Research on sources of individual difference in parental Infant-Directed Speech (IDS) is limited ... more Research on sources of individual difference in parental Infant-Directed Speech (IDS) is limited and there is a particular lack of research on fathers’ compared to mothers’ speech. This study examined the predictive relations between infant characteristics and variability in paternal lexical diversity (LD) in dyadic free play with two-year-olds (M = 24.1 months, SD = 1.39, 35 girls). Ten minutes of interaction for sixty-four father–infant dyads were transcribed and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the effects of a set of distal and proximal sources of infant influence on paternal LD. Fathers’ LD was predicted only by infant language, both standardised language scores and dynamic language measures, and was not predicted by infant age, gender, executive function, or temperament. Findings are discussed in the light of the complex interplay of factors contributing to variability in IDS and the infant's linguistic environment.
The effects of nonconsensual first experiences of sexual intercourse in women are understudied. T... more The effects of nonconsensual first experiences of sexual intercourse in women are understudied. This was investigated in 3,875 adult women of whom 6.7% reported "persuaded" first-sex and 0.8% reported forced first-sex. Compared with willing first-sex, both forced and "persuaded" first-sex occurred earlier, involved a greater age difference between partners, and were associated with more lifetime sexual partners and some measures of worse psychological well-being. In addition, "persuaded" first-sex was associated with worse general physical health. "Persuaded" first-sex and its relation to health need to be better understood, along with how culture influences women's experiences of first-sex.
Children frequently refrain from disclosing being bullied. Early identification of bullying by he... more Children frequently refrain from disclosing being bullied. Early identification of bullying by healthcare professionals in children may prevent adverse health consequences. The aim of our study was to determine whether Health Care Utilisation (HCU) is higher in 9-year-olds who report being bullied and factors influencing type of HCU. The study consists of cross-sectional surveys of Child Cohort of Irish National Longitudinal Study of Children (Wave 1), 8,568 9-year-olds, and their carers. Being bullied was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire completed by children at home. HCU outcomes consisted of the following: visits to GP, Mental Health Practitioner (MHP), Emergency Department (ED), and nights in hospital by parent interview. Bivariate logistic regression and gender-stratified Poisson models were used to determine association. Victimisation by bullying independently increased visits to GP (OR 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03 to 1.25; p = 0.02), MHP (OR 1.31, 95% CI:...
Although research has documented the negative effects of family transitions generally on child an... more Although research has documented the negative effects of family transitions generally on child and maternal outcomes, transitions into and out of mothers’ relationships with partners who are not the father(s) of their child(ren) are less well understood. Through thematic analysis of semistructured interviews, this study investigated how 21 mothers and their 21 children (aged 9 to 18 years) responded to mothers’ relationship formation following the dissolution of previous relationships. Mothers tried to protect their children from the negative impact of family instability by either limiting contact with partners or maintaining continuity through continued child contact with former partners. When faced with relationship transitions, children endeavored to manage threats to their relationships with their mothers and their mothers’ former partners. When children felt they successfully managed these threats, they were more positive about their mothers’ subsequent partners. The tension be...
Formulating & Implementing a National Strategy C ris is P re g n a n c y A g e n c y R e p o ... more Formulating & Implementing a National Strategy C ris is P re g n a n c y A g e n c y R e p o rt N o . 2 3 ... Sexual responsibility, fatherhood and discourses of masculinity among socially and economically disadvantaged young men in Ireland ... Sexual responsibility, fatherhood ...
Adults display superior performance on tasks of facial expression recognition when compared to ch... more Adults display superior performance on tasks of facial expression recognition when compared to children and adolescents. Embodied simulation strategies contribute to emotion recognition performance in adults. To date however, the use of such strategies in children and adolescents has not been examined. The present study investigated the development of facial expression recognition from an embodied perspective in a sample of 43 children (Mean age = 8.02 years), 35 adolescents (Mean age = 12.69 years) and 39 adults (Mean age = 19.92 years). In a three-alternative forced-choice emotion recognition task, children and adolescents were less accurate at recognising faces displaying sadness than they were at recognising happiness. Adults were equally as accurate at identifying happiness and sadness. All groups were less accurate at recognising fear than recognising both happiness and sadness. In trials in which the emotions were accurately recognised, all age groups were significantly slower at recognising fear than happiness. A non-linear developmental trend was observed for trials involving sad faces suggesting the need to consider pubertal status in future studies of facial expression recognition. A facial mimicry interference condition significantly interfered with the speed, but not the accuracy, of recognition of all emotions in all three groups. These findings converge with findings in the literature on emotion recognition by replicating performance differences in facial expression recognition across age groups. They also provide the first evidence for the use of embodied simulation strategies in children and adolescents during emotion recognition tasks.
This study assessed mental health literacy in Irish adolescents (N = 187), and explored participa... more This study assessed mental health literacy in Irish adolescents (N = 187), and explored participants’ help-giving responses toward hypothetical depressed peers. Participants read five vignettes, each describing an adolescent experiencing a life difficulty; two of the characters met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., DSM-IV) criteria for depression. The majority of participants could not identify depression or potential suicidality, but felt concerned for the depressed characters’ wellbeing. Most participants stated they would provide help if they were the depressed characters’ friends. Correct identification of depression did not influence the type of help offered. A significant proportion of participants did not mention engaging an adult’s assistance, and assessing for suicidality was not mentioned by any participant. Gender differences were found in mental health literacy and the type of responses offered. Education that emphasizes the importance of in...
Research on sources of individual difference in parental Infant-Directed Speech (IDS) is limited ... more Research on sources of individual difference in parental Infant-Directed Speech (IDS) is limited and there is a particular lack of research on fathers’ compared to mothers’ speech. This study examined the predictive relations between infant characteristics and variability in paternal lexical diversity (LD) in dyadic free play with two-year-olds (M = 24.1 months, SD = 1.39, 35 girls). Ten minutes of interaction for sixty-four father–infant dyads were transcribed and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the effects of a set of distal and proximal sources of infant influence on paternal LD. Fathers’ LD was predicted only by infant language, both standardised language scores and dynamic language measures, and was not predicted by infant age, gender, executive function, or temperament. Findings are discussed in the light of the complex interplay of factors contributing to variability in IDS and the infant's linguistic environment.
The effects of nonconsensual first experiences of sexual intercourse in women are understudied. T... more The effects of nonconsensual first experiences of sexual intercourse in women are understudied. This was investigated in 3,875 adult women of whom 6.7% reported "persuaded" first-sex and 0.8% reported forced first-sex. Compared with willing first-sex, both forced and "persuaded" first-sex occurred earlier, involved a greater age difference between partners, and were associated with more lifetime sexual partners and some measures of worse psychological well-being. In addition, "persuaded" first-sex was associated with worse general physical health. "Persuaded" first-sex and its relation to health need to be better understood, along with how culture influences women's experiences of first-sex.
Children frequently refrain from disclosing being bullied. Early identification of bullying by he... more Children frequently refrain from disclosing being bullied. Early identification of bullying by healthcare professionals in children may prevent adverse health consequences. The aim of our study was to determine whether Health Care Utilisation (HCU) is higher in 9-year-olds who report being bullied and factors influencing type of HCU. The study consists of cross-sectional surveys of Child Cohort of Irish National Longitudinal Study of Children (Wave 1), 8,568 9-year-olds, and their carers. Being bullied was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire completed by children at home. HCU outcomes consisted of the following: visits to GP, Mental Health Practitioner (MHP), Emergency Department (ED), and nights in hospital by parent interview. Bivariate logistic regression and gender-stratified Poisson models were used to determine association. Victimisation by bullying independently increased visits to GP (OR 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03 to 1.25; p = 0.02), MHP (OR 1.31, 95% CI:...
Although research has documented the negative effects of family transitions generally on child an... more Although research has documented the negative effects of family transitions generally on child and maternal outcomes, transitions into and out of mothers’ relationships with partners who are not the father(s) of their child(ren) are less well understood. Through thematic analysis of semistructured interviews, this study investigated how 21 mothers and their 21 children (aged 9 to 18 years) responded to mothers’ relationship formation following the dissolution of previous relationships. Mothers tried to protect their children from the negative impact of family instability by either limiting contact with partners or maintaining continuity through continued child contact with former partners. When faced with relationship transitions, children endeavored to manage threats to their relationships with their mothers and their mothers’ former partners. When children felt they successfully managed these threats, they were more positive about their mothers’ subsequent partners. The tension be...
Formulating & Implementing a National Strategy C ris is P re g n a n c y A g e n c y R e p o ... more Formulating & Implementing a National Strategy C ris is P re g n a n c y A g e n c y R e p o rt N o . 2 3 ... Sexual responsibility, fatherhood and discourses of masculinity among socially and economically disadvantaged young men in Ireland ... Sexual responsibility, fatherhood ...
Adults display superior performance on tasks of facial expression recognition when compared to ch... more Adults display superior performance on tasks of facial expression recognition when compared to children and adolescents. Embodied simulation strategies contribute to emotion recognition performance in adults. To date however, the use of such strategies in children and adolescents has not been examined. The present study investigated the development of facial expression recognition from an embodied perspective in a sample of 43 children (Mean age = 8.02 years), 35 adolescents (Mean age = 12.69 years) and 39 adults (Mean age = 19.92 years). In a three-alternative forced-choice emotion recognition task, children and adolescents were less accurate at recognising faces displaying sadness than they were at recognising happiness. Adults were equally as accurate at identifying happiness and sadness. All groups were less accurate at recognising fear than recognising both happiness and sadness. In trials in which the emotions were accurately recognised, all age groups were significantly slower at recognising fear than happiness. A non-linear developmental trend was observed for trials involving sad faces suggesting the need to consider pubertal status in future studies of facial expression recognition. A facial mimicry interference condition significantly interfered with the speed, but not the accuracy, of recognition of all emotions in all three groups. These findings converge with findings in the literature on emotion recognition by replicating performance differences in facial expression recognition across age groups. They also provide the first evidence for the use of embodied simulation strategies in children and adolescents during emotion recognition tasks.
This study assessed mental health literacy in Irish adolescents (N = 187), and explored participa... more This study assessed mental health literacy in Irish adolescents (N = 187), and explored participants’ help-giving responses toward hypothetical depressed peers. Participants read five vignettes, each describing an adolescent experiencing a life difficulty; two of the characters met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., DSM-IV) criteria for depression. The majority of participants could not identify depression or potential suicidality, but felt concerned for the depressed characters’ wellbeing. Most participants stated they would provide help if they were the depressed characters’ friends. Correct identification of depression did not influence the type of help offered. A significant proportion of participants did not mention engaging an adult’s assistance, and assessing for suicidality was not mentioned by any participant. Gender differences were found in mental health literacy and the type of responses offered. Education that emphasizes the importance of in...
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