| 1. |
- Hjern, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Educational achievement and vocational career in twins - a Swedish national cohort study
- 2012
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In: Acta Paediatrica. - : Wiley. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 101:6, s. 591-596
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: To investigate how being born and raised as a twin is associated with IQ, educational achievement and vocational career. Methods: Register study in a national birth cohort, complemented with a siblings study. The study population included 13 368 individuals born and raised as twins and 837 752 singletons, including 3019 siblings of twins, in the Swedish birth cohorts of 19731981. Our outcome measures were mean grade points on a five point scale from ninth grade of primary school at 1516 years, IQ tests on a nine grade point scale from male conscripts at 1819 years, highest completed education, disability benefits, work income and employment at 2735 years of age. Results: Twins had slightly better mean grade point averages in ninth grade; +0.08 (95% CI 0.040.11) and more often had completed a university education in young adulthood; OR 1.16 (1.021.21) compared with singleton siblings, despite male twins having a slightly lower IQ at military conscription compared with male singletons. Employment rates, mean income and disability benefits were similar in twins and singletons. Conclusions: Twins have slightly better educational careers and similar vocational careers compared with those born as singletons.
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| 2. |
- Isaksson, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Cortisol levels in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- 2012
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In: Journal of Psychiatric Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-3956 .- 1879-1379. ; 46:11, s. 1398-1405
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Regulation of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis (HPA-axis) and its end product cortisol differs among persons with certain psychiatric disorders when compared with controls. Some reports concern Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) but findings are inconclusive. In this study we collected four saliva samples during a regular weekday in children, 6-17 years old, with ADHD (n = 201) and non-affected comparisons (n = 221). Saliva cortisol was measured with radioimmunoassay technique. Clinical data were collected for diagnostic information. Subtypes and severity of symptoms were determined using parental rating scales. Children with ADHD had lower saliva cortisol levels than comparisons at waking up Median = 9.1 versus 12.7 nmol/L (p < .001), 30 min later Median = 15.8 versus 20.1 nmol/L (p < .001) and before going to bed Median = 0.8 versus 1.0 nmol/L (p = .015). No difference was found for the afternoon sample. When the study group was split into three different age groups similar results were found only for children above 10 years of age. Subtype of ADHD or co-occurring symptoms did not affect the cortisol levels. Degree of severity of ADHD symptoms was not associated with cortisol levels in the study group, other than a weak negative correlation between the afternoon sample and hyperactivity symptoms. The low cortisol levels in children with ADHD may indicate a dysregulation of the HPA-axis, for instance a down-regulation or a phase delay of the diurnal curve. The low levels may be related to the under-arousal possibly underlying several of the core symptoms of ADHD.
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| 3. |
- Jablonska, Beata, et al.
(author)
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A national cohort study of parental socioeconomic status and non-fatal suicidal behaviour-the mediating role of school performance
- 2012
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In: BMC Public Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2458. ; 12, s. 17-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: A link between low parental socioeconomic status and mental health problems in offspring is well established in previous research. The mechanisms that explain this link are largely unknown. The present study investigated whether school performance was a mediating and/or moderating factor in the path between parental socioeconomic status and the risk of hospital admission for non-fatal suicidal behaviour. Methods: A national cohort of 447 929 children born during 1973-1977 was followed prospectively in the National Patient Discharge Register from the end of their ninth and final year of compulsory school until 2001. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards and linear regression analyses were performed to test whether the association between parental socioeconomic status and non-fatal suicidal behaviour was mediated or moderated by school performance. Results: The results of a series of multiple regression analyses, adjusted for demographic variables, revealed that school performance was as an important mediator in the relationship between parental socioeconomic status and risk of non-fatal suicidal behaviour, accounting for 60% of the variance. The hypothesized moderation of parental socioeconomic status-non-fatal suicidal behaviour relationship by school performance was not supported. Conclusions: School performance is an important mediator through which parental socioeconomic status translates into a risk for non-fatal suicidal behaviour. Prevention efforts aimed to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in non-fatal suicidal behaviour among young people will need to consider socioeconomic inequalities in school performance.
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| 4. |
- Jones, Felicity C., et al.
(author)
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The genomic basis of adaptive evolution in threespine sticklebacks
- 2012
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 484:7392, s. 55-61
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Marine stickleback fish have colonized and adapted to thousands of streams and lakes formed since the last ice age, providing an exceptional opportunity to characterize genomic mechanisms underlying repeated ecological adaptation in nature. Here we develop a high-quality reference genome assembly for threespine sticklebacks. By sequencing the genomes of twenty additional individuals from a global set of marine and freshwater populations, we identify a genome-wide set of loci that are consistently associated with marine-freshwater divergence. Our results indicate that reuse of globally shared standing genetic variation, including chromosomal inversions, has an important role in repeated evolution of distinct marine and freshwater sticklebacks, and in the maintenance of divergent ecotypes during early stages of reproductive isolation. Both coding and regulatory changes occur in the set of loci underlying marine-freshwater evolution, but regulatory changes appear to predominate in this well known example of repeated adaptive evolution in nature.
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| 5. |
- Kisanga, Felix, 1953-
(author)
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Child sexual abuse in urban Tanzania : possibilities and barriers for prevention
- 2012
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Child sexual abuse is a global public health and human rights concern. Despite beinga crime in most countries, and with well-known physical and mental health consequences, the majority of sexual offences are not reported. Child sexual abuse is a maltreatment form characterized by contact or non-contact acts perpetrated by adults or older children toward younger children who have little power to resist. This thesis aims to understand the social context of child sexualabuse, and the perceived roles of parents, community, and key professionals in handling such incidents in urban Tanzania.Methods: A combination of qualitative and quantitative research designs were applied to four sub-studies performed in Temeke district, Dar es Salaam. Qualititative content analysis was conducted on 23 in-depth interviews to describe the perceptions of key professionals and their experiencesof handling cases of child sexual abuse, in addition, eight in-depth interviews with parents to capture their experiences of legal reporting of child sexual abuse incidents. Grounded theory was used to analyse 13 focus group discussions held with male and female community members to explore norm systems and community awareness related to child sexual abuse. Findings from these exploratory sub-studies paved the way for a school survey among 1359 students from 23 randomly selected secondary schools. Using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analyses, prevalence, risk factors, and health consequences of child sexual abuse were estimated.Results: Lack of working tools and financial support were perceived as major problems among the key professionals. Corruption at community and institutional levels was seen as jeopardizing justice. Community passivity and lack of knowledge about laws regulating sexual offences were identifiedas additional challenges for conducting fair investigations. The community perspective illustrated that children’s rights were challenged by lack of agency. Community awareness about child sexual abuse was clear but there was also a lack of trust in that the healthcare and legal systems were capable of handling such cases. Myths and cultural beliefs justified abuse. Disclosure of abuse was threatened by fear of stigma and discrimination. Parental interviews identified four types of sexual abuse incidents. The type most strongly associated with a determination to seek justice was one with an innocent child. The youth who was forced into sex elicited feelings of parental betrayal. The consenting, curious youth created uncertainty in how to proceed, while the transactional sex youth evoked feelings of parental powerlessness. Shame and stigma, but also fear of perpetrator retaliation and breach of confidentiality, were seen as challenges for disclosure. The school survey showed that 28% (boys=30%, girls=26%) of the students were exposed to child sexual abuse, with boys more often affected than girls. Twenty-six per cent of boys and 19% of girls reported being forced to look at pornography. Forced sexual intercourse was experienced by 9.8% of boys and 8.7% of girls. Abuse increased with age and diminished self-rated health. Perpetrators were most often neighbours, teachers and peers. In contrast, survivor confidants were most often teachers, family members and friends. Most survivors did not want any action taken for the abuse. Proportions of students who perceived having fair/poor health increased with severity of abuse comparing the none-abused (7.0% and 6.3% of boys and girls respectively) with the ever abused (26% and 41% of boys and girls respectively) and those reporting penetrative sex (35% and 53% of boys and girls respectively). Likewise, suicidal ideation and attempts increased with severity of abuse when compared with those not abused.Conclusions and recommendations: Sexual abuse of children poses a devastating social, and public health challenge. In Tanzania neither the community nor the health or legal institutions are adequately prepared to handle these cases. Educating the community, economically empowering women and strengthening the medico-legal system are needed to increase the opportunity for human,legal and fair investigations and reactions. A national child protection system is needed to address the complexities of abuse at different levels and to safeguard the rights of children in Tanzania.
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| 6. |
- Lainpelto, Katrin, 1976-
(author)
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Stödbevisning i brottmål
- 2012
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Corroborating evidence is a modern evidence law concept used in furtherance of the administration of justice. The exact meaning of the term is, however, unclear, which is why the concept can be described as both vague and ambiguous. Accordingly, the aim of this thesis was to examine this type of evidence with the help of functional analysis. The examination was performed in four steps. First, the concept of corroborating evidence was examined theoretically, which meant analysing the ways in which this concept relates to associated concepts in evidence law. The second step consisted of two empirical studies which examined the prevalence and actual use of corroborating evidence. Next, the concept of corroborating evidence was analysed from the point of view of comparative law by means of a study on corroboration rules in English law. Finally, the function of corroborating evidence was examined from an epistemological perspective. The examination reveals that corroborating evidence refers in general to uncertain circumstances. When circumstances lack clear relevance, there is a risk that they will be ascribed an incorrect function and therefore also a wrong probative value. The empirical study also shows that two types of corroboration are confused, i.e. convergent corroboration and credibility corroboration. Two conclusions can be drawn from the foregoing: one, that a structuring approach to evaluation of evidence is of greatest importance, and two, that a more restricted definition of corroborating evidence is not possible. In addition, it has been demonstrated that in some cases decisions were made without the requirement for corroborating evidence and in other cases corroborating evidence was required. Since this inconsistency in judicial practice cannot be explained by reference to the principle of free evaluation of evidence, or to be regarded as compatible with the principles of equal treatment, legal security and rationality, the overall conclusion of the thesis is that the concept of corroborating evidence should no longer be used in Swedish law.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Swartz, Jackie, et al.
(author)
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Lifestyle and salivary cortisol at the age of 12 and 24 months
- 2012
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In: Acta Paediatrica. - : Wiley. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 101:9, s. 979-984
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: To analyse salivary cortisol levels in 12- and 24-month-olds from families with an anthroposophic lifestyle and comparisons (partly anthroposophic and non-anthroposophic).Methods: Salivary samples were collected at child ages of 12 (n = 178) and 24 (n = 149) months. Cortisol was analysed with radioimmunoassay technique.Results: Evening cortisol levels in children from anthroposophic families were lower than in comparisons at 12 months of age (geometric means: anthroposophic 1.7, partly anthroposophic 1.9, non-anthroposophic 3.6 nmol/L; p = 0.024) and at 24 months of age (1.1, 1.8 and 2.9 nmol/L, respectively; p = 0.002). At 24 months of age, similar differences were noted also for the afternoon levels (2.3, 3.3 and 3.9 nmol/L, respectively; p = 0.043). At age 12 months, the differences in the evening cortisol were statistically explained by a meat-free diet and at age 24 months by the anthroposophic lifestyle as such. The circadian variations were parallel in the three groups at age 12 and 24 months. No cortisol differences were observed between parents representing different lifestyles.Conclusions: An anthroposophic lifestyle is associated with low cortisol levels in the evening at age 12 and 24 months, at age 24 months also in the afternoon.
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