School Adjustment and Socio-Family Risk as Predictors of Adolescents' Peer Preference

Early intervention and educational needs among school-aged children born preterm

Preterm birth increases the risk of developmental difficulties and neurological impairment. The main aim of this work was to know the prevalence of specific educational needs, chronic diseases and disorders, and describe early intervention attendance in children born preterm, as well as the relationship of these variables with individual and socio-family factors. A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out with 144 children born preterm (<32 weeks of gestation and/or birth weight ≤ 1500 g). The participants were psychologically evaluated at the age of 8 years (M = 8.6; SD = 0.9). The results showed that the studied circumstances were significantly more frequent among the children born preterm compared to the general population. The intelligence quotient (WISC-V) and quality of life at 8 years of age were in the medium range. The cluster analysis of the history of educational and intervention needs revealed differences with respect to the results at 8 years of age. The results of this study highlight the importance of early intervention for children born preterm, as it might improve their developmental outcomes. Moreover, these findings lay the groundwork for future research and the enhancement of early intervention programmes.

Health-related quality of life in children born preterm at school age: the mediating role of social support and maternal stress

Research on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of school-aged children born preterm (< 37 weeks of gestational age) is scarce and there are few studies examining the relationship with medical and family factors. The aims were to analyze HRQoL in a sample of 8-year-old children born preterm with very low birth weight (VLBW), to test a proposed theoretical model that examines the relationship with medical and socio-family factors, and to explore the mediation effects of maternal factors between perinatal variables, demographic characteristics and HRQoL. A total of 147 VLBW children and 116 mothers were assessed. The measures included for assessment were self-and parent-reported HRQoL, functional social support, maternal stress, socio-family risk index and neonatal medical risk index. Mediation analysis was applied to investigate mediation effects of the maternal factors. Mean self-and parent-reported KIDSCREEN scores were 55.1 (SD 10.1) and 58.2 (SD 9.1), respectively, indicating better HRQoL than the normed sample with a mean of 50 (p < 0.001). The total effect of the initial theoretical model was not significant, thus another partial model was validated. Socio-family risk index significantly influenced HRQoL (direct effect), and this relationship was mediated by functional social support and maternal stress (indirect effects). School-aged VLBW children and their parents reported better HRQoL than the mean reference value on KIDSCREEN-10 and -27. Maternal stress and social support had a mediating effect on the children's HRQoL. These results could be used to tailor interventions in these families.

Social alienation of adolescents with obesity in classrooms: A multilevel approach

INTRODUCTION

Adolescents with obesity are more likely to be isolated by peers, but whether they also choose to disengage from their peers remains unclear.

METHODS

This study examined a sample of 646 adolescents between the age of 13 and 16 across 34 classrooms in 3 junior high schools in Taiwan, with data collected from May to June 2019. The sociometric network nomination method assessed peer relationships, such as unpopularity, unsociability, and alienation. Multilevel models were applied to explore the extent to which the class-level prevalence of overweight and obesity and peer support moderate the relationship between student-level obesity and peer relationships.

RESULTS

Overall, students with obesity were more likely to experience unpopularity, unsociability, and alienation from their peers in classroom settings (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.904, 2.208, 2.777, p < .05). Regardless of their obesity status, students in high classroom peer support were less likely to report unsociability (AOR = 0.124, p < .05). No cross-level interactions were observed, indicating that students with obesity did not experience a reduction of peer rejection in high peer support classrooms. Neither did obese students in classrooms with higher rates of overweight and obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

Students with obesity were more likely to experience interpersonal problems. Classroom peer support can increase peer acceptance for typical students but has no beneficial influence on adolescents with weight problems. Classroom peer support needs to be directed to become adequate support for students with obesity.