Sample, time, and wording effects on estimating the prevalence of childfree adults: Insights from Japan
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Neal Z
PROVIDER: S-EPMC11020949 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Childfree individuals choose not to have children, which makes them a distinctive group from parents who have had children, not-yet-parents who plan to have children, and childless indivduals who would have liked to have children. Most research on parental status and psychosocial characteristics has not effectively distinguished childfree individuals from other non-parents or has relied on non-representative samples. In this study, we use a representative sample of 981 Michigan adults to estimate the prevalence of childfree individuals, to examine how childfree individuals differ from parents and other types of non-parents in life satisfaction, political ideology, and personality, and to examine whether childfree individuals are viewed as an outgroup. We find that over a quarter of Michigan adults identified as childfree. After controlling for demographic characteristics, we find no differences in life satisfaction and limited differences in personality traits between childfree individuals and parents, not-yet-parents, or childless individuals. However, childfree individuals were more liberal than parents, and those who have or want(ed) children felt substantially less warm toward childfree individuals than childfree individuals felt toward each other. Given the prevalence of childfree individuals, the risks of their outgroup status, and their potential role in politics as a uniquely liberal group, it is important for demographic research to distinguish the childfree from others and to better understand these individuals.
| S-EPMC8208578 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Childfree adults do not want to have children, making them distinct from parents and other adults without children. However, they are difficult to study because they cannot be identified using conventional data on fertility. We use data from a representative sample in the United States to examine the prevalence, age of decision, and interpersonal warmth judgments by and about childfree adults. Our prevalence estimates suggest that childfree adults are quite common, comprising over one-fifth (21.64%) of the population. Our analysis of age-to-decision suggests that most childfree adults reported that they decided they did not want children early in life. Finally, our analysis of interpersonal warmth suggests asymmetric affective polarization among parents and childfree adults driven primarily by parent's ingroup favoritism. We discuss the implications of these findings for our understanding of childfree adults and for future research on this historically overlooked segment of the population.
| S-EPMC9314368 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Childfree adults are the most common type of non-parent in the United States and are distinguished by their lack of desire to have children. Although there are many reasons one may choose not to have children, recent restrictions on reproductive health care may also contribute to this decision. For example, the United States Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson eliminated a long-standing constitutional protection for abortion access, which reduced patients' medical autonomy and increased the risks of pregnancy and childbirth, and therefore may have led adults to decide not to have children. In this study, we use representative data on Michigan adults immediately before and after the Dobbs decision to examine changes in the prevalence of childfree adults in this population. We find that 21% of Michigan adults were childfree before the Dobbs decision, but this number rose to nearly 26% after the decision. Controlling for demographic characteristics, a Michigan adult was 32.8% more likely to be childfree after the Dobbs decision than before. We conclude that when access to safe reproductive health care is uncertain or unavailable, adults that do not already have children may decide that they do not want children.
| S-EPMC10781188 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background Negative or adverse effects of psychological treatments are increasingly a focus of psychotherapy research. Yet, we still know little about the prevalence of these effects. Aims Starting from a representative national sample, the prevalence of negative effects and malpractice was determined in a subsample of individuals reporting psychotherapy currently or during the past 6 years. Method Out of an initial representative sample of 5562 individuals, 244 were determined to have had psychotherapy within the past 6 years. Besides answering questions related to treatment, its effects and the therapists, patients filled out the Negative Effects Questionnaire, items of the Inventory of Negative Effects of Psychotherapy reflecting malpractice and the Helping Alliance Questionnaire, and rated psychotherapeutic changes in different areas. Results Rates of positive changes related to therapy varied between 26.6% (relationship to parents) and 67.7% (improvement in depressed mood). Deteriorations were most commonly related to physical well-being (13.1%), ability to work (13.1%) and vitality (11.1%). Although patients generally reported a positive helping alliance, many of them reported high rates of negative effects (though not always linked to treatment). This was especially true of the experience of unpleasant memories (57.8%), unpleasant feelings (30.3%) and a lack of understanding of the treatment/therapist (19.3/18.4%). Indicators of malpractice were less common, with the exception that 16.8% felt violated by statements of their therapist. Conclusions This study helps to better estimate aspects of negative effects in psychotherapy ranging from deteriorations, specific effects and issues of malpractice that should be replicated and specified in future studies.
| S-EPMC8503914 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Childfree individuals, who are also described as 'childless by choice' or 'voluntarily childless', have decided they do not want biological or adopted children. This is an important population to understand because its members have unique reproductive health and end-of-life needs, and they encounter challenges managing work-life balance and with stereotypes. Prior estimates of childfree adults' prevalence in the United States, their age of decision, and interpersonal warmth judgements have varied widely over time and by study design. To clarify these characteristics of the contemporary childfree population, we conduct a pre-registered direct replication of a recent population-representative study. All estimates concerning childfree adults replicate, boosting confidence in earlier conclusions that childfree people are numerous and decide early in life, and that parents exhibit strong in-group favoritism while childfree adults do not.
| S-EPMC10075426 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionLittle is known about onward HIV transmissions from people living with HIV (PLWH) in care. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased in potency, and treatment as prevention (TasP) is an important component of ending the epidemic. Syndemic theory has informed modelling of HIV risk but has yet to inform modelling of HIV transmissions.MethodsData were from 61,198 primary HIV care visits for 14,261 PLWH receiving care through the Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) at seven United States (U.S.) sites from 2007 to 2017. Patient-reported outcomes and measures (PROs) of syndemic conditions - depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, drug use (opiates, amphetamines, crack/cocaine) and alcohol use - were collected approximately four to six months apart along with sexual behaviours (mean = 4.3 observations). Counts of syndemic conditions, HIV sexual risk group and time in care were modelled to predict estimated HIV transmissions resulting from sexual behaviour and viral suppression status (HIV RNA < 400/mL) using hierarchical linear modelling.ResultsPatients averaged 0.38 estimated HIV transmissions/100 patients/year for all visits with syndemic conditions measured (down from 0.83, first visit). The final multivariate model showed that per 100 patients, each care visit predicted 0.05 fewer estimated transmissions annually (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03 to 0.06; p < 0.0005). Cisgender women, cisgender heterosexual men and cisgender men of undisclosed sexual orientation had, respectively, 0.47 (95% CI: 0.35 to 0.59; p < 0.0005), 0.34 (95% CI: 0.20 to 0.49; p < 0.0005) and 0.22 (95% CI: 0.09 to 0.35; p < 0.005) fewer estimated HIV transmissions/100 patients/year than cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM). Each within-patient syndemic condition predicted 0.18 estimated transmissions/100 patients/year (95% CI: 0.12 to 0.24; p < 0.0005). Each between-syndemic condition predicted 0.23 estimated HIV transmissions/100 patients/year (95% CI: 0.17 to 0.28; p < 0.0005).ConclusionsEstimated HIV transmissions among PLWH receiving care in well-resourced U.S. clinical settings varied by HIV sexual risk group and decreased with time in care, highlighting the importance of TasP efforts. Syndemic conditions remained a significant predictor of estimated HIV transmissions notwithstanding the effects of HIV sexual risk group and time in care.
| S-EPMC7962793 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundEstimates of prevalence of wheeze depend on questionnaires. However, wording of questions may vary between studies. We investigated effects of alternative wording on estimates of prevalence and severity of wheeze, and associations with risk factors.MethodsWhite and South Asian children from a population-based cohort (UK) were randomly assigned to two groups and followed up at one, four and six years (1998, 2001, 2003). Parents were asked either if their child ever had "attacks of wheeze" (attack group, N=535), or "wheezing or whistling in the chest" (whistling group, N=2859). All other study aspects were identical, including questions about other respiratory symptoms.ResultsPrevalence of wheeze ever was lower in the attack group than in the whistling group for all surveys (32 vs. 40% in white children aged one year, p<0.001). Prevalence of other respiratory symptoms did not differ between groups. Wheeze tended to be more severe in the attack group. The strength of association with risk factors was comparable in the two groups.ConclusionsThe wording of questions on wheeze can affect estimates of prevalence, but has less impact on measured associations with risk factors. Question wording is a potential source of between-study-heterogeneity in meta-analyses.
| S-EPMC4482591 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Over the past decade, experimental procedures such as metabolic labeling for determining RNA turnover rates at the transcriptome-wide scale have been widely adopted. Several computational methods to estimate RNA processing and degradation rates from such experiments have been suggested, but they all require several RNA sequencing samples. Here we present a method that can estimate RNA processing and degradation rates from a single sample. To this end, we use the Zeisel model and take advantage of its analytical solution, reducing the problem to solving a univariate non-linear equation on a bounded domain. The approach is computationally rapid and enables inference of rates that correlate well with previously published datasets. In addition to saving experimental work and computational time, having a sample-based rate estimation has several advantages. It does not require an error-prone normalization across samples and enables the use of replicates to estimate uncertainty and perform quality control. Finally the method and theoretical results described here are general enough to be useful in other settings such as nucleotide conversion methods.
2020-05-12 | GSE150286 | GEO
Project description:Data on the prevalence of alopecia areata (AA) in Japan is limited and the epidemiology of the disease there is not well understood; therefore, it is critical to examine the prevalence and severity of AA in Japan to inform the need for future treatments and research. A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted in Japan from January through March 2021. A total of 45 006 participants were identified through general population survey panels and asked about their experience with AA and hair loss. The Alopecia Assessment Tool and the Scalp Hair Assessment PROTM were adopted to screen for history of AA and assess disease severity, respectively. Eligible participants submitted photos of their scalp, which were reviewed by three board-certified dermatologists to evaluate the presence and severity of AA. Prevalence and severity estimates were calculated using participants' self-reported data and verified through the dermatologists' assessments. The participant-reported point prevalence of AA was 2.18%. The adjusted point prevalence following physician adjudication using participant-submitted photos was 1.45%. Topical corticosteroids were the most commonly used treatments, with 34.6% of participants diagnosed with AA reported having ever used them. Participants also reported negative impacts on their mood (70.2%), self-esteem (55.8%), and social interactions (48.9%). Despite the social and emotional impact of hair loss, more than one third of those reporting a physician diagnosis of AA were not currently seeking treatment. The current study identified an estimated prevalence of AA in Japan between 1.45% and 2.18% based on the survey results and physician-adjudication of those findings. Considering the impactful psychological burden of AA, the survey results showing that 38.90% of surveyed patients do not currently seek treatment may indicate an unmet need for remedies.
| S-EPMC10100223 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NVLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in processing visuospatial information but with age-appropriate verbal skills. This cognitive profile has been hypothesized to be associated with atypical white matter, but at the present there is a lack of evidence for this hypothesis. Currently, the condition is not characterized within the main diagnostic systems, in part because no clear set of criteria for characterizing the disorder exists. This report is the first attempt to estimate NVLD prevalence, using two sets of diagnostic criteria, in a large sample of over 11,000 children who were selected without regards to problems of specific nature, either psychological, neurological, physical and/or social. Furthermore, it examined the association between the profile of cognitive abilities and aspects of whole-brain white matter measures in children with and without symptoms associated with NVLD. Participants were drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a 10-year longitudinal study of 11,876 children in the U.S. The data used in the present study were drawn from the initial testing point at which the children were 9-10 years old. Prevalence of NVLD based on two distinct sets of criteria, correlations between the measures used to create the criteria, correlations between criteria measures and measures of white matter integrity. The cognitive criteria included measures of visuospatial processing, reading, intelligence and social skills. By varying the cut-offs applied to social skills in conjunction with visuo-spatial difficulties, spared reading skills and intelligence scores, we calculated prevalence for two NVLD groups. White matter characteristics were measures of volume, fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity. Based on the criteria used, the estimated prevalence of NVLD varied from 1 to 8%. Furthermore, children with NVLD showed a dissociation between measures of visuo-spatial processing not observed in non-NVLD children. At the neurological level, findings provide preliminary evidence of associations between the cognitive profile of NVLD and abnormalities in white matters tracts. The present study documents that exists, within this large non-selected sample, a proportion of youth who show evidence of NVLD. Given those results, it appears essential to establish the best diagnostic criteria, to improve the treatment options and quality of life for children with this disorder.
| S-EPMC11001940 | biostudies-literature