ESCOLEX: A grade-level lexical database from European Portuguese elementary to middle school textbooks

In this article, we introduce ESCOLEX, the first European Portuguese children’s lexical database with grade-level-adjusted word frequency statistics. Computed from a 3.2-million-word corpus, ESCOLEX provides 48,381 word forms extracted from 171 elementary and middle school textbooks for 6- to 11-year-old children attending the first six grades in the Portuguese educational system. Like other children’s grade-level databases (e.g., Carroll, Davies, & Richman, 1971; Corral, Ferrero, & Goikoetxea, Behavior Research Methods, 41, 1009–1017, 2009; Lété, Sprenger-Charolles, & Colé, Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 36, 156–166, 2004; Zeno, Ivens, Millard, Duvvuri, 1995), ESCOLEX provides four frequency indices for each grade: overall word frequency (F), index of dispersion across the selected textbooks (D), estimated frequency per million words (U), and standard frequency index (SFI). It also provides a new measure, contextual diversity (CD). In addition, the number of letters in the word and its part(s) of speech, number of syllables, syllable structure, and adult frequencies taken from P-PAL (a European Portuguese corpus-based lexical database; Soares, Comesaña, Iriarte, Almeida, Simões, Costa, …, Machado, 2010; Soares, Iriarte, Almeida, Simões, Costa, França, …, Comesaña, in press) are provided. ESCOLEX will be a useful tool both for researchers interested in language processing and development and for professionals in need of verbal materials adjusted to children’s developmental stages. ESCOLEX can be downloaded along with this article or from http://p-pal.di.uminho.pt/about/databases.     

Evaluation of a Heredofamilial Cancer Unit in Increasing Family History Collection and Genetic Counseling Referrals Among Spanish Oncologists at a University Hospital

A comprehensive family history is essential to identify patients at risk for hereditary cancer who could benefit from genetic counseling (GC). In a previous study, we observed a low occurrence of family history record (FHR) collection rate and GC referral among oncologists at our institution. The present work analyzes whether the implementation of a heredofamilial cancer unit (HFCU) would improve these parameters. We retrospectively compared the FHR rate in clinical records, National Cancer Institute (NCI) general criteria for hereditary cancer suspicion, GC referrals and FHR quality in two cohorts: cohort 1 (patients diagnosed before HFCU creation) and cohort 2 (after HFCU creation). Of 1,175 patients (590 cohort 1 and 585 cohort 2), FHRs were consigned in 27.3 % and 52.5 % of patients, respectively (p?<?0.001). The GC referral of patients with any NCI criterion was 13.6 % xin cohort 1 vs. 40.5 % in cohort 2 (p?<?0.001). FHR quality improved in terms of the total number of relatives (164 vs. 314, p?=?0.1, N.S.) and number of healthy relatives consigned (80 vs. 191, p?<?0.01). Nine mutations (6 BRCA, 1 MEN1, 2 Lynch), 4 unknown significance variants (all in BRCA) and 2 with no mutation were identified among patients referred from cohort 2. We conclude that the creation of a heredofamilial cancer unit has changed both FHR and GC referrals among oncologists at our institution, although continuous educational efforts are required.     

The Relationships Among Parental Anxiety, Parenting, and Children’s Anxiety: The Mediating Effects of Children’s Cognitive Vulnerabilities

Theoretical models have emphasized the roles played by parental anxiety and behavior in the development of childhood anxiety problems. Little is known regarding the differential impacts of mothers and fathers or regarding the processes that mediate these influences. The present study examines the relationships between maternal and paternal trait anxiety, overprotection, and emotional support on the one hand and anxiety symptoms in children on the other hand. This study also explores the mediating role of children’s cognitive vulnerabilities to anxiety disorders in the relationship between parental variables and children’s anxiety. A sample of 80 children and their parents (fathers and mothers), selected from an initial screening of 905 school-aged children, participated in this study. The results indicate that both parents had unique influences on children’s anxiety symptoms: maternal trait anxiety and paternal overprotection and concern were found to independently and positively contribute to children’s anxiety. Furthermore, children’s interpretative biases mediated the relation between maternal trait anxiety and children’s anxiety symptoms. The results of this study underline the importance of considering both paternal and maternal factors in the development of children’s anxiety problems. These findings also have implications for theoretical models of the etiology of anxiety and for the treatment of these problems in children.     

Proactive Coping as a Mediator Between Resources and Outcomes: A Structural Equations Modeling Analysis

Proactive coping is a recent construct in the field of positive psychology. It refers to the efforts aimed at building general forces to facilitate the path toward challenging goals and personal growth. The current study adopted a theoretical model of proactive coping as a mediator of resources with positive and negative outcomes. Our aim was to examine two separate models with satisfaction with life and depression as the proposed outcomes of proactive coping. The proposed models presumed direct relationships between self-efficacy, optimism and social support with life satisfaction or depression, as well as indirect paths through proactive coping. We administered a set of questionnaires that consisted of demographic data, the Proactive Coping Scale, the General Self-efficacy Scale, the Life Orientation Test-Revised, the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Data were obtained from a sample of high school graduates (N?=?485, age 17 to 19, 174 males and 311 females). Our analyses confirmed presumed direct and indirect relationships between resources and outcomes. The results showed that the data fit well in the model with life satisfaction as an outcome, while the data did not fit well in the model with depression as an outcome. A subsequent model was formed in which satisfaction with life was used as a full mediator between proactive coping and depression; this model provided a good fit to the data. Theoretical implications, as well as suggestions for future research, are discussed.     

Suicide attempts and stressful life events among female victims of intimate partner violence living in poverty in Nicaragua

This article describes a study of 136 female intimate partner violence victims living in poverty in Nicaragua. The paper aimed to analyze the relationship between experiencing stressful life events (SLE) and perceived social support with suicide attempts, and to evaluate the differences in the SLE experienced by female suicide attempters versus non‐attempters. The results showed the existence of a high level of SLE among the interviewees, and that women who have attempted suicide have experienced substantially more of these events. Experiences of violence and less social support were especially related to suicide attempts among the interviewees.     

How Neighborhood Poverty Structures Types and Levels of Social Integration

Social integration is fundamental to health and well‐being. However, few studies have explored how neighborhood contexts pattern types and levels of social integration that individuals experience. We examined how neighborhood poverty structures two dimensions of social integration: integration with neighbors and social integration more generally. Using data from the United States Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we linked study participants to percent poverty in their neighborhood of residence (N = 16,040). Social integration was assessed using a modified Social Network Index and neighborhood integration based on yearly visits with neighbors. We fit multivariate logistic regression models that accounted for the complex survey design. Living in high poverty neighborhoods was associated with lower social integration but higher visits with neighbors. Neighborhood poverty distinctly patterns social integration, demonstrating that contexts shape the extent and quality of social relationships.