Psych/Ethics/Child Abuse

Question 1

Rumination syndrome

Answer 1

• Repeated episodes of EFFORTLESS regurgitation of recently ingested food (usually w/n 20 minutes after meals)
• Typically, regurgitated foods is kept in the mouth, rechewed, reswallowed or spit out
• Nighttime episodes are rare
• Can be associated with weight loss or malnutrition and often disrupts daily life
• Tx with deep breathing techniques during rumination episodes
• *IF associated with other symptoms (i.e. preoccupation with weight, bloating, diarrhea), consider alternate diagnosis**

Question 2

Media use recommendations

Answer 2

• Routinely ask about media use
• Discourage any media use < 18 months
• Children 2-5 years of age should have media limited to < 1 hour per day of educational media
• In older children, discourage < 2 hours of media use per day
• Monitor media use (may consider parental controls)
• Discourage use of media in bedroom before bedtime, at meal time and during parent-child playtime

Question 3

Media use and violent behavior

Answer 3

• Exposure to violent media material can lead to desensitization and has been associated with aggressive bahaviors

Question 4

Effects of divorce on children

Answer 4

• Increased risk for academic underachievement, depression, delinquency and high-risk behaviors (such as drug use and early sexual activity), low self-esteem, lower perceptions of self-efficacy
• Kids with easy temperament and at least average cognition tend to handle divorce better
• Girls may do better than boys initially, but may have problems later as they enter into adulthood
• More likely to date and engage in earlier and more frequent sexual acitivity
• More likely to have difficulty with intimacy and commitment in romantic relationships
• More likely to have marriages that end in divorce