Disadvantaged Families Research Articles

Strategies for Scientific Journals to Advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Scholarship, Science, and Practice

Background: Internationally, colleagues from minoritized groups and backgrounds are typically underrepresented within scientific journals. The benefits and importance of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, to further enhance science, scholarship, and practice are increasingly evident. Historical systems, structures, beliefs, policies, processes, and practices often advantage some and disadvantage others (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender minorities), thus, it is important to be reflective and proactive in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) in scientific journals. Aims: It is imperative that leaders of scientific journals engage in intentional, purposeful, and sustained actions to advocate for and advance DEI, scholarship, science, and practice. There are numerous strategies that may be implemented by journal leadership to contribute to advancing DEI. Methods: Herein, a succinct summary of several recommendations is provided, followed by a case study illustrating the implementation of actionable strategies and current outcomes associated with the School Psychology Review journal. Strategies discussed include: (a) establishing individual and collective commitments to advocating for and advancing DEI as the foundation of our scholarship; (b) diversifying the journal leadership; (c) diversifying the editorial advisory board; (d) preparing future diverse journal leadership through mentored editorial fellowship programs, especially focused on early research career individuals; (e) mentoring future colleagues by establishing a student editorial board with members from diverse backgrounds; (f) focusing on special topics relevant to diverse and minoritized children, youth, families, and school communities; (g) making available professional-development opportunities and resources; and (h) establishing a journal action plan focused on advancing DEI. Results: The outcomes delineated in the present case study illustrate that the journal engages and benefits from the contributions of many distinguished colleagues from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Moreover, the journal contents that have followed from these efforts further advance science, scholarship, and practice that supports disadvantaged children, youth, and families, including those from minoritized groups. Conclusions: Colleagues, organizations, and entities involved with scientific journals around the world are encouraged to advance and sustain DEI efforts in science, scholarship, and practice.

The Effects of Head Start on Low-Income Mothers

Head Start is a federal antipoverty program that provides free childcare, preschool, and related services to disadvantaged families. Research on Head Start has focused almost exclusively on impacts among children. Using data from the Head Start Impact Study, a nationally representative field experiment, the authors estimate treatment effects on maternal employment, economic hardship, and depression. The authors find that Head Start admission generates some improvements among Black mothers but not among other subpopulations. In analyses accounting for treatment intensity, noncompliance, and program substitution, the authors find suggestive evidence that Head Start participation may lead to even greater improvements in these outcomes specifically among Black mothers who would otherwise look after their children at home and when they participate in the program full-time. In conclusion, Head Start likely improves outcomes for some groups of low-income mothers, but these effects are heterogeneous, and they may be small, dose-dependent, or otherwise difficult to detect for many women.

Does financial inclusion impact socio-economic stability? A study of social safety net in Indian slums

PurposeThe study aims to examine the impact of social assistance schemes introduced by the Indian government on poverty alleviation in urban slums.Design/methodology/approachTo accomplish the study's objectives, primary data were collected from 585 beneficiaries of government schemes operating in India's northwestern state using a multistage sampling technique (Punjab). The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) technique reduced the total dataset to its minimum factors. Then, using second-order confirmatory factor analysis, the data's validity and reliability were determined. The data were analyzed using statistical techniques such as one-way ANOVA, t-test and structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe study's findings indicate that social assistance provided by the Government of India has a direct and substantial influence on poverty alleviation in urban slums. The study demonstrates how access to basic credit financial services through social assistance programmes has improved the lives of urban poor households living in slums and assisted them in escaping poverty.Research limitations/implicationsThe investigation was undertaken among a few limitations. First, the in-depth investigation of the study is restricted to only the northwestern state of India solely because of limited resources and time availability. Second, the study focuses primarily on the perspectives of beneficiaries of the social assistance schemes in India. Still, it might be expanded in the future to include additional stakeholders such as bank executives, business colleagues and municipal town panchayats.Practical implicationsDue to policymakers' increased emphasis on poor households living in urban slums, this topic is critical for studying many issues.Social implicationsThe research explores gaps in social welfare schemes to direct policymakers and government authorities to take appropriate steps to aid the urban poor people in sliding out of poverty.Originality/valueBy examining the influence of the Indian government's social welfare schemes on poverty reduction in slums, this study contributes to the literature on public assistance schemes and poverty alleviation. This article can assist policymakers in developing nations in increasing financial capability among disadvantaged urban families on a national and international level.

Student Volunteering, a Modern Education Opportunities for Children from Disadvantaged Families

Due to the economic changes in Romania over the last two decades, many parents have gone to work abroad, preferring to send money home. Their children remained in the country, with grandparents or relatives. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in school dropouts over time. To help reduce it, Social Homes were built in underserved areas where children could eat, learn, and participate in extracurricular activities. The paper describes one such educational model, a project in Bucharest in which students from two universities participate actively over one academic year. To begin, some issues that arose during the activities are discussed, as well as how they were resolved. The mutual benefits for both students and children are emphasized. The advantages for each party involved in this project are also examined separately. Children are drawn to direct communication and approaches to topics other than school activities. They further their understanding of new concepts or participate in extracurricular activities. The projects completed as part of the program were successful. The paper ends with some conclusions and discussions about the educational program’s benefits and the possibility of extending it to homes with refugee children from Ukraine or orphans, as well as other areas.

Community practice as street-level bureaucracy: community views and discretionary patterns

ABSTRACT Social work research has increasingly focused on the role of social work in shaping policies on behalf of disadvantaged individuals, families, and communities. However, scarce research has examined the contribution of social work community practitioners to policy development and practice. This qualitative study addresses this gap in the literature, exploring public community practitioners’ discretion patterns within Israeli Jewish-Arab mixed cities. Based on street-level bureaucracy perspective theory, the findings reveal that ambiguous formal policy allows participants an extensive discretionary space to initiate policies, informed by three perceptions of the urban community: as a shared space of cultural encounters; as a challenged site of structural unequal power relations; and as a contested arena of ethnic clashes. Consequently, three main patterns of discretion were identified: promoting cultural competence, addressing inequalities through service development for excluded populations, and mitigating ethnic conflicts by developing opportunities for dialogue. The study offers a conceptualisation to understand public community practitioners’ use of discretion and discusses their ability to critically address political issues in contested community settings.

Does the early bird catch the worm? Evidence and interpretation on the long-term impact of school entry age in China

The long-term impact of children's age at primary school entry on educational attainment and labor market outcomes is one of the primary concerns to families, educators, and policymakers. Using a nationally representative survey of families and individuals, this paper is among the first to explore these effects in a causal sense in the Chinese context and understand the underlying mechanisms. We use a regression discontinuity (RD) design that employs the threshold date for primary school entry set by the 1986 Compulsory Education Law of China as a source of exogenous variation in the timing of school entry. We first document a salient and robust compliance rate of school entry requirement. RD estimates indicate that being born right after the cutoff date significantly increases years of schooling and annual earnings for non-agricultural jobs for the full sample. We also observe remarkable heterogeneous effects on labor market performance by gender. Being born right after the cutoff increases the probability of being in the labor force for men, but decreases that for women. We find that the decline in female labor force participation is mainly driven by women who come from economically and socially disadvantaged families. Further evidence suggests that this decline can be explained by supply-side factors including fertility decision and childcare provisions.

Socially Stratified Epigenetic Profiles Are Associated With Cognitive Functioning in Children and Adolescents

Children’s cognitive functioning and educational performance are socially stratified. Social inequality, including classism and racism, may operate partly via epigenetic mechanisms that modulate neurocognitive development. Following preregistered analyses of data from 1,183 participants, ages 8 to 19 years, from the Texas Twin Project, we found that children growing up in more socioeconomically disadvantaged families and neighborhoods and children from marginalized racial/ethnic groups exhibit DNA methylation profiles that, in previous studies of adults, were indicative of higher chronic inflammation, lower cognitive functioning, and a faster pace of biological aging. Furthermore, children’s salivary DNA methylation profiles were associated with their performance on in-laboratory tests of cognitive and academic skills, including processing speed, general executive function, perceptual reasoning, verbal comprehension, reading, and math. Given that the DNA methylation measures that we examined were originally developed in adults, our results suggest that children show molecular signatures that reflect the early life social determinants of lifelong disparities in health and cognition.

The Effect of Social Benefit Reform on Educational Inequality

AbstractCross-country research argues that the design of welfare states and social protection systems shapes the intergenerational transmission of inequality. Studies that examine this relationship within a country are however lacking from the literature. Based on a quasi-experimental research design using difference-in-differences estimation and data from the Socio-Economic Panel, I analyse whether the educational disadvantage of children of long-term unemployment assistance recipients increased after changes to eligibility criteria, benefit levels, and conditionality were introduced in Germany in 2005. I find that differences in the probability to enter the academic secondary school track between children of parents receiving long-term unemployment assistance one year before the transition and children of parents not receiving unemployment or social benefits increased by 13 percentage points. In part, this was driven by the introduction of means-testing that changed the composition of unemployment assistance recipients. However, further decreases in the financial conditions of these already disadvantaged families following reductions in benefit levels appear as the main driver of the observed effect. Changes in parental subjective wellbeing due to increased benefit conditionality and stigma do not seem to play a significant mediating role. The findings highlight the important contribution of social policy to social mobility and equality of opportunity.

Analysis of secondary school students’ academic performance and parental involvement in children education at home

Introduction. Parental involvement in children’s education means engagement and participation of parents in the educational activities of their children. The existing body of empirical research shows that parental involvement can influence academic performance of their children in two distinct ways, i.e. parental involvement in children education at home (helping children in homework and other academic discussions, etc.) and parental involvement in children education at school (participation in school function and meetings, etc.). Active involvement of parents in children’s education may even counterbalance the unfavourable effects of low socioeconomic status and underprivileged neighborhood. The overall effect of parental involvement in child education both at home and at school is a worthy source of improving the academic performance of children through securing higher grades at school.Aim. This research aimed to examine the effects of parental involvement in children education at home on academic performance of secondary schools students and to identify the difference of the effects of parental involvement on students of different gender, parent literacy status and parent importance to children education.Methodology and research methods. Cross sectional and a multistage stratified sampling technique was adopted to portray information from sample of 448 students on Likert scale. Chi square, Kendall’s Tau-c tests and Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the level, direction and strength of association among variables.Results. The results showed that the association of children academic performance was significant and positive when parents helped children with their homework (P = 0.000, Tc = 0.231), discussed school progress with children (P = 0.002, Tc = 0.122) and motivated children to work harder when they make a poor grade (P = 0.015, Tc = 0.133). Moreover, the results highlighted variation in the academic performance of children with respect to their gender, parental literacy status, parental importance to children education and parental involvement in children education at home. It was concluded that boys, children of literate parents, children whose parents give more importance to their education and their parents remain involved in their educational activities at home secured higher grades.Scientific novelty. The present study is distinctive in that it examined variations in children’s academic performance with respect to student gender, parental literacy status, and parental importance to their education in addition to focusing on the relationship between parental involvement in their children education at home and academic performance.Practical significance. The analysis of the research outcomes leads to several interesting results and proposes helpful suggestions for important stakeholders. The main study recommendations that will enable parents to promptly meet the educational demands of their children in order to aid them in getting better grades include awareness-raising campaigns for parents, income creation chances for disadvantaged families, and adult literacy initiatives.

Understanding the value of parental engagement through pupil voice in a Scottish Primary School

ABSTRACT Schools strive to respond compassionately to disadvantaged families. However, barriers to authentic home-school relationships persist because the concept of parental engagement at home is not well enough understood. Socio-cultural stereotyping still contributes to schools’ fixed impressions of what parental engagement should consist of, and the abilities of disadvantaged parents to support their children’s learning. This qualitative case study provides new and unique insights into learning at home. A child-centred study was undertaken in a small Primary school, in a deprived area of Scotland, exploring the importance of home learning with young children. The findings indicate the young participants had an acute understanding of the significance of home learning for their ongoing and future development.

Inequalities in adverse birth outcomes and survival in early childhood: birth cohort in South Korea

Abstract Background Adverse birth outcomes (ABOs) are considered the most common factor of deaths in early childhood. Inequalities in child mortality occur due to interactions between intrinsic and socio-environmental factors related to socioeconomic disadvantage. There are, however, few studies investigating the impact of ABOs on mortality in terms of parental SEP. Methods Using the Under-5 Infant Birth-Death Cohort Data in Korea, a pooled retrospective birth cohort of all children born in 2012-2014 was built (N = 1,356,584). We analyzed neonatal, post-neonatal, and childhood mortality by ABOs and with the interaction of parental SEP using the Cox proportional hazard regression model for survival analyses. We further stratified the analysis both by parental SEP and child age. Multiple logistic regression was performed to confirm the social inequalities in ABO itself. Results After adjusting for covariates, children born with ABOs presented higher risk of mortality for all periods. For post-neonatal period, lower maternal education showed significant interaction effect with LBW (HR = 0.57; 95% CI = [0.39-0.85]), PTB (HR = 0.53; 95% CI = [0.33-0.86]), LBW & PTB ([HR = 0.67; 95% CI = [0.54-0.83]) while lower paternal education (HR = 0.67; 95% CI = [0.54-0.82]) and maternal unemployment (HR = 0.80; 95% CI = [0.63-0.99]) showed significance for babies with LBW & PTB. However, stratification analyses suggested that the impact of ABOs on mortality was greater for children born to lower parental SEP in neonatal period. Meanwhile apparent social inequalities in ABOs were suggested from regression analyses. Conclusions We confirmed social inequalities in the incidence of ABOs as well as mortalities from ABOs. However, the difference in mortality between babies with and without ABOs was greater for advantaged children. Policies to reduce the mortality of children with ABOs as well as those of healthy children among socioeconomically disadvantaged families are required. Key messages • Social inequalities in mortality from ABOs were apparent especially in the neonatal period while the incidence of ABOs itself was greater among children from disadvantaged families. • Disadvantaged children are more likely to die not only from ABOs but also from other socio-environmental determinants, especially in the post-neonatal period than their counterparts.

Maternal self-efficacy development from pregnancy to 3 months after birth.

The present study uses a prospective longitudinal study design to investigate the development of maternal self-efficacy in the transition phase to parenthood, drawing on a large sample of socially and/or culturally disadvantaged families (N=292). Parity, maternal education, migration, informal and formal social support are considered as potential predictors. Results indicate that previous birth experience, being born abroad, and higher levels of formal and informal social support during pregnancy jointly predict higher levels of maternal self-efficacy three months after birth. First-time mothers and mothers born in Germany (where the study was conducted) benefit more from formal support than mothers with previous experience and mothers born outside of Germany. Overall, maternal self-efficacy increases significantly. Implications for prenatal maternal care are discussed.

Trends of socioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity in children and adolescents in Germany

Abstract Background Overweight and obesity in early life are risk factors for chronic health conditions in the later life course. Children and adolescents from socioeconomically disadvantaged families are more likely to be overweight or obese than their better-off peers. This study examined post-millennial trends of socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among young people in Germany. Methods Repeated cross-sectional data were used from the German health interview and examination survey for children and adolescents (KiGGS). Overweight and obesity were assessed by body mass index, based on measured height and weight of 3- to 17-year-old participants in KiGGS baseline (2003-06) and KiGGS wave 2 (2014-17). Socioeconomic position (SEP) was measured using a composite index of parental education, occupation and income. The regression-based slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated to estimate the extent of absolute and relative inequalities in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Results The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity among 3- to 17-year-olds in Germany did not change over time and was recently 15.4% and 5.9%, respectively. In both survey waves, overweight and obesity were more prevalent in lower SEP-groups. From 2003-06 to 2014-17, overweight increased in the low-SES group, whereas it tended to decrease in those with higher SES. This trend was concomitant with increasing socioeconomic inequalities in overweight over the observation period (SII from 0.11 to 0.19, p = 0.054; RII from 2.1 to 3.7, p = 0.021). No such trend was found for obesity. Conclusions Socioeconomic inequalities in overweight have widened among the young in Germany since the early 2000s. Structural interventions that are effective in preventing and reducing overweight in young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds are still needed. Key messages

HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT DILEMMA IN AMERICA AND THE IMPORTANCE OF REFORMATION OF EDUCATION SYSTEMS TO EMPOWER ALL STUDENTS

Out of school happens when a student withdraws themselves from school at any level of education without a certificate to account for their education. It is an educational problem in America because of its negative consequences on society. Three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma, and yet, just over half of American citizens acquire that extent of education. Out of the industrialized nations, America holds one of the largest high school dropout rates. Half of the students who begin college will never finish. School dropouts are intelligent individuals capable of offering a lot to the world. However, because they never complete their studies, their abilities may never transpire to their full effectiveness. Hence, solving school dropouts is key to national development. This paper discusses school dropouts in the United States to contribute to its solutions. It examines the causal factors and the effects of school dropouts on individuals and society. School dropout is prevalent among vulnerable groups, and the cost to disadvantaged individuals, families, communities, and nations is high. Since school dropout status has negative consequences, moderating this dilemma benefits the individual and broader society, locally and globally.

Local violence and transitions to marriage and cohabitation in Mexico

AbstractObjectiveTo assess whether local violence is associated with the timing and type of women's first union formation.BackgroundLocal violence may cause disruptions to marriage markets and psychological and behavioral changes that may affect union formation patterns.MethodThe authors exploited the variation in homicide rates caused by a shift in national drug‐enforcement policy in Mexico in December 2006. Competing‐risks Cox models and union histories from a nationally representative survey of women (N = 33,292) were used to assess whether a recent increase in violence was associated with the timing of the first union transition, which could be either marriage or cohabitation. Analyses were conducted separately by education level.ResultsA recent increase in the local homicide rate was associated with delayed first marriage formation for less educated women. Supplementary analyses suggested that a decrease in the number of employed men per women, as well as reduced social interaction due to fear of victimization could be plausible causal mechanisms. No statistically significant associations were found between a recent increase in violence and transitions to first cohabitation for the less educated, or with any first union transition for the moderately and more educated.ConclusionAmong less educated women, a recent increase in violence was associated with a delayed entrance into marriage as a first union transition.ImplicationsBy increasing their barriers to marriage, local violence may contribute to the accumulation of disadvantage among disadvantaged women and families.

The social value of genomic sequencing for disadvantaged families facing rare disease

This study explores parental expectations and value-making processes in respect to pediatric clinical genomic sequencing for socially disadvantaged families. Drawing on interviews and ethnographic observations with parents of children with undiagnosed physical and/or intellectual differences seeking to find whether these differences have a genetic etiology, we explore expectations and parental assessments of the value of genomic sequencing within the context of an ongoing research study. We demonstrate how the value of sequencing to parents goes well beyond finding diagnostic results or receiving prescriptive guidance as to the best care and treatment of their child; instead, value is co-created by parents, clinicians, and genetic counsellors throughout the enrollment and return of results process. Parents in our study found that clinicians and genetic counsellors repeatedly reenforce that parents need to lower their expectations and be prepared to wait for genetic science to provide more definitive answers. At the same time, parents experience that clinical teams validate parents for having made a good choice in their undertaking of genomic sequencing and, no matter the result, that they are not to blame for their child's symptoms. The experience of many parents (although not all) is that genomic science reduces or removes their sense of guilt for their child's condition, providing a platform that affirms them as “good parents.” Moreover, rather than being voiceless and isolated, socially disadvantaged parents who enter into diagnostic sequencing find themselves in a familial-biosocial framework wherein they are co-partners in a socially and biologically authoritative vision of the future.

How to target the Digital health development of children in preschool education

Youth improvement alludes to a kid's physical, mental, phonetic, and socio-enthusiastic advancement from origination until the age of eight. This improvement happens in various settings (homes, schools, well-being offices, local area-based focuses). It incorporates a broad scope of exercises from youngster care to sustenance to parent training. Administrations can be given by open, private, and non-benefit associations. There are different periods of youth advancement, each with its interesting arrangement of necessities. Pre-birth care, went to births, enlistment, post-pregnancy care 0-3 parent instruction, early feeling, and sustenance intercessions, locally situated care, crèches 3-6 parent training, preschool 6-8 exchange to formal tutoring, further developed early grade younger students from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families, particularly children with special requirements for early childhood development, require the most high-quality services and care in terms of development. Appropriate investment in early childhood development is required to ensure that a country's children develop correctly. In this work, we examined the Questionnaire's dependability and the impact of school training on the development of pre-school education.

Study on the Measurement and Influencing Factors of Care Service Demand of Disabled Elderly in Urban and Rural China.

Caregiving services are currently the weakest part of China’s social security system for the elderly. It is well needed to investigate the fac-tors affecting the unmet care needs of the elderly with disabilities. Based on the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (BMHSU), this paper explores the needs and influencing factors of care services for the disabled elderly in urban and rural areas using data from the 2018 Project of Social Policy Support System for Disadvantaged Families in China. The demand for care services of the disabled elderly in central and western areas is significantly higher than that in eastern, along with that in rural areas significantly higher than that in urban areas. The demands for care services of the disabled elderly in urban and rural areas are significantly affected by tendency factors, resource factors, and need factors. Urban and rural attributes, worried pension and LCI are the common influencing factors for the care service demand of the disabled elderly from economically disadvantaged families and ordinary families. The demands for care services of the disabled elderly were associated with tendencies, resources, and needs, increased chronic disease prevention and mental health services benefit caregivers.

Research evidence

The Early Intervention Foundation has published several research reports in 2022 on the challenges facing disadvantaged families and how services are meeting their needs. Two are summarised here

Leveraging Research to Drive More Equitable Reading Outcomes: An Update.

Children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families tend to start school with poorer reading skills compared with their more advantaged peers. These early reading inequities are a significant public health issue, tracking forward to adverse health and life outcomes in adulthood. In ‘Inequities in children's reading skills: The role of home reading and preschool attendance’,1 we considered reducing inequities in children's reading skills an important opportunity to decrease future health morbidity.