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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

A qualitative study of Parent to Parent support for parents of children with special needs. Consortium to evaluate Parent to Parent.

OBJECTIVE: To examine qualitatively the experiences of parents participating in Parent to Parent programs. METHOD: Twenty-four parents of children with special needs, a subset of subjects in a larger quantitative study, participated in a semi-structured telephone interview to explore the impact and meaning of being matched with a trained supporting parent. RESULTS: Qualitative analysis reveals a successful match is contingent upon creation of a "reliable ally" in the supporting parent, comprised of four main components: (1) perceived sameness, (2) situational comparisons that enable learning and growth, (3) round-the-clock availability of support, and (4) mutuality of support. CONCLUSIONS: Parent to Parent support creates a community of similar others trained to listen and be supportive and provides an opportunity for matched parents to experience equality and mutuality in their relationship. Findings also identify the need for quality control in Parent to Parent programs and the importance of such programs as an adjunct to traditional professional services.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Group-based parent-training programmes for improving emotional and behavioural adjustment in 0-3 year old children.

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems in children are common. Research suggests that parenting has an important role to play in helping children to become well adjusted adults, and that the first few months and years of a child's life are especially important in establishing patterns of emotional, cognitive and social functioning which will in turn influence the child's future development and in particular, their mental health. Parenting programmes may therefore have a role to play in improving the mental health of infants and toddlers. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this review are as follows: a) To establish whether group-based parenting programmes are effective in improving the mental health of children less than three years of age b) To assess the role of parenting programmes in the primary prevention of mental health problems SEARCH STRATEGY: A range of biomedical and social science databases were searched including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychLIT, Sociofile, Social Science Citation Index, ASSIA, the Cochrane Library including SPECTR, CENTRAL, National Research Register (NRR) and ERIC. SELECTION CRITERIA: Only randomised controlled trials were included and studies had to include at least one standardised instrument measuring some aspect of infant mental health. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The treatment effect for each outcome in each study was standardised by dividing the mean difference in post-intervention scores for the intervention and treatment group, by the pooled standard deviation, to obtain an effect size. The results for each outcome in each study have been presented with 95% confidence intervals. Where appropriate the results have been combined in a meta-analysis using a random effect model. MAIN RESULTS: A total of five studies were included in the review. The 5 included studies provided a total of 36 assessments of infant and toddler mental health including emotional and behavioural adjustment, and sleep patterns. All of the results apart from 6 showed positive findings favouring the intervention group. While some of findings were non-significant, most of the effect sizes were large and the wide confidence intervals crossing the zero that were obtained in a number of the studies, were very probably due to small sample sizes. There was sufficient data from four studies to combine the results in a meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis show a significant difference in children's emotional and behavioural adjustment favouring the intervention group. Overall, the limited follow-up data provide equivocal evidence concerning the maintenance of these effects over time. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: The results of this review suggest that parenting programmes can be effective in improving the mental health of infants and toddlers. There is, however, insufficient evidence to reach any firm conclusions regarding the role that such programmes might play in the primary prevention of mental health problems. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence to know whether the short-term benefit of these programmes is maintained over time, and further research is required.

Child Development↗

Authoritative parenting and parental stress in parents of pre-school and older children with developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Rearing a child with a developmental disability is associated with increased parental stress. Theories of stress and adjustment and bi-directional theories of child development suggest that parenting could influence these negative outcomes. METHODS: Relationships between parenting approaches and stress in parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) (N = 53) were examined across two age groups, 3-5 years and 9-11 years and compared with a contrast group of typically developing children (TD) (N = 60). Measures used were the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form and Rickel and Biasatti's modification of Block's Child Rearing Practices Report, classified into Baumrind's parenting styles using Reitman and Gross's method. RESULTS: Parents in the older DD group used Authoritative parenting less than parents in the younger DD group, while the opposite developmental pattern was seen in the TD group. Multivariate analysis of variance showed a significant group x parenting style interaction for Parental Distress, Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction and Difficult Child. Stress measures were higher for the DD group and seemed to be associated with Authoritative parenting approaches, an effect that was not observed in the TD group. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the well-established effect of group on stress may be moderated by parenting style. Authoritative parenting may be highly stressful for parents of children with DD to implement, resulting in a decrease in its use across the two age groups.

Age Distribution↗

What is good parental education? Interviews with parents who have attended parental education sessions.

The aim of the study was to highlight the experiences and expectations of Swedish parents with respect to general parental education within child healthcare. Interviews were carried out with 25 parents who had attended education sessions. With a few exceptions the fathers did not take part, and those mothers who did comprised a relatively highly educated group; their views therefore predominate in this study. Socially vulnerable parents such as the unemployed and immigrants took part more sporadically in the meetings, which is why less material is available from these groups. The arrangement and analysis of the material was done using qualitative content analysis. We identified two main categories of importance: 'parental education content' and 'parental education structure'. The parents were on the whole satisfied with the content with respect to the child's physical and psychosocial development. On the other hand, first-time parents expressed a degree of uncertainty with respect to the new parent roles and parent relation and they thought that the education should place more emphasis on the interplay between the parents and between child and parents. The degree of confidence in the nurse as group leader was mainly high. The parents thought that the groups functioned well socially and were satisfied with the organization of the meetings. They did, however, demand clearer structure and framework with respect to the content. Since the aim of legally established parental education is to improve the conditions of childhood growth and to provide support to parents, it must be considered especially important to provide resources so that the socially vulnerable groups in the community may also be reached.

Attitude to Health↗

A comparison between parents of children with cochlear implants and parents of children with hearing aids regarding parental distress and treatment expectations.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to compare the parents of children with a hearing aid (HA) and children with a cochlear implant (CI) regarding their psychological distress, their expectations from treatment, their family climate, and the way they first obtained information on HA/CI. METHODS: 154 parents (return quota 41%; 81 mothers and 73 fathers) of 90 children with a HA and 103 parents (return quota 59%; 57 mothers and 46 fathers) of 57 children with a CI were interviewed by means of a questionnaire. RESULTS: Both groups of parents felt distressed, particularly at the time of diagnosis. Their psychological well-being was gradually stabilized in the further course of rehabilitation. Due to the operation associated with it, fitting with a CI brought on a phase of heightened parental psychological distress compared with less invasive treatment with a HA. Regarding family climate, more distress was found in parents of CI children than in parents of HA children. Expectations from therapy appeared realistic in both parental groups; however, after CI fitting, the parents of the CI children showed heightened expectations by comparison with the parents of the HA children. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that the parents of hearing impaired children fitted with a HA or a CI may be divided into two subgroups with divergent psychosocial parameters. For the counseling of the parents of hearing impaired children in clinical practice, it would seem important to take these specific differences into consideration.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Culture, stress and the parent-child relationship: a qualitative study of parents' perceptions of parenting.

UNLABELLED: This qualitative research project, based on the principles of grounded theory, has used a series of semi-structured interviews with parents to explore parental understanding of the culture in which today's children are growing up, the influences of that culture on their parenting and the potential impact on their child. METHODS: Sixteen mothers and one father whose children are participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were interviewed. The interviews covered various aspects of parenting and culture. Data from the transcribed interviews were analysed for emerging themes relating to parenting and areas where parenting can go wrong. These themes were developed further through an understanding of the literature on parenting and families. RESULTS: Analysis of the data suggested several key areas in which our culture imposes particular stresses on parents and, as such, does not support families or children. Prominent areas of stress were time pressures, particularly in the work-home arena, expectations of children to be active and achieving, financial pressures and the impact of consumerism on families. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that parents, although holding a very positive view of their children, do perceive parenting as being stressful. This is exacerbated by social structures and attitudes that do not value or support children and their families.

Adult↗

Parental monitoring, negotiated unsupervised time, and parental trust: the role of perceived parenting practices in adolescent health risk behaviors.

PURPOSE: To compare two different parenting practices (parental monitoring and negotiated unsupervised time) and perceived parental trust in the reporting of health risk behaviors among adolescents. METHODS: Data were derived from 692 adolescents in 9th and 10th grades (x = 15.7 years) enrolled in health education classes in six urban high schools. Students completed a self-administered paper-based survey that assessed adolescents' perceptions of the degree to which their parents monitor their whereabouts, are permitted to negotiate unsupervised time with their friends and trust them to make decisions. Using gender-specific multivariate logistic regression analyses, we examined the relative importance of parental monitoring, negotiated unsupervised time with peers, and parental trust in predicting reported sexual activity, sex-related protective actions (e.g., condom use, carrying protection) and substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana). RESULTS: For males and females, increased negotiated unsupervised time was strongly associated with increased risk behavior (e.g., sexual activity, alcohol and marijuana use) but also sex-related protective actions. In males, high parental monitoring was associated with less alcohol use and consistent condom use. Parental monitoring had no affect on female behavior. Perceived parental trust served as a protective factor against sexual activity, tobacco, and marijuana use in females, and alcohol use in males. CONCLUSIONS: Although monitoring is an important practice for parents of older adolescents, managing their behavior through negotiation of unsupervised time may have mixed results leading to increased experimentation with sexuality and substances, but perhaps in a more responsible way. Trust established between an adolescent female and her parents continues to be a strong deterrent for risky behaviors but appears to have little effect on behaviors of adolescent males.

Adolescent↗

Parent drug use, parent personality, and parenting.

This study examined the relationship of parent drug use and specific parent personality traits with four indicators of the parent-child bond: affection, child-centeredness, involvement, and nonconflictual relations. The participants (N = 71) were young mothers or fathers who have participated in a longitudinal study of 1,000 children and their parents from 1975 to the present. They answered a self-administered questionnaire about themselves and their oldest child. Regression analyses indicated that the domains of parent drug use and parent personality had independent effects on most of the parent-child variables. Specific parent personality traits buffered the effect of drug use on aspects of the bond. The implications of these findings are that reducing parental drug use can have direct and positive effects on the bond and can enhance some parent personality traits, thus strengthening the bond. Protective personality characteristics can mitigate the impact of drug use on the bond.

Adult↗

Distress and hopelessness among parents of children with congenital heart disease, parents of children with other diseases, and parents of healthy children.

OBJECTIVE: We examined differences in distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and somatisation) and hopelessness (e.g., suicide ideation) among parents of congenital heart disease (CHD) children (PCCHD, n=1092), parents of children with other diseases (PCOD, n=112), and parents of healthy children (PHC, n=293). In addition, we determined the proportion of parents in each group whose scores in distress and hopelessness, respectively, exceeded norms for psychiatric outpatients (POPN) and depressed people, and identified determinants of distress and hopelessness among all parents, and the PCCHD. METHOD: The parents completed a questionnaire about such areas as distress and hopelessness. The design was cross-sectional and data were collected during 20 consecutive days. RESULTS: PCCHD were generally at higher risk of distress and hopelessness. A significant number of parents, in particular PCCHD, reported levels of distress and hopelessness within/above POPN and depressed people, respectively. Mothers within all parent groups had higher levels of distress and hopelessness than fathers, with the highest levels among mothers of children with CHD compared to mothers in the other groups. Fathers of children with CHD were doing worse than fathers belonging to the other groups. There were no differences between PCOD and PHC. Variables such as employment status and financial situation explained more of the variation in distress and hopelessness among parents than the diseases of their children. CONCLUSION: We corroborated previous findings and provide new insights into the experiences of PCCHD that may be of importance when considering intervention. Further research concerning the parents, in particular PCCHD, at risk of developing psychosocial problems is needed.

Adult↗

Parental perception of waiting time and its influence on parental satisfaction in an urban pediatric emergency department: are parents accurate in determining waiting time?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether parental perception of waiting time in an urban pediatric emergency department (ED) is accurate and whether the actual waiting times or their perception of waiting times impact on parental satisfaction. METHODS: A prospective convenience sample study in which the on-duty emergency physicians randomly administered a questionnaire at the time of the ED visit was used. During a 3-week period from December 15, 1999, through January 7, 2000, 500 parents or legal guardians of children who visited our ED were questioned about their perceived waiting time, and the responses were compared with the actual waiting time. The parents or guardians were also asked if they were satisfied with the waiting time. RESULTS: The majority (84%) of parents overestimated waiting time in the ED (median difference, 26 min; interquartile range, 9-50 min). Parents with perceived or actual waiting times that exceeded 2 hours were significantly more likely to be dissatisfied than parents with actual or perceived waiting times that were 1 hour or less (P < 0.001). Satisfaction was not related to the age (P = 0.35), sex (P = 0.30), race/ethnicity (P = 0.90), or mode of arrival (P = 0.28). CONCLUSION: Parents tend to overestimate waiting time. Both perceived and actual waiting times that exceed 2 hours were associated with parental dissatisfaction. ED administrators may need to keep this in mind when arranging ED staffing patterns to match peak patient hours to achieve optimal parental satisfaction.

Adolescent↗

Parent-to-parent counseling - a gateway for developing positive mental health for the parents of children that have cerebral palsy with multiple disabilities.

Parent-to-parent counseling involves the interaction of two groups of parents, senior and junior, whose children suffer from cerebral palsy with multiple disabilities. The main theme of the interaction is the experience accumulated concerning the progress of the treatment of their child, the understanding of parental responsibility, the scope of rehabilitation, and the change of attitude towards their disabled children during the treatment, management and rehabilitation process, under the supervision of a psychologist or rehabilitation psychologist. The aim of the study is an attempt to minimize the gap between caregivers and the affected child through an exchange of knowledge and experience within the therapeutic group interactions. The parents who have been attending the outpatient department at the National Institute for the Orthopaedically Handicapped for a couple of months take a leading role in this interaction program and newcomers benefit through empathetically realizing the therapeutic aspects, and, simultaneously, releasing their internal tensions and anxiety regarding the rehabilitation of their disabled children. The study has been conducted on 50 Bengali speaking parents, who have attended the parent-to-parent interaction program. They were all from rural, urban and city areas within a 150-km radius of the place of study in Kolkata, West Bengal, situated in the eastern part of India. They were all from lower-income group (60%) and middle-income group (40%) families. Their mean educational qualification was XII standard. All the cases were selected from the mild to moderate range of child disability. All the participants indicated the effectiveness of these therapeutic interaction programs, with an average of 80% of parents favoring this program and acknowledging it as most effective.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Middle-class African American adolescents' and parents' conceptions of parental authority and parenting practices: a longitudinal investigation.

Conceptions of parental authority and ratings of parental rules and decision making were examined longitudinally among 82 middle-class African American adolescents and their parents (82 mothers and 52 fathers), who were divided into two groups according to family income. Adolescents were, on average, 13.14 years of age at Time 1 and 15.05 years of age at Time 2. Nearly all adolescents and parents affirmed parents' legitimate authority to regulate (and children's obligation to comply with) rules regarding moral, conventional, prudential, friendship, and multifaceted issues, but they were more equivocal in their judgments regarding personal issues. With age, adolescents increasingly judged personal issues to be beyond the bounds of legitimate parental authority, but judgments differed by family income. Adolescents from upper income families rejected parents' legitimate authority to regulate personal issues more at Time 1 than did adolescents from middle income families, but no differences were found at Time 2. Authority to regulate adolescents' behavior did not extend to other adults or to schools, churches, and the law. With adolescents' increasing age, African American families became less restrictive in regulating prudential, friendship, multifaceted, and personal issues. Adolescents', mothers', and fathers' judgments demonstrated significant continuity over time, but few cross- or within-generation associations in judgments were found. Conceptions of legitimate parental authority at Time 1 were found to predict family rules at Time 2.

Adolescent↗

Pathways to alcohol use among Dutch students in regular education and education for adolescents with behavioral problems: the role of parental alcohol use, general parenting practices, and alcohol-specific parenting practices.

The present study explored the role of parents' alcohol use, general parenting practices (support and behavioral control), and alcohol-specific parenting practices (alcohol-specific rule enforcement and alcohol availability at home) on adolescent alcohol use. Structural equation analyses were performed on cross-sectional data from adolescents who received special education because of behavioral problems (n=411) and from adolescents who received regular education (n=428). The main findings show that alcohol-specific parenting practices appear to be highly important in regulating adolescent alcohol use. Parental alcohol use was related to alcohol-specific rule enforcement and alcohol availability at home. Behavioral control was also related to alcohol-specific rule enforcement. Furthermore, the relationships between parental alcohol use, parenting practices, and adolescent alcohol use did not appear to differ substantially for students in special and regular education.

Adolescent↗

Families of borderline patients: literal-minded parents, borderline parents, and parental protectiveness.

While borderline personality disorder is a well-established psychiatric diagnosis, less is known about family functioning and interactional patterns in subjects with the disorder. The authors describe interactional patterns in families of borderline children where one parent has a severe personality disorder and the other fails to protect the child adequately against the effects of that psychopathology. Two types of parents are described: the literal-minded parent and the borderline parent. The literal-minded parent resembles an alexithymic patient, lacking the ability to empathically understand and respond to the child's feelings and needs. The borderline parent uses the child as the target of projections and reality distortions. Therapy should mobilize the active protective functions of the healthier parent.

Adult↗

Quality of life among parents of children with congenital heart disease, parents of children with other diseases and parents of healthy children.

We compared quality of life among parents of children with congenital heart disease (PCCHD, n = 1092), parents of children with other diseases (PCOD, n = 112) and parents of healthy children (PHC, n = 293). We also identified determinants of quality of life among the parents. The parents completed a questionnaire about such areas as quality of life and financial situation. The design was cross-sectional and data were collected during 20 consecutive days. The univariate analyses showed that PCCHD tended to report lower quality of life than PHC. Mothers reported lower quality of life than fathers, with the lowest levels among mothers of children with CHD. The multivariate analyses revealed however that variables such as distress, hopelessness and financial situation were more important in explaining the reduced quality of life than parental gender and the presence/severity of the children's heart diseases. We corroborated previous findings and may have provided new insights into the quality of life experiences of parents of children with CHD that may be important when considering interventions to improve their situation.

Adult↗

Positive parenting as a mediator of the relations between parental psychological distress and mental health problems of parentally bereaved children.

This study investigated a positive parenting composite of multiple measures of warmth and consistent discipline as a mediator of the relations between surviving parents' psychological distress and parentally bereaved children's mental health problems using both cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal models. The study included 214 bereaved children ages 7 to 16 and their surviving parent or current caregiver. A multirater, multimethod measurement model of positive parenting was developed. Although the mediational model was supported by analysis of the cross-sectional data, it was not supported in the 3-wave longitudinal model. However, the longitudinal model did find a significant path from positive parenting at Wave 2 to child mental health problems 11 months later at Wave 3, controlling for stability in child mental health problems. Implications for understanding the development of mental health problems of parentally bereaved children are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Parent partners: a parent-to-parent support program in the NICU. Part II: Program implementation.

A well-organized parent-to-parent support program can provide both support and resources to help parents deal with the stress of having a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In order to implement a support program, hospital personnel must commit to the program, volunteer parents must be recruited and trained, and ongoing parent-professional collaboration must support program growth and maintenance. The Parent Partners Program offers a parent training curriculum and suggested procedures to establish a program.

Curriculum↗

"Parents for Parents": a self-help project for and by parents of eating disorder patients.

The project "Parents for Parents" was set up for and by parents of patients with eating disorders. The primary goal of the project was to train these parents to become "field experts" who can support other parents in similar situations. The volunteering parents were carefully selected and received an intensive training program including knowledge of eating disorders, educational themes, guidance of groups, and counseling techniques. Nine parents have completed the whole training and are now working independently as field experts on a voluntary basis. They run discussion groups, answer telephone calls, and give lectures at schools. There are intervisions on a regular basis to follow up the work of the field experts and adjust it if necessary. This article gives an overview of the different steps in this project with a first evaluation.

Journal Article↗