Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Research Articles

"All I know is that a disabled person is someone who is crippled": Using narratives of parents to unmask the misconceptions of Mild intellectual disabilities concept as a learning support hindrance.

Background: Learning-support provision by parents is key to children's scholastic success. However, when children are diagnosed with mild intellectual disabilities and in need of additional support, learning support provision is hindered. Aim: The study sought to investigate parents' experiences when providing learning support to children diagnosed with Mild intellectual disabilities. Setting: Using a phenomenological design and an interpretive paradigm, anchored in a qualitative research approach, data were gathered from parents whose children were diagnosed with Mild intellectual disabilities across three inclusive schools from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Gauteng province, in South Africa. Methods: Twenty-three (23) parents were purposefully selected to participate in the study by sharing their lived experiences. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and thematic content data analysis methods. Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological systems theory underpinned the study. Results: The findings revealed that the parents' misconception of the mild intellectual disability concept is one of the learning support hindrances. Conclusion: Parental empowerment through psycho-education was highlighted as a need for policy and practice adaptation.

Enhancing Parent-School Partnership Through a General Parents’ Orientation Program

Based on Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Theory, this study seeks to assess the effectiveness of the General Parents' Orientation Program at Emilio Aguinaldo College - Manila, High School Department. The program targeted parents of Junior and Senior High School students, offering them an in-person orientation to familiarize them with school processes. Subsequently, feedback was collected from parents who attended the event via Google Forms, with 190 out of 439 participants responding. This research follows a descriptive design, with the quantitative aspect of the survey concentrating on evaluating the program's objectives, execution, and overall atmosphere. The study addresses parents' concerns and queries regarding their children's education. These concerns encompassed topics such as the voucher program, in-person class conduct, access to books and uniforms, documentation requirements, various curriculum-related issues, payment procedures, student discipline, and related matters. The study serves as a foundation for planning future events of a similar nature. Furthermore, the findings enhance services, instructional strategies, and the overall quality of education within the department, ultimately benefitting both parents and students alike. Keywords: parents, parents’ orientation program, Junior and Senior High School, parents and school partnership

Coach-created motivational climate ratings differentiate between dropout and continuation in Australian youth swimming

Objectives Applying Bronfenbrenner's Bio-Ecological Systems Theory and PPCT model recommendations, this study examined whether specific or multiple factors were associated with participation status in Australian youth swimming; a context known for high dropout rates. Methods Participants were continuing ( N = 99) and former ( N = 104) swimmers, aged 8–18 years, who competed at club-national level in New South Wales, Australia. Participants completed an online survey, examining socio-demographic, participation history, and coach-created motivational climate characteristics (using the EDMCQ-C). To identify influential factors, a combination of T-tests, Odds Ratios, and MANOVA analyses were used. To confirm the presence of coach-motivational climate types and their association with participant status, cluster analyses with follow-up Odds Ratios were used. Results Except athlete age and sex, other socio-demographic, participation history, and family sport history participation were not associated with dropout. Meanwhile, EDMCQ-C analyses identified three cluster types of coach-created climate (empowering, disempowering, and neutral), with disempowering and empowering types, respectively, associated with dropout and continuation. The neutral climate was associated with low-moderate EDMCQ-C sub-scale scoring and was neither associated with dropout nor continuation. Conclusion Findings identify the influence of coach-created motivational climates and not athlete-related factors on continued Australian youth swimming participation, highlighting coaching implications.

Infant externalizing behavior and parent depressive symptoms: Prospective predictors of parental pandemic related distress.

Understanding predictors and effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic is a top-priority in research endeavors. The impact of COVID-19 on all components of family life and mental health cannot be overstated. This study emphasizes the need to investigate predictors of parents' responses to disaster by conceptualizing the depth of the impact of the pandemic using Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Model. We evaluate parents of infants as the center of the microsystem and discuss the importance of parents' responses to the pandemic for children's development. Specifically, utilizing a prospective design involving a sample of 105 infant-mother-father triads, we test the predictive effects of mothers' and fathers' mental health and infant externalizing behavior assessed prior to the pandemic when infants were 16-months on later pandemic related distress (PRD) approximately 1year later. Results indicate that for both mothers and fathers, more depressive symptoms during their child's infancy predicted more PRD. Although mothers' reports of more child externalizing behavior significantly predicted more PRD, fathers' reports of externalizing were strongly, positively correlated with their concurrent depressive symptoms but not directly related to PRD. We demonstrate the importance of pre-existing mental health and parents' perceptions of their children's behavior as early as 16months, in coping with disaster.

Evaluation of Couple's Sexual Function after Childbirth with the Biopsychosocial Model: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis.

Background:After childbirth, sexual dysfunction refers to a chain of psychiatric, physiological, social changes and a couple's experiences. The purpose of our Systematic Review (Syst.Rev.) is to evaluate available high-quality evidence and construct a Bio Psycho Social (BPS) model of couple's sexual function after childbirth.Materials and Methods:A systematic search was done with MeSH terms in databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Science direct. A total number of 9 Syst.Rev. were evaluated from 2009 to 2019 years. The quality of extracted articles was evaluated based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist of contents using two qualified reviewers. Data synthesis was performed using the thematic analysis.Results:Biopsychosocial Model of Postpartum Couple's Sexual Function (BMPCSF) is proposed as a developmental process similar to Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Model. Studies showed a significant relationship among the type of childbirth, trauma of perineum, breastfeeding, mood swings, fears, changes in the self-body image, spousal support, and Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction (PSD). Hence, the evidence about male sexuality in the postpartum period doesn't seem sufficient.Conclusions:The information from this study will help health policymakers develop the appropriate guidelines to inform couples and healthcare professionals about the BPS changes after childbirth and PSD. Besides, BMPCSF can be used in postpartum sexual counseling to improve sexual health and marital relationships. We propose comprehensive original study on couples' postpartum sexuality, especially men's conduct, emphasizing socio-cultural factors.

Dynamics of Child soldiers' Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Well-being: Perspectives from Bioecological Systems Theory in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background research on children associated with armed forces and armed groups (CAAFAG) and the analysis of how to facilitate their social reintegration and human development reveals a variety of complex individual and collective challenges with which they are confronted; however, their social and cultural environment, and the risks that may impede their future development and well-being, remain understudied. This empirical research reports the results of descriptive and correlational analyses of data emanating from author-administered interviews, and focus group discussions with 128 CAAFAG and two psychologists working with them in rehabilitation centers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The entire sample involved relatively young participants (N = 130, M = 17.11, SD = 4.28), with the youngest child aged 11. The outcomes sustain that the psychosocial rehabilitation programme framed within Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory shows promising effects in enhancing CAAFAG's well-being, human growth; and in reducing potential violent behavior.

Uncovering Multidimensional Poverty Experiences in Shaping Children’s Socioemotional Trajectories during the First 6 Years of Schooling

The extant literature has attested to the importance of poverty on child well-being generally using a unidimensional approach. Researchers have yet to establish solid evidence on how multiple dimensions of poverty (e.g., depth, volatility, and spells of exposure) might be associated with children's socioemotional well-being during their early school years. Building upon Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory, this study used latent class analysis to identify poverty patterns by incorporating multiple dimensions of poverty and investigated the relationship between multidimensional poverty patterns and children's socioemotional trajectories from kindergarten through fifth grade. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K), a longitudinal dataset featuring a nationally representative cohort of children in the United States (N≈20,090), the analysis identified seven poverty groups. Each group exhibited a unique poverty or economic pattern that incorporates the three poverty dimensions. Growth-curve results indicate that multidimensional poverty patterns were significantly associated with externalizing and internalizing behaviors both at kindergarten and over time by fifth grade. Children with the acutest form of economic deprivation-extreme poverty, volatile income, and multiple spells of poverty exposure-were reported to have the worst outcomes. The significant variations in children's socioemotional trajectories due to different poverty patterns highlight the importance of poverty reduction and prevention strategies corresponding to those patterns for optimal effect. This study suggests a focus not just on helping families exit poverty temporarily, but on improving their economic security as a way to nurture children's socioemotional well-being.

A culture of assessment: A bioecological systems approach for early and continuous assessment of deaf infants and children

AbstractEven today, with all of the hearing technology and bilingual programs available, many Deaf children arrive at school with severe language delays. With a renewed focus on having Deaf children kindergarten‐ready, assessment of language milestones becomes critical as seen in the campaign Child First and the legislation referred to as Language Equality & Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD‐K). Here, a strategy is proposed to ensure that Deaf children are kindergarten‐ready. The focus is on a re‐evaluation of the epistemologies of the social and individualized medical models of health, as well as Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems approach, to assess all components that impact a Deaf child's ecology to permit maximizing their developmental potentials.

Mental health and support among young key populations: an ecological approach to understanding and intervention.

IntroductionThe patterning of the HIV epidemic within young key populations (YKPs) highlights disproportionate burden by mental disorders in these populations. The mental wellbeing of YKPs is closely associated with biological predispositions and psychosocial factors related to YKPs’ sexual and gender identities and socio-economic status. The purpose of this paper is to highlight sources of risk and resilience, as well as identify treatment and supports for mental health disorders (MHDs) among YKPs.DiscussionThis paper utilizes Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Theory and the Social Stress Model to explore the risk and protective factors for MHDs across YKPs’ ecological systems, and identify current gaps in treatment and support for MHDs among these youth. We emphasize the fluidity and intersections across these categorizations which reinforce the vulnerability of these populations, the lack of concrete data to inform mental health interventions among YKPs, and the need to ground YKP interventions and programmes with human rights principles stipulated in the convention on the rights of a child.ConclusionsWe put forth recommendations for future research and strategies to address the mental wellbeing of YKPs, including the need for integrated interventions that address the multiplicity of risk factors inherent in the multiple group membership, rather than single-focus interventions whilst addressing the unique needs or challenges of YKPs.

Adolescents' perceptions of chronic self-concept, peer relations, and learning conditions

Based on Lewin's Field Theory, Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Theory and social network analysis, the authors collected data from 405 Chinese adolescents about their peer relations, chronic self-concept levels and learning condition variables through questionnaire distributing, and from their teachers about their annual average academic achievement. It is proposed that the impacts of peer relations should be studied from a psycho-ecological perspective by considering the direct and joint effects of peer relations and student bio-psychological environment (as for instance chronic self-concept) on student outcomes. With hierarchical multiple regression analysis, hypothesis formulated on the research purpose was tested to be almost true. Finally, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

The family and an obese child

Obesity in children is a 'new' epidemic of the modern society, whose importance is far greater in terms of the consequences it creates than is the problem itself. The etiology of obesity is certainly complex and multifactorial. This paper studies the effects of the family on the occurrence of obesity in children and adolescents in the context of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory.

Using Ecological Frameworks to Advance a Field of Research, Practice, and Policy on Aging-in-Place Initiatives

Initiatives to promote aging in place have emerged rapidly in the United States across various health care settings (e.g., acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities) and broader community settings (e.g., public social service agencies). Moreover, recent federal policies include a growing number of provisions for local efforts to promote aging in place. Despite emerging bodies of research that have described singular initiatives in their own right, there has been very little scholarship that forges conceptual linkages across this increasingly vast domain of research, practice, and policy. Integrative theory development is critical to ensure that aging-in-place initiatives do not become fragmented from each other. This article uses insights from ecological frameworks-specifically Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory and M. Powell Lawton's general ecological model of aging-to conceptualize a range of programs as aging-in-place initiatives and for describing their similarities and differences, particularly in terms of the features through which they intend to promote aging in place. Theoretically derived dimensions along which to characterize aging-in-place initiatives include environment-focused aspects (e.g., the types of social systems and structures that the initiatives target for change) and person-focused aspects (e.g., the extent to which the initiatives target particular subgroups of older adults). The article concludes with a discussion on how these theoretically derived dimensions can be used to advance and integrate research, practice, and policy to systematically develop and expand aging-in-place initiatives.

Sexological Systems Theory: an ecological model and assessment approach for sex therapy

Current modalities of sex therapy, consisting of both cognitive-behavioral and systemic approaches, show moderate results. Yet the very fact that such results are at times inconsistent or incomplete indicates that something is lacking in treatment. The present paper suggests that such inadequacies may be a result of a lack of focus on all aspects of sexuality as biopsychosocially determined within current modalities. The Sexological Systems Model proposes sexuality as a developmental process similar to Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Model. The Sexological Systems Diagram is introduced as an intervention for both assessment and psychoeducation for couples presenting for sex therapy. Information obtained through facilitating the Sexological Systems Diagram can be used by the therapist to determine the most appropriate treatment plan.