NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
The Predictive Value of Head Circumference Growth during the First Year of Life on Child Traits in Early Childhood

Atypical head circumference (HC) growth during the first year of life has been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, notably autism spectrum disorders. However, its association with socioemotional, cognitive and motor development in early childhood in the normal population is unknown. The objective of this master’s thesis was to assess the predictive value of head circumference growth as an early biomarker of toddlers’ outcomes. More precisely, it investigated the relationship between HC growth from 0 to 12 months, temperament (effortful control, surgency/extraversion and negative affect), cognitive skills and motor skills (fine motor and gross motor) at 24 months in a healthy subsample of children (N=756) from the large-scale longitudinal 3D cohort study of the Integrated Research Network in Perinatalogy of Quebec and Eastern Ontario (IRNPQEO). Results indicate that postnatal HC growth inversely predicts effortful control and surgency/extraversion, but directly predicts gross motor skills in boys. Group comparisons reveal that boys with less postnatal HC growth showed significantly higher effortful control and lower gross motor skills compared to those with normal and faster head growth. This study is the first to demonstrate a relation between postnatal HC growth and specific aspects of child functioning in a healthy population. The results stress the importance of assessing neonatal HC growth and confirm the validity of HC growth as a potential biomarker of normal and abnormal early child development. Nevertheless, further research is warranted to reveal the underlying mechanisms of the relationships and support clinical importance of the findings.

Keyphrases: cognition, Head circumference, brain development, temperament, cognitive skills, motor skills
The effect of background music on episodic memory

Most  university students  report studying while listening to background music because  it would help  them to improve their cognitive performances, including the memorization of new  information.  However,  results  from  the  literature  regarding  the  effect  of  background  music  on  episodic  memory  (i.e.  the  long-term  memory  for  spatiotemporal  events)  are  heterogeneous.  Indeed,  beneficial  effects,  and  sometimes  impairing  and  null  effects  are  observed.  The  heterogeneity  in  these  results  could  be  explained  by  methodological  and  individual  differences  across  studies.  Indeed,  the  emotional  characteristics  of  the  musical  selection  vary.  Namely,  the  musical  excerpts  vary  in  their  arousal  levels,  being  either  stimulating  or  relaxing.  Moreover,  individual  differences  such  as  intellectual  quotient  were  rarely considered in previous research. Thus, the  central  aim of this study is to explore  the effect of stimulating and relaxing background  music  on  episodic  memory  while  considering  the  variability  in  intellectual  quotient.  To  do  so,  three  groups  of  participants  matched  on  sex,  age,  schooling  years  and  musical  expertise  memorized  three  word  lists  in  the  presence  of  stimulating  or  relaxing  background music, or noise. Results indicate that the stimulating background music, compared  to  the  relaxing  background  music  and  noise,  marginally  facilitated  the  memorization  of  the  third  list,  only  when  the  intellectual  quotient  was  considered.  These  results  suggest  that  episodic memory  could benefit from  the presence of  stimulating background music, but  in the  context  of  a  prolonged  music  listening  and  when  considering  the  listeners’  intellectual  quotient.

Keyphrases: Background music, Episodic memory, Musical emotions, Arousal level, Intellectual quotient
Study on the effects of music on the health of geriatric inpatients

Music has long been used to improve health, communication and quality of life. We used music in a similar perspective inside a Geriatric Assessment Unit. We conducted a randomized controlled study to evaluate the impact of attendance to a live music concert (intervention group, n = 20) compared to a documentary-watching session (control group, n = 16). The primary objective was to determine the effect of the interventions on mobility using the Timed Up and Go and gait speed tests. This was not fulfilled, as the mobility measures data could not be analyzed due to the high variability of the measure and small number of participants (n = 17) who completed the tests, suggesting that assessing the effect of music on mobility may not be feasible in this population. In contrast, the secondary objective of examining the effect on emotions (measured with the Visual Analog Mood Scale and the Observed Emotional Rating Scale which respectively evaluate self-reported and observed emotions) and communication skills (measured with the Communication Behavior in Dementia scale) led to clear results. The participants in the music group experienced enhanced happiness and displayed more pleasure than the participants in the documentary-watching group. Participants in the music sessions also displayed a higher increase of positive emotions and a more pronounced decrease of negative emotions, as compared to the control group. For the communication skills, analyses were not pursued due to only fair inter-rater agreement. The results of this study show that a live music concert can improve emotions in geriatric inpatients.

Keyphrases: Communication, Music, Geriatric, Mobility, Emotion, Communication
Expériences de trauma lors de l'enfance et stress chronique chez des adultes avec et sans maladies cardiovasculaires

Childhood trauma has been associated with greater psychological and physical morbidity, including a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). It has been hypothesized that this may reflect, at least in part, disturbances in how stress is later perceived and regulated. Objective: To examine the associations of childhood trauma with perceived stress and 3-month hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in adults with and without CVD and to explore individual differences as a function of sex, age and CVD status. Methods: A total of 1124 individuals (707 men; mean age: 65.2 ± 7 years) with and without CVD completed the Childhood Trauma and Perceived Stress Questionnaires. Cortisol concentrations from 3-cm segments of hair were assessed in 598 participants. Pearson correlations and hierarchical regressions that controlled for pertinent covariates were performed. Results: Childhood trauma was associated with higher perceived stress levels, but not with HCC in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Age moderated the relation between sexual abuse and perceived stress. Women reported more stress, while men and those with CVD exhibited greater cortisol. Conclusion: Childhood trauma is associated with greater reports of chronic stress, however there was no lasting effect on the activity of the HPA-axis, at least via HCC.

Keyphrases: Trauma, Cortisol, Childhood trauma, Perceived stress, Hair cortisol, Cardiovascular disease
Associations prospectives entre l’écoute de la télévision en petite enfance et les habitudes de vie ultérieures de l’enfant

Background. Television viewing is a frequent activity for anybody at all ages. Many studies show its concurrent impact on toddlers, but less is known about its longer-term influence on child’s development.    Objective. This study aimed (1) to examine the long-term association of televiewing in toddlerhood on later lifestyle habits in early adolescence and (2) to compare the results with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations. Methods. Participants are from a prospective longitudinal birth cohort of 1 085 girls and 1 138 boys from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD). Parents reported data on daily televiewing of their child at age 2.  At age 13, child self-reported ratings of eating habits, consumption of breakfast on weekdays, daily screen time, and engagement in school. Body mass index (BMI) was computed from height and weight when children were aged 13. We conducted multiple ordinary least squares regressions in which many confounders were included to reduce possible bias. Results. Televiewing at age 2 predicted lower frequency of consuming breakfast on weekdays (b = -0.06, 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.09 to -0.04), unhealthier eating habits (b = 0.05, 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.07), higher BMI (b = 0.38, 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.50), higher screen time (b = 0.06, 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.11), and lower student engagement (b = -0.07, 95% CI, -0.14 to -0.004) at age 13.  Conclusion.  Televiewing in toddlerhood appears to influence lifestyle habits in early adolescence. From a population health perspective, strategies such as educational campaigns designed to reinforce the new AAP recommendations of less than 1 hour of daily screen time for toddlers over age 2 seem warranted, in order to reduce its possible adverse impact on child development.

Keyphrases: Television, Toddlerhood, Child development, Lifestyle habits, Sedentary
Regards croisés sur la conceptualisation des situations conflictuelles d'adolescentes et d'éducatrices en contexte de centre de réadaptation

In youth care settings, the presence of disturbing and aggressive behaviors and an increase  in the use of disciplinary methods of intervention are major concerns. Interractionist models of analysis suggest that behaviors are part of interactions, they are inter-subjective and inter-dependent. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore adolescents’ and educators’ conceptualization of conflict that takes place in a youth care center. Using a narrative approach and a participatory and phenomenological theoretical framework, this research explored the construction of narratives of youth and educators, the divergences and similarities between their respective conceptualization of conflict and the general meaning given to conflict. We used a two-stage research protocol. Three adolescent girls and three educators were asked to observe themselves in their daily lives and describe three conflictual situations. Subsequent in-depth explanatory interviews were conducted with each of the participants who were asked to describe the selected situations. The results highlight six elements that are used and interpreted by the youth and the educators in their descriptions of conflictual situations: 1) the inherent realities of youth care centers; 2) the psycho-sociological difficulties of the youth; 3) the limitations and impacts of interventions; 4) the expression of emotions; 5) the need for space, and 6) conflict resolution. The adolescents and the educators are consistant in their references to these elements when explaining conflicts, however the results illustrate that they interpret these same elements in different ways. In addition, the results suggest that the way in which adolescents and educators use and organize these elements in the construction of their narratives diverges. This suggests gaps in the meaning that they give to conflict. The results of this research project allow us to reflect on the the way adolescent girls and their educators understand conflict and the impact of these conceptualizations on their interactions. Practical and organizational recommendations are made based on these reflections.

Keyphrases: Youth-educators’ conflictual situations, youth care setting, sensemaking, narrative theory, meaning of conflicts
Utilisation de l’enseignement parental interactif Web pour implanter l’extinction graduée afin d’améliorer le sommeil d’enfants ayant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme

While there are many studies showing that sleeping issues are common among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), few researchers have evaluated the effectiveness of interventions to aid a child’s problematic behavior at bedtime. The extinction method has been the only one proven to be effective, however, it has significant limitations. In addition, there were no studies that demonstrate the use of interactive Web training to teach parents how to implement methods that can aid their child sleep. This project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a graduated extinction program (a method that minimizes the side-effects of extinction) put in place by parents that received interactive Web training. Three children from ages 3 to 6 with ASD were recruited to participate in this research project. The method was evaluated based on how the intervention was put in place, the child’s problematic behaviors at sleep time, the parent-child interactions, and the sleep latency. For the first participant, there was significant improvement of the child’s sleeping habits at the baseline stage. A survey was created to discover the different elements that could have produced this change. For the second participant, the graduated extinction had no effect on the child’s sleeping habit. Due to characteristics of the third child and the parents’ personal values, the graduated extinction method was not correctly implemented for this participant. This study’s results suggest that before implementing the graduated extinction method, it is essential to evaluate the motivation of the parents, the problematic behavioral function, and the bedtime routine of the child.

Keyphrases: Intervention comportementale, Autism spectrum disorder, Sleep, Behavioral intervention, Graduated extinction, Interactive Web training
L'influence du mindset sur l'adaptation scolaire et psychosociale des élèves en difficulté scolarisés en classe spécialisée

Special needs students often struggle with academic and psychosocial challenges. Many of them, even when they benefit from adapted learning environments, do not graduate and encounter ulterior difficulties. According to previous research, student mindset, or the beliefs students hold about whether they can change their personal attributes, can influence student receptivity towards intervention and predict future academic and psychosocial adjustment. The aim of this study is to determine whether this is also true for special needs students. The study included data from 59 academically and psychosocially high-risk students from three special needs classes from three public high schools located in Montréal-Nord. Hierarchical regression analysis confirmed that special needs student mindset predicted better academic and psychosocial adaptation over the course of a school year. Indeed, students that began the school year with a growth mindset reported better grades as well as lower levels of disruptive behaviors at the end of the school year. However, the predictive role of the mindset has not been confirmed for all variables and can vary depending on the initial encountered challenges. Overall, these results suggest that the mindset special needs students hold influence their receptivity to the learning environment they evolve in, thus affecting their academic and psychosocial adjustment. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Keyphrases: Mindset, Adolescents, Implicit theories, Academic and psychosocial adjustment, Students with difficulties
Liens entre les représentations sociales des professionnels concernant les familles noires et leur décision de signaler un enfant noir à la Direction de la protection de la jeunesse

In Montreal, black children are overrepresented at the reporting stage of Child Protective Services, for situations primarily communicated by the mandated reporters who encounter them in their professional capacity, without being in greater need of protection than their non-black peers, according to the Child Protective Services assessment outcomes. This thesis explores the possibility that there is an inherent bias as it applies to professionals who are mandated to make reports, leading them to be particularly concerned about black children’s safety. A qualitative secondary analysis has been conducted on the discourse of 33 professionals mandated to report regarding their representations of the black population and their intended actions when confronted with a black child in psychosocial difficulties. The results present a typology of mandated reporters for black children in four types and two subtypes. The types are distinguished from one another by the assignement of responsibility for the difficulties encountered by the black population, as well as the professional’s cultural knowledge of the black population, among other factors. The discussion focuses on three main themes: the significant differences in actions chosen to support black families in difficulty; the centrality of corporal punishment in the reporter’s social representations of the black population; and the role of discrimination recognition in the disproportionate representation of black children at the threshold of Child Protective Services.

Keyphrases: overrepresentation, child protective services, reporting, black families, social representations
Le rôle de l'engagement et de l'assiduité dans un programme d'amélioration des habiletés d'organisation d'enfants ayant un TDA/H

Children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulties with organization, time management, and planning (OTMP). In order to improve OTMP skills, many programs have been developed and have shown promising results. The TRANSITION project (Normandeau et al., 2012) proved to be effective in improving OTMP skills of children in transition between Grade 6 and Grade 7. It is important to search for variables that influence the efficacy intervention programs, including attendance and engagement. Studies have shown that increased attendance and/or engagement are associated with greater intervention efficacy (La Greca, Silverman and Lochman, 2009, Nix, Bierman and McMahon, Nock and Kazdin, 2005). For this research, we examined the extent to which attendance and engagement of parents and children in the TRANSITION project, including group meetings and mentoring meetings, were linked to the enhancement of children's OTMP skills at the end of Grade 7. Correlational analyzes tested the link between attendance or engagement and improvement of OTMP skills. Multiple regression analyzes verified the additive effect of attendance and engagement on the improvement of OTMP skills. Few significant results have been observed in this research, these being limited mainly to favourable links between attendance at mentoring meetings and improvement of children’s organization of their workspace. Given the high attendance and engagement of parents and children in the TRANSITION project, these results are not surprising. However, we cannot underestimate the importance of the techniques and methods used to promote high attendance and engagement of the participants and their effects on the improvement of OTMP skills.

Keyphrases: Engagement, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Attendance, Organization, OTMP, TRANSITION Project
Pistes de prévention en santé mentale pour les étudiants en relation d’aide : influence de facteurs de risque et de protection sur des indicateurs de santé mentale

While helping people with special needs resulting in psychosocial difficulties is an honourable profession, it is potentially costly for the mental health of the counsellor. Counsellors-in-training can benefit by developing protective strategies in order to maintain their mental health. This exploratory study aims to highlight the risk factors as well as the protective factors that can improve or aggravate indicators of mental health in undergraduate students in counselling programs. Data was collected from 68 undergraduate students enrolled in University of Montreal’s psycho-education program during their first immersive experience in a clinical internship. The results demonstrate that students face various challenges that can cause significant deterioration of mental health indicators, during the time of the internship.      Different risk and protective factors can aggravate or improve the experience of the student during their internship. On the one hand, sensitivity to non-verbal cues, emotional contagion, coping strategies, and mindfulness skills seemed to play an important role in the fluctuation of mental health indicators. On the other hand, perceived stress had a strong impact on the increase of other mental health factors. More precisely, the increase of situational anxiety seemed to have an influence on the increase of perceived stress. Anxiety would, therefore, be partly responsible for this chain of influence on the increase of mental health indicators that were observed during the semester. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Keyphrases: stress, intervention, anxiety, perceived stress, chronic stress, mindfulness, mental health, undergraduate, student, emotional contagion, psychological distress, coping strategies, emotional restriction, trainee
La relation élève-enseignant modère-t-elle le lien entre le quotient intellectuel et le décrochage scolaire?

Context. In Quebec, dropping out of school is a major problem because it tend to lead to important consequences and for its higher prevalence in comparison with other Canadian provinces. It is therefore important to study the phenomenon, to understand the factors of protection and vulnerability in order to allow a greater proportion of students to obtain their secondary school diploma. Objective. According to previous studies, a low intelligence quotient (IQ) is an important risk factor of school dropout. The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating effect of the student-teacher relationship on the relation between the IQ and the high school dropout for adolescents. Method. This project is a secondary analysis from the SIAA (Stratégie d'Intervention Agir Autrement) study who's main objective was to assess the impact of SIAA implementation on student achievement and the ability of schools to provide optimal education. During this project, a significant amount of information was measured according to a prospective longitudinal estimate. The data collection was conducted over a seven-year period with high school students in two distinct cohorts. Students responded to the interview protocols once a year. The same measures, with few minor differences, were compiled except for the IQ which was only measured the first year of each cohort. Using this data, logistic regression analyzes were performed. Results. The analysis confirm that the predictive variables used help in predicting school dropout. However, the results suggest that warm or conflicting student-teacher relationships have an insignificant contribution to the prediction model. Conclusion. These two variables do not moderate the link between IQ and school dropout in this study.

Keyphrases: Adolescents, School dropout, Intelligence quotient, Student-teachers relationship, Disadvantaged school