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- Ann De Guchtenaere (Belgium)
- Artur Mazur (Poland)
GENDER INCONGRUENCE
- Raphael Wahlen (Switzerland)
INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND SELF-ESTEEM
- Artur Mazur (Poland)
Abstract
Abstract Body
Social comparison is an instrumental piece in explaining how the media may influence people’s perceptions of their body image and their self-esteem.The aim of this lecture is to identify the impact of social media on the health of children and young people. Many studies have been conducted to investigate the positive and negative aspects of social media. Some studies focused on the information that positive feedback on social profiles enhanced adolescents’ social self-esteem and well-being, whereas negative feedback decreased their self-esteem and well-being . There is an association between the use of social media and self-esteem and body image.The cause and effect of this association is difficult to determine but is likely to be related on the nature of the young person.Cyberbullying is deliberately using digital media to communi[1]cate false, embarrassing or hostile information about another person. It is the most common online risk for all young people and is a peer-to-peer risk.Young people on social media sites are also more prone to risk-taking behaviour that may place their health at risk. Year per year is growing knownledge of the impact of social media on younger children. This lecture seeks to alert care givers to the potential benefits and dangers of social media networking by children and young adults and urge researchers to improve theoretical understanding in this field, raise societal awareness and offer practical guidance to those in positions of responsibility including health practitioners, parents and site developers.
MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTION IN PRETERM YOUNG ADOLESCENTS: BENEFITS ON NEUROBEHAVIOURAL FUNCTIONING AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH WHITE-MATTER MICROSTRUCTURAL CHANGES
- Russia Hà-Vinh Leuchter (Switzerland)
Abstract
Background and Aims
Very preterm (VPT) young adolescents are at high risk of executive, behavioural and socio-emotional difficulties. Previous research has shown significant evidence of the benefits of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on these abilities. This study aims to assess the association between the effects of MBI on neurobehavioral functioning and changes in white-matter microstructure in VPT young adolescents who completed an 8-week MBI program.
Methods
Neurobehavioural assessments and multi-shell diffusion MRI were performed before and after MBI in 32 VPT young adolescents. Combined diffusion tensor imaging and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) measures were extracted on well-defined white matter tracts (TractSeg). A multivariate data-driven approach (partial least squares correlation) was used to explore associations between behavioural and microstructural MBI-related changes.
Results
Our finding showed an enhancement of global executive functioning in daily life after MBI that was associated with a general pattern of significant increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) along with a decrease in orientation dispersion index (ODI) in white-matter tracts involved in executive processes. This pattern of increase FA and decrease ODI was also negatively associated with gestational age at birth, i.e., microstructural changes in FA and ODI after MBI was particularly marked in adolescents with lower gestational age.
Conclusions
In VPT young adolescents, the enhancement in executive functioning observed after an MBI was associated with white-matter microstructural changes in tracts involved in executive processes, in particular for the most vulnerable adolescents. MBI appears to be a promising tool for enhancing executive functioning and white-matter brain plasticity in a vulnerable population such as VPT adolescents.
A NOVEL PUBERTAL HEIGHT REFERENCE ALIGNED FOR THE INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN THE TIMING OF PUBERTAL GROWTH
- Anton Holmgren (Sweden)
Abstract
Background and Aims
Growth references traditionally describe growth in relation to chronological age. Despite the broad individual variation of pubertal maturation, references related to biological age have been lacking. Hence, growth references and growth charts for the adolescent period have been of limited usefulness both for monitoring individual growth and for research. To fill this gap, we aimed to develop a novel pubertal height reference for improved growth evaluation during the adolescent years.
Methods
Longitudinal length/height measures were obtained from 1,572 healthy Swedish children (763 girls) born at term to non-smoking mothers, a subgroup of GrowUp1990Gothenburg cohort. A total height reference was constructed from Quadratic-Exponential-Puberty-Stop (QEPS)-function-estimated heights from individual height curves that had been aligned for time/age at onset of pubertal growth (5% of P-function growth). References that separated growth into specific pubertal heightSDS (P-function growth) and basic heightSDS (QES-function growth) were generated.
Results
References (cm and SDS) are presented for total height, and height divided to that specific to puberty and to basic growth arising independently of puberty. The usefulness of the new pubertal growth reference was explored by identifying differences in the underlying growth functions due to differences in pubertal height gain for children of varying body mass, height, and different pubertal timings (Figure 1).
Conclusions
A novel type of height reference allowing alignment of individual growth curves, based on the timing of the pubertal growth spurt was developed using QEPS-model functions. This represents a paradigm shift in pubertal growth research and growth monitoring during the adolescent period.