Journal of Child and Family Studies最新文献

This systematic review provides a synthesis of the state of the evidence relating to child and adolescent mental health interventions in Nepal, with particular emphasis on the use and impact of cultural adaptation of these interventions. The review follows the PRISMA and JBI review guidance. Nine papers met the inclusion criteria, studies were characterised by methodological weaknesses impacting on their reliability. Five of the nine studies reported statistically significant improvements, of these, all except one worked with the family and wider community alongside the child. The use of cultural adaptation was implemented in all studies, but varied in terms of the extent of the adaptation processes used. The findings from this review indicate that high quality studies are needed in this area, particularly those which consider the influence on the collectivist nature of Nepali culture on design of the intervention. Interventions need to consider cultural adaptation more closely, as well as the acceptability of the intervention to the wider community.

The transition to parenthood is an exciting, yet stressful, time during which trajectories of infant outcomes, parent health, and coparenting dynamics are established. New parents often receive messaging about what “successful” parenting entails. Expectant parents may adopt rigid beliefs about parenting roles, including views that mothers are more important and “know best.” New fathers who view their parenting role as less essential may be at risk for low levels of parenting self-efficacy. This brief report examines changes in self-reports of maternal essentialism beliefs and parenting self-efficacy in first-time fathers. A community sample of first-time fathers, N = 66, completed self-report online questionnaires at the 3rd trimester and 3 months postpartum. Dependent samples t-tests were conducted to evaluate changes in maternal essentialism beliefs and parenting self-efficacy across the transition to parenthood. Bivariate correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate relations between maternal essentialism and parenting self-efficacy within and across time-points. Fathers’ essentialist beliefs and parenting self-efficacy increased across the transition to parenthood. We found negative, cross-sectional associations between fathers’ maternal essentialist beliefs and parenting self-efficacy at both time points. These results underscore the importance of assessing fathers’ beliefs about parenting and parent roles as they transition to fatherhood.

Experiencing stigma is associated with a range of negative outcomes for people with mental health disorders. However, little is understood about the contemporary stigma experiences of young people with anxiety and depression. This study aimed to describe these experiences using semi-structured qualitative interviews. Thirteen young people (aged 16–24 years) who self-reported a primary diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety were interviewed about their stigma experiences. Many experiences and perceptions of stigma were common to all participants. Six themes were developed through thematic analysis of participants’ descriptions. The first theme, ‘stigma is pervasive’, pertains to the way that stigma is expressed to and experienced by all young people with anxiety and depression. Three themes describe the content of stigma experienced by participants: they felt denied, minimised, and blamed (e.g., seen as ‘faking it’ for attention, to avoid responsibility or to follow trends); seen as less than others; and treated as socially undesirable. Finally, two themes describe stigma’s consequences: self-doubt and internalisation; and withdrawal. Some of these themes differ from prior accounts of the stigma experienced by people with anxiety and depression, indicating that the conceptualisation and measurement of stigma in young people need updating to remain relevant.

Previous studies have indicated that youth in care may represent a high-risk group for bullying victimization. So far, research has focused primarily on problem behavior rather than on potential personal or social resources of youth in care, particularly in the context of bullying victimization. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether youth in care are more likely to experience bullying victimization. Furthermore, it was analyzed if personal and social resources were protective of bullying victimization and whether these associations were moderated by family placement while controlling for lifetime poly-victimization. An online survey was completed by n = 119 youth in care and n = 110 youth in biological families in Germany - with or without a social/biological caregiver. Overall, the results showed that youth in care were 7.41 times more likely to experience bullying victimization than youth in biological families. Personal and social resources did add to the explained variance of current bullying victimization beyond lifetime poly-victimization in the child’s report. In particular, low levels of child-reported parental support and school integration were associated with more bullying victimization. These associations were not moderated by family placement, indicating similar effects for both, youth in care and youth in biological families.

Parent-child interactions, which substantially impact children’s psychosocial functioning, can be affected by caregiver adversity exposure. Considering that caregivers and their children often have divergent perspectives on their interactions, the current study included maternal- and child-reports of parenting practices and parent-child communication as indicators in a latent profile analysis. This study included 263 dyads comprised of children aged 8–17 (M_Age = 12.13, SD = 2.77; 88.2% Black) and their female caregivers (M_Age = 36.43, SD = 7.89; 82.9% Black) who were recruited based on caregivers’ differing experiences with the SAVA syndemic (i.e., potentially harmful substance use, intimate partner violence (IPV), HIV, or none of these adversities). After identifying empirically-derived profiles of maternal-child interactions, we examined associations between these established profiles and children’s external resilience resources. A three-class model emerged as the best fit: Concordant: Child/Mother Positive (C-PP; 73.4%), Discordant: Child Very Negative/Mother Slightly Negative (D-CN; 13.1%), and Discordant: Child Positive/Mother Negative (D-CP; 11.8%). Caregiver endorsement of SAVA syndemics did not predict class membership. Dyads with older children were more likely to be in the D-CN class, and dyads reporting lower SES were more likely to be in the D-CP class. Compared to children in the D-CN class, children in the C-PP class reported significantly higher resilience in school (Est. = −0.42, p = 0.006), community (Est. = −0.51, p = 0.001), and peer (Est. = −0.37, p = 0.004) contexts. No other class differences emerged. Findings highlight the importance of positive and consistent maternal-child interactions, which may help youth access a network of resilience resources that can promote healthy development and bolster well-being.

Behavioral inhibition and fearfulness in toddlers predict future anxiety disorders. Family-based interventions can prevent and treat anxiety in young children. However, anxiety disorders or their precursors are often untreated until later childhood. This study evaluates a brief caregiver-report measure that may prospectively identify toddlers at risk of subsequent clinically elevated anxiety. Caregivers of 152 children (21–35 months; M = 27, SD = 4) completed the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ) Fear and Shyness scales to assess children’s baseline temperament. Children were re-screened at one-year follow-up (M age = 40, SD = 4 mo.) with the Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS), to capture anxiety symptoms. Mean time between the two assessments was 12.82 months (SD = 1.97). Children high on baseline Fear, Shyness, or both Fear and Shyness were five times more likely to have elevated symptoms of clinical anxiety at follow-up (OR (95% CI) = 4.88 (1.51, 15.74), χ² (1, N = 152) = 8.32 p = 0.004). When fear and shyness were used together as predictors, high shyness predicted social anxiety, while high fear predicted generalized, separation, and total anxiety. The ECBQ achieved 62% sensitivity and 67% specificity in the current sample, with a PPV of 55% and a NPV of 73%. Results suggested that a five-minute caregiver-report questionnaire can identify toddlers at risk for future anxiety disorders. This questionnaire can be administered during well-child visits, or in outpatient mental health clinics, early intervention, or early education centers, to identify toddlers who could benefit from referral for early or preventive intervention.

The COVID-19 pandemic was stressful for many adolescents and their families, but effects proved far from uniform. Using a person-centered approach, this study aimed to identify types of perceived changes in family climate during the pandemic’s first lockdown, and test risk and resilience factors for differential changes in family climate. Further, risk and protective factors regarding longitudinal changes in adolescents’ well-being were tested depending on family climate. The longitudinal analyses included 822 adolescent participants (age 16–20; 42.7% male) from the German Family Panel pairfam, who were assessed in 2018/2019 and in early summer 2020. Latent Class Analysis revealed three classes of perceived changes in family climate (58% stable, 14% improvement, 28% deterioration). Adolescents’ older age, parental separation, and financial difficulties were connected to a deterioration in family climate. Findings revealed predominantly negative changes in adolescents’ well-being, i.e., increased loneliness and reduced activity, but also reduced stress. Adolescents with a perceived deterioration in family climate experienced a substantial decline in well-being compared to the other classes. Factors like female gender and isolation from peers emerged as risk factors for adolescent well-being. Additional analyses within classes revealed strongest or exclusive effects of risk and protective factors on adolescents’ loneliness in the deterioration class. Findings point towards the important role of family dynamics for adolescent well-being in the context of crises. Interventions targeting adolescents should consider the negative consequences of the pandemic for the whole family system but also acknowledge that the lockdown did not only have negative effects.

Psychotherapeutic interventions such as cognitive training and psychoeducation tend to be effective for alleviating stress in caregivers of children with autism. However, these interventions are often time consuming and take place outside the home, posing challenges for accessibility. Technology, especially virtual reality (VR) technology, can be used to support a range of digital interventions at home. VR headsets, when used to simulate relaxing experiences, have already been linked with stress relieving effects for some caregiving groups. This study builds on this, exploring whether VR simulated relaxing environments engender positive psychological changes for caregivers of children with autism. A total of 18 caregivers were exposed to VR simulated natural environments (e.g., beach, forest) for 15 min in a single session. State mood, captured with POMS, was measured at baseline and immediately post intervention. Perceived stress (PSS) was captured at baseline and, to explore intervention effectiveness, at three- and seven-days post intervention. POMS scores for tension, anger, depression, fatigue and confusion were lower, and scores for vigour higher, immediately post intervention. PSS scores at three-and seven-days post intervention, while comparable with one another, were lower compared with baseline. Interacting with simulated natural environments in VR seems effective for improving caregivers’ state mood and reducing their perceived stress for up to seven days. Future research should aim to consolidate and expand on these findings with larger samples and longer follow up periods.

This study was conducted to understand the experiences of mothers with limited English proficiency (LEP) and their children with autism during diagnosis and receiving services for their children with autism. A qualitative approach and the health disparity framework were adopted to answer the research questions. Using grounded theory methodology, 16 mothers with LEP and their preschool-aged children with autism were interviewed. Lack of communication during clinical encounters was the main category that arose from the data. Mothers with LEP have difficulties navigating the US healthcare system and autism-related institutions. Patient factors (no support system, stigma around autism, awareness about autism) affected their interactions with autism service providers. Providers of autism diagnosis and services were out of reach, especially because of communication barriers. The health system played a major role in widening the disparities for mothers with LEP and their children with autism with long wait times for diagnoses and services, lack of insurance coverage for services, culturally incompetent staff, and existing complicity in the system. Mothers with LEP felt abandoned by the US healthcare system in receiving diagnoses and services for their children with autism. In the United States, mothers who have LEP encounter significant barriers in accessing diagnosis and early intervention services for their preschool-aged children with autism. The objectives of Healthy People 2030 will not be achieved without addressing the needs of an understudied population of people with LEP.

This study on the racial socialization practices and dilemmas of caregivers of 0–8 year-old BIPOC children utilized an open-ended online survey, with a mixed-methods approach to data analysis. The study included 173 caregivers (i.e., 59% white; 41% BIPOC; 94.2% female) in the U.S. who held a variety of roles (e.g., 33.5% parents/relatives; 28.3% early childhood educators; 12.1% mental health/health professionals). Caregivers were prompted with a message about joy and resilience in BIPOC children. Analysis of open-ended data revealed practices such as the use of books, adult education, talking, preparation for bias or acknowledgment of racism, stereotyping, privilege, anti-bias/anti-racist education, art, music, dance, home language, and miscellaneous topics. Caregivers highlighted the following: (a) Nurturing a positive racial identity and pride in children’s own heritage; (b) Nurturing love and knowledge about racial diversity; (c) Preparation for bias; and, (d) Racial socialization network: Adult-to-adult practices. Regarding racial socialization dilemmas, caregivers highlighted challenges with nurturing a positive racial identity/pride in children’s heritage; nurturing love and knowledge about racial diversity; preparation for bias; and, adult education. Dilemmas were reported about nurturing self-love in a racist world, whiteness, others’ biases, relationships, representation, multiracial families, own biases, age appropriateness, and colorism. Chi-square analyses confirmed that there were no statistically significant differences between white and BIPOC, and familial and non-familial, caregivers’ racial socialization practices and dilemmas. Descriptive results revealed some differences in racial socialization dilemmas by race and role of caregivers.