Journal of Child and Family Studies最新文献

The purpose of the current study was to examine the contributions of coparenting quality and child routines to children’s social–emotional competence during COVID-19. Further, we investigated the indirect effects of coparenting quality on children’s social–emotional competence via child routines. The participants were 403 mothers of children between 23 and 102 months old (M = 59.23, SD = 10.92). Mothers reported their children’s social–emotional competence, coparenting quality, and children’s routines as main variables and the COVID-19 pandemic effects (financial, resources, psychological, and within-family interaction effects). Results from the structural equation model showed that higher levels of coparenting quality and consistency in child routines were positively related to children’s social–emotional competence. In addition, there was an indirect effect of coparenting on children’s social–emotional competence through child routines. In detail, higher parental coparenting quality was associated with more consistent child routines, and, in turn, more consistent child routines were associated with higher levels of social–emotional competence. These findings suggest that coparenting and child routines may play a crucial role in children’s social–emotional competence. Results are discussed, considering their functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Valid and reliable measurements reflecting how perceived maternal and paternal parenting practices are similar, different, complementary, or additive in studying youth outcomes are critical for building knowledge on supportive parenting practices for African American youth living in public housing. We examined the psychometric properties of the Parental Attitudes Measure (PAM) which focuses on youths’ attitudes on parenting practices. Data was collected from the perspective of 660 African American youth living in urban public housing across three cities in the northeast and mid-Atlantic region in the United States. Youth reported on their attitudes about maternal and paternal caregivers. Reliability was determined using Cronbach alpha (α) for internal consistency. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to examine the dimensions and loading of the construct with this population. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined the validity of the measure using four goodness-of-fit indices. Pearson correlations were used to test construct validity among the sample and across parent status (birth or non-birth parent) and residence in the household. The EFA indicated a two-factor structure with strong reliability for both maternal (α = 0.86, 0.84) and paternal (α = 93, 0.92) encouragement and supervision. The CFA supported a 2-factor model for both maternal and paternal PAM. Findings demonstrate high internal consistency of the PAM for use in examining maternal and paternal attitudes among African American youth living in public housing, generally, as well as by gender and across cities. The measure had good construct validity with maternal caregivers but only partially with paternal caregivers.

Background: Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) is a symptom-based and clinically heterogeneous condition characterized by an abrupt and dramatic onset of symptoms such as loss of motoric and cognitive abilities, anxiety, compulsion, tics, and eating disorders. PANS is a new diagnosis and the condition has gathered controversy in research and clinical practice. Aim: We aimed to investigate the process by which parents of children with PANS acquire knowledge about the condition; the causes that lead parents to search for knowledge; the ways in which they search for knowledge; and the manner in which this knowledge is received by medical care professionals. Method: The study employed in-depth semi-structured, individual interviews with 13 parents of children diagnosed with PANS. An inductive qualitative thematic analysis was used as a guide for analyzing the data. Results: Challenges to understand their child’s illness and receive effective care led the parents to search for knowledge about PANS and provide an explanation for their child’s symptoms. They used personal and social resources to search for knowledge. They felt trusted and encouraged when clinicians endorsed their knowledge. On the other hand, when they were dismissed as a source of knowledge, they experienced a lack of trust towards professionals. Conclusions: A driving force for parents’ search for knowledge is a perceived incapacity to give meaning to their experiences. Another reason is mistrust of healthcare staff’s existing knowledge.

Mothers of autistic children encounter numerous daily challenges that can affect their adaptation. While many studies have documented the impact on mothers of having an autistic child and factors contributing to their adaptation and their experiences of motherhood, few have examined how mothers of autistic children perceive their overall adaptation. We investigated with a qualitative design how mothers of autistic children perceive stressors, facilitators (resources, coping strategies, and contexts), and outcomes of adaptation in various life domains. Participants included 17 mothers of autistic children ranging from 2 to 8 years old. Mothers participated in a phone interview about their perception of their successes, challenges, and adaptation as mothers of their children. A thematic analysis was conducted on interview transcripts using inductive and deductive coding. A cross-case analysis was subsequently used to identify themes and subthemes. Results highlight the complexity of the maternal adaptation process in the context of autism, which starts before the child’s diagnosis. Stressors, facilitators, and outcomes were described as overlapping in the psychological, social, professional, marital, and parental life domains. The accumulation of stressors was identified as mothers of autistic children’s main source of stress and almost impossible to reduce. Participants explained having difficulties accessing effective facilitators. While outcomes of adaptation vary across mothers and life domains, indicators of distress were identified for all participants. Implications are discussed regarding how service providers and society could better support mothers of autistic children by considering their complex reality and by providing more resources and information.

Although research on racial socialization is well established, few studies have examined the influence of specific, highly publicized racialized events. We sought to gain a deeper understanding of Black parents’ preparation for bias with young children following the murder of George Floyd and other high-profile anti-Black murders during the pandemic. Researchers generated the following themes from parents’ responses using reflexive thematic analysis: determining their child’s readiness for the talk, reasons to delay the talk, initiating the talk, and recommendations for beginning the talk. The majority of parents of children age six and younger did not engage in preparation for bias following the murder of George Floyd due to perceptions of children’s inability to understand racism as well as desires to preserve children’s “innocence” and positive perceptions of police.

This study examines the thematic content of four negative affective tones—frustration, anger, anxiety and guilt—expressed by mothers in treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) as they describe their relationships with their preschool-aged children. The sample included 150 African American women with children between 36 and 63 months of age (M = 48.5, SD = 7.4). The Working Model of the Child Interview was used to generate mothers’ narratives of their children and of themselves as parents. Transcripts were rated on the degree to which specific affective tones were present. Follow-up thematic analysis was conducted on transcripts where high levels of four affects were expressed: frustration (n = 13); anger (n = 6); guilt (n = 9); and anxiety (n = 7), with frustration and anger combined in the final analysis given overlap in content themes. The findings, which included mothers’ anger/frustration about their child’s challenging behavior; guilt about the impact of their substance misuse on the child; and anxiety about the child getting hurt or becoming ill, reflected mothers’ desires to be good parents. Some themes cut across multiple negative emotions, including managing child behavior, the consequences of substance misuse, and co-parenting with family members. Also underlying all the affective tones was a sense of powerlessness. The findings underscore the importance of providing supports for parents who are in treatment for SUD that center parents’ emotions.

This qualitative study aimed to explore how having a child with a functionally univentricular heart (FUH) affected mothers’ experiences of their parental role and identity. Eight mothers whose children had undergone the Fontan surgical procedure were recruited via social media. Interviews were completed using Microsoft Teams and audio-recorded, then transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) being a “heart mum”, (2) managing competing roles: “you have to wear lots of different hats all at the same time”, with subthemes (a) promoting normality vs. protecting the child and (b) mothering vs. nursing roles, (3) loss and regaining of identity and (4) relinquishing control and letting go of caring roles. Parenting children and young people (CYP) with FUH presented significant challenges to mothers’ parental role and identity, which they managed in various ways. There are implications for health services to support mothers with their psychological wellbeing, managing nursing roles and their child’s transition to adulthood.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) authorizes youth-focused workforce development programs such as YouthBuild, Job Corps, and Youth Activities programs, to increase economic self-sufficiency among youth and young adults (YYA). These programs vary in their funding and service delivery structure but all serve YYA with significant barriers to education and employment. The devolution of policy implementation requires research that examines the nuanced ways in which services are implemented and experienced at the community level. Our research studied the implementation contexts of five local youth workforce programs in a metropolitan area of one southern state. Participants included a total of 12 youth-serving staff, and 7 YYA. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Across providers and YYA categories related to local policy implementation included: (1) recruitment, (2) facilitators of success, (3) barriers to success, with an intersection between YYA’s complex backgrounds and experiences, developmental needs, and structural inequities, and (4) opportunities to enhance supports. Overall, our findings indicate that these youth workforce programs might be promoting healthy development, whether or not the design or implementation of such an approach is explicitly mentioned. Further, implementation struggles around funding, staff, and ability to recruit hard-to-reach YYA and to provide intensive support for YYA were noted. Recommendations for policy and practice that support YYA well-being are presented, as well as implications for future research related to local youth workforce program recruitment and service delivery practices.

Behavioral parent trainings (BPTs) are highly efficacious manualized treatments for young children with disruptive behaviors. However, access and engagement can be challenging for most families that would benefit from treatment, thereby limiting the impact BPTs have on population health. Brief telehealth versions of traditional BPTs present a promising but understudied alternative to traditional in-person interventions and may ease the burden of participation for families. This study reports on a mixed-methods feasibility trial of a brief telehealth BPT delivered within a pediatric primary care practice. Twenty-seven families with children between ages 3–8 enrolled in the 4-session telehealth intervention. Caregivers and clinicians provided quantitative and qualitative data describing the feasibility and acceptability of the program. Data across informants suggested that the brief telehealth program was feasible to implement and acceptable to stakeholders, with a few important caveats. For clinicians, logistical support was key to engagement. Caregivers identified both facilitators of and barriers to engagement unique to the brief telehealth model. Caregivers and clinicians reported that positive parenting strategies were easier to teach and learn compared to disciplinary strategies, particularly time-out. We also found that despite improved flexibility of telehealth, attrition rates were still high and similar to rates observed in traditional delivery models. Brief telehealth programs hold the potential to expand the reach of evidence-based parenting interventions. However, these programs do not fully address barriers to care, and future interventions should be designed with the strengths and limitations of telehealth in mind.

The Palestinian minority in Israel has endured sociopolitical stressors (e.g., ethnonational racism, discrimination, oppression, and political violence) throughout the decades, which have adverse psychological and behavioral outcomes. In this study, we examine the association between interpersonal racism (IPR) among Palestinian parents in Israel and their child neglect, the mediating role of psychological distress on this relationship, and the moderating role of perceived social support (PSS) on the mediated effect of psychological distress on this relationship. A systematic sample of 770 parents (500 mothers and 270 fathers) aged 21–66 was recruited to fill out a self-administered questionnaire composed of several instruments. The results indicate that parents’ IPR experiences are associated with an increased risk of child neglect, and this relationship is mediated by psychological distress. Results also show that in low or medium levels of PSS, psychological distress reports in relation to racism exposure are the highest. Yet, surprisingly, this effect strengthens at high levels of PSS. In comparison, the positive effect of psychological distress on child neglect strengthens in lower levels of PSS, showing a protective role of PSS. Finally, PSS moderates the mediation model’s indirect effect; IPR is related to increased psychological distress, and in turn, to a greater risk of child neglect when perceiving low or medium levels of social support. The study underlines the negative consequences of IPR on child neglect and contributes new knowledge to the literature. Longitudinal research is needed to confirm and extend these findings, which could have important clinical implications for treating parents facing racism and potential child neglect.