Brenda J. Lohman

Linking psychosocial stressors and childhood obesity

Research has established a wide array of genetic and environmental factors that are associated with childhood obesity. The focus of this review is on recent work that has established the relationship between one set of environmental factors, stressors and childhood obesity. These stressors are particularly prevalent for low‐income children, a demographic group that has high rates of obesity in the USA and other developed countries. In this review, we begin by summarizing the psychosocial stressors faced by children followed by health outcomes associated with exposure to these stressors documented in the literature. We then summarize 11 articles which examined the connection between psychosocial stressors in the household and obesity and eight articles which examined the connection between individual psychosocial stressors and obesity. Policy recommendations emerging from this research include recognizing reductions in childhood obesity as a potential added benefit of social safety net programmes that reduce financial stress among families. In addition, policies and programmes geared towards childhood obesity prevention should focus on helping children build resources and capacities to teach them how to cope effectively with stressor exposure. We conclude with suggestions for future research.

Is food insecurity related to overweight and obesity in children and adolescents? A summary of studies, 1995-2009.

In the USA, several nutrition‐related issues confront the normal growth, maturation and development of children and adolescents including obesity and food insecurity. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the concept of food insecurity and a summary of studies that have examined the association between food insecurity and overweight/obesity in children and adolescents. Besides the initial case report, we review 21 studies (16 cross‐sectional and five prospective studies) that have been published on this topic as of December 2009. As there is limited literature in this area, we review studies that sample children and adolescents in the USA. The results are mixed with positive, negative and null associations. The reasons for the mixed results are difficult to disentangle. Among earlier studies, small samples hampered definitive conclusions. More recent studies with larger samples have overcome these limitations and tend to find no associations between these constructs. Nonetheless, all of the studies to date have shown that food insecurity and overweight co‐exist – that is, even though there may not be statistically significant differences in overweight between food‐insecure and food‐secure children, the prevalence of overweight remains relatively high in food‐insecure children.

Dating Violence Victimization, Relationship Satisfaction, Mental Health Problems, and Acceptability of Violence: A Comparison of Men and Women

Two of the most common reported consequences of dating violence are its impact on the victim’s satisfaction with their romantic relationship and its impact on the victim’s mental health. Recent research suggests that the strength of these relationships may be moderated by the degree to which the dating violence is acceptable to the victim. However, studies of these relationships have been limited to samples of women. The purpose of the present research was to examine the relationships among dating violence victimization, relationship satisfaction, mental health problems, and acceptability of violence for a sample that includes not only female victims, but also male victims. Using a sample of 155 male and 417 female college students, hierarchical regression analyses found that dating violence victimization is associated with relationship satisfaction and mental health problems for both men and women. For men, acceptability of violence moderated the relationship between dating violence victimization and the mental health problems of depression, anxiety, and somatization. For women, acceptability of violence moderated the relationship between dating violence victimization and relationship satisfaction only.

Food Insecurity Is Not Associated with Childhood Obesity as Assessed Using Multiple Measures of Obesity

There has been extensive previous research examining the connection between obesity and food insecurity, 2 serious nutrition challenges facing low-income children in the US. All of this work used BMI to categorize a child as obese. Although BMI is one way to categorize the obesity status of a child, other measures have not been used to understand the connection between food insecurity and obesity. In response, this study used multiple measures of obesity taken from the 2001 to 2004 NHANES. The sample included 2516 children between the ages of 8 and 17 y in households with annual incomes <200% of the poverty line. Within this sample, 36.6% of children were in food-insecure households. The prevalence of obesity depended on the measure employed (BMI, waist circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, trunk fat mass, body fat), with prevalence rates ranging from 15.4 to 44.8%. Logistic regression models estimated the probability of a child being obese using multiple measures of obesity conditional on food-insecurity status and other covariates. The results indicated that food-insecure children were no more likely to be obese than their food-secure counterparts across all measures of obesity. This relationship held after controlling for other factors and examining subpopulations based on race/ethnicity, gender, and race/ethnicity and gender. These results suggest that efforts to alleviate food insecurity and childhood obesity will work independently.

Experiences of Urban Youth Navigating the Transition to Ninth Grade

The study describes perceptions of the transition to ninth grade for low-income, urban, minority adolescents. Students who had a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher in middle school were interviewed about their school transition. Results focus on perceptions of the transition, major challenges, sources of support, and coping strategies. Students who continued to perform well in ninth grade were differentiated from those who had academic difficulties. Students described the transition to high school as including new academic challenges, a more complex environment, new social demands, and new interactions with teachers. High performers mentioned fewer challenges than low performers. High performers received more support from their immediate family, and many had friends who supported their academic goals. Students described three kinds of coping strategies: individual (be dedicated, stay focused), academic (study, keep up with homework), and social (hang with the right people). Implications focus on supporting academic success for urban youth.

“He Said They’d Deport Me” Factors Influencing Domestic Violence Help-Seeking Practices Among Latina Immigrants

Significant developments have been made in research on domestic violence experienced by women as well as on the practical front of the services women seek and receive when living with partner abuse. Yet, most of the studies that explore the experiences of victims of partner abuse in the United States have focused on nonimmigrant White women. The current study aims to contribute to the literature by exploring Latina immigrant victims’ experiences with domestic violence service outreach in the Midwest. This exploratory study used one-on-one interviews and a focus group to identify the challenges faced by 10 Latina victims of partner abuse who had previously contacted an antiviolence organization in Iowa and had used its services. Findings demonstrate that immigration status and the inability to understand domestic violence within given cultural norms are major barriers keeping Latina victims from seeking help from formal advocacy agencies. Other impediments include feeling shame, isolation, along with the lack of bilingual service providers in mainstream institutions and, the lack of knowledge about resources among newcomers. We end with recommendations for research and practice.

Engagement Across Developmental Periods

The goal of this chapter is to provide a cohesive developmental framework and foundation for which to understand student engagement across early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Guided by the bioecological theory of human development and the person-environment fit perspective, this chapter extends Finn’s participation-identification model of engagement by mapping student engagement within a larger developmental sequence. This chapter discusses student engagement within specific developmental periods that are tied to the developmental tasks, opportunities, and challenges unique to early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Student engagement is found to be a nuanced developmental outcome, and the differences may be a result of the maturation of biological, cognitive, and socioemotional developmental tasks and the changing contextual landscape for the children and adolescents. Recommendations for future research as well as policy implications are also discussed.

Welfare History, Sanctions, and Developmental Outcomes among Low‐Income Children and Youth

Using a representative sample of low‐income, urban preschoolers (n = 755) and adolescents (n = 1,130), this article addresses links among family welfare receipt, family processes, and child outcomes. For adolescents, family welfare receipt is related to decreased cognitive achievement and heightened behavioral and emotional problems. For preschoolers, both current and past welfare receipt are associated with problematic functioning. Families who received welfare sanctions have children with particularly problematic developmental outcomes. Mothers’ human capital, health, and parenting practices attenuate many of these links. Policy implications regarding potential impacts of welfare reform on children’s developmental trajectories are discussed.

Variation in late adolescents' reports of dating violence perpetration: A dyadic analysis

This study begins to fill the methodological gap in the dating violence literature by using hierarchical linear modeling to: (a) examine whether partners agree on reports of their experiences with violence in their relationship; and (b) identify factors that may explain differences in these reports. Data from the Relationship Dimensions Survey, a survey given to 214 late adolescent dating couples were utilized. Results indicated that there was significant variation in the report of dating violence perpetration and in the gender effect across couples, but not within couples. These differences were explained by individual- and relationship-related characteristics, including physical abuse from a parent during childhood, and for males’ perpetration only, whether they drank alcohol. Implications for violence prevention are discussed.

Matched or Mismatched Environments? The Relationship of Family and School Differentiation to Adolescents' Psychosocial Adjustment.

This study applies the family-systems concept of differentiation (the balance of autonomy-granting and connectedness) to another primary system of adolescent development—school. This study assessed the relationships among levels of family and school differentiation to the externalizing and internalizing behaviors, peer group membership, and academic achievement of 693 middle and high school students. High levels of family and school differentiation were correlated with all measures of well-being. Individuals in the low-low matched differentiation group had the lowest academic achievement, whereas individuals in the high-high matched differentiation group had the highest academic achievement. Students in the mismatched group, who had high differentiation with parents, but low differentiation with school, had lower grade point averages, higher school absences, and higher disciplinary actions than those in the mismatched group with high school differentiation and low parent differentiation.