bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Validity of adult retrospective reports of adverse childhood experiences: review of the evidence
Authors: Hardt Jochen , Rutter Michael 
Published: January 2004

Background:  Influential studies have cast doubt on the validity of retrospective reports by adults of their own adverse experiences in childhood. Accordingly, many researchers view retrospective reports with scepticism.Method:  A computer‐based search, supplemented by hand searches, was used to identify studies reported between 1980 and 2001 in which there was a quantified assessment of the validity of retrospective recall of sexual abuse, physical abuse, physical/emotional neglect or family discord, using samples of at least 40. Validity was assessed by means of comparisons with contemporaneous, prospectively obtained, court or clinic or research records; by agreement between retrospective reports of two siblings; and by the examination of possible bias with respect to differences between retrospective and prospective reports in their correlates and consequences. Medium‐ to long‐term reliability of retrospective recall was determined from studies in which the test–retest period extended over at least 6 months.Results:  Retrospective reports in adulthood of major adverse experiences in childhood, even when these are of a kind that allow reasonable operationalisation, involve a substantial rate of false negatives, and substantial measurement error. On the other hand, although less easily quantified, false positive reports are probably rare. Several studies have shown some bias in retrospective reports. However, such bias is not sufficiently great to invalidate retrospective case‐control studies of major adversities of an easily defined kind. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that little weight can be placed on the retrospective reports of details of early experiences or on reports of experiences that rely heavily on judgement or interpretation.Conclusion:  Retrospective studies have a worthwhile place in research, but further research is needed to examine possible biases in reporting.
Executive functioning in children: a comparison of hospitalised ODD and ODD/ADHD children and normal controls
Authors: Van Goozen Stephanie H.M. , Cohen‐Kettenis Peggy T. , Snoek Heddeke , Matthys Walter , Swaab‐Barneveld Hanna , Van Engeland Herman 
Published: January 2004

Background:  Deficits in executive functioning are supposed to have a predisposing influence on impulsive or aggressive behaviour. We tested the hypothesis that oppositional‐defiant disorder (ODD) children with or without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have problems in executive functioning.Method:  Seventy‐seven 7‐ to 12‐year‐old children (15 ODD, 26 ODD/ADHD, and 36 normal controls), all with normal IQ, completed 7 neuropsychological measures of executive functioning, assessing the abilities of set shifting, planning, working memory, inhibition/attention, and impulsivity. Some of these tasks involved the possibility of monetary rewards with a view to testing the prediction of a specific motivational inhibitory deficit.Results:  We found no evidence of deficits in working memory, planning, inhibition, or impulsivity. However, the ODD/ADHD group was worse than the normal control (NC) group in set shifting, and both the ODD and ODD/ADHD groups performed worse on a response perseveration task. Moreover, on the basis of one variable derived from a motivational inhibition task, 77% of the children could be correctly classified as ODD or NC.Conclusions:  The findings do not support the hypothesis that ODD and ODD/ADHD children have a deficit in executive inhibitory control; rather, they emphasise that they have problems in regulating their behaviour under motivational inhibitory conditions.
Methylphenidate improves working memory and set‐shifting in AD/HD: relationships to baseline memory capacity
Authors: Mehta Mitul A. , Goodyer Ian M. , Sahakian Barbara J. 
Published: January 2004

Objective:  Catecholamine stimulant drugs are highly efficacious treatments for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (AD/HD). Catecholamine modulation in humans influences performance of numerous cognitive tasks, including tests of attention and working memory (WM). Clear delineation of the effects of methylphenidate upon such cognitive functions in AD/HD would enhance understanding of the effects of drug treatment.Method:  Here we present a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study of the cognitive effects of an acute dose of methylphenidate (c. .5 mg/kg) in 14 boys aged 10.86 (±1.19) years meeting criteria for DSM‐IV AD/HD. Current behaviour was ascertained using Conners’ teacher and parent self‐report questionnaires and IQ was tested using sub‐tests from WISC‐III‐UK. Tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were selected to assess visuo‐spatial recognition memory, spatial WM, planning, visual‐search and attentional‐set shifting.Results:  Methylphenidate improved spatial WM, attentional‐set shifting and visual‐search task performance. Correlational analyses suggested possible relationships between WM capacity and spatial WM performance improvement. Also, poor performance on the attentional‐set shifting task on placebo was associated with increased errors on the spatial WM task on placebo.Conclusions:  Methylphenidate may selectively improve both underlying cognitive difficulties in tasks dependent on intact fronto‐striatal structures, and clinical symptoms of AD/HD. Pre‐treatment measures may have some predictive value in determining individual differences in drug response.
Familial influences on sustained attention and inhibition in preschoolers
Authors: Groot Alexia S. , De Sonneville Leo M.J. , Stins John F. , Boomsma Dorret I. 
Published: January 2004

Background:  In this study several aspects of attention were studied in 237 nearly 6‐year‐old twin pairs. Specifically, the ability to sustain attention and inhibition were investigated using a computerized test battery (Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks). Furthermore, the Teacher's Report Form (TRF) was filled out by the teacher of the child and the attention subscale of this questionnaire was analyzed.Methods:  The variance in performance on the different tasks of the test battery and the score on the attention scale of the TRF were decomposed into a contribution of the additive effects of many genes (A), environmental effects that are shared by twins (C) and unique environmental influences not shared by twins (E) by using data from MZ and DZ twins.Results:  The genetic model fitting results showed an effect of A and E for the attention scale of the TRF, and for some of the inhibition and sustained attention measures. For most of the attention variables, however, it was not possible to decide between a model with A and E or a model with C and E. Time‐on‐task effects on reaction time or number of errors and the delay after making an error did not show familial resemblances. A remarkable finding was that the heritability of the attention scale of the TRF was found to be higher than the heritability of indices that can be considered to be more direct measures of attention, such as mean tempo in the sustained attention task and response speed in the Go–NoGo task.Conclusion:  In preschoolers, familial resemblances on sustained attention and inhibition were observed.
Genetic and environmental influence on language impairment in 4‐year‐old same‐sex and opposite‐sex twins
Authors: Viding Essi , Spinath Frank M. , Price Thomas S. , Bishop Dorothy V.M. , Dale Philip S. , Plomin Robert 
Published: January 2004

Background:  We investigated the aetiology of language impairment in 579 four‐year‐old twins with low language performance and their co‐twins, members of 160 MZ twin pairs, 131 same‐sex DZ pairs and 102 opposite‐sex DZ pairs.Methods:  Language impairment in 4‐year‐olds was defined by scores below the 15th percentile on a general factor derived from an extensive language test battery. Language impairment of different degrees of severity was investigated by using multiple cut‐offs below the 15th percentile.Results:  DeFries–Fulker extremes analysis indicated that language impairment as measured by the general language scale is under strong genetic influence. In addition, group differences heritability showed an increasing trend (from 38% to 76%) as a function of severity of language impairment. Although more boys are impaired than girls, incorporating opposite‐sex DZ pairs into the analysis found neither quantitative nor qualitative differences between boys and girls in genetic and environmental aetiologies.Conclusions:  Language impairment at four years is heritable. This finding replicates previous research on language impairment and extends it by showing that language impairment is heritable in twins selected from a representative community sample. Despite the mean difference between boys and girls, genetic and environmental influences are quantitatively and qualitatively similar for language impairment for boys and girls. For both boys and girls, heritability appears to be greater for more severe language impairment, indicating stronger influence of genes at the lower end of language ability.
Phonological memory as a predictor of language comprehension in Down syndrome: a five‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Laws Glynis , Gunn Deborah 
Published: January 2004

Background:  This study reports the language and memory progress over five years of 30 adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome, and investigates the relationship of earlier phonological memory abilities to later language development.Methods:  Tests of nonverbal ability, receptive vocabulary, grammar comprehension, digit span and nonword repetition were administered at two points in time.Results:  For the sample as a whole, there were significant gains in nonverbal ability, receptive vocabulary and grammar comprehension, but no increases in phonological memory measured by nonword repetition or digit span. However, there were considerable individual differences in progress which, in part, were related to chronological age. Phonological memory improved in many younger participants but there were signs of decline in some older ones. Partial correlations between earlier nonword repetition scores and later language scores, controlling for nonverbal ability and earlier language scores, indicated a significant role for phonological memory in the acquisition of vocabulary knowledge. There was similar evidence of a role for phonological memory in grammar comprehension, but only for younger participants. Earlier receptive vocabulary also predicted later nonword repetition scores, particularly for participants with higher levels of vocabulary knowledge.Conclusion:  Relationships among the processes involved in language and memory development in Down syndrome may be similar to those established for typical development.
Quality of parent communication about sex and its relationship to risky sexual behavior among youth in psychiatric care: a pilot study
Authors: Wilson Helen W. , Donenberg Geri 
Published: January 2004

Background:  The number of HIV infections among adolescents is increasing, and youth in psychiatric care are at particular risk because of their high rates of risky sexual behavior.Methods:  As part of a larger longitudinal study examining AIDS‐risk behavior among adolescents in psychiatric care, this pilot study investigated the relationship between parent communication about sex and sexual risk‐taking among treatment‐seeking adolescents. Adolescents reported their risky sexual behavior (e.g., inconsistent condom use, sex with multiple partners), and parents reported how frequently they bring up topics related to sex, HIV/AIDS, and birth control. Parents and adolescents participated together in videotaped discussions of fictional vignettes describing situations related to sex, birth control, and AIDS/HIV. Quality of the parent–teen discussions was coded based on a system developed by Whalen, Henker, Hollingshead, and Burgess (1996) to code AIDS‐related discussions.Results:  Quality but not frequency of parent–teen communication was associated with adolescent sexual risk‐taking, and ethnic differences in communication were found.Conclusions:  Findings from this pilot investigation underscore the importance of studying the relationship between parent–teen communication and risky sexual behavior among troubled youth and provide direction for the development of family‐based intervention programs that focus on parental behavior during conversations with teens.
Subtypes of self‐esteem and self‐concept in adolescent violent and property offenders
Authors: Vermeiren Robert , Bogaerts Jef , Ruchkin Vladislav , Deboutte Dirk , Schwab‐Stone Mary 
Published: January 2004

Aim:  To investigate the relationship between subtypes of self‐esteem/self‐concept (familial, academic, social, and personal security) and antisocial behavior in adolescents (violent and property offending).Method:  A self‐report survey was administered in a representative group of 1466 students aged 12 to 18.Results:  Both low family acceptance and low academic competence were found to predict property and violent offending, while high peer popularity was found to predict mainly violent offending.Conclusion:  The finding that subtypes of self‐esteem/self‐concept present differently in antisocial adolescents may have clinical and scientific consequences, and such differentiation should be considered in future research. It should also be investigated whether this finding has therapeutic consequences.
Mind‐reading difficulties in the siblings of people with Asperger's syndrome: evidence for a genetic influence in the abnormal development of a specific cognitive domain
Authors: Dorris L. , Espie C.A.E. , Knott F. , Salt J. 
Published: January 2004

Background:  Previous research suggests that the phenotype associated with Asperger's syndrome (AS) includes difficulties in understanding the mental states of others, leading to difficulties in social communication and social relationships. It has also been suggested that the first‐degree relatives of those with AS can demonstrate similar difficulties, albeit to a lesser extent. This study examined ‘theory of mind’ (ToM) abilities in the siblings of children with AS relative to a matched control group.Method:  27 children who had a sibling with AS were administered the children's version of the ‘Eyes Test’ (Baron‐Cohen, Wheelwright, Stone, & Rutherford, 1999). The control group consisted of 27 children matched for age, sex, and a measure of verbal comprehension, and who did not have a family history of AS/autism.Results:  A significant difference was found between the groups on the Eyes Test, the ‘siblings’ group showing a poorer performance on this measure of social cognition. The difference was more pronounced among female siblings.Discussion:  These results are discussed in terms of the familial distribution of a neuro‐cognitive profile associated with AS, which confers varying degrees of social handicap amongst first‐degree relatives. The implication of this finding with regard to the autism/AS phenotype is explored, with some discussion of why this neuro‐cognitive profile (in combination with corresponding strengths) may have an evolutionary imperative.
Levator function before and after childbirth
Authors: Dietz Hans Peter 
Published: January 2004

AbstractBackground:  Vaginal childbirth is assumed to affect pelvic floor muscle function as a result of direct trauma and/or neuropathy.Aims:  To assess levator function by ultrasound prior to and after delivery and correlate changes with delivery data.Methods:  A total of 200 nulliparous women were seen at 6–18 and 32–37 weeks’ gestation as well as 2–5 months post‐partum. Appointments consisted of an interview, paper towel test, flowmetry and translabial ultrasound (supine and after voiding). The most effective of at least three contractions was used for evaluation according to a previously published method quantifying cranioventral displacement of the bladder neck. Labour and delivery details were collected through data collection sheets and the institutional database.Results:  A total of 173 women were seen in late pregnancy; 169 returned on average 93 days post‐partum. At the last visit, a reduction of cranioventral lift from 11.2 mm (SD 4.5) to 8.8 mm (SD 4.2) was noted (P < 0.001) which correlated weakly with active second stage (Spearman's r = −0.196, P = 0.013), passive second stage (r = −0.15, P = 0.059) and total second stage of labour (r = −0.225, P = 0.004). Good antenatal levator function was not protective of changes in levator function or pelvic organ support.Conclusions:  Childbirth reduces bladder neck displacement on levator contraction. The main obstetric determinant affecting levator function seems to be the length of the second stage. A Caesarean section in the second stage appears to exert no protective effect. It seems to be full engagement of the fetal head, not childbirth itself, that impairs levator function.
Lack of antenatal care in far north Queensland
Authors: Humphrey Michael D , Keating Susan M 
Published: January 2004

AbstractObjective:  To examine reasons for women not accessing antenatal care, and subsequent pregnancy outcomes for this group of women.Design:  Retrospective observational study between 1992 and 2001.Setting:  Large public provincial referral obstetric unit.Sample:  A total of 226 of 16 176 women (1.4%) who gave birth had not accessed antenatal care in the index pregnancy.Results:  The women who did not access antenatal care were more likely to be highly parous or young, indigenous, and users of alcohol than the women who did access antenatal care; women who lived in remote communities and women who significant medical conditions complicating their pregnancy were less likely to default on antenatal care. The women who did not access antenatal care had a higher incidence of preterm birth and post‐partum haemorrhage; their babies were more likely to be of low birthweight, to be born with 5‐min Apgar scores less than 5, and had a higher incidence of perinatal death.Conclusions:  Lack of antenatal care is associated with a significant number of poor pregnancy outcomes, which are not explained by the basic epidemiological characteristics of women. As the women not accessing antenatal care tend to be from the most disadvantaged or marginalised groups in our society, a better understanding of their reasons for not accessing antenatal care is necessary so that care options can be provided which this high‐risk group of women may find acceptable and use.
Learning curve for hysteroscopic sterilisation: Lessons from the first 80 cases
Authors: Rosen David M. B. 
Published: January 2004

AbstractThe present report looks at the first 80 patients of Essure sterilisation performed by a surgeon with experience in operative hysteroscopy. The results show that the procedure is well tolerated under local anaesthesia with or without sedation, and that devices can be successfully placed in 90% of cases. Surgical time is reduced with increased experience, and successful placement increased by improving visibility within the endometrial cavity (cycle timing).
Predictive value of mid luteal progesterone concentration before luteal support in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with intrauterine insemination
Authors: Costello Michael F. , Emerson Sandra , Lukic Julie , Sjoblom Peter , Garrett Don , Hughes Graeme , Steigrad Stephen 
Published: January 2004

AbstractBackground:  There is no published data assessing whether higher mid luteal serum progesterone (P4) levels are associated with a higher cycle pregnancy rate (CPR) in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with intrauterine insemination (IUI).Aims:  To assess whether the mid luteal serum P4 level is predictive of pregnancy in COH with IUI.Methods:  A retrospective cohort study of all women with unexplained, minimal endometriosis or mild male factor infertility who underwent COH with IUI between October 1999 and December 2000 at our department was analysed. The COH was achieved with follicle stimulating hormone injections. All cycles were triggered with human chorionic gonadotropin when at least one follicle ≥15 mm was visible on ultrasound and IUI performed the following day. A serum P4 and beta human chorionic gonadotropin level was measured at 7 and 14 days post‐trigger, respectively.Results:  There were 33 pregnancies in the 188 cycles analysed, giving a CPR of 18%. The median (range) mid luteal P4 level for all cycles was 51 nmol/L (1.8–234). This did not differ between the pregnant (55 nmol/L) and non‐pregnant (50 nmol/L) cycles (P = 0.282, Mann–Whitney U‐test). There was also no difference in CPR between cohorts below or above the cut‐off levels of 33 nmol/L (25th percentile) (13.3 vs 18.9%; P = 0.39), 51 nmol/L (50th percentile) (16.0 vs 19.1%; P = 0.57), or 69 nmol/L (75th percentile) (16.3 vs 21.3%; P = 0.44), respectively.Conclusions:  Increased mid luteal serum P4 levels are not associated with a higher CPR in women undergoing COH with IUI. However, a low mid luteal P4 level ≤25 nmol/L may help predict treatment failure.
Use of complementary therapies in pregnancy: The perceptions of obstetricians and midwives in South Australia
Authors: Gaffney Lauren , Smith Caroline A. 
Published: January 2004

AbstractObjective  To examine South Australian obstetricians and midwives attitude's towards the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) during pregnancy, to examine their referral patterns and their views on the usefulness and safety of these therapies during pregnancy.Design  All members of the South Australian branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and a 50% sample of midwives belonging to the South Australian Branch of The Australian College of Midwives, were sent a postal self‐completion questionnaire.Results  A response rate of 78% was obtained. Only 14% of doctors considered CAM was a threat to public health. Over 90% of midwives and obstetricians thought they should have some knowledge about CAM. A greater proportion of obstetricians (72%) held a view there needs to be an evidence base for CAM compared with 26% of midwives. The majority of obstetricians (68%) and midwives (78%) had formally referred a patient for use of one of the complementary therapies. Over 70% of obstetricians and midwives considered massage, acupuncture, vitamins, yoga, meditation and hypnosis to be useful and safe to use during pregnancy.Conclusion  The majority of clinician's held positive views towards CAM and considered some complementary therapies to be useful and safe for use during pregnancy. Limited evidence exists on the safety and efficacy of these therapies and attention needs to be given to undertaking high quality randomised controlled trials.