Evaluating the benefit from the help of the parent–teacher association to child performance

The contribution of parental involvement in the parent–teacher association (PTA) to schoolchildren's performance is an issue for evaluation research. To resolve the issue, it is reasonable to differentiate people who benefit and others who do not benefit from the involvement. Such differentiation relied on survey data from 289 pairs of Hong Kong Chinese parents and their children between Grade 4 and Grade 9. It revealed that only 28.8% of the parent–child pairs had their child performance benefiting from the help of parent–teacher associations (in terms of a standardized effect of .2). Factors predictive of this minority subgroup were the child's grade and having a single parent. These factors tend to identify the need for help from parent–teacher associations, which can be a consideration for planning effective help from the associations.     

Adolescents' perspectives on relationships with grandparents: The contribution of adolescent, grandparent, and parent–grandparent relationship variables

There is limited research on adolescent–grandparent relationships, especially from the adolescent perspective and on large-scale samples. The study examined the associations between the adolescent–grandparent relationship (i.e., importance of, emotional closeness to, and respect for grandparents' views) and the characteristics of the adolescent, grandparent, and parent–grandparent relationship, as well as the interactions between several of these factors. It was based on a representative sample of 1478 students aged 11–16 from England and Wales who completed a structured questionnaire. Results supported the position that grandparents are a significant factor in the lives of adolescents. Findings of hierarchical regression analyses showed that more frequent contact, greater grandparent involvement, and better parent–grandparent relationships predicted adolescents' reports on higher levels of emotional closeness to, importance of, and respect for their closest grandparent's views. The interactions consistently emphasized the role of parents as gatekeepers of intergenerational exchange.     

Family Processes and Adolescents’ Financial Behaviors

This article examined the contribution of family processes (parental warmth, parental financial monitoring, and parent–child interactions about money) to explain cognitive and behavioral aspects of adolescents’ financial behaviors. Data came from the 2002/2003 Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a national sample of adolescent age 12–18 and their families (N = 1,471). Results indicated that higher levels of parent communication about child donations were positively associated with both children’s saving for future schooling and their likelihood of donating to charities. Higher levels of parental warmth were associated with saving for future schooling. Giving an allowance was negatively related to child financial anxiety. Implications for researcher and policy makers have been discussed.     

Adolescents' and Parents' Perceptions of Runaway Behavior: Problems and Solutions

This exploratory study examined runaway adolescents' and parents' perceptions about youth and family life and explored reasons youth run away and what could be done that would help them remain home. Comparisons between adolescents' and parents' reports of family functioning demonstrated significant discrepancies. Few parents assumed any responsibility for the runaway behavior or change efforts. More adolescents blamed themselves or cited difficulties in parent–child relationships and offered ideas that entailed altering their attitudes and behaviors or family relationships. The implications of the findings for interventions and future research efforts are explored.     

Mental Health Risks to Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care

This paper describes mental health risks to the birth-to-three foster care population. The paper describes risks of a relational and contextual nature. Relational risk factors, which have been previously identified by foster care researchers and clinicians, include the following: 1. Poor attachment signaling by foster infants and toddlers; 2. Discomfort with infant and toddler dependency by some foster parents; and 3. Regulatory problems of foster infants and toddlers. Contextual risk factors include the following: 1. Lack of coordinated and coherent efforts to help foster infants and toddlers and; 2. Lack of support for the parent–child relationship during placement. A case example and discussion is offered to illustrate these risks.     

Parent–child relationships,friendship networks,and developmental outcomes of economically disadvantaged youth in Hong Kong

This research investigates factors conducive to the thriving of economically disadvantaged young people in Hong Kong. In particular, we examine ways in which the parent–child relationship and friendship networks, as the principal sources of support during the transition from childhood to adulthood, influence the developmental outcomes of this group of young people with regard to their mental health, positive identity, behavioral adjustment, resilience and academic achievement. Based on a survey of 479 young people recruited from community-based youth-service centers located in different districts of Hong Kong, the results of the present research support the hypotheses that parent–child relationships and friendship networks have significant positive effects on youth development among low-income young people. Our results also show that, when compared with friendship networks, the parent–child relationship is a stronger predictor of youth development, that is, a stronger parent–child relationship tends to correspond to a better developmental outcome. Moreover, our research provides empirical evidence regarding the influence that parents can have on shaping the quality of young people's friendship networks. The implications of our findings, both for future research and for service delivery to promote the well-being of economically disadvantaged young people, are discussed.     

The Emotional Dance of Attachment

Conceptualized as an emotional dance between the child and the primary caregiver, this article summarizes the primary principles of attachment theory as they pertain to clinical practice. The development of the attachment relationship goes smoothly in a secure attachment because the caregiver and child are effectively attuned to one another’s needs. Insecure attachment, on the other hand, occurs when the emotional dance goes awry leaving both the caregiver and the child with an emotional void. The article summarizes current treatment models geared specifically toward helping parent–child dyads resolve attachment problems.     

Patterns of Nonverbal Behavior and Sensivity in the Context of Attachment Relations

Nonverbal behavior and sensitivity to a relationship partner’s nonverbal behavior importantly influence the quality of interpersonal interactions and relationships, including attachment relationships. The abilities to encode, or express, and to decode, or understand, nonverbal cues are crucial to effective communication of emotions and are associated with social adjustment and relationship satisfaction. One important social context for the development and use of nonverbal encodingand decoding abilities is what Bowlby (1969/1982, Attachment and loss: Vol.1.Attachment (2nd ed.). New York: Basic Books) called attachment relationships—interpersonal relationships in which one person’s emotional security depends on another person’s sensitive, responsive caregiving and support. In this paper, we present theoretical ideas, review relevant research, and propose new avenues of research dealing with associations between attachment-related processes and patterns of nonverbal behavior and sensitivity in adulthood, two domains of research that have not previously been adequately connected.     

Interpreting Child Sexual Abuse: The Impact of Victim Response

There is little empirical knowledge about whether the interpretation process of child sex offenders is offense-supportive in nature and contributes to the offending process. Vignettes were developed to compare child sex offenders’ and nonoffenders’ interpretations of child molestation incidents after ambiguous and nonambiguous victim responses. Results showed that child sex offenders’ (N = 60) interpretations did not differ from nonoffenders’ (N = 40) interpretations. Overall, the more ambiguous the child responses, the more child complicity and child benefit was seen. Our results indicate that offense-supportive interpretations are not unique to child sex offenders. The mechanisms that are responsible for whether or not to commit a sexual offense should be unraveled and treated, to prevent deviant processes to be activated.     

Romanian Adoptees and Pre-adoptive Care: A Strengths Perspective

Ninety-one parents of 120 adopted Romanian children who were part of a longitudinal study were surveyed to determine perceptions of their relationships with their children, their adoption experiences, and the children’s strengths. The Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) was used and parents were easily able to rate their children’s emotional and behavioral strengths. Levels of parent–child relationship satisfaction were the most consistent predictors of child emotional and behavioral strength. The child’s age at the time of the survey was a significant predictor of strengths, indicating overall that younger children had more perceived strengths. Parents identified fewer strengths among children with longer histories of institutional care. The importance of a strong parent–child relationship and resilience after a history of early institutional care are discussed.     

The Association between the Parent–Child Relationship and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: The Roles of Attachment and Perceived Spouse Attachment Behaviors

Research shows that the parent–child relationship affects attachment security, which correlates with anxiety and depression in adulthood. Additional research shows that romantic attachment behaviors may supersede individual attachment security and buffer against negative processes. Using data from 680 married couples in the general population, we examined whether attachment mediates the link between the parent–child relationship and depressive and anxiety symptoms in adulthood. In addition, we tested whether perceived spouse attachment behaviors moderate the effects of attachment insecurity. There was an indirect effect of poor parent–child relationships on symptoms via insecure attachment. Perception of spouse's attachment behaviors was related to depression for both spouses, and they moderated the effect of attachment insecurity on depressive symptoms for husbands. Clinical implications are discussed.     

Bridging help-seeking options to Vietnamese Americans with parent–child conflict and depressive symptoms

To help practitioners bridge services to their clients who face family problems, this research aims to identify help-seeking behaviors among Vietnamese Americans who have experienced parent–child conflict and depression. The 2008 Asian Survey found that 46.3% of 572 Vietnamese Americans experienced parent–child conflict and 30.2% reported depressive symptoms. Having parent–child conflicts or depressive symptoms did not predict help-seeking from mental health professionals. Logistic regression results show that having parent–child conflict would increase the likelihood by 81.7% of a thinking that the problem will be naturally resolved; having depressive symptoms would increase the likelihood of seeking help from herbalists by 1.718 times and from medical doctors by 39.7%. Service strategies should include offering educational programs by multidisciplinary professionals with a focus on the natural aspect of building parent–child bonding.     

Helping Young Children Cope with Community Violence: A Proposal for the Reduction of Social Distress in the Inner Cities

The authors discuss the crisis of violence in our society and its impact on young children. Research on early violence prevention is reviewed, and a rationale for building parent–teacher coalitions to attempt solutions to the problem of violence is presented. A curriculum for co-training of parents and early childhood professionals in violence prevention is outlined. The need for longitudinal research on the implementation and impact of early violence prevention programs is noted.     

On Becoming a Good Enough Stepmother

Studies have shown that conflict over parent–child relationships are frequently at the root of stepfamily dissolution and that the stepmother/daughter relationship is the most problematic stepfamily relationship. This paper explores the stepmother–daughter relationship in the family where the biological mother is an active parent and discusses the unique challenges and internal conflicts that the stepmother confronts on entry into the family and its web of preexisting relationships and transferences. “An internal parental stance” which underlies “good enough” stepmothering is conceptualized and the complex psychological processes which underlie this achievement are explored in this paper along with implications for clinical strategies. The term good enough stepmothering is a play on Winnicott’s concept of the good-enough mother—the maternal figure whose attunement to her child enables her to adapt appropriately to her child’s stage of life thus allowing an optimal environment for the child’s development.     

Forgiveness in Romantic Relationships: The Roles of Attachment,Empathy, and Attributions

Therapists can benefit from a more nuanced understanding of underlying processes associated with romantic partners forgiving one another. Greater understanding of the processes linked with forgiveness has the potential to improve therapists' facilitation of forgiveness between partners. Departing from the status quo, the purpose of this investigation was to explore benign attributions and empathy as mechanisms linking attachment with forgiveness. After conducting a longitudinal structural equation model with a sample of young adults in romantic relationships (N = 171), the results showed that benign attributions mediated the association between anxious attachment and forgiveness, and empathy mediated the association between avoidant attachment and forgiveness. Clinically, targeting working models of attachment that underlie benign attributions and empathy may facilitate forgiveness.     

Containing Violence: A Case Study Illustration of Bion's Container-Contained Model as Applied to Mother–Infant Intervention

Secure Beginnings is a program of psychotherapy for pregnant women with potential problems in the formation of the parent–child relationship including, in the extreme, infant maltreatment. The core of the therapeutic process is to help the mother recognize and think through unbearable thoughts and feelings rather than project expectations of abandonment, hate, helplessness or ridicule into her infant. Case material, from 18 months of treatment, is used to illustrate the Secure Beginnings approach. The case is a mother with psychosis and addiction who lost nine previous children to foster care.     

Characteristics of Youth Who Sexually Offend

SUMMARY

Sexual abuse by juveniles is widely recognized as a significant problem. As communities have become more aware of juvenile sex offending they have responded with increasingly severe responses. This is despite recidivism data suggesting that a relatively small group of juveniles commit repeat sexual offenses after there has been an official response to their sexual offending. Research has shown that juveniles who commit sexual offenses are a heterogeneous mix, varying according to a wide range of variables. This article provides an overview of the characteristics of youths who have committed sex offenses. Factors that will be discussed include types of offending behaviors, family environment, histories of child maltreatment, social skills and interpersonal relationships, sexual knowledge and experiences, academic and cognitive functioning, and mental health.     

An examination of attachment representations among child welfare professionals

Research has documented a relationship between adult attachment representations and client relationships and outcomes for professionals in relationship-based fields (e.g., , , , , ,  and ), but has not examined the child welfare professionals specifically. The current study examined attachment representations of 54 child welfare professionals. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was administered to participants prior to attending a professional workshop. Results indicated significant differences between the AAI distribution of child welfare professionals and a non-clinical norm sample (AAI four-way distribution: Goodness of fit χ² = 23.63, p < .01; Bakermans-Kranenburg & van IJzendoorn, 2009). Dismissing classifications were overrepresented and free-autonomous classifications were underrepresented. Results may indicate challenges in the child welfare system that could alter the effectiveness and decision-making processes of child welfare professionals. Further research is needed to evaluate whether these differences are typical for samples of child welfare professionals and if so, the impact it could have on families who are being served. Effective interventions, focused on shifting attachment from insecure to secure, for child welfare professionals also should be explored through further research.     

Persistent Complications of Child Sexual Abuse: Sexually Compulsive Behaviors,Attachment, and Emotions

ABSTRACT

Child sexual abuse has the potential to cause distress for the victim across the lifespan. Romantic relationships may be particularly difficult for victims of child sexual abuse. This retrospective study examined differences in adult romantic attachment, sexually compulsive behaviors, and emotion regulation by history of child sexual abuse in a large, nonclinical sample. Those with a history of child sexual abuse reported more attachment anxiety in romantic relationships and engaged in more sexually compulsive behaviors. Overall, males displayed more sexually compulsive behaviors than females regardless of history of sexual abuse. Males with a history of sexual abuse displayed the greatest number of sexually compulsive behaviors. Surprisingly, no differences were observed in emotion regulation or attachment avoidant behaviors by history of child sexual abuse. Future research should seek to replicate current findings and examine emotion regulation difficulties experienced as a result of trauma.     

Using adult attachment theory to differentiate adult children's internal working models of later life filial relationships

During the past fifty years, research based on attachment theory has found that when relational partners' attachment systems are activated, significant differences emerge between the ways individuals respond to each other. These different attachment styles are related to the ways individuals characterise and conceptualise close relationships generally, referred to as ‘internal representations’. Internal representations of close relationships depend heavily upon whether individuals have a secure or insecure attachment style. Until recently, most attachment-based research has focused either on the parent–child relationship during infancy, or on adult romantic relationships. Attachment researchers are now turning their attention to the parent–‘child’ relationship during the later stages of life. Later life filial relationships are of intrinsic interest to attachment researchers because they concern the same adults who were instrumental in forming the attachment organisation of the young child. This study considers filial attachments from the perspective of the adult ‘child’. Twenty-four participants were selected using the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to include equal numbers of the three main attachment organisations. Six robust factors emerged, accounting for 71% of the variation. Confident Resolution and Resolved Yearning incorporated the secure attachment organisation. Distant Irritation and Dutiful Loyalty captured the insecure-avoidant style, with Unresolved Yearning and Entangled Resentment comprising insecure-ambivalent individuals.