Erik Eriksen is a remarkable individual. He has no college degrees yet is Professor of Human Development at Harvard University. He came to psychology via art, which explains why the reader will find him painting contexts and backgrounds rather than stating dull facts and concepts. He has been a training psychoanalyst for many years as well as a perceptive observer of cultural and social settings and their effect on growing up. This is not just a book on childhood. It is a panorama of our society. Anxiety in young children, apathy in American Indians, confusion in veterans of war, and arrogance in young Nazis are scrutinized under the psychoanalytic magnifying glass. The material is well written and devoid of technical jargon. The theme of the volume is that it is human to have a long childhood which will leave a lifelong residue of emotional immaturity in man. Primitive groups and

Childhood and Society.

Summary Background A growing body of research identifies the harmful effects that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; occurring during childhood or adolescence; eg, child maltreatment or exposure to domestic violence) have on health throughout life. Studies have quantified such effects for individual ACEs. However, ACEs frequently co-occur and no synthesis of findings from studies measuring the effect of multiple ACE types has been done. Methods In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched five electronic databases for cross-sectional, case-control, or cohort studies published up to May 6, 2016, reporting risks of health outcomes, consisting of substance use, sexual health, mental health, weight and physical exercise, violence, and physical health status and conditions, associated with multiple ACEs. We selected articles that presented risk estimates for individuals with at least four ACEs compared with those with none for outcomes with sufficient data for meta-analysis (at least four populations). Included studies also focused on adults aged at least 18 years with a sample size of at least 100. We excluded studies based on high-risk or clinical populations. We extracted data from published reports. We calculated pooled odds ratios (ORs) using a random-effects model. Findings Of 11 621 references identified by the search, 37 included studies provided risk estimates for 23 outcomes, with a total of 253 719 participants. Individuals with at least four ACEs were at increased risk of all health outcomes compared with individuals with no ACEs. Associations were weak or modest for physical inactivity, overweight or obesity, and diabetes (ORs of less than two); moderate for smoking, heavy alcohol use, poor self-rated health, cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease (ORs of two to three), strong for sexual risk taking, mental ill health, and problematic alcohol use (ORs of more than three to six), and strongest for problematic drug use and interpersonal and self-directed violence (ORs of more than seven). We identified considerable heterogeneity ( I 2 of >75%) between estimates for almost half of the outcomes. Interpretation To have multiple ACEs is a major risk factor for many health conditions. The outcomes most strongly associated with multiple ACEs represent ACE risks for the next generation (eg, violence, mental illness, and substance use). To sustain improvements in public health requires a shift in focus to include prevention of ACEs, resilience building, and ACE-informed service provision. The Sustainable Development Goals provide a global platform to reduce ACEs and their life-course effect on health. Funding Public Health Wales.

https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/preview/883491/PIIS2468266717301184.pdf

The effect of multiple adverse childhood experiences on health: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This chapter explores the ecology of human development, those forces in the person's environment that affect and influence development. Urie Bronfenbrenner's model of the human ecosystem guides the discussion, making connections between children in families and in communities and the larger society that surrounds them. The human ecosystem model is much like the study of the natural ecology, focusing on the interactions between subjects at various levels of the environment as they affect each other. The interaction between individual and environment forms the basis of an ecological approach to human development. This view sees the process of development as the expansion of the child's conception of the world and the child's ability to act on that world. Risks to development can come from both direct threats and the absence of opportunities for development. Sociocultural risk refers to the impoverishment in the child's world of essential experiences and relationships.

The Ecology of Human Development

Nurturing care: promoting early childhood development

OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of child maltreatment in the United States and examine its relationship to sociodemographic factors and major adolescent health risks. METHODS. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health is a prospective cohort study following a national sample of adolescents into adulthood. The wave III interview, completed by 15 197 young adults in 2001–2002 (77.4% response rate), included retrospective measures of child maltreatment. We used these measures to estimate the prevalence of self-reported supervision neglect, physical neglect, physical assault, and contact sexual abuse during childhood. Next, we investigated the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and maltreatment. Finally, we examined the association between child maltreatment and adolescent self-rated health; overweight status; depression; cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalant use; and violent behavior. RESULTS. Having been left home alone as a child, indicating possible supervision neglect, was most prevalent (reported by 41.5% of respondents), followed by physical assault (28.4%), physical neglect (11.8%), and contact sexual abuse (4.5%). Each sociodemographic characteristic was associated with ≥1 type of maltreatment, and race/ethnicity was associated with all 4. Each type of maltreatment was associated with no fewer than 8 of the 10 adolescent health risks examined. CONCLUSIONS. Self-reported childhood maltreatment was common. The likelihood of maltreatment varied across many sociodemographic characteristics. Each type of maltreatment was associated with multiple adolescent health risks.

Child Maltreatment in the United States: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Adolescent Health Consequences

We were interested in how low-income African American fathers of 12-year-old children in families identified as high risk viewed their role as father. Four focus group discussions involving 19 fathers were conducted. We had four key questions: (1) what the men perceived as the children's needs, (2) how they met those needs, (3) what motivated them to be involved, and (4) what barriers they faced. The fathers emphasized the children's need for love and support, and were concerned about materialism, violence, and promiscuity as they struggled to instill “good” values. They described the challenges of raising children in dangerous environments, and concerns about their daughters and their sexuality. Some men found it difficult to be a parent figure without being the biological father or by not living with the child. Many of their views on parenting were similar to those reported elsewhere by white as well as middle class men. Implications for practitioners are included.

Low-Income African American Fathers' Involvement in Children's Lives: Implications for Practitioners

The involvement of low-income African American fathers in their children's lives, and the barriers they face.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between mental and physical illness in hospitalized children. METHODS: The data for this analysis came from the 2009 Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID). Any child with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code indicative of depressive, anxiety, or bipolar disorders or a diagnosis of sickle cell disease, diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2, asthma, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were included. Using SAS software, we performed χ2 tests and multivariable logistic regression to determine degrees of association. RESULTS: Children discharged with sickle cell disease, asthma, diabetes mellitus type 1, diabetes mellitus type 2, and ADHD were 0.94, 2.76, 3.50, 6.37, and 38.39 times more likely to have a comorbid anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder diagnosis than other hospitalized children, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Children with several chronic physical illnesses (asthma, diabetes mellitus type 1, diabetes mellitus type 2) and mental illnesses (ADHD) have higher odds of being discharged from the hospital with a comorbid mood or anxiety disorder compared with other children discharged from the hospital. It is therefore important to screen children hospitalized with chronic medical conditions for comorbid mental illness to ensure optimal clinical care, to improve overall health and long-term outcomes for these children.

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Examination of the Comorbidity of Mental Illness and Somatic Conditions in Hospitalized Children in the United States Using the Kids’ Inpatient Database, 2009

Cost effectiveness of SEEK: A primary care-based child maltreatment prevention model.

Sixty-eight parents of children with alleged child sexual abuse (CSA) were surveyed 4 months after visiting an interdisciplinary CSA evaluation clinic in order to examine the extent to which recommendations were recalled and implemented. Of those parents for whom specific recommendations were provided, 9% recalled recommendations for medical follow-up, 79% recalled recommendations for child therapy, and 43% recalled recommendations for parental therapy. Families were more likely to receive and adhere to recommendations when there were behavioral problems and a strong indication of CSA. To improve communication with families, the reasons for recommendations must be clearly conveyed, and possible barriers to implementation should be anticipated and addressed. In addition, recommendations need to be realistic, and professionals need to facilitate the implementation of their treatment plan.

Wendy Lane

Papers

Low-Income African American Fathers' Involvement in Children's Lives: Implications for Practitioners

The involvement of low-income African American fathers in their children's lives, and the barriers they face.

Examination of the Comorbidity of Mental Illness and Somatic Conditions in Hospitalized Children in the United States Using the Kids’ Inpatient Database, 2009

Cost effectiveness of SEEK: A primary care-based child maltreatment prevention model.

Child Sexual Abuse Evaluations: Adherence to Recommendations