University of Alabama Repository :: Browsing by Author "Hernandez-Reif, Maria"

Browsing by Author "Hernandez-Reif, Maria"

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Addressing the Racial Disparity in Birth Outcomes: Implications for Maternal Racial Identity on Birthweight
(2017) Burton, Wanda Martin; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; Lian, Brad
As a widely used marker of health, birthweight has been a persistent racialized disparity with the low birthweight rate of Blacks in Alabama nearly doubling the national average. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of racial identity and acculturation on birthweight in a sample of Black women living in Alabama. Black women (n=72) in West Alabama were surveyed about the birthweight of their first born child. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. Racial identity was the only significant predictor of birthweight. Mothers with a strong racial identity reported having low birthweight babies less often than those who scored lower on racial identity. Further exploration of racial identity revealed self-image as the essential element that predicted birthweight. Birthweight increased 4.2 ounces for each additional degree of self-image. Results also indicated that birthweight decreased as mothers’ age increased, within the widely accepted optimal maternal age range 21 to 35. Results add to the existing body of literature in support of the positive effect racial identity has on health. Findings on age are congruent with the weathering hypothesis, which states that the health of Black women may begin to deteriorate in early adulthood possibly due to the strain of racism.
Characteristics of recalled childhood corporal punishment experiences and young adults' current attachment to mother
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) Jordan, Erica Florence; Curtner-Smith, Mary Elizabeth; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The current study uses a correlational design to investigate how young adults' perceptions of their childhood corporal punishment experiences are related to their current Attachment to their mothers, Depressive symptoms in young adulthood, and history of Externalizing behavior problems. Specifically, relations between recalled Parental reliance on corporal punishment, recalled childhood Feelings following the receipt of corporal punishment, current Attachment to mother, Depressive symptoms in young adulthood, and history of Externalizing behavior problems in young adulthood were examined. Participants' Gender and Race were explored as targeted moderators. Results revealed that recalled Parental reliance on corporal punishment was positively related to recalled childhood Feelings following the receipt of corporal punishment. Both recalled Parental reliance on corporal punishment and recalled childhood Feelings following the receipt of corporal punishment were negatively related to current Attachment to mother. Depressive symptoms in young adulthood was positively related to recalled childhood Feelings following the receipt of corporal punishment and negatively related to current Attachment to mother. Greater parental reliance on corporal punishment was positively related to less Externalizing behavior problems in Black male participants but was related to increased Externalizing behavior problems in White male participants. Greater parental reliance on corporal punishment was also related to increased Externalizing behavior problems in Black female participants. However, this effect was not significant for White female participants.
Child life iPad distraction: a psychosocial tool for children receiving an injection
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Atencio, Stephanie; Burns-Nader, Sherwood; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Distraction is a common and effective type of nonpharmacological intervention that offers support to children during medical procedures. Distraction helps children shift their attention away from a procedure to something more positive and engaging. Child life specialists are health care professionals who utilize distraction as a way to promote children's coping. Child life specialists are frequently using the iPad for interventions, including distraction, yet little research has examined the iPad as an effective distraction tool in pediatric health care. Also, few studies examine the psychosocial support that is provided by child life specialists during distraction. The purpose of this research was to assess the effectiveness of iPad distraction provided by a child life specialist on children receiving an injection at a pediatric clinic. Forty-one child participants, from 4- to 11-years-old, were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the standard iPad group and the child life iPad group. The standard iPad group received iPad distraction, but did not receive the component of child life. The child life iPad group received iPad distraction during an injection with psychosocial support from a child life specialist. Each child engaged with the iPad prior to the injection to provide familiarity and instruction on the specified iPad activity he or she would use. Children from 4- to 7-years-old engaged in "Talking Tom" and children 8- to 11-years-old played "Cut the Rope." Once the nurse entered the room to administer the injection, children in the child life iPad group were encouraged to continue playing the selected activity and were positively redirected to the iPad during the injection by the child life specialist. Children in the standard iPad group were not encouraged to continue engaging with the iPad, yet still had access to the iPad activity. The findings show that child life iPad distraction did not benefit those who received psychosocial support during the injection more than those who did not receive the psychosocial support. Gender and age differences were noted on children's pain and emotions during the injection with males and older children showing less pain and emotional behavior compared to females and younger children.
Child life-directed versus parent-directed distraction to reduce pain and distress during an immunization in preschool age children
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2011) Gudmens, Kara Marie; Stinnett, Nick; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study examined whether there was a difference between a child life-directed distraction versus a parent-directed distraction in the pediatric medical setting with regard to the reduction of pain and anxiety in preschool age patients receiving an immunization. Additionally, this research examined whether during a simple immunization the caregiver's anxiety affected the child's anxiety. The study assessed 36 children who ranged in age from four to five years old. The children were randomly assigned to a child life distraction group (n=12), a parent distraction group (n=12), or a control group (n=12). These children received a routine immunization upon arriving at the doctors' office. This age group was chosen because one of the main stressors of children in this age range is the fear of bodily harm caused by pain. Results from this study supported the theory that the distraction of the pediatric patient by a child life specialist during an immunization resulted in decreased pain and post-procedural distress for the children. Parents in the child life specialist group reported a marginally significant difference showing that they provided the least amount of reassurances, apologies, and criticisms which correlated with a decrease in pain and researcher reported anxiety. Additionally, parent stress was highly correlated with the child's anxiety and pain. The overall pattern of results on all rating scales supports the use for a child life specialist during a routine immunization to help alleviate and reduce preschool age children's pain and anxiety.
A comparative review of a reggio emilia inspired program for infants and toddlers
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Blocker, Lindsay; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The Reggio Emilia approach is a social constructivist method that fosters children’s creative development through organized focus on symbolic representations (Edwards et al., 2012). This study compared the physical environments and teacher-child interactions in infant and toddler classrooms in a Reggio Emilia Inspired Program (RI) to those of a matched non-Reggio Emilia Inspired Program (NRI). A brief history of the RI approach and the founder, Loris Malaguzzi, key child development theorists, and key teaching principles and strategies of the RI paradigm are reviewed. A RI and a non-RI program, both NAEYC accredited, were compared for quality of teacher-child interactions, classroom environment, children’s behaviors, and development using standardized measures. Participants were two teacher (one RI infant and one RI toddler) and their children. With school closures due to COVID-19, data collection was stopped early at both sites. The findings are presented as a feasibility study. The ITERS-3 was used to assess the classroom environments of the two programs (RI and NRI). Analysis of the ITERS-3 scores failed to reveal that the RI approach promoted a more optimal classroom environment for infants’ and toddler’s learning than the NRI approach. However, closer examination conducted by videotaping an activity in the classroom revealed high-quality teacher-child interactions for both the RI infant and toddler classroom. Interviews in the RI program depicted teachers who view their children as an equal part of the classroom supporting the RI principle of the Image of the Child. This study contributes to the literature on RI programs and raises new questions related to the sensitivity of environmental scales in assessing creative, non-structured, reflexive program.
A comparison of young children's outcomes in math, cognitive self-competence, and social skills between three different teaching approaches
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Komara, Blanche Cecile; Curtner-Smith, Mary Elizabeth; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Child outcomes in math, cognitive self-competence, and social skills were analyzed to compare the influence of three different teaching approaches: one with children's free-choice centers and two with small-group teacher-directed academic centers with center time variations. No differences in children's baseline math skills were found after means were adjusted for SES and verbal ability. Some differences were found in girls' increased math skills over boys' increased math skills after participation in the math games. No differences were found in children's cognitive self-competence. Significant differences were found in children's social skills over the three teaching approaches. Teacher beliefs about teaching math were also examined to see whether participation in the math project would positively impact teacher beliefs.
Culture, racial identity and mood effects on birth outcomes of African-American mothers in Alabama
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Burton, Wanda Martin; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The purpose of this study was to determine if racial identity, acculturation, depression and or anxiety would predict birthweight in African Americans. Multiple linear regression was conducted and results indicated that racial identity predicted birthweight. African American mothers who identified with having a stronger racial identity reported having low birthweight babies less often than those who scored lower on racial identity. These findings are consistent with those that support other positive effects of racial identity, such as higher self-esteem and less risk-taking behaviors among youth. Further exploration of racial identity revealed self image as the essential element of predicting birthweight. Results also indicated that for African American mothers between the ages of 21 and 35, birthweight decreases as mothers' age increase. This finding is congruent with the weathering hypothesis which states that the health of African-American women may begin to deteriorate in early adulthood; thereby suggesting that the optimal age for childbirth for African Americans may be earlier than most research suggest. More research is needed to explore the effects of racial identity and self image on birthweight among a more diverse group of mothers. Additional research should also compare women from different parts of the country and migration time in the U. S. to re-examine the possible effects of acculturation.
Development and validation of a self-efficacy theory-based instrument to measure breastfeeding self-efficacy and breastfeeding intention among pregnant women
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) McKinley, Erin Marie; Knol, Linda L.; Turner, Lori W.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Breastfeeding is the feeding of a child with breast milk, either directly from the breast or by expression. Breastfeeding offers tremendous benefits to both the infant and mother. Individuals choose tasks they feel are within the boundaries of ability. The choice to engage in breastfeeding may be related to the level of self-efficacy a woman has to complete the task. Theoretical constructs have been operationalized to measure perceived self-efficacy for breastfeeding in pregnant populations; however, a guideline based, self-efficacy theory driven, valid, and reliable instrument is lacking. The purposes of this study were to create, test, and validate a new scale to measure prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy, test the reliability of the scale, determine the correlation between prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy and breastfeeding intention, and assess the differences in prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy by the sociodemographic factors. One-hundred and twenty-four pregnant women, 18 years or older, participated in this cross-sectional study. All participants completed the survey and any interested participant took a second retest reliability survey home to complete and mail back to the researcher. Confirmatory factor analysis did not confirm the proposed model; therefore, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted to examine the construct validity using maximum likelihood factor analysis with varimax rotation. This revealed a valid (α=.980) and reliable (r=0.920) four factor questionnaire for total prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy – The Prenatal Rating of Efficacy in Preparation to Breastfeed (PREP to BF) Scale. Total PREP to BF score was significantly correlated to breastfeeding intention (r=.615; P<.001). Women who had at least some college education (P=.003), were currently married (P=.027), had breastfed previously (P=.035), and planned to deliver vaginally (P=.043) had significantly greater PREP to BF scores than their counterparts. Measuring the level of breastfeeding self-efficacy at the prenatal stage could alert prenatal women and health professionals to particular individual skill sets needed to successfully initiate breastfeeding after birth. A strong understanding of which pregnant women may or may not be at risk for non-initiation of breastfeeding may help healthcare professionals create and provide the most appropriate support to their patients.
The development of young children's emotion regulation and their mothers' coping strategies
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Schaefers, Kelly Wilson; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study sought to establish correlations between maternal emotion regulation strategies and children’s emotion regulation understanding. Ninety-seven children three-to-six years old, together with their mothers, participated. Mothers completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Vignette and Strategy Questionnaire (VSQ) to report on their use of six emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal, suppression, passive, expressing, problem-solving, and seeking). Children participated in a puppet task designed to measure the child’s ability to identify healthy emotion regulation strategies. A multiple linear regression using the child’s age, the six maternal emotion regulation strategies, and the child’s performance on the puppet task revealed that only the child’s age significantly predicted performance. Positive correlations were found between reappraisal use and expressing, problem-solving, and seeking strategies. Suppression was negatively correlated with expressing. Contrary to expectations, passive strategy use did not correlate to either reappraisal or suppression. The findings suggest that mothers' coping strategies do not seem to impact young children's emotion regulation. Rather, young children's knowledge of healthy ways to control emotions appears to develop with age.
The effects of classification on teacher and parent interpretations of the cognitive performance of children with intellectual disability
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Davis, Megan Benson; Merrill, Edward C.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Previous research has indicated that the classification of intellectual disability (ID) may negatively impact interpretations of the cognitive performance of children with ID, especially for general-education teachers. However, there are some findings that suggest that these negative effects of classification may be overcome when competing information is present. The current study examined the effects of classification by having three groups of participants, parents, general-education teachers, and special education teachers, watch a video of a child who was classified as either typically developing or as having an intellectual disability perform a time-telling task. Level of performance was also manipulated such that the child in the video performed either very poorly or very well on the task. The results indicated that level of performance was a more significant predictor of participant judgments than classification, particularly for general-education teachers. Further, parents and special education teachers exhibited a tendency to overestimate the performance of the child in the video, regardless of classification or level of performance. Performance attributions and correlations between the accuracy of judgments and participant variables were also examined.
The effects of creative movement activities in the preschool classroom and children's ability to move on children's social competence
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2011) Mclaughlin, Elyse Marie; Jeon, Hyun-Joo; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The current study examined the relationship between parent and teacher-reported social competence of preschool children and the children's observed involvement in creative movement activities in their classroom. A sample of 51 children, ages three to five-years-old (M = 53.32 SD = 7.19; months), from a university affiliated preschool were observed during regularly scheduled music and movement times with their lead teachers. Children and teachers were videotaped during these activities and coded for their behaviors. After controlling for child age, child gender, family income, and parent education, the strongest predictor of children's social competence was their physical ability to move. Children's observed creative movement was also a significant predictor of their social competence when reported by teachers. The current study also found that during music and movement activities, when teachers used instructional media, verbal instruction, and physical cues, children were more likely to participate in the activity, but not engage in creative movement. Significant differences in children's movement participation and teachers' behaviors were also found among the four classrooms that participated in the study.
The effects of medical play on reducing fear, anxiety, and procedure distress in school-aged children going to visit the doctor
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2011) Burns-Nader, Elizabeth Sherwood; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; Thoma, Stephen; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Play promotes typical development and allows children to express their fears, anxieties, and misconceptions and better cope with stressful experiences. Therefore, play is often used in the medical setting to normalize the experience of doctor visits, hospitalizations, or dental checkups. Medical play is play that involves a medical theme or medical equipment. The purpose of this study is to examine which type of activity (i.e., medical play versus viewing a medical information video versus typical play, versus viewing a non-medical information video) decreases the amount of fear, anxiety, and procedure distress in school-age children going to a doctor's visit. Seventy-two school-aged children visiting a doctor's office were randomly assigned to one of four groups: medical play (e.g., play with a medical buddy and medical equipment, such as a stethoscope), medical information video (e.g., watch a video of a child participating in medical play), typical play (e.g., play a developmentally appropriate board game), and non-medical information video control (e.g., watch a video on safari animals). Child participants completed a fear self-report measure, had their pulse taken, and completed a drawing as a projective measure of anxiety. The child's distress behaviors were assessed through nurse and researcher behavioral observations. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire and a development checklist on their child. Findings revealed the medical information video decreased fear and procedure distress more so than the medical play group, typical play group, and non-medical information video control group. Therefore, the children benefitted more from the medical information video (i.e., the obtainment of information) than the medical play activity (i.e., hands on manipulation), suggesting it is the obtainment of information rather than the actual hands on manipulation of medical items that benefits children. Finally, the typical play activity was found to increase alertness. The findings of this study imply the best way to provide for the psychosocial needs of patients at a pediatrician's office is to provide information to patients through a video of a child engaging in medical play. In addition, the medical team should consider providing structured activities, such as games, in pediatrician's offices for school-aged children.
Emotional determinants of health: exploring prevalence and the impact of adverse childhood experiences on physical and mental health outcomes of black adult men using the 2012 behavioral risk factor surveillance system
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Johnson III, Lee Presley; Paschal, Angelia M.; Burton, Wanda M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Background. In the United States, Black men face a disproportionate burden of preventable mortality and morbidity rates. Among the possible factors associated with the disproportionality in these rates among Black men, studies suggest, are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Moreover, depression, one of the world’s most pervasive psychiatric disorders, researchers suggest, also contributes to disparate mortality and morbidity rates among Black men. Purpose. The purpose of this study and research inquiry was to describe the relationship between differential exposure to ACE’s and depression in Black men, controlling for effects of social demographic factors, presence of chronic medical conditions, and behavioral health risks using the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. Methods. A secondary data analysis was employed using a community sample of 3,084 Black men originating from the 2012 BRFSS. The 2012 BRFSS included an ACE module questionnaire. ACE module survey questions were used to determine the presence (yes/no) for types (e.g., direct or environmental) of ACEs. Composite measures of the ACE type subscales were computed to determine the total number of ACEs that could be reported (e.g., range 0 to ≥ 5). Additional BRFSS questions assessed depression, chronic medical conditions, and health risk behaviors. Results. Physical abuse, a direct ACE, and household member incarceration, an environmental ACE, was significantly associated with current depressive symptoms. Approximately 32.1% of Black men reported exposure to verbal abuse before age 18, the most prevalent direct ACE. In contrast, a larger proportion (48.6%) of Black men reported exposure to divorce before 18, the most prevalent environmental ACE. Physical abuse and stroke were statistically significant (OR = 4.14; 95% CI [1.69, 10.12]; p < 0.05). Approximately 9.2% of the Black men in the study reported experiencing five or more ACEs. Health risk behaviors did not mediate depression among Black men. Conclusion. Physical abuse and household member incarceration exert a significant impact on current depression. Indeed, verbal abuse and divorce demonstrated a significant relationship with a lifetime diagnosis of depression. The study findings have implications for health education practitioners, researchers, and policymakers interested in improving mental health through prevention and reducing childhood exposure to abuse.
Evidence of emotion knowledge in down syndrome
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Moore, Marie; Conners, Frances A.; Barth, Joan M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Emotion knowledge was examined in 19 children and adolescents with Down syndrome (DS) who were individually matched to typically developing (TD) children of equivalent mental age (3 to 6 years). The ability to identify emotions from facial cues and social context was measured. This study improved upon past research by assessing emotion knowledge without a verbal narrative of the social context (minimizing language ability from interfering with emotion judgments), by using more engaging video stimuli, and by simplifying response demands. Children viewed videos created for this study that included three types of emotion cues: face only (only the protagonist's facial expressions were shown), context only (the protagonist acted out action sequences, but his face was blurred), and context plus face (actions and facial expressions were visible). An exploratory fourth video type (incongruent) was included in which the protagonist's facial expressions contradicted what would be expected from the context. Children responded by pointing to a schematic face of a happy, sad, or fear expression. Static photographs of facial emotion expressions were also presented to follow previous DS studies. Results indicated that the participants with DS performed as well as the TD participants on every measure of emotion knowledge. Additional analyses compared DS and TD participants' performance on the static vs. dynamic expressions, emotion expressivity, empathic behaviors, and accuracy for each emotion expression. Still, there were no group differences in level of emotion knowledge or its related skills. This study underscores the importance of using developmentally sensitive measures when studying special populations like DS.
Examining Inter- and Intra-Site Practices Surrounding the Burial Goods and Skeletal Pathology of Children's Burials in the Pickwick Basin of Alabama
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Gilliland, Lindsay Katherine; Jacobi, Keith; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
In-depth analyses of childhood in the archaeological record, particularly in the Southeast, are lacking in contemporary scholarship. Recently, the archaeology of childhood has been building, providing a series of foundational texts that outline critiques and options for advancing our understanding of children in the past. This thesis builds on these critiques and examines the Late Archaic children’s burials belonging to sites in the Pickwick Basin of the Tennessee River in Alabama: The Bluff Creek Site (1LU59), the O’Neal Site (1LU61), Meander Scar (1LU62), Wright Mound No. 1 and 2 (1LU63 and 1LU64, respectively), the Long Branch Site (1LU67), and the Little Bear Creek Site (1CT8). The primary objective of the project was to determine if there was any patterning at the site, multi-site, or local scale in the burial goods and the skeletal pathologies of the children who lived and died at these sites. The presence or absence of these patterns was used to discuss whether or not a community of practice directing the approaches to child-rearing or children’s burials could be ascertained. These practices were examined using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including Sherratt diagrams, correspondence analysis, and chi-square testing. The research found that there were no overarching patterns in burial goods, skeletal pathology, or the two, that encompassed all the sites in the study. However, there is evidence to suggest that there were some broader patterns of behavior at a multi-site scale that encompassed multiple sites. Despite some shared cultural practices surrounding children in life and death, it appears that children’s experiences largely depended on the site at which they were. The lack of consistent, overarching patterns between all sites indicates that there was not a singular community of practice that directed the practices surrounding children’s bodies in life, nor was there a single mortuary community of practice that directed the burial of children. However, there are examples of a shared repertoire between multiple sites in the sample that indicate some knowledge and practices influencing surrounding children in life and death may have transcended site boundaries in the Late Archaic Pickwick Basin.
Exploring contexts that facilitate optimal infant and toddler verbal and non-verbal communication
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Gunn, Lindy; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Associations were examined between amount and type of communicative behavior and several contexts: child's age, communication partner (e.g., adult, peer), communication style (i.e., adult- or child-directed), and temperament. Researchers removed a common bias featured in much of the research on infant and toddler communication, the use of a mother or a classroom caregiver as the communication partner. To remove this bias, the children participated in four trials: one solo (alone) play for baseline information, one peer-play and two adult-child play interactions (one adult-directed and one child-directed). Twenty two infants and toddlers from 6-to-26 months of age were videotaped and coded for nonverbal communication (e.g. showing, pointing, taking, and offering gestures) and verbal communication (e.g. vocalizations or non-word utterances and verbalizations or speaking words that were understood by the researchers), as well as affect (mood) during the four trials. A temperament scale was also completed by each child's teacher to examine the relationship between temperament and children's communicative behaviors. Researchers hypothesized: 1) Toddlers will verbally communicate (includes both vocalizations and verbalizations) more than infants; 2) All children will vocalize and verbalize more with adults than with peers; 3) The adult-directed trial will encourage higher amounts of communication from all children than the child-directed trial; and 4) Children with higher intensity, activity, approachability, positive mood and adaptability scores on the Carey Temperament Scale will vocalize and gesture more frequently in all trials. Data analyses revealed that toddlers communicated more than infants the adult-directed trials yielded more communication than the solo and peer trials did, though the toddlers held the weight of the interactions when both groups were combined; the two adult trials were comparable, and not significantly different from each other. Temperament did not appear to affect young children's communication production, with the exception of a negative correlation between positive mood ratings and overall communication. Several other analyses examining correlations between other behaviors were also significant. In sum, contexts that facilitate optimal interactions differ for infants and toddlers. Adults should keep these results in mind when communicating with very young children, as there is more than one "optimal" context of communication for infants and toddlers.
Factors Associated with Physical Activity Before and During Pregnancy: Analysis of 2016-2019 Prams Data
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2024) Abutalib, Nuha; Wilkerson, Amanda
Background: Pregnant women are encouraged to engage in 150 minutes of physical activity (PA) each week during pregnancy. However, studies show that a significantly low number of women engage in sufficient PA during pregnancy. The current study sought to explore the association between intrapersonal and interpersonal factors and engagement in PA before and during pregnancy among women in Alabama and Rhode Island from 2016-2019.Methods: A cross-sectional study was completed using the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 2016 to 2019 during the most recent survey phase (Phase 8) for the states of Alabama and Rhode Island. Pregnant women who were told by a healthcare provider that they could not engage in PA for any reason either before or during pregnancy were excluded from the analysis. A Chi-Square test of independence, point biserial correlation, and a multivariable logistic regression model were utilized to determine the association between selected intrapersonal and interpersonal variables and PA three months before and during the third trimester of pregnancy. Results: Only 14.6% of the sample met PA guidelines before pregnancy, and only 8.8% of the total sample met the guidelines during pregnancy. Significant univariate associations were found between race, ethnicity, pre-pregnancy BMI, and state of residence and meeting the PA before pregnancy, and maternal age, education level, pre-pregnancy BMI, source of health insurance, and household income and meeting the PA guidelines during pregnancy. There was no significant relationship between interpersonal factors and meeting the PA guidelines before pregnancy, but WIC participation and marital status were significantly associated with meeting the PA guidelines during pregnancy. In the multivariable regression model, maternal race, maternal ethnicity, pre-pregnancy BMI, and state of residence were all significantly associated with meeting the PA guidelines three months before pregnancy. However, pre-pregnancy BMI was the only variable significantly associated with meeting the PA guidelines during pregnancy in the multivariable logistic regression model. No significant interactions were observed between intrapersonal and interpersonal factors and meeting PA guidelines before or during pregnancy.Conclusion: The study findings support the need for education and awareness programs as well as strategies to encourage engagement in PA among women both before and during pregnancy delivered from both health education specialists and healthcare providers.
Foundations and Predictors of Prosocial Behavior Development Across Preschool Years: Empathy, Personality, and Creativity
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Gungordu, Nahide; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; Walker, David
Prosocial behavior is defined as actions intended to benefit others regardless of potential gains the person performing the actions or behaviors may receive. Prosocial creativity is a new term in the literature and is described as an ability to produce a solution for solving someone's problem in an effective, original, and convenient way. The internalization of prosocial tendencies in early childhood plays a key role in outcomes across the life span, such as influencing social adjustment, peer acceptance, emotional stability, academic achievement, improved attendance, and physical and psychological health. But the mechanisms that underlie young children's prosocial tendencies are unknown. This study investigated predictors of prosocial decision making and prosocial creativity in preschool-age children and examined the links between young children's personality, creativity, empathy, moral development, and prosocial behavior. Participants were 3- to 5-year-old children in English-speaking populations around the world (N=122, mainly USA). The children individually participated in the study via a videotelephony software program through which they completed a creativity game and a series of standardized picture-based assessments to measure their empathy, moral development, prosocial decision making, and prosocial creativity. Parents also reported on their children's prosocial behavior, empathy, and personality. The data were analyzed using binary logistic regression to explore the predictors of prosocial decision making and ordinal logistic regression to examine the predictors of prosocial creativity. To examine differences between study variables, a series of MANOVAs and ANOVAs were also conducted. Finally, Pearson correlations and path analyses were performed to explore direct and indirect relationships between variables. Results indicated that (1) children's age, creativity, and cognitive empathy played an important role in prosocial decision making and prosocial creativity, (2) older children and children with higher empathy made more mature moral judgments, (3) affective empathy, cognitive empathy, prosocial behavior, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were all positively related to each other, and (5) affective empathy mediated prosocial behavior and cognitive empathy. To sum up, the preschool years are important in the development of various elements of morality, empathy, creativity, and personality. These elements are likely to construct the foundation for children's prosocial behavior development across 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds.
Group medical play for reducing stress and improving mood in children going to visit the pediatrician
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Brown, Julia C.; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Play contributes to children's cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being and offers an ideal opportunity for parents and other adults to engage with children. Specific forms of play can provide an effective venue for personal development and increased well-being for hospitalized children. Medical play refers to specialized activities that have a medical theme and are developmentally supportive and appropriate for children as well as facilitate the emotional well-being of pediatric patients. The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of group medical play involving a medical collage activity (versus no structured activity) on the behaviors of small groups of three-to-five year olds' visiting their pediatrician. For the medical collage group, small groups of two or three children were asked to sit together around a small child size table in the waiting area of a pediatric clinic. Each child received a tray with medical materials (e.g., tongue depressor, gauze, band aids, syringes without needles), medical tape or glue to attach the materials, and a sheet of paper. A child life specialist was present in the room to address concerns or answer questions the children raised about the medical materials. However, the medical collage activity was child-directed; that is, the adult did not provide the children with direction on how to complete the collage. For the control group, small groups of two or three children were recruited in the waiting area of the same pediatric clinic on alternate days. The children were not given materials for a medical collage, nor encouraged to play, but were free to interact with each other or play with any of the standard manipulatives available in the clinic waiting room (e.g., books, wire bead/rollercoaster toy). The findings of this study show that compared to baseline levels, the children in the medical collage group became more alert and displayed higher levels of activity and vocalization immediately after the medical collage activity. This suggests that the medical play collage may be a good tool to use to help children open up while in a medical setting.
The influence of teacher characteristics, beliefs, and program quality on children's creativity
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) Farella, Erin N.; Jeon, Hyun-Joo; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Creativity is important because it influences self-esteem, social development, behavior, and problem-solving abilities (Barron & Harrington, 1981). With this in mind, finding ways to promote creativity becomes necessary. Since teacher characteristics, beliefs, and program quality have all been found to influence children's cognitive and social development (Chang, 2003; Pianta et al., 2005; Fontaine et al., 2006), it seems possible that they could also influence creativity. To address this question, 10 early childhood education classrooms were assessed for program quality using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R; Harms, Clifford, & Cryer, 2005) and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; Pianta, LaParo, & Hamre, 2006) measurements. Teachers of these classrooms were asked to complete a questionnaire that assessed their educational background, professional development, and beliefs regarding their profession, developmentally appropriate practices, and creativity. In addition, 82 children ages 3 to 5 completed an art collage, which was then assessed for creativity using the Consensual Assessment Technique (Amabile, 1982). Interestingly, negative correlations were found between program quality and creativity. This suggests that while high quality of care and education leads to higher academic skills in children (Burchinal et al., 2000), it does not lead to higher creativity. Further studies are recommended to validate these findings.

Browsing by Author "Hernandez-Reif, Maria"

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