Perceptual-Motor Maturity in Adolescence and the Tanner Stages: A Study with Bender-Gradual Scoring System

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livia de Freitas Keppeke ◽  
Teresa Helena Schoen

AbstractVisual-motor skill forms an important psycho diagnostic component and is associated with psycho-neurological aspects. The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, widely used for the evaluation of this area, is meant for children up to 11 years. In adolescence, the changes associated with puberty generate nonlinear anthropometric development resulting in mild and temporary incoordination. This study investigated the relation between visual-motor development measured by the Bender test and pubertal changes according to the Tanner scale. In all 134 adolescents of both sexes, aged from 10 to 15, who kept routine medical appointments, participated. We used the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test, and medical chart data. The techniques were applied individually. Pubertal changes were associated with the Bender test results showing higher scores at the G3 stage, the period corresponding to a growth spurt, compared to the G5 stage (p = .007, ES = .187), the post-growth spurt period in boys. Age and gender did not influence the Bender test scores. According to the Raven test, the g intelligence factor, interfered significantly in the visual-motor performance (r = –57%, p < .001). Schooling, repetition of a school year, and developmental problems (p = .002, ES = .156; p = .002, ES = .623; p < .001, ES = .880, respectively) obtained similar results. The Bender Test was sensitive to schooling and maturational problems during adolescence. There was an association between visual-motor development and sexual maturity in male adolescents. Our results indicate the usefulness of the Bender Test at older ages than those used in the test standardization.

1989 ◽  
Vol 68 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1099-1103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Palisano ◽  
Carol G. Dichter

To examine the validity and sensitivity of the Test of Visual-motor Skills and the Developmental Test of Visual-motor Integration, 38 students with learning disabilities were administered each test twice over a 6-mo. period. Correlations between age-equivalents, percentile ranks, and z-scores ranged from .58 to .71, supporting the construct validity of the Test of Visual-motor Skills. However, mean scores on the Developmental Test of Visual-motor Integration were significantly higher with all three methods of reporting test results and do not support concurrent validity. Subjects made a significantly greater mean change in age-equivalent score on the Test of Visual-motor Skills, suggesting that this score is preferable for measuring change in children receiving remedial programs for visual-motor dysfunction.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2/1) ◽  
pp. 69-85
Author(s):  
Victor P. Sheinov

Introduction. Victimity is a predisposition to become a victim of crime. Victimization is (a) the event of violence or the experience of violence, (b) the process of a subject’s transformation into a victim of criminal assault, and also (c) the result of this process. The objective of this paper is to describe the procedure of developing a technique for assessing victimization in adults. No attention has been devoted to such techniques (tests) for adults in previous research. Methods. A combination of external, deductive, and inductive strategies helped to elaborate test tasks intended to assess the degree of victimization. Two contrasting groups (N=389 and N=400) participated in a pilot study. The comparison of the pilot testing results in these groups enabled the authors to select the test tasks for men and women. Results. The findings confirmed that the developed test met standard reliability criteria (internal consistency and test-retest stability and reliability). The developed test also meets all the known validity criteria such as validation of the test construction process and substantive, obvious, concurrent (diagnostic), consensual, construct, convergent, contrast, and gender validity. The test scales (subtests) diagnose the following seven types of victimization: (i) overall victimization, (ii) implemented victimization, predisposition to (iii) aggressive, (iv) self-destructive, (v) dependent, and (vi) non-critical victimization, and (vii) the degree of a subject’s vulnerability to manipulation. Discussion. The construct of victimization as diagnosed by this test is positively correlated with the tendency to risky behavior, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem and negatively associated with assertiveness. All this corresponds well to the essence of victimization. The test standardization was carried out on a sample of 563 men and 513 women, representative of the study prospective population in terms of gender, age, education, profession, official capacity, social status, and region of residence. The representativeness of the study samples was confirmed by a normal distribution of test results.


1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. C. Wiederholt ◽  
◽  
D. Cahn ◽  
N. M Butters ◽  
D. P. Salmon ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Olga Kučerová ◽  
Anna Kucharská

Abstract The project presented here deals with a typical human means of communication – writing. The aim of the project is to map the developmental dynamics of handwriting from the first to the fifth grade of primary school. The question remains topical because of the fact that several systems of writing have been used in the past few years. Our project focuses on comparing the systems of joined-up handwriting (the standard Latin alphabet) and the most widespread form of printed handwriting: Comenia Script. The research can be marked as sectional; pupils took a writing exam at the beginning and at the end of the 2015/2016 school year. The total number of respondents was 624 pupils, evenly distributed according to the school year, system of writing and gender. To evaluate handwriting, the evaluation scale of Veverková and Kucharská (2012) was adjusted to include a description of phenomena related to graphomotor and grammatical aspects of writing, including the overall error rate and work with errors. Each area that was observed included a series of indicators through which it was possible to create a comprehensive image of the form handwriting took in the given period. Each indicator was independently classified on a three-point scale. Thanks to that, a comprehensive image of the form of writing of a contemporary pupil emerged.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xieping Chen ◽  
Qian Xie ◽  
Yuting Yang

Parent–adolescent communication is assumed to be an important factor affecting adolescent smoking behavior. However, the inner mechanism accounting for this association has still not been clarified in research. Our purpose in this study was to examine the relationships between parent–adolescent communication, adolescent smoking behavior, and depression, as well as gender differences in the relationship between depression and adolescent smoking behavior. Participants were 1,134 students at 6 junior high schools in China who completed the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale, the Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the Smoking Behavior Test. Results showed that parent-adolescent communication had a significant negative effect on adolescent smoking behavior and depression partially mediated the relationship between parent–adolescent communication and adolescent smoking behavior. In addition, gender moderated the relationship between depression and adolescent smoking behavior. Overall, these findings may help to promote better understanding of the relationship between parent–adolescent communication and adolescent smoking behavior.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003335492110181
Author(s):  
Richard J. Martino ◽  
Kristen D. Krause ◽  
Marybec Griffin ◽  
Caleb LoSchiavo ◽  
Camilla Comer-Carruthers ◽  
...  

Objectives Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) people and populations face myriad health disparities that are likely to be evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives of our study were to describe patterns of COVID-19 testing among LGBTQ+ people and to differentiate rates of COVID-19 testing and test results by sociodemographic characteristics. Methods Participants residing in the United States and US territories (N = 1090) aged ≥18 completed an internet-based survey from May through July 2020 that assessed COVID-19 testing and test results and sociodemographic characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). We analyzed data on receipt and results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 and symptoms of COVID-19 in relation to sociodemographic characteristics. Results Of the 1090 participants, 182 (16.7%) received a PCR test; of these, 16 (8.8%) had a positive test result. Of the 124 (11.4%) who received an antibody test, 45 (36.3%) had antibodies. Rates of PCR testing were higher among participants who were non–US-born (25.4%) versus US-born (16.3%) and employed full-time or part-time (18.5%) versus unemployed (10.8%). Antibody testing rates were higher among gay cisgender men (17.2%) versus other SOGI groups, non–US-born (25.4%) versus US-born participants, employed (12.6%) versus unemployed participants, and participants residing in the Northeast (20.0%) versus other regions. Among SOGI groups with sufficient cell sizes (n > 10), positive PCR results were highest among cisgender gay men (16.1%). Conclusions The differential patterns of testing and positivity, particularly among gay men in our sample, confirm the need to create COVID-19 public health messaging and programming that attend to the LGBTQ+ population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenzhe Sun ◽  
Junhua Mei ◽  
Yanyan Wang ◽  
Xin Zhao ◽  
Zhou Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Exploring etiological clues to adolescent depression, especially in female adolescents, might be helpful to improve the social environment of female adolescents. The aim at this study is to explore psycho-social factors of female adolescents with high depressive symptomatology and gender differences in depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents. Method We examined 4100 adolescents from Wuhan city and Jianli county via a cross-sectional study. Depressive symptomatology was screened through the Chinese version of Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to explore the factors related to high depressive symptomatology in female and male adolescents, respectively. Results The prevalence of high depressive symptomatology in female and male were 38.9 and 30.2% respectively. The psycho-social factors of high depressive symptomatology in female adolescents were age (Adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.201, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.076 ~ 1.341), single parent family (aOR = 2.004, 95%CI, 1.448 ~ 2.772) and fathers’ education level (compared to primary school and below, [Junior middle school, aOR = 0.641, 95%CI, 0.439 ~ 0.934; Senior middle school, aOR = 0.603, 95%CI, 0.410 ~ 0.888; College degree and above, aOR = 0.639, 95%CI, 0.437 ~ 0.936]). Conclusion Fathers’ education level was associated with high depressive symptomatology in female adolescents. Female adolescents whose father with primary school education or below deserves more attention. Further epidemiologic researches need to be conducted to explore the different risk factors between female and male adolescents in China.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 380
Author(s):  
Iago Portela-Pino ◽  
Myriam Alvariñas-Villaverde ◽  
Javier Martínez-Torres ◽  
Margarita Pino-Juste

Background: Sedentarism is an important risk factor for non-communicable diseases. To avoid it, it is necessary to establish the barriers which influence a low level of practice of Physical Activity. Methods: This study, conducted with 833 students, aims to describe a model to explain the barriers determining the level of practice of Physical Activity in adolescents according to age, school year, BMI and gender. The inclusion of the analyzed barriers followed the tetra-factorial model: Body image/physical and social anxiety; Tiredness/laziness; Responsibilities/lack of time and Environment/facilities. Results: The barriers to Physical Activity in adolescents are fatigue and sloth, and temporary obligations. The barrier that least influences the practice of Physical Activity is the environment and body image. It is determined that the subjects with the lowest Physical Activity index were those with a high fatigue and laziness score and higher age. The level of physical activity of this population is medium (95% CI, 2.8274–2.9418). Conclusions: It is necessary to overcome tiredness or apathy towards the practice of Physical Activity, especially in those under 16 years of age.


1989 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Rimmer ◽  
Luke E. Kelly

The purpose of this pilot study was to descriptively evaluate the effects of three different programs on the development of gross motor skills of preschool children with learning disabilities (n = 29). No attempt was made to equate the groups or control for differences between the programs or instructional staff. Two of the programs were used by the respective schools to develop the gross motor skills of their audience. The programs were called occupational therapy (OT) (45–60 min/day, 5 days/week) and adapted physical education (APE) (30 min/day, 4 days/week). A third group was evaluated to determine whether maturational effects had any involvement in gross motor development. This group was called the noninstructional program (NIP) (30 min/day, 2 days/week) and was solely involved in free play. The programs were all in session for the entire school year (33–35 weeks). The results of the study revealed that the children in the APE program made more significant gains across objectives, and particularly on the qualitative measures, than did the children in the OT or NIP groups.


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