Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with perceptual as well as motor disturbances. Unlike those with right-side onset (RPD), individuals whose motor symptoms begin on the left side of the body (LPD) may experience mild neglect of left hemispace. The functional cause of these perceptual abnormalities in LPD is unknown; possibilities include altered eye movements, changes in perceptual representation of left versus right hemispace, and attentional abnormalities. Three studies explored these possibilities in non-demented individuals with mild-moderate idiopathic PD (24-36 per experiment) and matched normal control adults (NC; 14-24 per experiment). Study 1 consisted of two psychophysical line-bisection experiments that used brief stimulus presentations to preclude exploratory eye movements. In both, participants judged whether a systematically adjusted hatchmark was left or rightward of a horizontal line’s midpoint. In the second, eye tracking was used to ensure that participants fixated during stimulus onset. The first experiment revealed neglect-like performance in LPD, but the second did not, suggesting that neglect may arise from biased eye gaze but not from abnormal saccades. Study 2 evaluated two hypotheses to explain spatial bias in LPD; one an active hypothesis in the literature that the representation of left hemispace is compressed, and the other a novel hypothesis that left hemispace is less salient than the right in LPD. Both hypotheses were assessed psychophysically, using spatial frequency and contrast discrimination paradigms, and neither was supported. Study 3 investigated whether endogenous visuospatial attentional abnormalities exist in PD, and particularly whether LPD show weaker attentional abilities in the left hemifield. A multiple-object tracking paradigm was used along with eye tracking to ensure that participants used only endogenous (not exogenous) attention. PD showed dilated temporal resolution of attention, and were less accurate in tracking multiple objects at once. LPD did not differ from RPD for either of these metrics. Overall the results suggest that there is no intrinsic difference in the representation of space in LPD relative to RPD or NC, but that visuospatial attention is altered in PD generally. The latter finding is particularly important for considering spatial navigation in individuals with PD even in early stages of the disease.

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Pregnant women with substance use issues are a doubly at-risk group in desperate need of support. Using open-ended interviews, participant-observation, and media analysis, I examine the support provided by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in Massachusetts for pregnant women who seek treatment at Project Empowerment. Project Empowerment provides prenatal care, maintenance therapy, and other services to expectant mothers who struggle with substance use issues. Drawing upon Foucault’s (1975) notion of surveillance, I explore how pregnant women with substance use issues are surveilled by agencies, and how these surveillance agencies structure their care and policies through their definitions of what it means to be a “good mother.” I argue that through the Department of Children and Families definition of the “good mother,” DCF produces an unintended paradox of support for pregnant women with substance use issues in Massachusetts.

This study proposed an experimental test of theoretical models related to emotion and space representation in the brain. Previous research has established that emotion is represented, processed, expressed, and regulated largely by the right hemisphere. Furthermore, there is evidence from experimental paradigms and clinical case reports to suggest that the same hemisphere plays a dominant role in the processing of external space. A conceptual difficulty of clinical and neural network overlap arises when right hemisphere disorders of emotion are compared with those of spatial representation. The current experiment tested some of these hypotheses about emotion regulation and spatial representation in the right hemisphere using nonclinical subjects under a cortical stress paradigm designed to mimic the conditions of cortical duress. An additional goal was an extension of a previous study that examined emotional influence on spatial orientation. Results did not support our initial hypotheses. Subsequent analyses did provide some evidentiary support for some theories related to emotion and brain function. Additionally, patterns of subject performance were observed that support traditionally held theories of differential hemispheric function with regard to emotion and spatial behavior. These findings are discussed within the context of theories of emotion, spatial function, and disorders secondary to right hemisphere damage. / Doctor of Philosophy / This is a study examining the role of emotion and stress on the allocation of attention in the individual’s external environment. Further examined was the role that brain systems involved in attention, emotion, and spatial representation and the correlation with brain damage and syndromes that result in disruption to these systems. Conceptual difficulties regarding overlapping brain areas that contribute to different functions serve as the foundation for understanding both how these systems work and the behavioral manifestations of their dysfunction. Finally, further elucidating the role of these neural systems in contributing to self-awareness, emotion regulation, and the representation of external space was the ultimate objective of this study.

Adverse experiences (e.g., child maltreatment, peer victimization) have long-term consequences for emotion regulation (ER) development. Adolescents may be particularly susceptible to these effects due to heightened sensitivity to environmental influences as well as the protracted development of the prefrontal cortex, which includes regions responsible for regulatory efforts. Previous research has indicated that difficulties with ER can be both a precursor to and consequence of adverse experiences, such as child maltreatment and peer victimization. As such, the present study evaluated reciprocal relations between dynamic longitudinal changes within repeated measures of peer victimization and ER across adolescence and into young adulthood and to determine how child maltreatment may predispose youths to these issues. The sample included 167 adolescents (53% male, Mage = 14.07 years at Time 1) who participated in a longitudinal study across five time points, with approximately one year between each assessment. First, we used confirmatory factor analyses to test latent factors of child maltreatment (abuse and neglect), peer victimization, and ER. Then, we used latent change score modeling to examine reciprocal relations between peer victimization and ER. Finally, we added child maltreatment (abuse and neglect) as a preceding predictor of reciprocal relations between peer victimization and ER. Our results offer insights toward developmentally informed longitudinal, transactional models linking child maltreatment and developmental changes in peer victimization and ER in adolescence. Findings of associations between peer victimization and ER support social information processing theory (Dodge and Crick, 1990) by suggesting that adolescent difficulties with ER may confer risk for experiences of peer victimization. Finally, child neglect effects on relational peer victimization in adolescence underscore how early contextual environments may impact later social development, with child neglect predicting developmental change in relational peer victimization during adolescence. / Doctor of Philosophy / Adverse experiences (e.g., child maltreatment, peer victimization) have long-term consequences for emotion regulation (ER) development. Adolescents may be particularly at risk to experiencing negative consequences on ER development given their continued brain development. Previous research has indicated that difficulties with ER can be both a precursor to and consequence of adverse experiences, such as child maltreatment and peer victimization. As such, the purpose of the proposed study was to evaluate how peer victimization and ER are associated across adolescence and into young adulthood and to determine how earlier child maltreatment may predict these associations. The sample included 167 adolescents (53% male, Mage = 14.07 years at Time 1) who participated in a longitudinal study across five time points, with approximately one year between each assessment. Results suggest that both child neglect (maltreatment) and adolescent difficulties with ER may confer risk for experiences of peer victimization during adolescence.

Title: The influence of virtual reality on stabilization functions of patients after cerebrovascular accident with neglect syndrome. Objectives: The objective of this thesis was to clarify whether postural stability of patients after cerebrovascular accident with neglect syndrome significantly worsen as an after-effect of virtual reality exposure in comparison with healthy probands and patients after cerebrovascular accident without neglect syndrome. Methods: 28 probands took part in this research, specifically 10 patients after cerebrovascular accident with neglect syndrome, 6 patients after cerebrovascular accident without neglect syndrome, and 12 healthy probands. All patients had been tested with Catherine Bergego Scale to evaluate neglect syndrome before the measurement of postural stability itself. That measurement consisted of probands being tested with Timed Up and Go test and a part of Berg Balance Scale. Afterwards, they took 10 minutes of immersive virtual reality game. Immediately after that Timed Up and Go test and Berg Balance Scale were repeated. The data were processed with MySQL database using a HeidiSQL program. Results: This research suggests that after exposure to virtual reality, there is no difference in changes of postural stability of patients with neglect syndrome in...

Prior evidence has shown a reduction of neglect on line bisection tasks as a function of altered hemispace presentation and left cueing. The present study was conducted to examine the effect of these factors in reducing symptoms of neglect on measures of general cognitive functioning. To examine proposed changes, revised versions of the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and the Memory-for-Designs (MFD) Test were constructed by placing the target stimuli in the right hemifield. Two experimental presentations, a right hemispace condition and a right hemispace plus left cue prompt condition, were compared to the standard presentation format. The primary hypotheses predicted that RBD neglect patients would reveal enhanced performance on the criterion measures as a result of these manipulations. Significant correlations were predicted between the neglect measures and between the two scoring systems for the MFD. The sample was comprised of 54 hospitalized patients, assigned to either a RBD neglect group (N = 18), a RBD nonneglect group (N = 18) , or an orthopedic control group (N = 18) . Both RBD groups were administered the Mini Inventory of Right Brain Injury, to document the presence and severity of right brain injury. Presence of neglect was assessed via the Schenkenberg Line Bisection Task and the Bells Test for Visual Neglect. Subjects were examined under all three conditions by administering one third of the items for each condition. Neglect subjects demonstrated significantly poorer performance on both criterion measures than the two comparison groups. However, no significant improvement in performance was revealed with right hemispace presentation of stimuli or left cue prompts combined with the right hemispace version. Ancillary predictions concerning correlations for the neglect measures and MFD scoring systems were confirmed. Results are interpreted in terms of increased attentional demands and task complexity. These results suggest that, despite the frequent clinical use of these manipulations in the cognitive assessment of this population, support for the efficacy of these procedures is lacking.

Despite the prevalence of neglect in the child welfare system, understanding of the etiology of neglect remains limited in scope. Limitations are driven by the frequent reliance on child protective services (CPS) data which consists of identified cases and consequently, the most serious of all cases, or through a few population based studies that operationalize neglect as a homogenous phenomenon rather than as distinct subtypes. Furthermore, most studies of neglect focus on maternal deficiencies while paternal factors are largely ignored. This study is meant to address these considerations by utilizing the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a broad population based sample of US citizens, to explore the associations between mental health disorders and neglect subtypes. The aims were to investigate distinctions between maternal and paternal psychopathology and subtypes of neglect compared to other forms of maltreatment, key differences across lifetime DSM-IV disorders between neglect subtypes and other forms of maltreatment, and how the presence of maternal and paternal psychopathology and maltreatment subtype increase the likelihood of lifetime DSM-IV diagnoses. Out of all neglect subtypes, supervisory neglect was the most prevalent form of neglect and also had the strongest association to most lifetime DSM-IV disorders. Paternal emotional neglect was associated with lifetime mood and behavior disorders as well as phobias compared to those without this experience. Conversely, maternal emotional neglect did not have a significant relationship to any disorder. Similarly, lack of care (LOC) neglect did not increase the risk of any lifetime disorder and even reduced the likelihood of substance disorders compared to those without LOC history. Findings between paternal psychopathology and neglect subtypes indicate that assessments of neglect should expand to include paternal functioning and availability. Supervisory neglect, LOC neglect, and exposure to family violence all demonstrated a greater relationship with paternal substance disorders and/or antisocial behaviors than maternal depression and anxiety. However, therapeutic service delivery and research measures for both neglect and family violence are almost exclusively targeted toward the mother. Approaches that engage, assess, and intervene with both parental figures are critical to the welfare of children.

This thesis deals with issues of upbringing children by their grandparents. It focuses on the fact, how the grandparents handle the upbringining of underage children. The theoretical part is divided into six main chapters. This part includes topics such as family, upbringing and the issue of foster care. The practical part deals with the research itself, as the main research method was chosen to interview and documents analysis. The interview was made with ten grandparents, who have underage child in their custody. The interview was focused on the financial security of families, cooperation with school, the possible educational problems of children at school or at home. Finally, there was made the evaluation based on available data.

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for repeated child maltreatment in Iceland. Only cases that had never been reported to child protection services before were included in this study (N=77 total). Each case was followed for 18 months. In all cases the first reported incident was neglect. In the study, a group of cases that had only been reported once (single incident) was compared with another group of cases that had been reported two or more times (repeated incidents). Risk factors were identified and compared on different levels according to an ecological model: 1) Demographics, 2) Parental figure problems, 3) Children's characteristics, 4) Family problems, 5) Social support. In addition, the two groups were compared on parental non-cooperation and services received. In a logistic regression model, the groups differed significantly on the following factors; the mother figures in the repeated incidents group had lower education level and the mothers in that group had more personal problems than the mother figures in the repeated incidents group. In addition, the repeated incidents group experienced more family dynamic problems than the single incident group.