Journal of Child and Family Studies最新文献

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.

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.