Journal of Child and Family Studies最新文献

This study explored the associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and functioning across several school readiness domains among preschoolers with disruptive behavior problems. The sample included 115 children (M_age= 5.18, 67.8% male; 32.2% female) from a large, urban, high-poverty community, with predominantly Black families, who were about to enroll in a summer treatment program prior to kindergarten. As part of pre-treatment assessments, caregivers completed interviews and questionnaires about adverse experiences and stressors in their children’s lives. Children’s behavioral, academic, and social functioning were also assessed at this time. We identified exposure to ACEs using multimodal parent reports. A path analysis was conducted between preschoolers’ exposures to ACEs and their school readiness, covarying outcomes with one another to isolate the effect of ACEs. Our findings indicate a dose-effect, such that exposure to a higher number of ACEs is significantly associated with more severe disruptive behaviors, internalizing problems, and global impairment in the child’s functioning. However, there were no significant associations between total number of ACEs and academic or social functioning. Notably, the prevalence of ACEs among this sample of preschoolers living in highly under-resourced communities was strikingly higher than national samples, with 93.9% of parents reporting exposure to at least one ACE by age 5, compared to 19–26% in a nationally samples; moreover, 62.6% experienced 3 or more ACEs, compared to 5.35% in same-aged samples (Briggs-Gowan et al., 2010; Jackson et al., 2021). Our study contributes to the growing literature on the importance of recognizing the heightened risk of early and compounding adversity in school readiness outcomes for young children with special needs. Implications for early intervention timing and the need to consider readiness for preschool are discussed.

Young people’s mental and substance use disorders are a significant public health issue worldwide. A large proportion of the world’s disease burden among young people is attributable to mental health disorders. This study examines the prevalence of mental and substance use disorders, the incidence of self-harm behaviors, years lived with disability, and years of life lost by country-level income groups and gender among young people (10–24 years) in 185 countries at two time points: 1990 and 2019. A descriptive study was conducted using secondary data extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019 to estimate the prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders, as well as self-harm behaviors among young people. Percentage changes in 1990–2019, 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), and correlations with the socio-demographic index, sustainable development goals were examined. The findings showed that globally, the prevalence of mental and substance use disorders among young people of both genders slightly decreased from 1990. However, these rates varied significantly across country-level income groups and sexes. High-income countries showed significantly the highest increase of mental health disorder rates at these time points, while lower-middle-income countries had the greatest decrease in the study. Furthermore, females displayed higher incidence rates of self-harm at younger ages compared to males across all income-based groups. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, enabling them to better understand the situation and make data-driven policy decisions. This includes estimating the economic burden of disorders, planning services, and allocating resources effectively.

Young people with conduct problems (i.e., chronic behavioural issues characterized by rule violation, aggressive behaviour, classroom disruption) are particularly vulnerable to experiencing negative mental health and academic outcomes and are among the most frequent users of school-based mental health services. The behaviours associated with conduct problems can negatively impact youths’ relationships with their parents, peers, and school personnel. The present qualitative study examined the service use experiences of individuals with histories of conduct problems, focusing on how service use was linked with how youth saw their relationships with others. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews carried out between 2019 and 2020 with 41 young adults ages 17–21 with histories of school-based specialized service use for conduct problems was conducted to understand how participants described the services they received in school, and how they saw this service use as shaping their relationships with others. We identified four themes of stigma and empathy in terms of how youth related service use to their interpersonal relationships. The findings underline the importance of raising awareness about the impacts of stigma for conduct problems. The implications for practice include the need for further research on empathy by service providers who work with youth with conduct problems.

The investigation examined whether kin social support moderated the association of family economic pressure and race-related stress with sleep disturbance among African American college students. The study is grounded in two theoretical models including the Integrative Model for the Study of Developmental Competence in Minority Children (IM) and the Family Stress Model (FSM), which predict that economic and race-related stress are linked to well-being in families and that the effects of stressful experiences may be moderated by kin social support. Hypotheses were assessed with online questionnaires administered to 152 African American college students (83% female, M_age = 21.7, SD_age = 4.6). Economic pressure and race-related stress were significantly associated with sleep disturbance. Interference effects of kin support were evident and revealed that the positive relations of family economic pressure and race-related stress with sleep disturbance were less apparent with increases in kin support. Findings suggest that kinship ties are complex relations with costs and benefits that African American students must manage as they cope with stressful experiences in college.

Parents of racialized children and children with disabilities experience a unique set of challenges and stressors in their parenting role. Many studies now exist focusing on parenting during the pandemic. Yet, there is a need for more research examining how parenting during COVID is complicated for minority parents who have a child with a disability. For this project, we used the Crowdsourcing: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians-Parenting During the Pandemic, 2020 dataset. Data in this national survey was collected from June 9 to June 22, 2020 (Statistics Canada, 2020a). We specifically examined how parenting at least one child with a disability intersected with being a racialized mother. After applying benchmarking and restrictions, the sample of 12,624 analyzed in this study consists non-Indigenous mothers with children either preschool age (0–5) or school age (6–14). The highest rates, across a broad range of concerns for children and family were reported by racialized mothers who also reported having child(ren) with a disability. Parents with only preschool children were less concerned for children but reported slightly higher levels of family concerns. A series of interactional analyses further revealed intersectional impacts on concerns between racialized mothers, parenting a child with a disability, and the age of the child. This study emphasizes the importance of intersectional considerations during the early pandemic relating to parenting for racialized mothers of children with disabilities. Societal implications, measurement/sample/analysis limitations, and policy implications are considered.

This study aims to investigate digital technology (DT) perceptions and usage among 3–6-year-old Turkish children. Children (N = 293) were asked to imagine themselves using DT, draw pictures of what they imagine, and narrate their drawings. They then were interviewed about their DT use. Parents (N = 293) also participated via a questionnaire addressing the digital environment, screen time (ST), and parental mediation (PM) of children’s technology use. Using a mixed-method approach, qualitative data were subjected to content analysis and converted to quantitative data. The quantitative analysis involved Kruskal–Wallis H, Mann–Whitney U, Spearman’s rho, and Chi-square tests. Findings indicated children may have limited perception regarding the usage alternatives of DTs, no significant difference between the purpose of DT use in drawings in terms of gender, an average ST of three hours among children, a moderate positive correlation between children’s and parents’ ST, and children primarily engaging in watching and playing activities. While children’s ST did not differ according to age, it varied significantly according to the parents’ educational levels. According to the rating systems, children are exposed to games and content that are not age-appropriate. Parents mainly mediate their children’s DT usage by limiting ST and accompanying children’s screen use. The study includes implications and suggestions for parents, educators and schools, community, content developers, digital platforms, and researchers working on this subject to work collaboratively to ensure that young children use digital technologies interactively, supporting development and education, and in age-appropriate, creative usage alternatives.

Programming for divorce education continues to grow, but research on how programs benefit racially marginalized groups remains limited. Through a convergent mixed-methods design, this study examined the experiences of divorcing African American parents (n = 116) who took part in a state-mandated, online divorce education program. Quantitative analyses revealed women reported more problems than men in terms of what they attributed to their decision to divorce, including communication issues, emotional/psychological/verbal mistreatment, mental health, working too little, alcohol/drug abuse, online addiction, and physical violence. Participants demonstrated an improved understanding of divorce-related topics and positive coparenting practices after program participation. Findings from the qualitative analyses paralleled those from the quantitative analyses, as an increased awareness of the impacts of divorce on children emerged as the greatest benefit to participation. Participants also noted their appreciation for online delivery and content, as well as how the program helped them learn more about coparenting. Implications for facilitating divorce education programs with African American parents are discussed.

Fathers are at increased risk of mental health difficulties such as depression during the first postnatal year, however little is currently known about the extent to which fathers experience symptoms of anxiety and stress, and the factors associated with these symptoms. This study aimed to: (1) investigate the extent to which fathers accessing support to strengthen their coparenting relationship through a community health organisation experience depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms during the first postnatal year, and (2) examine associations between a broad range of individual, child, and family factors and fathers’ depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms during the first postnatal year. This study involved secondary analysis of routinely collected data from 170 fathers of children aged 0–12 months who were enroled in a coparenting intervention programme delivered by a community health organisation in Melbourne, Australia. Elevated symptoms of stress were reported by ~28% of fathers, while elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety were reported by ~26% and 16% of fathers, respectively. Multiple regression analyses revealed evidence for associations between reduced parental self-efficacy and higher depressive and stress symptoms, while infant regulation difficulties and increased interparental conflict were associated with higher levels of stress. This study highlights that fathers are at risk of mental health difficulties during the first postnatal year. Findings demonstrate the importance of undertaking a broad assessment of fathers’ mental health during the first postnatal year and provide important insights into individual, child, and family factors that may represent optimal targets for prevention and early intervention.

Inconsistent program engagement is a common barrier in neighborhoods where families face significant structural, economic, and wellbeing challenges. Sulphur Springs is an under-served, low-income, predominantly Black community in Tampa, Florida where funding efforts have catalyzed targeted service responses, yet many agencies continue to report barriers to engaging families in programs. Ethnographic research methods were used to better understand the barriers to engagement in programs at a neighborhood family center. Analysis of in-depth interviews with parents (n = 11) and staff (n = 7) revealed four key areas where participants perceived engagement challenges, including neighborhood conditions, relevance and fit, understanding of Black families’ needs, and program infrastructure. The authors highlight perspectives of parents and staff to give voice to important insights that are typically underrepresented in program development and illustrate the numerous—and often subtle—ways that racial ideologies inform program development and acceptance. This study offers suggestions for improving engagement by reconsidering approaches to programming that better meet the needs of Black families in neighborhoods like Sulphur Springs.

Peer victimization experiences is suggested to play a mediating role in the transmission of depression symptoms between mothers and children. Childcare attendance has been found to reduce the association between mother and child depressive symptoms. However, it is not clear whether this protective effect unfolds via a reduction of peer victimization experiences in middle childhood. The aims of this study were to test (1) whether peer victimization in middle childhood mediated the association between exposure to maternal depressive symptomatology in early childhood and child depressive symptoms in late childhood, (2) whether childcare attendance moderate the direct associations between maternal depressive symptoms and children’s peer victimization experiences in middle childhood as well as depressive symptoms in late childhood and (3) whether childcare attendance moderates this mediated association. Data come from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Children and Parents (N = 5526) where exposure to maternal depressive symptoms and intensity of childcare attendance were assessed repeatedly during early childhood. Children’s peer victimization and depressive symptoms were self-reported at eight and 10 years of age, respectively. We used weighted structural equation modeling and found that the association between mothers and children’s depression was partially mediated by peer victimization. Childcare attendance did not moderate the indirect effect of maternal depression on child depressive symptoms via peer victimization. However, we found that for children who attended childcare, maternal depression was no longer associated child depressive symptoms in late childhood. In conclusion, peer victimization experiences partly explain the intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms, but this mechanism is not altered by children’s childcare attendance. Future research should examine potential socio-emotional and school readiness mechanisms that may break the cycle of depressive symptomatology from mothers to children.