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Psychiatry Investigation Nov 2019The image of the wicked stepmother has created a prejudice against stepmothers, which makes it difficult for them to adjust to their stepfamilies. This study compared...
OBJECTIVE
The image of the wicked stepmother has created a prejudice against stepmothers, which makes it difficult for them to adjust to their stepfamilies. This study compared fairy tales from different cultures to reestablish the nature of stepmothers.
METHODS
Grimms' Fairy Tales (GFT) was used to represent Western culture, with stepmother characters appearing in 15 out of 210 tales. "The Collection of Korean Traditional Fairy Tales" (KFT) was used to represent Eastern culture, with stepmother characters featured in 14 out of 15,107 tales. We examined the relationships between stepmothers and stepchildren in GFT and KFT.
RESULTS
Daughters were abused more often than sons in both genres. In GFT, jealousy spurred the abuse in 12 of 15 cases, while in KFT greed was predominant in 12 of 14 cases.
CONCLUSION
The fairy tale portrayals of wicked stepmothers may be associated with the stigma children place on their stepmothers, which needs to be overcome.
PubMed: 31648426
DOI: 10.30773/pi.2019.0132 -
Nutrients Jul 2022Due to changing household types and weakening of family functions, children have fewer opportunities to develop healthy lifestyle patterns from contact with family...
BACKGROUND
Due to changing household types and weakening of family functions, children have fewer opportunities to develop healthy lifestyle patterns from contact with family members compared to the past. In this paper, we evaluate the association between household type and adolescents' fast-food consumption, focusing on whether they were living with their parents or not, and determine their reasons for not living with their parents.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior web-based survey between 2017 and 2020. The subjects were students in grades 7-12. The outcome variable was a frequency of fast-food intake of ≥5 times per week. The main independent variable was the type of household: (1) living with both parents; (2) living with a single parent (one of father, mother, stepfather, stepmother); (3) not living together, but having parents; and (4) having no parents.
RESULTS
Participants without parents were more likely to eat fast food frequently than those living with both parents. Among boys, not having parents and living in a dorm or boarding house or living with other family members or relatives were significantly associated with frequent fast-food intake; among girls, not having parents and living in a dorm or boarding house were significantly associated with frequent fast-food intake.
CONCLUSION
Adolescents having no parents have a higher risk of frequent fast-food intake than those living with both parents. Further studies are needed to address household types in greater detail.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Fast Foods; Fathers; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Male; Republic of Korea
PubMed: 35893878
DOI: 10.3390/nu14153024 -
International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2022A large body of research shows that children who live with two married biological parents have lower levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior problems compared...
A large body of research shows that children who live with two married biological parents have lower levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior problems compared to their peers in other family structure, including cohabitating biological families. Such patterns suggest that marriage provides a uniquely protective family environment, though we know less about children in the obvious counterfactual case: married stepfamilies. While research suggests children with stepfathers have more behavior problems than those living with married biological parents, we know little about how children with stepmothers fare, or how children with stepparents fare compared to those living with cohabiting biological parents. We use the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) sweep 6 to compare children living with married biological parents, married fathers and stepmothers, and cohabiting biological parents. We find that family structure has no significant relationship with children's internalizing behavior problems, but that children living with a stepmother and biological cohabitating families exhibit more externalizing behavior problems than do those living with married biological parents. Covariates that indicate both physical and social family environments must be considered together to explain differences in married-parent families on externalizing behavior problems.
Topics: Male; Female; Humans; Child; Marriage; Cohort Studies; Mothers; Family Characteristics; United Kingdom
PubMed: 36554424
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416543 -
Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy : CII Jan 2012Deficiencies in MHC class I antigen presentation are a common feature of tumors and allows escape from cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated killing. It is crucial to... (Review)
Review
Deficiencies in MHC class I antigen presentation are a common feature of tumors and allows escape from cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated killing. It is crucial to take this capacity of tumors into account for the development of T-cell-based immunotherapy, as it may strongly impair their effectiveness. A variety of escape mechanisms has been described thus far, but progress in counteracting them is poor. Here we review a novel strategy to target malignancies with defects in the antigenic processing machinery (APM). The concept is based on a unique category of CD8+ T-cell epitopes that is associated with impaired peptide processing, which we named TEIPP. We characterized this alternative peptide repertoire emerging in MHC-I on tumors lacking classical antigen processing due to defects in the peptide transporter TAP (transporter associated with peptide processing). These TEIPPs exemplify interesting parallels with the folktale figure Cinderella: they are oppressed and neglected by a stepmother (like functional TAP prevents TEIPP presentation), until the suppression is released and Cinderella/TEIPP achieves unexpected recognition. TEIPP-specific CTLs and their cognate peptide-epitopes provide a new strategy to counteract immune evasion by APM defects and bear potential to targeting escape variants observed in a wide range of cancers.
Topics: ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; Animals; Antigen Presentation; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; Humans; Immunotherapy; Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic; Tumor Escape
PubMed: 22116347
DOI: 10.1007/s00262-011-1160-x -
The Journal of Adolescent Health :... Nov 2016The purpose of the study was to describe parent and adolescent involvement in food preparation for the family and to examine whether adolescents' food preparation...
PURPOSE
The purpose of the study was to describe parent and adolescent involvement in food preparation for the family and to examine whether adolescents' food preparation involvement was related to their dietary quality (e.g., fruit and vegetable intake, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, and various common nutrients) and eating patterns (e.g., frequency of breakfast, family meals, fast food intake).
METHODS
Data from two linked population-based studies, Eating and Activity in Teens 2010 and Families and Eating and Activity among Teens were used in cross-sectional analyses. Mothers (n = 1,875), stepmothers (n = 18), fathers (n = 977), stepfathers (n = 105), and adolescents (n = 2,108) from socioeconomically and racially/ethnically diverse households participated in the study. Adolescents completed food frequency questionnaires and surveys in school. Parents individually completed surveys by mail or phone. Linear regression was used to estimate differences in adolescent dietary quality and eating patterns between those who do and do not engage in meal preparation.
RESULTS
Parent and adolescent report of "usually preparing food for the family" was related to several sociodemographic characteristics, including race/ethnicity (minority populations), parent education (college or higher), parent employment status (part time or stay-at-home caregiver), household size (≤3 children), and adolescent gender (female). Adolescent involvement in food preparation for the family was significantly associated with several markers of better dietary quality and better eating patterns. In contrast, parent involvement in food preparation for the family was unrelated to adolescent dietary intake.
CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that involving adolescents in food preparation for the family is related to better adolescent dietary quality and eating patterns. Public health interventions and health care providers may want to encourage adolescents to help with food preparation for the family. Additionally, adolescents may benefit from interventions/programs that teach cooking skills in order to increase the likelihood of participating in food preparation for the family.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Child; Cooking; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet, Healthy; Family Relations; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Male; Parents; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 27544460
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.007 -
Revista de Saude Publica Aug 2009To analyze the association between sociodemographic determinants and the development of social competence and behavior problems in children.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the association between sociodemographic determinants and the development of social competence and behavior problems in children.
METHODS
Cross-sectional study performed with 479 school children aged between six and 13 years, enrolled in the first grade of public elementary schools of the city of São Gonçalo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2005. Socioeconomic variables, family structure, parents' level of education, child ethnicity, and social competence and behavior problems were analyzed. Prevalence ratios with respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Data shown were expanded to the population of students of the school network investigated.
RESULTS
Children who were below the poverty line, who had black skin color, whose parents had low level of education, and lived with single-parent families or comprised by stepmother/stepfather showed lower social competence and more behavior problems. The higher the risk factors, the higher the prevalence of children with low social competence and behavior problems.
CONCLUSIONS
The association between sociodemographic determinants and higher prevalence of behavior problems and lower social competence in children requires that preventive and care actions should be prioritized by public policies, reducing severe social and emotional difficulties in children, which may continue into adulthood.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Brazil; Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Child Development; Child Health Services; Cross-Sectional Studies; Family Relations; Female; Humans; Intelligence Tests; Male; Social Behavior Disorders; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 19669070
DOI: 10.1590/s0034-89102009000800014 -
Perceptions of Closeness in Adult Parent-Child Dyads: Asymmetry in the Context of Family Complexity.The Journals of Gerontology. Series B,... Nov 2020Multi-actor data show that parents' and adult children's evaluations of their relation do not necessarily match. We studied disagreement in parent- and child-reported...
OBJECTIVES
Multi-actor data show that parents' and adult children's evaluations of their relation do not necessarily match. We studied disagreement in parent- and child-reported closeness, comparing parent-child dyads involving separated parents, non-separated parents, and stepparents to shed new light on today's diverse landscape of adult parent-child relations.
METHOD
Using data from the Parents and Children in the Netherlands (OKiN) survey, we analyzed closeness in parent-child dyads (N = 4,602) comparing (step)parents' and their adult children's (aged 25-45) reports. To distinguish directional disagreement (i.e., differences in child- and parent-reported means) from nondirectional disagreement (i.e., the association between child- and parent-reported measures), while accounting for absolute levels of closeness, we estimated log-linear models.
RESULTS
All types of parents tend to report higher levels of closeness than their children. Whereas parental overreport is more prevalent among biological father-child dyads than among biological mother-child dyads, we found no differences between biological dyads and stepdyads. The association between children's and parents' reports is higher among dyads involving stepmothers or married mothers than among those involving separated mothers and (step)fathers.
DISCUSSION
The intergenerational stake (i.e., parental overreport) is not unique to biological parent-child relations. Instead, patterns of disagreement seem most strongly stratified by gender.
Topics: Adult; Adult Children; Aged; Family Conflict; Female; Humans; Intergenerational Relations; Male; Netherlands; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Sex Factors; Social Perception; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32777051
DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa122 -
Journal of the National Medical... Oct 1987This paper reviews a number of treatment strategies utilized in the treatment of a 6-year-old boy with a history of multiple parental separations. When the patient... (Review)
Review
This paper reviews a number of treatment strategies utilized in the treatment of a 6-year-old boy with a history of multiple parental separations. When the patient presented to the child psychiatric clinic, he had a history of not speaking in the preceding four months, following the arrival of a stepmother in the household and a move to a new house in a new locality. Developmental and psychometric assessments are presented and their utility in early diagnosis and later prognosis are discussed. Reluctant speech is differentiated from, and compared with, elective mutism.The management of elective mutism is often complicated by these children not speaking to anyone in certain environments, and very frequently the persons with whom they do speak are not available for participation in treatment programs. Consequently, if a child does not speak to anyone who can participate in the early mapping of treatment modalities, the use of treatment strategies such as stimulus fading is impossible. Suggestions for future management to overcome this difficulty are presented and discussed.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Anxiety, Separation; Child; Humans; Life Change Events; Male; Mutism; Prognosis
PubMed: 3316671
DOI: No ID Found -
PloS One 2022This study examines the associations between ten family structure types and delinquency, including four groups of symmetrical and asymmetrical living arrangements. We...
OBJECTIVES
This study examines the associations between ten family structure types and delinquency, including four groups of symmetrical and asymmetrical living arrangements. We also adjust for attachment to parents and parental monitoring.
METHODS
Data are drawn from four cross-sectional surveys conducted between 2016 and 2019 in southern Sweden. The sample consists of 3,838 adolescents, aged 14-15. Negative binomial models were used to calculate the associations between family structure and delinquency.
RESULTS
The results show that those living in single-father, single-mother, father-stepmother, mother-stepfather families report significantly more delinquency than adolescents living with both their parents. Adolescents living in "symmetrical" family arrangements, i.e. both parents are single or have a new partner, reported lower levels of delinquency, whereas adolescents living in "asymmetrical" family arrangements, i.e. where either the mother or the father, but not both, have a new partner, reported higher levels of delinquency. Most of the associations between family structure and delinquency decline when adjusted for attachment to parents and parental monitoring.
DISCUSSION
This study shows that it is important to move on to the use of more detailed categorisations of family structure in relation to delinquency. We need to increase our knowledge about the group of adolescents that moves between parents and especially about the different constellations of asymmetrical and symmetrical living arrangements.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Cross-Sectional Studies; Family; Humans; Juvenile Delinquency; Models, Statistical; Parents
PubMed: 35417470
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265964 -
Ciencia & Saude Coletiva Mar 2014This article seeks to investigate the family factors that influence the resilience potential of male and female adolescent students. It is a cross-sectional study with...
This article seeks to investigate the family factors that influence the resilience potential of male and female adolescent students. It is a cross-sectional study with data derived from an epidemiological survey with the participation of 889 randomly selected adolescents in the 9th year of public and private schools in a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Social and demographic variables indicate that family violence factors such as a difficult relationship with the mother or stepmother and a lack of family supervision, the presence of depression and low use of active and supportive coping strategies for distraction are associated with a low resilience potential. Tests of association between variables and resilience were made, considering a significance level of 5%. Variables like living in a confined space and having a difficult relationship with siblings only appear harmful to the resilience potential of girls. Public policies and programs need to work with families to understand the needs of adolescents, as a way of preventing mental health problems and promoting health in this population from a gender standpoint.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Cross-Sectional Studies; Family Relations; Female; Health Promotion; Humans; Male; Sex Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
PubMed: 24714883
DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232014193.21902013