Participation In Child Care Research Articles

Parents’ experiences of participation in the care of hospitalised children: A qualitative study

Background The introduction of unrestricted visiting hours has led to the encouragement of parents to stay with and participate in the care of their hospitalised child. In order to stay with the hospitalised child, parents have to be away from home or work, which in turn impacts on their personal and family life. However, no published study on parents’ experiences of childcare participation during paediatric hospitalisation has been found for a Chinese population. Objectives This study explored Chinese parents’ experiences of their participation in taking care of their hospitalised child. Design A qualitative exploratory design was adopted to capture parents’ experiences of participation. Settings The study was conducted in four paediatric wards of a regional acute general hospital in the New Territories, a major geographical region of Hong Kong. Participants Nineteen parents (16 mothers and three fathers) who had a child hospitalised for more than 48 h and identified themselves as staying comparatively longer with the child than their counterpart were recruited. Methods Data were collection by tape-recorded semi-structured interview. Results Four major categories that illustrated parents’ experiences of participation in childcare were identified: reasons for staying with the child, rescheduling of family's routine, expectations of nurses, and comments on facility provisions. The findings highlight parents’ desire for participation in caring for their hospitalised child, their unexpressed needs for communication and concern about the non-monetary costs of participation. Conclusions Most parents viewed accompanying their hospitalised child as an unconditional aspect of being a parent and had a strong desire for participation. Parents’ need for communication and emotional support during their participation of childcare in paediatric unit are universal. As Chinese parents are passive in seeking help, nurses should take the initiative in assessing their needs and offering them support accordingly.

Parental involvement and spousal satisfaction with division of early childcare in Turkish families with normal children and children with special needs

In this low‐income Turkish sample, parents reported on father and mother division of childcare labor and satisfaction with division. Regardless of whether they were rearing typical or atypical children, mothers reported a higher level of involvement than fathers in every domain of childcare. In general, both mothers and fathers reported slight dissatisfaction with their own level of participation in childcare. Across groups, all mothers were significantly more dissatisfied (than their spouses were with their level of participation) with the fathers’ level of participation in childcare. Best predictors of parental involvement were parent's employment status, satisfaction with partner level of involvement, and parent educational level.

Child in hospital: family experiences and expectations of how nurses can promote family health

This study set out to explore, from the family's point of view, ways in which nursing staff can promote family health during the child's hospital stay. Having a child in hospital is a major source of stress and anxiety for the whole family. Earlier studies have described parental coping strategies, ways to strengthen those strategies and to support parental participation in child care, but no one has studied the promotion of family health during the child's hospitalization from the family's point of view. Interviews were conducted in 2002 with 29 families who had a child with a chronic illness which were receiving or had received treatment on the paediatric wards of two Finnish hospitals. Data analysis was based on the grounded theory method, proceeding to the stage of axial coding. Data collection and analysis phases proceeded simultaneously. Five domains were distinguished in the promotion of family health: (1) reinforcing parenthood, (2) looking after the child's welfare, (3) sharing the emotional burden, (4) supporting everyday coping and (5) creating a confidential care relationship. The results strengthen the knowledge base of family nursing by showing how nursing staff can promote family health during the child's hospital stay. The results have a number of practical applications for nursing, both for clinical practice and research. The results can be used in paediatric hospital wards caring for chronically ill children and their families. The five domains of family health promotion described here should be tested in other paediatric wards and in other geographical locations.

Child care, disability, and family structure: Use and quality in a population-based sample of low-income preschool children

The National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) was analyzed to examine the use and quality of child care of low-income preschool children with disabilities as contrasted to low-income nondisabled children. Family structure is a stronger predictor of child care use than disability status. Disabled and nondisabled children living with single parents show similarly elevated rates of participation in child care. Important differences were found in the use and quality of child care. Our findings related to the extremely low cost of care for disabled children living with single parents may suggest particularly deleterious developmental outcomes for these children. These findings suggest the need for child care subsidies directed at low-income disabled children and their families. Further, the protective enforcement of minimum standards of care may require further analysis.

Inequality in Preschool Education and School Readiness

Attendance in U.S. preschools has risen substantially in recent decades, but gaps in enrollment between children from advantaged and disadvantaged families remain. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999, we analyze the effect of participation in child care and early education on children’s school readiness as measured by early reading and math skills in kindergarten and first grade. We find that children who attended a center or school-based preschool program in the year before school entry perform better on assessments of reading and math skills upon beginning kindergarten, after controlling for a host of family background and other factors that might be associated with selection into early education programs and relatively high academic skills. This advantage persists when children’s skills are measured in the spring of kindergarten and first grade, and children who attended early education programs are also less likely to be retained in kindergarten. In most instances, the effects are largest for disadvantaged groups, raising the possibility that policies promoting preschool enrollment of children from disadvantaged families might help to narrow the school readiness gap.

Maternal adaptation during childbearing in Norway, Sweden and the United States

The purpose of the study of 147 healthy primiparous women is to investigate the relationship between maternal adaptation during pregnancy and postpartum. This report is part of a larger study of relationships between family dynamics and maternal adaptation during childbearing in Norway, Sweden and the US. Variables included maternal adaptation, age, social status, mother's employment, type of birth, length of hospitalization and mother infant time together in the hospital. Mothers reporting greater adaptation during pregnancy reported greater adaptation postpartum. Mothers who believed themselves adapted indicated that they were better prepared for labour, had more control over their birth experience, a better relationship with their partner, and perceived greater participation in child care from their partner. Few differences were found in maternal adaptation among all mothers, and few relationships were found among selected sociodemographic variables and maternal adaptation. Formation of maternal identity and mother's confidence in her ability to cope with the tasks of motherhood was affected by mothers' prenatal identification with the motherhood role, supporting the notion that knowing what to expect provides a sense of control. Mothers' prenatal identification with the motherhood role directly or indirectly affected her satisfaction with motherhood. Nurses may want to develop practice strategies to support these findings.

Gender Division of Childcare and the Sharing of Parental Leave among New Parents in Sweden

The gender division of childcare has received less research attention than the division of paid work and unpaid household work, possibly because time for childcare has been presumed to have the same determinants as time for household work and because of lack of appropriate data. Further, some of the previous studies of parents' time for childcare have been subject to limitations, such as small sample size, selective samples, and self‐reports on childcare time, and few had access to earnings data. This paper uses register data on days of parental‐leave used by mothers and fathers of Swedish children born in 1994, including information on the earnings of mothers and fathers, to analyse the determinants of fathers' participation in childcare. In 1994 parents were entitled to 15 months of parental leave of which 12 months were compensated at 90 per cent of prior earnings. Our major finding is that while both father's and mother's earnings had positive effects on father's leave use, this was smaller at higher levels of earnings, and father's earnings had a greater impact than mother's. At similar levels of earnings, the more educated fathers used more leave. Fathers also used more leave if the mother had more schooling and if they were established in the labour market, but used less leave if the mother was established in the labour market.

Family obligations and the transition to working life: the influence of parenthood and family obligations on the transition to employment of university graduates

This study focuses on the question of how well young university graduates succeed – despite their family obligations – by exploiting in the labour market the potential they have gained through their education. The findings are based on a survey of university graduates throughout Switzerland and present a positive picture. Natural science and engineering graduates are the only ones for whom participation in childcare makes the transition to working life more difficult. Otherwise, starting a family and involvement in childcare generally do not represent an obstacle to participating in employment and finding a position with high requirements. However, it is relatively rare for recent graduates with children to accept trainee positions, a fact that could have a negative impact on their careers over the long term.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PATTERNS AND MATERNAL WELL-BEING IN POSTPARTUM WOMEN

Little data exists examining physical activity patterns in postpartum women and the relationship to maternal well-being. Furthermore, the contribution of household, child and family care activities to daily physical activity levels is rarely quantified (Ainsworth, 2000). PURPOSE: To examine changes in physical activity patterns pre versus postpartum and the relationship between physical activity patterns and material well being in postpartum women. METHODS: Fifty-six postpartum (up to 1 yr) women (age: 29.3 ± 4.2 y; 91% Caucasian) completed a modified Kaiser Physical Activity Survey (KPAS) (Ainsworth, 2000) and the Postpartum Self-Evaluation Questionnaire (PPQ) (Lederman, 1981). Subjects recalled their activity for the year prior to their pregnancy and since the birth of their baby for the KPAS. RESULTS: KPAS provides four summary activity indexes: housework/caregiving (HC), active living habits (AL), sport (S) and occupation (O). The PPQ has 7 subscales related to maternal well-being. A significant increase in the HC index was found pre versus postpartum in all subjects (2.81 ± 0.64 vs. 2.97 ± 0.44; p = 0.005). A significant difference in the S index was found between women with a child ≥ 6 versus < 6 months of age (1.89 ± 0.82 vs. 2.5 ± 1.0, p = 0.033). S index was significantly associated with 2 PPQ subscales (quality of relationship with the husband, r = −0.31, p = 0.027; mother's perception of father's participation in child care, r = −0.29, p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: These results indicate the postpartum period results in a greater level of HC activities. The ability of women to engage in S activities is related to a higher quality relationship with their husband, greater participation by the father in childcare and having an older infant.

Child labour and schooling in the context of a subsistence rural economy: can they be compatible?

International concern over the problem of child labour often focuses on children working in the manufacturing and export sectors. Yet, most children in the developing countries provide unpaid agricultural and domestic labour, often at the expense of their education. A holistic approach that considers schooling in conjunction with children’s participation in child care, farm work, and other household responsibilities is, thus necessary to formulate policies that will encourage greater educational attainment. This paper has investigated the implications of children’s participation in household activities on schooling using a household survey from rural Ethiopia. The result suggests that combining work with school attendance is common among school children, although some activities may hamper school attendance more than others. Hence, a gradual policy towards child labour may be necessary in the context of subsistence economies, where initial interventions should aim at making the combination of work and school attendance possible rather than eliminating immediately child labour. To achieve this, introduction of a flexible school system that recognizes the peak demand seasons for family and agricultural labour may be necessary.

Paternal Participation in Child Care and Its Effects on Children's Self-Esteem and Attitudes Toward Gendered Roles

Interviews with forty 10- and 11-year-old children (24 boys and 16 girls) investigated the effects of parents' division of child care responsibilities on children's self-esteem, their relationships with parents, and their gendered ideas and preferences. Children whose fathers participated relatively more in the emotional side of parenting (e.g., comforting) showed greater preferences for “feminine” activities and had higher self-esteem than children whose fathers were less involved. Children whose fathers performed a higher proportion of the “work” of parenting (e.g., transporting, planning activities, and arranging child care) endorsed a more gender-free model of family life. The absolute amount of time fathers spent with children had no independent significant effects. Egalitarian parenting clearly benefits children when fathers share “maternal” tasks, but even when fathers do not fully participate in those “maternal” aspects of parenting, dividing the time 50-50 may benefit mothers without hurting children.

Father Involvement in the Lives of Mainland Puerto Rican Children: Contributions of Nonresident, Cohabiting and Married Fathers

This study examines the nature and determinants of father involvement among mainland Puerto Ricans using interview data collected from mothers of a representative sample of Puerto Rican infants. Focusing on both financial contributions and participation in child care (e.g. diapering feeding and bathing the child) the behavior of non-resident fathers is compared to that of cohabiting fathers and married fathers. A key question addressed in the analysis is whether father involvement is influenced primarily by the fathers economic status or whether other factors identified in the literature are also important for Puerto Ricans. Overall the authors results underscore the critical role of employment in fathers contributions to Puerto Rican children. (authors)

Childcare Networks and the Well-Being of Mothers

The purpose of this analysis is to examine the effects of childcare network structure on the psychological well-being of mothers measured against “satisfaction of everyday life” and “child-rearing anxiety”. Childcare network in this analysis refers to a network that involves the father, kin, and non-kin. Using a representative sample of women with children of pre-school age in Japan, this study explores how the structure of childcare network affects the psychological well-being of mothers by using multiple linear-regression models. Findings indicate that the level of the mother' s well-being is highest when (i) the father' s participation in childcare is highly active, (ii) the childcare network outside the household is large, and (iii) the childcare network includes a good mixture of both kin and non-kin. As regards the childcare network involving extra-household actors, the composition and density of the network exhibit the characteristic of a U-shape curve in relation to the level of well-being : well-being is lowest in level when kin proportion and network density are either too low or too high. In other words, the level of well-being is high when kin proportion and network density are around mid level. In conclusion, this paper finds that active participation by fathers in childcare, together with a large childcare network structure that is mixed in composition and of mid-level density, are conditions most favorable in achieving a high level of psychological well-being in child-rearing mothers.

División del trabajo en familias de dos proveedores. Relato desde ambos géneros y dos generaciones

En el contexto de las fuertes transformaciones sociales acaecidas desde la instalación de la crisis en los ochenta enla Argentina, el modelo tradicional del “único proveedor (varón)” disminuyó y el de “dos proveedores” aumentó. En el Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires las cifras respectivas son de -23% y +68% entre 1980 y 1994. La transformación pone en cuestión los valores establecidos acerca de la división del trabajo por género en la sociedad.La investigación que reseña el artículo procuró responder en qué medida la Argentina está asistiendo a una “revolución estancada” a la Hochchild, o al advenimiento de “nuevas familias” a la Goldscheider y Waite. en entrevistas separadas con ambos miembros de 35 parejas conyugales de familias de dobles proveedores de sectores medios, residentes en Buenos Aires, se indagó la división del trabajo entre ambos en comparación con la prevaleciente en sus hogares de origen, además de sus imágenes y representaciones acerca del género, la paternidad y la maternidad, y la pareja conyugal. Los resultados muestran que la división del trabajo se alejó del modelo tradicional de roles segregados para seguir más uno transicional que uno igualitario. El cambio intergeneracional no fue parejo: la paternidad ganó muchos más adeptos que la domesticidad. Es decir, los varones incrementaron su participación en el cuidado de los niños mucho más que en la atención de la casa, que sigue definida como femenina. Las mujeres no disminuyeron su elevada participación en la domesticidad y la maternidad, además invadieron actividades del hogar tradicionalmente masculinas.

The Transition to Motherhood of Korean Women

This research examines the effect of the birth of a child on couple relationships and compares the transition to motherhood of employed and non-employed Korean women. Data are analyzed from indepth interviews with 20 employed and 20 non-employed women in Korea. Preparation for motherhood, difficulties and satisfactions, changes in the marital relationship, support from others, and attitudes toward child rearing are considered by employment status. Perhaps because of considerable family support, employed women did not experience severe difficulties in adapting to the new role. Indeed, extensive family support may interfere with fathers’ participation in child care. Suggestions for policy changes are noted.

A model of fathers' behavioral involvement in child care in dual-earner families.

Fathers and mothers (n = 120) of preschool-aged children completed 2 measures assessing fathers' behavioral involvement in child care (i.e., the amount of time that the father was the child's primary caregiver and the number of child-care tasks performed). The results reaffirm the findings from previous studies that father's long work hours can be a barrier to greater participation in child care but that mothers' extended work hours serve to increase father participation in child care. Women's perception of their husbands' competence as parents and marital satisfaction also explain fathers' involvement. Fathers' gender role ideology and attitudes about the fathers' role appear important for fathers' involvement in child care, and findings indicate that men's involvement may be more self-determined than previously believed.

Fathers’ Participation in Childcare Within Navajo Indian Families

Fathers’ and mothers’ reports of their participation in early caregiving tasks and the amount of social support they received regarding their involvement with their infants were examined for 28 two‐parent Navajo Indian families. Mothers were significantly more involved in basic caregiving activities than fathers. Fathers invested about sixty percent as much time as mothers did in direct caregiving tasks. Mothers and fathers did not differ on the degree to which they reported receiving social supports for childcare tasks. Navajo parents received significantly more extrafamilial and/or institutional sources of support than family support for early caregiving activities. Navajo fathers were highly involved with their young children. The results are discussed in relation to role differences in early caregiving within Navajo families.

Impact of Teleworking on Childcare Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Owner-Occupied Housing

Stay-at-home restrictions in several countries to prevent any further transmission of the COVID-19 virus during the pandemic have exogenously encouraged many workers and companies to adopt telework. This study discusses the relationship between teleworking and childcare participation, taking the housing environment into consideration by utilizing data from the Japan Household Panel Survey and its supplementary modules on COVID-19, which were conducted in 2020. After controlling for individual and household attributes, region, and housing characteristics, we find that regular employed male teleworkers living in owner-occupied detached housing increase the ratio of childcare time to work time by 31.6 percentage points than workers living in other housing arrangements during the pandemic. Regular employed female teleworkers increase the same ratio by 125.7 percentage points in September when regular schooling resumed. This suggests that sufficient space and housing ownership may have a substantial effect on time devoted for childcare by teleworkers.

Work, income, the economy, and married fathers as child-care providers

Previous research on fathers as child-care providers indicates a need to study the father's role in child care in the context of different economic cycles. Using data from the 1988, 1991, and 1993 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, we examine whether fathers' availability and the couple's economic resources are differently related to child care by fathers over time. We focus on the differences between 1991--a recession year--and 1988 and 1993--two nonrecession years. Increased availability of fathers is significantly related to higher levels of fathers' participation in child care in all three years. Relative economic resources between husbands and wives help explain care by fathers only during the recession year, whereas family income is important only in the nonrecession years. These results suggest that in the future, researchers should acknowledge fluctuations in the economy when studying husbands' participation in traditional female tasks, as macroeconomic shifts appear to impact the likelihood of married fathers caring for their preschoolers during mothers' working hours.

La participación masculina en el cuidado de los hijos en la nueva familia urbana española

En aquest treball s’analitza l’evolució de la participació de l’home en les tasques d’atenció i cura dels fills en les noves famílies urbanes durant l’última dècada, així com els factors dels quals depèn aquesta participació. Els resultats que s’obtenen d’aquest estudi evidencien un canvi apreciable però no gaire elevat durant l’última dècada, com també la necessitat de distingir entre tipus d’activitats o tasques relacionades amb l’atenció i la cura dels fills, ja que les pautes de divisió segons el gènere d’aquestes activitats depenen del tipus de tasques de què es tracti. La participació de l’home en les tasques matinals està exclusivament condicionada per l’estatus laboral de la dona, mentre que en les altres tasques, siguin quotidianes o més o menys esporàdiques, està més condicionada per la sobrecàrrega relativa de les famílies i el nivell educatiu dels pares. El joc amb els nens, per contra, està únicament condicionat per l’edat d’aquests.