Teenage motherhood and child outcomes: Evidence from South Africa

Background: Child development and life outcomes are partly linked to prenatal and maternal conditions such as mother’s age at birth. Thus, the issue of teenage motherhood has attracted significant concern from researchers and policymakers because of its potential implications for children. The existing literature on effects of teenage motherhood on children is typically limited to weight at childbirth. Other studies are mainly descriptive in nature and do not account for selection bias associated with teenage mothers and their deprived environment resulting in their children also being brought up in similar environment.Aim: This article examined the effects of teenage motherhood on child outcomes, specifically on children’s education, economic well-being, reported health status and body mass index (BMI).Setting: Children (0–14 years) of teenage mothers (less than 20 years at first birth) in National Income Dynamics Survey (NIDS) data constitute the subjects under investigation in this study.Methods: Using NIDS data, the study applied pooled regression, random effects model and propensity score matching (PSM) technique to examine the effect of teenage motherhood on child outcomes.Results: The study confirms that the PSM method is more robust to selection bias than pooled regression and random effect techniques. The findings from this study reveal that teenage motherhood significantly increases child grade repetition and economic dependency. However, teenage motherhood association with child health and BMI is found to be insignificant.Conclusions: Teenage motherhood has far-reaching effects on children outcomes, thus proactive, reactive and post-active policies and programmes focusing on minimising the effect of teenage motherhood and enhancing children’s welfare are recommended.

The current status of singing in kindergartens in Norway

This study investigates the current situation regarding singing in Norwegian kindergartens. More specifically, how often kindergartens offer singing possibilities to children, in what situations singing is embedded, how valued singing is in such institutions, what singing methods and repertoires the teachers use, and whether teachers have certain underlying goals and beliefs connected to their use of singing. Furthermore, we are interested in whether there are contextual factors that influence the singing practice of a kindergarten/teacher. This exploratory cross-sectional study uses a web-based questionnaire, and the sample consists of 660 Norwegian kindergarten teachers. The statistical analyses cover standard descriptive and inferential statistics. The study’s main findings are as follows: (1) singing is highly valued in most kindergartens; (2) singing is done “very often” in most kindergartens, and the majority of teachers report that they sing with the children daily in a large variety of situations and using mainly Norwegian songs – however, the actual frequency and amount of singing depends on various factors; (3) one of the most important factors regarding singing praxis is musical expertise of teachers, regarding which most teachers rate themselves as below the population average; (4) the teachers mainly sing unaccompanied with the children; (5) they learn new songs mainly through streaming services; and (6) the teachers assume that singing leads to especially positive psychological, social, and cognitive effects on children.

Interventions for Parental Anxiety in Preparation for Pediatric Surgery: A Narrative Review

The preoperative experience can cause significant anxiety for both pediatric patients and their parents in the lead up to a surgical procedure. Pediatric anxiety in a preoperative setting has been shown to have significant negative downstream effects on the clinical outcomes of children and the healthcare system as a whole. Studies have found that preoperative parental anxiety has significant negative effects on children, regarding anxiety and emotional response. Therefore, interventions for parental preoperative anxiety are important to reduce the child’s anxiety. This review provides a brief overview of a broad range of strategies used to alleviate parental anxiety in a preoperative setting. Preoperative education, play-based interventions, music therapy, the presence of parents at induction of anesthesia, and integrative preoperative preparation programs have all demonstrated some evidence for reducing parental preoperative anxiety. The ultimate goal of using interventions for parental preoperative anxiety is to equip healthcare systems to better support families and optimize the perioperative outcomes of children.

Effect of exposure to antibiotics on the gut microbiome and biochemical indexes of pregnant women

IntroductionExposure to antibiotics (ABX) during pregnancy can have a systematic effect on both fetal and maternal health. Although previous biomonitoring studies have indicated the effects on children of extensive exposure to ABX, studies on pregnant women remain scarce. To explore the effect on pregnant women of environmental exposure to ABX through accidental ingestion and identify potential health risks, the present study investigated 122 pregnant women in East China between 2019 and 2020.Research design and methodsThe presence of six categories of ABX (quinolones, sulfonamides, lincosamides, tetracyclines, amide alcohol ABX, and β-lactams) in plasma samples taken from the pregnant women was investigated using an ABX kit and a time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay.ResultsAll six ABX were detected in the plasma, with a detection rate of 17.2%. It was discovered that the composition of intestinal flora in pregnant women exposed to ABX was different from that of pregnant women who had not been exposed to ABX. The intestinal flora of pregnant women exposed to ABX also changed at both the phylum and genus levels, and several genera almost disappeared. Furthermore, the metabolic levels of glucose and insulin and the alpha diversity of pregnant women exposed to ABX were higher than those of pregnant women not exposed to ABX.ConclusionPregnant women are potentially at higher risk of adverse microbial effects. Glucose metabolism and insulin levels were generally higher in pregnant women exposed to ABX than in unexposed women. Also, the composition and color of the gut microbiome changed.

SPLITSVILLE: A Play-with-Music Exploring Improper Divorce Disclosure’s Effects on Children

Going through a divorce is a difficult time for a family, including the children. In this COVID-19 pandemic era, when the divorce rate in Indonesia soars high, I conducted a research to find out how it affects children or how children respond to it, especially when the decision to divorce is taken without their knowledge. To analyze it, I used theories from communication science. From the result of that research, I made a musical script which portrays my findings, in the hopes that readers or audiences can understand children’s perspective of divorce. The findings are the fact that it makes children become aloof and lowers their self-esteem. Even though they have a lot of questions and uncertainties towards the future, they will choose to become distant to avoid the topic of divorce. The reasons being they are afraid that talking about it will bring more drastic change. Other than that, they do not trust their parents as much anymore, since they think that the parents have lied to them.Keywords: divorce, children, communication, aloof, play-with-music, comedy

Implications of the Online Teaching Model Derived from the COVID-19 Lockdown Situation for Anxiety and Executive Functioning in Spanish Children and Adolescents

Given the seriousness of the existing situation regarding the mental health of children and adolescents relating to the confinement period imposed due to COVID-19, we conducted this study to describe the effects of the confinement on state anxiety and executive functioning dimensions in a period of online educational modality. A sample of 953 children and adolescents was assessed. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the State Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), and the Behavioral Evaluation of Executive Function (BRIEF-2) scale were applied. The analysis of the results indicates that 68.8% of children and adolescents presented medium–high levels of anxiety. Regarding sex, females showed higher levels of anxiety and worse levels of executive functioning. Although the group aged 11 to 18 years showed methodologically higher state anxiety (p = 0.041) than the group aged 6 to 10 years, the difference was not clinically relevant (δ = −0.113). The state anxiety variable was also correlated positively and significantly to the three executive functioning dimensions explored. In conclusion, it seems evident that COVID-19 lockdowns could have psychological and emotional effects on children and adolescents.

Structural Violence and its Effects on Children Living in War and Armed Conflict Zones: A Palestinian Perspective

The recent events in Palestine–Israel once again have brought anger and frustration to people inside and outside the medical community. Especially for the pediatric community, the recent wars’ toll of at least 67 children in the Gaza Strip and two children in Israel killed warrants attention. Armed conflicts have both direct effects on children's physical health and indirect harms through toxic stress and deprivation. During these troubling times, when civilians, including children, are dying and being mutilated because of conflict, it is crucial to understand the role of structural violence in perpetuating immediate violence. This article will shed light on the historical context of the recurrent wars and military aggressions in Palestine–Israel and contextualize them from a broader public health perspective.

Emotion Recognition in Adults With a History of Childhood Maltreatment: A Systematic Review

Child maltreatment has many well-documented lasting effects on children. Among its consequences, it affects children’s recognition of emotions. More and more studies are recognizing the lasting effect that a history of maltreatment can have on emotion recognition. A systematic literature review was conducted to better understand this relationship. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol was used and four databases were searched, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and FRANCIS, using three cross-referenced key words: child abuse, emotion recognition, and adults. The search process identified 23 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The review highlights the wide variety of measures used to assess child maltreatment as well as the different protocols used to measure emotion recognition. The results indicate that adults with a history of childhood maltreatment show a differentiated reaction to happiness, anger, and fear. Happiness is less detected, whereas negative emotions are recognized more rapidly and at a lower intensity compared to adults not exposed to such traumatic events. Emotion recognition is also related to greater brain activation for the maltreated group. However, the results are less consistent for adults who also have a diagnosis of mental health problems. The systematic review found that maltreatment affects the perception of emotions expressed on both adult and child faces. However, more research is needed to better understand how a history of maltreatment is related to adults’ perception of children’s emotions.