A multi-site study of the ACT Raising Safe Kids program: Predictors of outcomes and attrition

The present study examined the factors related to attrition and treatment outcomes in the ACT-Raising Safe Kids (ACT-RSK) program. ACT-RSK is a family violence and child abuse prevention program for parents and caregivers of young children. Sixty parents or caregivers of children aged 9 years or younger completed the ACT-RSK group program and the research measures. The study took place at 7 community-based sites in the midwestern United States. Program completers were significantly older than noncompleters, suggesting that parent age relates to attrition from this program. Pre/post comparisons indicated increased nurturing behavior, decreased harsh parenting, and decreased negative discipline, as well as decreased child behavior problems following completion of the ACT-RSK program. Parent age predicted children's outcomes, indicating better results for the children of older parents/caregivers. In addition, pre-test harsh parenting scores predicted children's outcomes, suggesting that families with relatively higher initial levels of parental psychological aggression and corporal punishment had more robust child outcomes following completion of the program.     

Parenting and emotional well-being of adoptive school-aged children: The mediating role of attachment

This study focuses on the processes of adoptive parenting that affect children's emotional well-being. It aims to analyze the role of children's attachment as a mediator of the relationship between both parenting styles and parenting stress and children's positive and negative affect in adoptive families of school-aged children. The study included 322 Portuguese participants, divided into one group of adoptive parents (n = 135) and one comparison group of non-adoptive parents (n = 187); target-children were aged between 6 and 12 years. Self-report questionnaires were used to analyze the dimensions under study (parenting styles, parenting stress, children's attachment and children's emotional well-being). After conducting a preliminary analysis to identify potential differences between the adoptive and the non-adoptive parents, a mediation model was tested using the path analysis procedure. A baseline model was established, followed by a multi-group analysis in order to explore the model's invariance across the groups. Children's attachment mediated the relationship between parenting (styles and stress) and children's positive and negative affect. The multi-group analysis revealed that, for the adoptive group, both secure and anxious/ambivalent attachment mediated the association between parenting stress and negative affect; for the non-adoptive group, secure attachment was found to mediate the link between emotional warmth and positive affect. For both groups, the relationship between parenting stress and positive affect was mediated by secure attachment. Results pointed to the relevance of children's attachment in the association of parenting styles and parenting stress with children's emotional well-being. Moreover, differences concerning the mediation model emerged across the two groups, revealing that children's negative outcomes were better explained in the adoptive group. The results reinforce the importance of supporting adoptive parents after the adoption process.     

The Effects of the Healthy Families America Home Visitation Program on Parenting Attitudes and Practices and Child Social and Emotional Competence

This study examined the effects of a Healthy Families America (HFA) credentialed home visitation program on the parenting attitudes and practices of a sample of at-risk parents. It also examined the social and emotional competence of children whose parents successfully completed the program. The HFA model is an intensive early intervention program that targets at-risk families through home visitation services. Successful completion of the program is a process that takes between 3 and 5 years. Results indicate that, relative to the baseline, parents who completed the program showed significant positive change in parenting attitudes and practices. In addition, relative to other children their age, the children of families who successfully completed the program exhibited significantly higher levels of performance on measures of social and emotional competence.     

Adopting children with attachment problems.

This article describes children with significant attachment problems and summarizes the actions needed to increase the probability that such children can be successfully adopted. Healthy and disordered attachment patterns are detailed, as well as the principles and strategies that are important in parenting such children and the parenting characteristics that should be sought in selecting families for children with attachment disorder. Psychological treatment and other postadoption services necessary to support the adoption and the child's ability to successfully form a secure attachment with the adoptive parents are also highlighted.     

Timing of Parental Separation and Attachment to Parents in Adolescence: Results of a Prospective Study from Birth to Age 16

Using prospective longitudinal data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS), this paper examines the effects of parental separation on the quality of adolescents' attachment to parents and their perceptions of parental care and overprotection during childhood. Exposure to parental separation was significantly associated with lower attachment to parents in adolescence and more negative perceptions of maternal and paternal care and protection during childhood. When examined in relation to the developmental timing of first separation, a linear relationship between the age at first separation and later parental attachment and perceived parent–child relations was found. The younger the age of the child at the time of separation, the lower their subsequent parental attachment and the more likely they were to perceive both their mother and father as less caring and more overprotective. No gender differences were found in children's responses to parental separation. These findings persisted after control for the confounding effects of family social background, marital conflict, parenting, child behavior, and remarriage. Results supported the importance of the early childhood years for the development of a secure and enduring attachment relationship between children and their parents.     

The effectiveness of a parenting education program based on respected parents & respected children for mothers of preschool-aged children

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Respected Parents & Respected Children (RPRC) parenting education program for mothers of preschool-aged children in South Korea. A total of 99 mothers were assigned to an intervention group (n = 54) or a control group (n = 45). Mothers in the intervention group received 16 weekly sessions of the parenting education program and then were compared with mothers who did not take part in the program. Questionnaires were used to assess parenting characteristics (i.e., maternal depression and anger, parenting behavior, co-parenting, parenting efficacy, and parenting stress) at baseline (pre-test), immediately after the termination of the program (post-test), and 8 months after the end of the program (follow-up test). Maternal rejection/restrictions, dissatisfaction, and parental distress of the intervention group decreased and efficacy as parents improved after taking part in the program, and these effects were sustained at follow-up. Our findings support the effectiveness of the RPRC parenting education program in changing parenting strategies and satisfaction and emphasize the need for preventive interventions for parents with young children.     

Shared Parenting After Divorce: A Review of Shared Residential Parenting Research

One of the most complex and compelling issues confronting policymakers, parents, and the family court system is what type of parenting plan is most beneficial for children after their parents' divorce. How much time should children live with each parent? An increasing number of children are living with each parent at least 35% of the time in shared residential parenting families: How are these children and their parents faring? In what ways, if any, do divorced parents who share the residential parenting differ from parents whose children live almost exclusively with their mother? How stable are shared residential parenting plans? By reviewing the existing studies on shared parenting families, these questions are addressed.     

Parenting in the Context of Deportation Risk

Nearly 5.1 million children younger than age 18 live with at least one undocumented parent, about 7% of the U.S. child population. Between 2010 and 2013, an estimated 300,000 parents of U.S. citizen children were deported. Raising children in the context of deportation risk increases overall parenting stress for undocumented Latino parents. To investigate this and understand the experience of undocumented parenting, the authors interviewed 70 undocumented parents in two Southwest cities from 2012 to 2013. The authors frame their analysis using the lens of the problem of “illegality.” There are three domains of stressors associated with parenting in the context of deportation risk: trapped parenting, threat of family separation, and altered family processes. The authors discuss these findings in the context of the literature on undocumented families and parenting stress and connect these findings to the current sociopolitical context experienced by Latino families in the United States .     

Efficacy of Co-Parenting for Successful Kids: A Longitudinal Pilot Investigation

ABSTRACT

With a sample of 155 divorcing parents, this study examined the efficacy of a co-parenting program titled Co-Parenting for Successful Kids (CPSK). A prospective longitudinal cohort study was used to assess parental outcomes at multiple time points (i.e., pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up). Using validated scales, we measured parenting stress, parenting self-efficacy, and parental anger over time. The results indicated that the participants experienced reduced parenting stress and parental anger, and increased parenting self-efficacy after completion of the co-parenting program. Co-parenting interventions to help divorcing parents with stress management, and continuously work together collaboratively in raising their children should be encouraged.     

Differences in Caregiver Self-Efficacy and Satisfaction Related to Sexual Abuse of Offspring

Research suggests parents of sexually abused children may experience negative perceptions of themselves and their parenting abilities following the victimization of their children, which may influence the recovery process in treatment for these families. This study assessed perceived self-efficacy and parenting satisfaction among female caregivers of sexually abused children and female caregivers whose children were not victimized. Results indicated that caregivers of child victims had significantly lower levels of perceived parenting efficacy than their counterparts. There were no significant differences found between groups with regard to parenting satisfaction. The results highlight the importance of evaluating perceived parenting competence in the treatment of nonoffending caregivers in order to facilitate optimal treatment of the child victim and all members of the family system.     

Bonding and attachment of Australian Aboriginal children

In New South Wales, Australia, there is an increasing emphasis in the children's court on bonding and attachment assessments to determine whether or not a child remains with their carers. Aboriginal children and young people are over nine times more likely than other children and young people to be in out‐of‐home care. There is a paucity of information on culturally appropriate assessments of Aboriginal children in relation to bonding and attachment. Most assessments on the Australian indigenous families are based on the dominant Australian community's perception of what constitutes competent parenting. The question arises as to whether we are making psychologically and ethically sound decisions about whether or not a child remains with their Aboriginal carers based on evidence that is culturally appropriate for Western families but culturally inappropriate for the indigenous families. It is argued that the core hypotheses of attachment theory such as caregiver sensitivity, competence and secure base have to be based on the Australian Aboriginal people's cultural values. The aims of this paper are to explore the current practice on the bonding and attachment assessment of Aboriginal children using a dynamic eco‐systemic approach in the assessment of bonding and attachment of the indigenous people, with an emphasis on the historical, cultural and spiritual contexts. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Promoting birth parents' relationships with their toddlers upon reunification: Results from Promoting First Relationships® home visiting program

Birth parents, once reunified with their child after a foster care placement, are in need of in-home support services to prevent reoccurrence of maltreatment and reentry into foster care, establish a strong relationship with their child, and enhance child well-being. Few studies have addressed the efficacy of home visiting services for reunified birth parents of toddlers. This study reports on the findings from a randomized control trial of a 10-week home visiting program, Promoting First Relationships® (Kelly, Sandoval, Zuckerman, & Buehlman, 2008), for a subsample of 43 reunified birth parents that were part of the larger trial. We describe how the elements of the intervention align with the needs of parents and children in child welfare. Although the sample size was small and most of the estimates of intervention effects were not statistically significant, the effect sizes and the pattern of results suggest that the intervention may have improved both observed parenting sensitivity and observed child behaviors as well as decreased parent report of child behavior problems. Implications are that providing in-home services soon after a reunification may be efficacious in strengthening birth parents' capacity to respond sensitively to their children as well as improving child social and emotional outcomes and well-being.     

Families With Young Children: A Review of Research in the 1990s

Research conducted in the past decade on families with young children concentrated on 5 broad topics: (a) the transition to parenthood; (b) the importance of maternal sensitivity for children's attachment security and subsequent adjustment and social competence; (c) the effectiveness of particular parenting styles and practices; (d) interparental, familial, and broader societal factors influencing parenting behaviors and child adjustment; and (e) the impact of family structure and household composition on children's well‐being. Our review documents substantial diversity in family structures, parenting arrangements, and childrearing values and practices both within and across ethnic and racial groups. Collectively, the evidence suggests that in most families with young children, parents and children seem to be doing well. We conclude that substantial work is required to expand the study of families with young children beyond mother‐child dyads in White, middle‐class, two‐parent, first‐marriage families.     

Prevention of Depressive Symptoms in Preadolescent Children of Divorce

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy of an intervention program (the Depression Prevention Program for Children), which was successful overall in preventing depressive symptoms in 5th and 6th grade children, for a subset of those children-those whose parents have divorced. The 12-week program taught cognitive and social problem solving skills to children in group sessions conducted in their middle schools. There were 59 children in the treatment group-thirty-one (31) children from intact families and 28 children whose parents were divorced. The children completed the Children's Depression Inventory at pretest, posttest, and at 6-month intervals after completion for a 2-year period. The program was effective in preventing depressive symptoms in both groups. However, there was a significant group × time interaction, indicating that for children of divorce, the effectiveness may begin to diminish over time. These findings are discussed in terms of the various factors which might influence the response of children of divorce to this and other interventions.     

Shared Physical Custody: Summary of 40 Studies on Outcomes for Children

One of the most complex and compelling issues confronting policymakers, parents, and professionals involved in making custody decisions is this: What type of parenting plan is most beneficial for the children after their parents separate? More specifically, are the outcomes any better or worse for children who live with each parent at least 35% of the time compared to children who live primarily with their mother and spend less than 35% of the time living with their father? This article addresses this question by summarizing the 40 studies that have compared children in these two types of families during the past 25 years. Overall the children in shared parenting families had better outcomes on measures of emotional, behavioral, and psychological well-being, as well as better physical health and better relationships with their fathers and their mothers, benefits that remained even when there were high levels of conflict between their parents.     

Engaging substance-affected families in child welfare: parent perspectives of a parenting intervention at program initiation and completion

Families affected by substance abuse are at an increased risk of child welfare involvement and poor child welfare outcomes. One strategy to improve outcomes among these families is evidence-based parenting interventions. While these interventions show the potential for advancing the child welfare field, they have not been widely and rigorously evaluated with birth parents, especially those affected by substance abuse, who face marked vulnerability and marginalization. We sought to draw on parents’ expertise and to understand their first and changing impressions throughout involvement in a parenting intervention, as well as overall impressions at program completion. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 parents who were involved in child welfare and a family drug treatment court. All parents were affected by parental substance use and had recently completed the Strengthening Families Program. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for prominent themes. The study’s findings showed that parents described four key themes that influenced their perspectives of the parenting intervention: program reputation as communicated by peers, relevance and applicability of the program, children’s involvement and enjoyment of the program, and program structure issues that pointed to the need for high-quality group facilitation. Implications for practice and research are discussed.     

Comparison of Role Demands,Relationships, and Child Functioning in Single-Mother,Single-Father,and Intact Families

Abstract

Numerous studies have examined the impact of divorce on parents and children, but most of these studies have been restricted to single-mother families. This study compared differences in role demands, relationships, and child functioning using the responses of parents and children in 30 single-mother, 30 single-father, and 30 intact families. Single fathers had better resources than single mothers, more positive parenting than married fathers, and relied more on friends than the married parents. Single mothers had less education, less prestigious jobs, lower incomes, and more economic strain than the other parents. They also had fewer social resources and more difficulty than married parents with the parenting role. Despite these disadvantages of single mother families, children in these families were no different than children in other families on most measures of well-being. The only problem that was identified in the functioning of children from single-parent families was with their behavior. These findings can be used to develop strategies to reduce risks and enhance the existing resources and strengths of single-parent families.     

A Vocabulary of Motives: Understanding How Parents Define Quality Time

Although discussions of parenting refer to quality time, parents’ views of quality time have not been explored. Using the Sloan 500 Family Study, this article examines how 220 parents from 110 dual‐parent families define the spending quality time with their families and finds 3 distinct views: Structured‐planning parents saw it as planned family activities, child‐centered parents emphasized heart‐to‐heart talks with their children, and time‐intensive parents believed that all the time they spent with their families was quality time. Mothers and fathers both valued quality time, but, particularly when parents within a household disagreed, mothers more often described having a more active parenting role and assumed greater responsibility for quality time, reflecting a gendered division of parenting within the home.     

Computer-mediated parenting education: Digital family service provision

Computer-mediated family service provision holds the promise of equal efficacy, lower cost, and higher accessibility than traditional parent education groups that require parents to travel to a service venue, thereby alleviating often-cited pragmatic barriers to participation in parenting programs. Hence, examinations of which populations are attracted to particular service modalities are a necessary step in building a reliable evidence base. The scant computer-mediated parent education literature indicates that online parenting programs are beneficial to indicated or secondary prevention programs seeking to bolster specific parent, child, or dyadic outcomes; it is reasonable to ask, then, if this service provision mechanism would be equally effective for all parents, outside of targeted intervention designs. The current paper describes the provision of computer-mediated parenting services to a large sample of parents (N = 192, 89.6% female, average age 40 years; 27% racial/ethnic minority) with no shared prevention indicator through an employer-based program. Our research questions on service provision and utilization include: Who is served by primary prevention programs like this? Do participants report satisfaction with computer-mediated services commensurate with traditional face-to face services? In addition to significant differences in perceived social support by gender, marital status, and number of children younger than 18 living in the home, results from three measures of parenting attitudes and behaviors (e.g., discipline style, sense of competence, and locus of control), indicate that this sample has some confidence in their general abilities as parents, but struggle to feel an internal sense of control over their children's behavior, with the greatest number of parents tending towards overreactive discipline. Associations between these indicate a consistent pattern such that dysfunctional parenting practices tend to co-occur, and parents who do employ dysfunctional strategies feel less competent as parents. Participants report high satisfaction with these services, at equal or better rates than reported in the parent education literature. This work provides evidence that computer-mediated parenting services can attract and exceed expectations of participants with clinical and subclinical but moderate parenting needs, indicating that this service delivery mode has the potential to reach a wide number of individuals ideally situated for prevention services.     

Families Experiencing Divorce: Age at Onset of Overnight Stays,Conflict, and Emotional Availability as Predictors of Child Attachment

This study examined the qualities that contribute to postdivorce child attachment in a sample of 24 divorcing mothers and their children, ages 12 to 73 months, in the context of shared parenting time arrangements. Child attachment was assessed using Waters's Attachment Q-Set (AQS). Qualities such as age at onset of overnight stays, interparental conflict and communication, and emotional availability were examined for their importance in attachment security and dependency. Study hypotheses were partially supported. Although the study variables collectively did not predict attachment security and dependency outcomes, as hypothesized, the predictor variable of emotional availability (EA) child involvement proved significantly related with AQS security. Children who involved their mothers more in interaction were more secure with them. Further, EA child involvement contributed to attachment outcomes above and beyond age of onset of overnight stays and parent and partner contributions to interparental conflict.