Search Results (49)

Adolescents with LGBTQ+ parents and LGBTQ+ adolescents navigate unique social and identity-related challenges as compared to those without minoritized sexual and/or gender identities. Adolescents with LGBTQ+ parents (regardless of their own sexual or gender identity) and adolescents who personally identify as LGBTQ+ are distinct populations, though they sometimes overlap. Research on adolescents with LGBTQ+ parents has often focused on parent–adolescent relationships and family structures. How do friends help youth cope with identity-based minority stressors, like peer microaggressions, bullying, and exclusion, common for those with minoritized identities? Friendships are developmentally pivotal during adolescence, shaping social competence, identity exploration, and psychological adjustment. Grounded in ecological systems, social learning, and minority stress theories, we sought to understand how friendships relate to mental health and coping in adolescents with LGBTQ+ parents. This cross-sectional quantitative study included 98 adolescents (ages 12–19) with LGBTQ+ parents in the U.S., recruited via community sampling and Prolific. Higher-quality peer attachment, conceptualized by trust, communication, and alienation in close friendships, was associated with lower depression and greater social competence, but not associated with anxiety or adaptive coping (after accounting for avoidant coping). Avoidant coping was most strongly associated with poorer mental health. This study, with implications for practice, emphasizes the importance of peer relationships for adolescents with LGBTQ+ parents—particularly how high-quality friendships offer important possible protection via social competence and against depression—while also highlighting the complex interplay between friendships, coping, and adjustment. Full article

Amid the prevailing trend of “pan-entertainment” in cyberspace, adults increasingly interpret children’s lives through utilitarian, adult-centric, and entertainment-focused perspectives, leading to the alienation of children’s online images. This study examines child influencer accounts on Douyin—typically managed by parents—and conducts content and discourse analysis on them. Drawing on critical theories by Douglas Kellner, we employed Scrapy and NVivo to analyze 30 popular children’s videos and 15,000 user comments posted beneath them. The analysis identifies five key characteristics in the construction of such images: spectacular visual mechanisms, younger-age production trends, covert commercial penetration, homogenized spectacle types, and adult-centric implicit influence. The study underscores the urgency of strengthening protective mechanisms to counteract platform capitalism’s intrusion into childhood and to uphold children’s digital privacy and agency. Full article

Triticale (×Triticosecale Wittmack), a synthetic hybrid of wheat (Triticum spp.) and rye (Secale cereale), is a valuable dual-purpose crop for its high yield and stress tolerance. Introducing beneficial alien chromatin is crucial for expanding genetic diversity and improving cultivars. This study aimed to introduce Thinopyrum intermedium St genome chromatin into hexaploid triticale via trigeneric hybridization to develop novel germplasm. Six stable lines were selected from crosses between an octoploid wheat-Th. intermedium partial amphiploid line Maicao 8 and a hexaploid triticale cultivar Hashi 209. Agronomic traits were evaluated over two cropping seasons, revealing that the translocation lines exhibited superior agronomic performance compared to the parental triticales. These lines showed longer spikes, higher tiller numbers, and increased grain protein content, without compromising thousand-kernel weight. Cytogenetic analysis using sequential multicolor genomic in situ hybridization (smGISH), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and oligonucleotide probes, alongside validation with species-specific molecular markers, identified all six lines as St-R terminal translocation lines containing 14 rye chromosomes. Three lines carried a small terminal St segment on chromosome 1R, while the other three carried St segments on both 1RL and 4RS chromosomes. This work demonstrates that trigeneric hybridization is an effective strategy for inducing intergeneric recombination between Thinopyrum intermedium and rye chromosomes, leading to stable, small-segment terminal translocations. The developed St-R translocation lines represent a novel and valuable germplasm resource for enriching genetic diversity and breeding improved triticale cultivars with enhanced yield and quality traits. Full article

Background/Objectives: Although parental mediation has been widely recognized as a protective factor against cyberbullying, evidence regarding restrictive mediation remains inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. This inconsistency underscores the need to identify potential moderators. The present study examines whether parent–child relationship qualities (trust and alienation) and child gender moderate the associations between restrictive mediation and both cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization. Methods: Participants included 2075 adolescents (M_age = 16.50, SD = 3.11; 926 boys) from Grades 7–12 in urban China. Self-report measures assessed restrictive mediation, parent–child trust and alienation, and adolescents’ involvement in cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization. Results: Parental restrictive mediation and parent–child alienation were positively associated with adolescents’ cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization, whereas parent–child trust was negatively associated with both outcomes. Moreover, parent–child alienation significantly moderated the associations between parental restrictive mediation and cyberbullying, such that restrictive mediation predicted higher levels of cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization under conditions of greater alienation. These moderating effects were particularly pronounced among boys, whereas for girls, the association was weaker or non-significant. Conclusions: These findings suggest that inconsistencies in prior research may be explained by variations in parent–child alienation and gender. The results highlight the need to foster trust and reduce alienation in parent–child relationships, rather than relying solely on restrictive Internet control, to prevent adolescents’ involvement in cyberbullying. Full article

Background and Objectives: The attachment-diathesis model of chronic pain, which associates insecure attachment with pain catastrophizing and worse pain-related outcomes, is well-supported in adults. Although Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders (FAPDs) are common in youth, with symptoms influenced by the parent–child dynamic, an attachment-diathesis model of FAPDs is unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate if insecure parental attachment is associated with pain catastrophizing and pain-related variables in youth with FAPDs. Methods: Baseline questionnaire data from an RCT of cognitive behavioral therapy for children with FAPDs (n = 200, 73% girls, 93% White, and a mean age of 11.2 years old) were used to examine relationships between parental attachment (subscales include Alienation, Trust, and Communication), catastrophizing, and pain-related variables (depression, disability, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptom severity). Results: Alienation was significantly correlated with depression (r = 0.39), GI symptom severity (r = 0.30), and disability (r = 0.22; ps < 0.05). Trust was also correlated with depression (r = −0.39), GI symptom severity (r = −0.19), and disability (r = −0.19; ps < 0.05). Communication was associated with depression (r = −0.30, p < 0.01). Catastrophizing mediated these associations, accounting for 22–89% of the relationship between attachment and pain-related variables. Conclusions: Children who report a less secure attachment to their parents report more physical and psychological symptomatology than children who describe their attachment as more secure. This association is partly explained by child catastrophizing. Results suggest that parent–child attachment and catastrophizing may be important treatment targets in children with FAPDs. Full article

Structural variation (SV) serves as a fundamental driver of phenotypic diversity and environmental adaptation in plants and animals, significantly influencing key agronomic traits in crops. Common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), an allohexaploid species, harbors extensive chromosomal SVs and distant hybridization-induced recombination events that provide critical resources for genetic improvement. This study utilizes non-denaturing fluorescence in situ hybridization (ND-FISH) and oligonucleotide multiplex probe-based FISH (ONPM-FISH) to analyze the karyotypes of 153 BC₁F₄–BC₁F₆ lines derived from the hybrid line Xiaoyan 7430 and common wheat Yannong 1212. The results revealed that Xiaoyan 7430 carries 8 alien chromosome pairs and 20 wheat chromosome pairs (lacking 6B), and Yannong 1212 contains 21 pairs of wheat chromosomes. The parental lines exhibited presence/absence variations (PAVs) on chromosomes 2A, 6A, 5B, 1D, and 2D. Chromosomal variations, including numerical chromosomal variation (NCV), structural chromosomal variation (SCV), and complex chromosomal variation (CCV), were detected in the progeny lines through ONPM-FISH analysis. The tracking of alien chromosomes over three consecutive generations revealed a significant decrease in transmission frequency, declining from 61.82% in BC₁F₄ to 26.83% in BC₁F₆. Telosomes were also lost during transmission, declining from 21.82% in BC₁F₄ to 9.76% in BC₁F₆. Alien chromosome 1J^S, 4J, and 6J exhibited the highest transmission stability and were detected across all three generations. Association analysis showed that YN-PAV.2A significantly affected the length/width ratio (LWR) and grain diameter (GD); YN-PAV.6A, XY-PAV.6A, and PAV.5B increased six grain traits (+2.25%~15.36%); YN-PAV.1D negatively affected grain length (GL) and grain circumference (GC); and XY-PAV.2D exerted positive effects on thousand-grain weight (TGW). Alien chromosomes differentially modulated grain characteristics: 1J^S and 6J both reduced grain length and grain circumference; 1J^S increased LWR; and 4J negatively impacted TGW, grain width (GW), GD, and grain area (GA). Meanwhile, increasing alien chromosome numbers correlated with progressively stronger negative effects on grain traits. These findings elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying wheat chromosomal variations induced by distant hybridization and their impact on wheat grain traits, and provide critical intermediate materials for genome design breeding and marker-assisted selection in wheat improvement. Full article

Introduction: Nonbinary individuals who do not identify as exclusively male or female often face unique emotional challenges due to societal cisheteronormativity and limited recognition of their identities. While existing research has primarily focused on anxiety, depression, and pathways to parenthood among nonbinary people, little attention has been paid to their comprehensive emotional experiences as parents. This study aims to explore the emotional universe of two nonbinary parents from Spain and the United States. Design: Hermeneutic study. Materials and Methods: We implemented purposive sampling, conducted semi-structured virtual interviews, and followed Ricoeur’s theory of interpretation for data analysis. We used the Universe of Emotions affective taxonomy as a starting category in this analysis. Our sample consisted of a 32-year-old white Spanish nurse (she/they/them), assigned female at birth and parent of two one-year-old toddlers, and a 34-year-old white North American physiotherapist (he/they/them) assigned female at birth and parent of a ten-year-old child. Results: Through its four themes (A story of misunderstanding: “What are you, a combat helicopter?”; Clearly, you don’t fit, so…; But (a new) family is there; No monster here: I’m, at the core, a human being), this study reveals the complex emotional journey experienced by two nonbinary parents. Conclusions: Central to this journey are three key emotions: strangeness, belonging, and acceptance. The participants describe an initial stage marked by body and social dysphoria, confusion, and rejection, followed by a transformative process in which parenthood becomes a catalyst for emotional and identity integration. This transition—from alienation to connection—reflects a broader movement from dehumanization to humanization, where the experience of parenting fosters emotional resilience, social recognition, and a renewed sense of self. Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Analyzing their emotions (both negative and positive ones), we obtained robust insights into these parents’ personal and social contexts. Therefore, we can facilitate understanding of the emotional complexity of nonbinary parents by the trans and cisgender communities. Through this understanding, nurses and the organizations they work for can improve their competence in their holistic care. Acceptance from nonbinary parents’ social contexts, of which nursing is a part, is a critical factor in their health and emotional wellbeing. Full article

Although many peers socialize online, there is evidence that adolescents who spend too much time online are lonely, depressed, and anxious. This study incorporates habitual smartphone use as a new way of measuring smartphone engagement, based on the shortcomings of simply measuring ‘hours spent online’. Drawing on a large 2-year longitudinal study, the current research aims to investigate the association between habitual smartphone use and peer attachment among Canadian adolescents. A whole-school approach combined with a convenience sampling method was used to select our sample. A total of 1303 Canadian high school students (Grades 8–12; mage = 14.51 years, SD = 1.17 years; 50.3% females) who completed both waves of data collection were included in this study. A random intercept latent transition analysis (RI-LTA) was utilized to assess the association between habitual smartphone use (absent-minded subscale of the Smartphone Usage Questionnaire) and transition probabilities among profiles of peer attachment (Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment), after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, stress, family attachment, school connectedness, and social goals. Three profiles of peer attachment were identified: (Profile 1: weak communication and some alienation; Profile 2: strong communication, strong trust, and weak alienation; Profile 3: okay communication and high alienation). Results of multivariable RI-LTA indicated that increased habitual smartphone use was significantly associated with a heightened probability of transitioning from Profile 2 at Wave 1 to Profile 1 at Wave 2 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.003–1.46). Findings indicate that adolescents who are more habituated to their phones may become less attached to their peers over time. This offers insights for caregivers to focus on management and discussing smartphone engagement with adolescents to strengthen their attachment with peers. Full article

Background: Family breakdown, separation, and divorce (FBSD) are often traumatic events, particularly for fathers who face unique challenges. These include emotional, psychological, and financial struggles, often exacerbated by abusive behaviours from ex-partners. This study explores fathers’ experiences of FBSD, focusing on both the breakdown event itself and any abuse, including coercive control and parental alienation, before and after the separation. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, including a survey of 141 men and follow-up interviews with 30 participants. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify key themes related to FBSD and associated abuse. Results: Fathers reported significant emotional, psychological, and financial distress, with many experiencing ongoing abuse and coercive control after separation. Abuse often continued through legal processes and manipulation of child access. Parental alienation emerged as a prominent form of post-separation abuse, with fathers describing attempts by ex-partners to undermine their relationships with their children. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for gender-inclusive services that address the specific challenges fathers face during and after FBSD, particularly in relation to post-separation abuse. Targeted interventions are necessary to support fathers’ well-being and ensure their continued involvement in their children’s lives. Full article

The studied introduction population of the alien North American species Amorpha fruticosa L. was formed in the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) 80 years ago from seeds of different geographical origin. Currently, this population consists of individuals of the second and third generations, which arose as a result of the spontaneous pollination of parental plants. It is the northernmost site of A. fruticosa growth in the secondary distribution range; in southern regions, it usually behaves like an aggressive invasive species and invades natural plant communities. A. fruticosa is known to contain a number of bioactive compounds with valuable pharmacological properties, and the aim of this study was to evaluate the biochemical composition of leaves and fruits at the northern limit of the species’ growth, since stress conditions promote active accumulation of secondary metabolites. The data on the composition of secondary metabolites, on the mineral composition, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids in the leaves and fruits of A. fruticosa, and on the amount and composition of essential oil in the extract from fruits are presented. High levels of adonitol, which is used as a sweetener in products for diabetic patients, have been reported in the fruits of A. fruticosa. α-Copaene, α-pinene, δ-cadinene, α-muurolene, and β- and α-caryophyllene predominate in the essential oil of the fruit, providing its antimicrobial activity. The phytochemical analysis of A. fruticosa from the secondary distribution range confirms the potential of this species as a valuable resource for the pharmacopoeia industry. Full article

Rye (Secale cereale L.) genes, which contribute to the tertiary gene pool of wheat, include multiple disease resistance genes useful for the genetic improvement of wheat. Introgression lines are the most valuable materials for wheat breeding because of their small alien segments and limited or lack of linkage drag. In the present study, wheat–rye derivative lines SN21627-2 and SN21627-6 were produced via distant hybridization. A genomic in situ hybridization analysis revealed that SN21627-2 and SN21627-6 lack alien segments, while a multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis detected structural changes in both introgression lines. At the seedling and adult plant stages, SN21627-2 and SN21627-6 were highly resistant to stripe rust and powdery mildew. Primers for 86 PCR-based landmark unique gene markers and 345 rye-specific SLAF markers were used to amplify SN21627-2 and SN21627-6 genomic DNA. Eight markers specific to rye chromosome 2R were detected in both introgression lines, implying these lines carry chromosome 2R segments with genes conferring stripe rust and powdery mildew resistance. Therefore, SN21627-2 and SN21627-6 are resistant to more than one major wheat disease, making them promising bridging parents for breeding disease-resistant wheat lines. Full article

Background: Loneliness is increasingly emerging as a significant public health problem in children and adolescents. Predicting loneliness and finding its risk factors in children and adolescents is lacking and necessary, and would greatly help determine intervention actions. Objective: This study aimed to find appropriate machine learning techniques to predict loneliness and its associated risk factors among schoolchildren. Methods: The data were collected from an ongoing prospective puberty cohort that was established in Chongqing, Southwest China. This study used 822 subjects (46.84% boys, age range: 11–16) followed in 2019. Five models, (a) random forest, (b) extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), (c) logistic regression, (d) neural network, and (e) support vector machine were applied to predict loneliness. A total of 39 indicators were collected and 28 predictors were finally included for prediction after data pre-processing, including demographic, parental relationship, mental health, pubertal development, behaviors, and environmental factors. Model performance was determined by accuracy and AUC. Additionally, random forest and XGBoost were applied to identify the important factors. The XGBoost algorithm with SHAP was also used to interpret the results of our ML model. Results: All machine learning performed with favorable accuracy. Compared to random forest (AUC: 0.87 (95%CI: 0.80, 0.93)), logistic regression (AUC: 0.80 (95%CI: 0.70, 0.89)), neural network (AUC: 0.80 (95%CI: 0.71, 0.89)), and support vector machine (AUC: 0.79 (95%CI: 0.79, 0.89)), XGBoost algorithm had the highest AUC values 0.87 (95%CI: 0.80, 0.93) in the test set, although the difference was not significant between models. Peer communication, index of general affect, peer alienation, and internet addiction were the top four significant factors of loneliness in children and adolescents. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that machine learning has considerable potential to predict loneliness in children. This may be valuable for the early identification and intervention of loneliness. Full article

Peers emerge as emotionally present figures in the lives of young adults, capable of protecting them from the challenges that can cause the development of social anxiety. In the context of anxiety, self-control highlights a relevant potential, which is positively correlated with mental health and academic path. The present study aims to understand the role of peer attachment and self-control in the development of social anxiety in young adults in the university context. The sample comprised 407 young adults aged between 18 and 25 (M = 20.90; SD = 2.32). Self-report instruments were used: the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), the Scale of Anxiety and Avoidance in Performance and Social Interaction Situations (EAESDIS) and the Low Self-Control Scale. This study concludes that alienation from peers plays a positive role in anxiety and avoidance, as does short temper, with risk-taking and egocentricity negatively predicting social anxiety. The results are discussed, considering the importance of peer relationships in young university students’ adaptive processes and mental health. Full article

Forests are important ecosystems that face threats from climate change and global environmental shifts, with invasive alien plant species being a significant concern. Some of these invasive species have already become established, while others are in the process of naturalisation. Although forests are a relatively stable ecosystem, extreme weather events increase their vulnerability to change, and clearings left after natural disturbances are particularly susceptible to invasion by alien plant species (IAPS). We created risk maps of two species that have spread rapidly in the last decade: American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) and the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). We prepared a generalised linear model based on the occurrence data collected within the LIFE ARTEMIS project. Eleven environmental variables were used to determine habitat characteristics. We constructed two models for each species: one covering the entirety of Slovenia and the other specifically for the forested areas in Slovenia, with the latter incorporating forest-specific variables (such as forest sanitation felling and monocultures). We observed the presence of both species at lower altitudes and in close proximity to water sources. American pokeweed tends to occur nearer to railways, while the presence of the tree of heaven is associated with areas lacking carbonate parent material and influenced by land use patterns. In forested areas, the occurrence of American pokeweed is influenced by forest habitat characteristics, such as disturbances caused by extreme weather events or the prevalence of Norway spruce monocultures. In contrast, the occurrence of the tree of heaven is influenced by more general environmental variables, such as altitude and proximity to railways. Consequently, we have generated risk maps for the entirety of Slovenia and separately for forested areas, both of which indicate similar levels of risk, particularly for the tree of heaven. The risk map for American pokeweed highlights numerous vulnerable areas, especially forest edges, which are highly susceptible to invasion. Furthermore, there is a higher likelihood of this species occurring in areas that have undergone sanitation felling. This study suggests that the production of risk maps of IAPS could be improved by focussing on habitat types and taking into account habitat-specific variables. This approach could enhance the early detection and management of these invasive species. Full article

Many recent legislative reforms concerning children have emphasized the importance of involving children and adolescents in accordance with the principles of Article 12 in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This article deals with the rights of youths to express their opinions, feelings, and views in parent-teacher conferences in lower secondary education in Denmark. Both international and Danish research on parent-teacher conferences has shown that students are often objectified and are not provided with real opportunities to participate with their own voices and perspectives. Based on the sociology of Hartmut Rosa, the article explores students’ experiences of parent-teacher conferences as zones of alienation or spaces of resonance. In addition, we draw on Gert Biesta’s concept of subjectification to analyze how the current organization of the conferences largely displaces students’ opportunities to bring themselves into play as subjects of their own lives. The analysis is based on observations and interviews carried out in 2021 and 2022. Full article