Profiles of Peer-Rejected Individuals: Their Attitudes toward the Intellectual Disability Population and the Mediating Role of Resilience

Literature shows that public perceptions toward people with intellectual disability (ID) tend to be negative, perhaps more so than toward any other population with disabilities, causing severe consequences on the quality of life of these people. Understanding factors associated with these attitudes may contribute to better integration of the ID population into society. This study focuses on the predictive role of school-age peer rejection and contemporaneous familial support on attitudes toward people with ID. Specifically, it aims to identify distinct profiles of people who experienced peer rejection during their school years and who experienced various levels of familial support during the rejection period, and to examine the disparities between these profiles regarding attitudes toward people with ID. An additional goal is to examine whether resilience can mediate the association between profiles of peer-rejected individuals and their attitudes toward individuals with ID. The research sample comprised 1063 Israeli adults reporting various levels of peer rejection during school years. Cluster analysis revealed two profiles of peer-rejected individuals that significantly differ in the level of familial support provided in the face of peer rejection. In accordance with the hypotheses, attitudes of peer-rejected individuals with poor familial support were more negative than those with high familial support and the mediating effect of resilience was significant. Findings emphasize the protective role of familial support in the face of peer rejection, contributing to the emerging literature that deals with the long-term effects of peer rejection and poor resiliency resources on negative attitudes toward out-groups.

The Longitudinal Association Between Childhood Abuse and Positive and Negative Family Interactions in Midlife and Older Adults: The Role of Mindfulness Meditation and Gender

OBJECTIVES

Childhood abuse has been linked to problematic familial relationships in adulthood; however, it remains unclear what factors buffer the association. Mindfulness research has demonstrated promise in improving relationships among adults abused during childhood, but research has focused on couples, with fewer studies examining familial relationships.

METHODS

Using a data sample of 2430 adults from the Midlife Development in the United States, the current study examined mindfulness as a moderator of childhood abuse and familial support and strain in adults.

RESULTS

Analysis of hierarchical regression revealed that mindfulness was a moderator of childhood abuse and family strain over a 10-year period in women, but not men. However, mindfulness did not moderate childhood abuse and support.

DISCUSSION

This examination of mindfulness in the context of familial relationships may help women more successfully manage negative familial interactions. Results indicate mindfulness-based interventions may be helpful in improving familial relationships among adults abused by family members in childhood.

An Assessment of Prisoner Reentry, Legal Financial Obligations and Family Financial Support: A Focus on Fathers

Scholars have found that family support is an important facilitator of successful reentry from prison to the community. At the same time, they have argued that owing court-ordered fines or fees, also called legal financial obligations (LFOs), can act as an additional barrier to reentry, especially for parents. There remains a need to test how LFOs impact the financial support formerly incarcerated parents receive from their families. The current study responds to this gap by employing logistic regression analyses of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) data to test whether owing court fees is associated with formerly incarcerated fathers’ (1) perceptions of available financial support from family and (2) receipt of financial support from family. We find that owing court fees is not associated with perceptions of available financial support. However, owing court fees has a positive, statistically significant association with receiving financial support from family during the first three months after prison release. This relationship remains after accounting for whether the person owes child support or sees their children monthly. Our results suggest that LFOs may create a greater need for financial support among formerly incarcerated fathers, making the financial challenges of reentry a consequence not just for those who were incarcerated but for their loved ones as well.

Subgrouping University Students Based on Substance Use Pattern: A Latent Class Analysis

Purpose

High-risk behaviors are the main causes of death and disability among youth and adults. Entering university might cause students to go through their first-hand experience of using substances.

Aim

This study aimed to detect the subgroups of students based on substance use and assess the effects of religiosity and parental support as well as other related factors on the membership of students in each latent class.

Methods

Using a multistage sampling method, this cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences (n=524). All students completed a self-report questionnaire. This questionnaire contained questions about substance use, religious beliefs and familial support. The questions of substance use were prepared using the World Health Organization Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (WHO ASSIST). To analyze the data, PROC LCA statistical method was run in SAS9.2.

Results

Three latent classes were identified: 1) nonuser (87.5%), 2) tobacco and illicit drug user (8.7%) and 3) polydrug user (3.8%). Having extramarital sex in the last month (OR=28.29, 95% CI; 8.45-94.76), living alone (OR=4.29, 95% CI; 1.01-18.35) and having a higher score of familial support (OR=0.94, 95% CI; 0.89-0.98) were associated with the polydrug user class. Hookah smoking had the highest (11.1%) and non-medical methylphenidate use had the lowest (2.3%) prevalence among the participants of the study.

Conclusion

This study revealed that 12.5% of the students were either tobacco and illicit drug users or polydrug users. Thus, focusing on the religiosity and familial support may help design some preventive programs for this stratum of young adults.

Cigarette smoking patterns in relation to religiosity and familial support among Iranian university students: A Latent Class Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Entering University is an important developmental milestone that might be associated with cigarette smoking. The aim of this study was to identify the subgroups of university students on the basis of cigarette smoking patterns, and to assess the role of familial support and religious beliefs on membership in specific subgroups.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was performed in 2016 using multistage random sampling among students of Bushehr University (n=977). Anonymous, structured questionnaires were distributed to the students in each selected class. Cigarette smoking prevalence was assessed in three time intervals: lifetime, last year, and last month. All of the analyses were performed using PROC LCA in the SAS software.

RESULTS

The lifetime, last-year and last-month prevalence of cigarette smoking was 13.7%, 10.0% and 7.0%, respectively. In this study, the prevalence of passive smoking was relatively high (15.3%) among students. Four latent classes were identified: 1) non-smoker 58.2%, 2) passive smoker 31.3%, 3) moderate smoker 3.4%, and 4) heavy smoker 7.1%. The prevalence of cigarette smoking of close friends was: 73% among passive smokers, 81% for heavy smokers and 63% for moderate smokers. Being male (OR=4.42, 95% CI; 2.90-6.74) and a higher score of religious beliefs (OR=0.97, p<0.001 95% CI; 0.96-0.98) were associated with the heavy smoker class.

CONCLUSIONS

Among students at Bushehr University in Iran, 10.5% were either moderate or heavy smokers in 2016. These results point out the critical importance of designing specific preventive interventional programs for university students. Higher level of religiosity may serve as a preventive factor in engaging in cigarette smoking.

Social Support of Adolescent Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Revictimization in Turkey

Sexual revictimization refers to having a history of child sexual abuse and an experience of being assaulted again in adolescence or adulthood. This descriptive study examined perceived social support of nonvictim adolescents and adolescents who had survived single sexual abuse and sexual revictimization. Participants were 210 adolescent girls, all aged between 15 and 18, selected by a convenience sampling method; 70 had survived sexual revictimization, 70 had survived single sexual abuse, and 70 were nonvictims. The Perceived Social Support Scale was administered, and a one-way ANOVA was conducted for data analysis. Perceived social support from the community was lower in the sexual revictimization group than in the single sexual abuse and comparison groups. Family social support did not differ between the sexual revictimization and single sexual abuse groups but was lower in both than in the comparison group. These results indicate that victims of sexual revictimization need social support, and both sexual revictimization and single sexual abuse victims need familial support.

Examining the Role of Familial Support During Prison and After Release on Post-Incarceration Mental Health

A significant number of prisoners experience mental health problems, and adequate social support is one way that facilitates better mental health. Yet, by being incarcerated, social support, particularly family support, is likely to be strained or even negative. In this study, we examine whether familial support--either positive or negative--in-prison and after release affects mental health outcomes post-release. Using the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) dataset, we regress post-release mental health on in-prison familial support, post-incarceration familial support, and changes in familial support. We find that while in-prison family support does not affect mental health, post-release familial support does. Also, experiencing an increase in negative familial support is associated with lower post-incarceration mental health. We conclude with a discussion of policies which may facilitate better familial support environments.

Support and self-efficacy among Latino and White parents of children with ID

Research indicates that mothers of children with ID who receive familial support experience less stress than those who receive less support. Less is known about the relation of support to mothers' evaluation of parenting self-efficacy, particularly in Latino families. We examined the relationship of different types of family support to life satisfaction and parenting self-efficacy (PSE), and explored whether income and ethnicity moderated these relationships. Interviews with 84 Latino and 37 White participants revealed that partner emotional support predicted life satisfaction and PSE in both ethnic groups, with a stronger relationship evident for the PSE of Latino mothers. Income was not a significant moderator. These findings provide guidance for more effective family interventions targeted toward Latinos.

Behavioral challenges in the management of childhood diabetes

For many individuals, the diagnosis of diabetes is accompanied by the need for significant lifestyle changes, many of which seem difficult or impossible to implement. When diabetes is diagnosed in a child, those lifestyle changes may involve radical alterations in family life and significantly impact the child's normal growth and development as well as the family's social and economic status. This article describes some of the behavioral challenges associated with childhood diabetes and the importance of identifying strong, developmentally appropriate family support. Specific emphases are given to the complexity of the treatment regimens, the physiologic and emotional challenges associated with normal growth and development, and the family's role in ensuring successful diabetes management. Challenges inherent in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus are discussed as are factors important to ensuring adherence to the treatment plan.