Journal of Child and Family Studies最新文献

Previous research has generally found lower wellbeing levels among parents of autistic children that were related to fewer positive and more negative parenting behaviours. However, these relationships have not yet been studied before a formal autism diagnosis is given. The present study investigates wellbeing (including positive mood, vitality, and general interest) and its relationships with a range of parenting behaviours among two groups of mothers with children at elevated likelihood (EL) of autism: mothers of younger siblings of children on the autism spectrum (‘siblings’; n = 81) and very or extremely prematurely born children (‘preterms’; n = 40). Growth curves were modelled to investigate whether wellbeing and EL group were associated with (change in) reported parenting behaviours between 10 and 24 months of child’s age. As expected, we found more stability than change in parenting behaviours, and more similarities than group differences in parenting behaviours and wellbeing. Mothers generally reported more disciplinary behaviours when their child grew older, in line with general population findings. Initial levels of supportive behaviours were equally high among mothers of siblings and preterms, but only mothers of preterms reported an increase over time. Wellbeing levels were largely comparable to those of a matched subsample from the general population, contradicting previous findings. Contrary to our hypotheses, wellbeing was not associated with fewer positive or more negative parenting behaviours. This is encouraging, as all children benefit from supportive and responsive behaviours.

The differential contributions that interpersonal relationships at family, peer, and school levels provide to overall life satisfaction are studied. These are examined in conjunction with the safety and infrastructure conditions in the neighborhoods and schools of 10- to 12-year-old Chilean children. The sample consists of 1065 youths from 10 to 12 years of age, who were selected through a representative and random strategy. This sample is part of a larger study (International Survey of Children’s Well-Being, ISCWeB), sponsored by the International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI). The structural equation model analysis (SEM) was utilized to examine the contribution of the variable of satisfaction with interpersonal relationships and satisfaction with the environment to children’s subjective well-being. The results show that the latent dimension of satisfaction with interpersonal relationships held a significant and positive relationship with children’s life satisfaction. The latent dimension of satisfaction with the environment functions equally as an independent variable, as it also sustains a significant and positive relationship with the life satisfaction of the students. Both latent variables individually serve as unique and differentiated factors. This study aims to provide evidence of the differentiating effect on overall satisfaction at distinct contextual levels. In particular, it provides information on the effects of environmental dimensions such as the experience and sense of safety in the school and neighborhood, as well as, the conditions of urban spaces.

The SIBS intervention aims to prevent mental health problems for siblings of children with chronic disorders and has shown promising results. The mechanisms behind these changes have not been examined. Parent-child relationship quality is a predictor of mental health in siblings. Our first objective was to investigate whether sibling-perceived relationship quality between siblings and parents changes over time after participating in SIBS. Second, as the intervention requires participation of only one parent, we examined with a dual scale (anxiety and avoidance attachment style) whether relationship quality was associated with which parent participated. Third, as SIBS aims to promote parents‘ communication skills, we examined whether sibling-perceived communication quality with parents predicted relationship quality over time. The sample comprised 99 siblings (M = 11.5 years, SD = 2.0; range 8–16; 54% girls, 46% boys) of children with chronic disorders and one parent per sibling (63% mothers). We administered the questionnaires at pre-intervention, at three- and 6-months post-intervention. We applied growth curve models for relationship quality over time with communication quality as a predictor, controlling for parent gender. We found significant improvement in sibling-perceived relationship quality with the participating and the non-participating parent on the relationship anxiety scale over time, with small to medium effect sizes. Higher communication quality significantly predicted improvement of relationship quality in all four relationship outcomes. We conclude that change in relationship quality may be part of the positive outcomes of the SIBS intervention and is mainly explained by communication enhancement. Controlled trials of the SIBS intervention are indicated.

Studies on the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescence indicate small to moderate treatment effects (e.g., of parent training). Self-help interventions might overcome structural and personal barriers to treatment utilization. The present proof-of-concept study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a twelve-month, telephone-assisted self-help (TASH) intervention for caregivers of adolescents with ADHD. This intervention comprised 8 booklets on the management of ADHD-related problems and 14 telephone counseling sessions. Sixty-six caregivers participated in the study with a one-group pretest-posttest design (intention-to-treat sample). Of these, forty-three families completed the intervention in accordance with the study protocol (per-protocol sample). Compared to families with early discontinuation (n = 23, drop-out sample), adolescents in the per-protocol sample demonstrated a higher level of caregiver-rated emotional problems and a lower level of quality of life at pre-assessment. Caregivers in the per-protocol sample showed high adherence and reported high satisfaction with the intervention. Analyses of the per-protocol sample yielded significant, moderate to large pre-to-post improvements in caregiver-rated ADHD symptoms (primary outcome; d = 0.81, 95% confidence interval [0.51, 1.11]), oppositional, emotional and behavioral problems and quality of life of the adolescents, and caregiver self-efficacy during the intervention. In intention-to-treat analyses, which considered data of all 66 participants who had originally participated in the study, the pre-post differences in ADHD symptoms, emotional and behavioral problems, and quality of life remained at their significant level. These results provide initial support for the feasibility and effectiveness of the TASH intervention. Its efficacy compared to control conditions remains to be examined.

COVID-19 adversely impacted parents with substance use disorders (SUDs) as evidenced by increased overdoses. This study used a qualitative approach to examine COVID’s impact on experiences and perceptions of a parenting program designed for mothers in recovery from SUDs, “Mothering from the Inside Out” (MIO), implemented through Early Intervention (EI) home-visiting services. Four EI programs participated in training and implementation of MIO. Subjects included 10 eligible EI providers trained in August 2019 or August 2021 and 11 mothers in recovery from SUDs. More mothers completed MIO during the pandemic compared to before. We conducted inductive thematic analysis of exit interviews and field notes, along with interpretation of process measures of intervention implementation. Initially, the switch to telehealth negatively impacted the provider-parent relationship but made engagement logistically easier for some mothers. Parent and provider participants reported the need for additional psychosocial support due to increased stressors, as well as ways that MIO helped them cope during the pandemic. COVID made EI enrollment of families more difficult in general; however once enrolled, telehealth improved retention in MIO, meeting a critical need during the pandemic.

The concept of parental burnout has been proposed to be helpful for describing and understanding the impact of parenting children with complex care needs (CCN). The objective of this scoping review was to investigate, among parents of children with CCN (i) how burnout is conceptualized, (ii) differences in burnout scores, (iii) the prevalence of burnout, and (iv) the associated factors related to burnout. A stakeholder consultation including parents of children with CCN, healthcare professionals, and researchers, was conducted to understand their perspectives on important insights and gaps from the literature. A total of 57 studies were eligible for inclusion. Conceptualization of parental burnout varied widely across studies, with few studies investigating the meaning of the concept for parents. Burnout scores were higher among parents of children with CCN and prevalence estimates varied between 20 and 77%, and exceeded burnout among parents of children without CCN. Few studies included associated factors in the context of parenting and caregiving. Stakeholders endorsed the importance of studies into the multifactorial determination of burnout in the context of parenting and caregiving children with CCN. The results highlight the extremes of stress and burden experienced by parents of children with CCN. An important gap remains understanding the complex interplay between personal and contextual factors pertaining to risk and resilience.

Families often have little knowledge and skills to support their trans children. Therefore, our aim was to learn more about the experiences of parents of trans children and adolescents and how the transition process is experienced. Using a qualitative approach, we analyzed 22 life stories written by parents of trans children and adolescents. The data were analyzed with MAXQDA. Three key periods were considered: (1) before, (2) during, and (3) after social transition. The themes most frequently reported by parents were: children’s not expected gender expressions and negative attitudes and feelings, and parents’ negative feelings, denial and repression attitudes, confussion and search of information, before transition; children’s explicit disclosure, name selection and more positive attitudes, followed by parental understanding, acceptance and support, during transition; and both parents’ and children’s positive attitudes and feelings, as well as concern about pubertal development and expectations and fears about the future, after transition. In general, the stories reflect children’s negative emotions before social transition and parents’ doubts and lack of knowledge, which were followed by acceptance and more positive emotions once the social transition had taken place. Concerns and problems were reported by most of the families throughout the three time periods. Our findings emphasize the need to facilitate social transition and to design specific approaches to better support transitioning children and adolescents, and their families.

Many children do not realize the physical health, mental health, cognitive, and academic benefits of physical activity because they are insufficiently active. Effectively promoting physical activity in children requires understanding the determinants of physical activity. Parent physical activity and support for physical activity have emerged as central influences, but few studies have applied longitudinal designs and device-based measures of child physical activity. The purposes of this cohort study were to examine direct associations between parent physical activity and child physical activity, parent physical activity and parent support for physical activity, and parent support and child physical activity; and to examine indirect associations between parent physical activity and child physical activity, mediated through parent support behaviors. We used structural equation modeling with panel analysis to examine direct and indirect influences of parent physical activity and support on 7th grade children’s physical activity, adjusted for 5th grade levels. Parent surveys were administered at the 5th grade time-point. Parent physical activity indirectly affected child physical activity, mediated through the parent support behavior of providing transportation for physical activity. Parent physical activity was also directly related to four parent support behaviors. Increasing parent support for child physical activity, and possibly parent physical activity, may be effective approaches to increasing child physical activity.

For African American adolescents, exposure to community violence continues to be a persistent public health concern with a range of maladaptive mental health outcomes. Despite one’s level of risk, there has been an increased focus on an individual’s degree of resilience. Protective factors, like future orientation, may buffer against negative outcomes. Future orientation is a complex, multistage, and multidimensional phenomenon, and it has been broadly defined as a cognitive-motivational construct that allows one to set goals and plan for the future. We aimed to examine how domains of future orientation during mid-adolescence may moderate the relationship between early adolescent exposure to community violence and late adolescent outcomes. Data from the current study focused on a subset of 721 African American youth from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. Moderation analyses indicated that family future orientation was a significant moderator for exposure to community violence and delinquent behaviors, while education and career future orientation was a significant moderator for exposure to community violence and defensive avoidance. The current study highlighted the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of youths’ conceptualization of the future, as this can be a target of treatment to greatly impact outcomes.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationships between organizational work-family culture, caregiver burden, and work-life balance among employed caregivers of children with special healthcare needs. The potential moderating role of organizational work-family culture in the relationship between caregiver burden and work-life balance was also investigated. Using convenience sampling, data were collected from 150 primary caregivers who work or recently worked in the past three months and have at least one child with a special healthcare need. Participants completed an online survey. Findings revealed increasing caregiver burden was related to lower work-life balance, while organizational work-family culture was positively related to it. Organizational work-family culture, and two of its three facets (i.e., managerial support and time demands), were significant moderators, but only before COVID-19. Future researchers could focus on underrepresented groups and communities, examine organizational work-family culture in various industries, and improve work-life balance during social and economic downturns. With increases in dual earner and single parent households, employers should consider how their culture supports employees with households with a child with special healthcare needs. This is the first study to apply organizational work-family culture to employed caregivers with a child with special healthcare needs and test it as a moderator of the relationship between caregiver burden and work-life balance.