Support gaps occur when an individual receives less or more of a certain type of social support than the individual desires. Existing research suggests that support gaps are associated with unwanted relationship and psychological outcomes. However, many of the outcomes associated with support gaps are also associated with received support and support availability—and it is not clear that support gaps explain anything about such outcomes beyond what is known from these longer established constructs. In samples of community members ( n = 430) and students ( n = 755), we examined associations between received support, available support, and support gaps and several positive and negative personal and relationship outcomes. Whereas received support and available support were more strongly associated with increased positive outcomes than decreased negative outcomes, support gaps were more strongly associated with increased negative outcomes than decreased positive outcomes. When all three support constructs were simultaneously included in multilevel structural equation models, they each demonstrated incremental predictive value for most of the outcomes we examined. A full understanding of the social contributions to mood and relationship outcomes requires assessment of received support, available support, and support gaps.

No abstract

Purpose: Acute pancreatitis (AP) due to chemotherapy-induced pancreatic injury is a common side effect of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood malignancy. The American College of Radiology recommends ultrasound (US) for initial imaging of AP in all populations to assess for ductal obstruction. However, US may be insensitive to diagnose and assess chemotherapy-associated AP. Methods and Materials: The institutional review board approved this retrospective study. Patients with ALL and AP were identified from protocol databases, using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 3. Chemotherapy dosing, amylase/lipase levels, clinical symptoms, and US/computed tomography (CT) reports within 10 days of diagnosis were recorded. All CT images were reviewed for revised Atlanta classification and CT severity index (CTSI). Results: Sixty-nine patients, aged 2-21 years, experienced 88 episodes of AP, undergoing 98 US and 44 CT. Seventy-two events (82%) occurred within 30 days of asparaginase administration. Sixty-nine episodes (78%) were initially diagnosed by the presence of abdominal pain and pancreatic enzyme elevation. Overall sensitivities for AP detection were 47% using US and 98% for CT. US sensitivity was greatest in CTCAE grade 4 (86%) and necrotizing pancreatitis (67%). Conclusions: Most cases of AP in children with ALL can be diagnosed with clinical history and labs. US has limited sensitivity in detecting pancreatitis in this population. Imaging to diagnose AP in this patient population could be limited to clinically equivocal cases.

No abstract