Short-term and long-term processes linking job stressors to father–child interaction

This study explores short-term and long-term processes through which daily job stressors may affect a father's relationship with his school-aged child. Fifteen male air traffic controllers (ATCs) described job stressors and parent–child interaction on three consecutive days. Objective measures of daily workload were also obtained. After a demanding day at work, fathers tended to be more behaviorally and emotionally withdrawn during interactions with their children at home. The emotional withdrawal finding was confirmed with both subjective and objective measures of high workload. There was also evidence of a direct spillover of negative feelings associated with distressing social experiences at work to expressions of anger and greater use of discipline during interactions with a child later in the day. The long-term impact of a chronically stressful work environment was also examined in a separate set of between-subjects analyses. A generally negative social climate at work was associated with a father's tendency to describe his interactions with a child as having a less positive and a more negative emotional tone. Coworkers' independent ratings of the social climate at work confirmed the finding of a long-term negative spillover effect.     

农村地区早期亲职教育探讨

家庭是儿童的第一所学校,父母是儿童的第一任教师,家庭和父母在儿童的成长中起着非常重要的作用。在农村,家庭普遍缺失亲职教育,存在亲职教育理念偏差、方式不得当、内容缺乏等问题,对亲职教育有明显需求。本文试图从亲子理论、操作制约理论和社会学习理论等视角探讨亲职教育的价值,提出解决当前农村亲职教育问题的策略,鼓励父母积极参与早期亲职教育,提高他们的教养能力。     

Youth supervision while mothers work: a daily diary study of maternal worry

Using data from a daily diary study of hourly hotel employees in the US and their children, this study examined links between youth supervision arrangements and maternal worry while at work, examining both differences between individuals and day-to-day variation within individuals. Multilevel model analyses revealed both between- and within-person effects linking youth supervision to maternal worry. Mothers’ partner status functioned as moderator, and maternal knowledge also emerged as a protective factor when youth were in self-care, highlighting a potential target for future work–family interventions, particularly those for hourly employees with limited access to family-friendly workplace policies.     

Foster Parenthood

No abstract available for this article.     

Behaviors and Strategies Employed in Parental Alienation

Abstract

A survey study was conducted of adults who self reported being targets of parental alienation. Three research questions were addressed: (1) What alienating strategies were identified by the targeted parents and to what extent were these behaviors consistent with those identified by adult children of PAS? (2) Was gender of the targeted parent associated with number and/or type of strategy identified? And (3) What child and parent characteristics were associated with level of PAS (mild, moderate, severe) as described by the targeted parents? Ninety-seven individuals completed a written survey. One section of the survey asked participants to list every type of behavior that they believed the alienating parent used to effectuate the alienation. From prior research and review of the responses, a list of possible strategies was developed. The 1,300 actions described by the 97 participants were independently coded. Results revealed 66 types of strategies, 11 mentioned by at least 20% of the sample. There was considerable but not complete overlap in the strategies identified by the targeted parents with those described by adult children (from another study). There were no statistical differences in the number or type of strategy mentioned based on the gender of the targeted parent or the gender of the target child. Level of severity of PAS (mild, moderate, severe) as perceived by the targeted parent was associated with age and gender of the target child, with girls and older children being more likely to be reported as more severely alienated. These results provide a systematic examination of the different types of alienation strategies known to targeted parents and as such they offer several avenues for clinical interventions and future research.     

Importancia del clima familiar y la experiencia de pareja en las relaciones de amistad adolescentes

Resumen

En este trabajo estudiamos la conexión que existe entre las relaciones de amistad en los últimos años adolescentes y otros contextos sociales. En concreto, pretendemos conocer el rol compensatorio o complementario de los amigos en relación a la familia, y la posible interferencia de la relación de pareja en la red de amistad. En una muestra de 600 adolescentes, evaluamos varias características de la red de amistad (número de amigos, satisfacción, proximidad,…), y la intimidad con el mejor amigo/a. El clima familiar (cohesión, expresividad y conflicto) y el apoyo parental fueron las variables familiares; y el número de relaciones de pareja pasadas, su situación actual, el estadio, la duración, y la satisfacción con la relación, las variables de pareja. Los resultados mostraron que las chicas tenían menos amigos, pero más próximos e íntimos que los chicos. Además, el clima familiar y el apoyo parental se asociaron con características positivas de la red de amistad, especialmente en los chicos. Por último, los chicos y chicas que tenían una relación de pareja valoraron mejor sus relaciones de amistad. Los resultados se discuten en términos de un modelo complementario de relaciones.     

Exploring the Etiology of Perfectionism and Perceptions of Self‐worth in Young Athletes

This study assessed the main and interactive effects of perceived parental expectations and perceived parental criticism on 180 young talented athletes' perfectionistic tendencies and level and reported fluctuation in self‐esteem. A potential quadratic effect of perceived parental expectations on the targeted dependent variables was also tested. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived parental criticism was the strongest predictor of concerns over mistakes and doubts about actions whereas perceived parental expectations were positively related to personal standards only. Self‐esteem was predicted by high perceived parental expectations and low perceived parental criticism. Children's reported fluctuation in self‐esteem was highest when perceived parental criticism was high and perceived parental expectations were deemed high or low. The results argue against a unidimensional and linear examination of factors relating to the etiology of perfectionism and perceptions of self‐worth.     

Leave policy in the Nordic welfare states: a ‘recipe’ for high employment/high fertility?

Predicted population decline and labour shortages in European welfare states are directing attention to policy strategies that might increase women's employment and fertility rates. In this context, the Nordic welfare states’ blend of high female employment rates and relatively high fertility levels stands out from others. These patterns are accompanied by comprehensive work–family policies indicating that policy reform is a main explanation. A core element in Nordic work–family policies is generous leave of absence arrangements for parents. In scrutinising leave policy in a Nordic context, the analysis in this paper emphasises that the current situation is a result of processes that have taken a long time to unfold, and that leave policy reforms interact with labour market developments and cultural institutions of family formation in shaping women's social practices.     

Whose Wishes and Feelings? Children's Autonomy and Parental Influence in Family Court Enquiries

The importance of the child’s right to be heard and fortheir wishes and feelings to be taken notice of is now acceptedacross a broad professional and research terrain. Increasingly,children are being treated as active participants in the processesand decisions that affect them. In cases of divorce and separation,especially where parental relationships are conflicted, theaccepted wisdom in the UK for many years has been for childrento be protected rather than empowered. More recently, practitioners,policy makers and researchers have looked for ways to involvechildren, although the ‘welfare’ of the child hasremained paramount. In this context, the question of how toensure that wishes and feelings expressed are those that authenticallybelong to the child, rather than to their parent, sibling orother, has achieved a new significance. This article presentsfindings from recent research to illustrate how the tensionbetween protection and empowerment is being played out in thisaspect of welfare report enquiries carried out by CAFCASS (Childrenand Family Court Advisory and Support Service) private law practitioners.     

Explaining the Long Reach of Fathers’ Prenatal Involvement on Later Paternal Engagement

The present study examined the association between unmarried fathers’ prenatal involvement and fathers’ engagement later in the child’s life. The study sample consisted of 1,686 fathers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Findings using multiple regressions revealed that fathers’ prenatal involvement is significantly and positively associated with levels of fathers’ engagement at Years 1 and 3. This association was partially explained by fathers’ transitions from unemployment to employment and to a greater extent by fathers’ transitions from nonresidential to residential relationships with the child’s mother.