objective, design, target population, the type of screening test, and the purpose of using the test with Brazilian children. Results: Among the 27 papers analyzed, most of them was observational studies conducted with children up to six years of age, with the main objective to screen development delays and analyze associations between risks and child development. Four instruments were identified: Denver Developmental Screening Test II, Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Screening Test, and Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening Test. Three of these tests have been validated for use in Brazil. Conclusion: This review suggests that the screening instruments have been used in research for different purposes, such as in the diagnosis of developmental problems, and sometimes inappropriately. Furthermore, studies to validate measures for screening and assessing the development of Brazilian children are still scarce and, therefore, deserve more attention.