Parental Disengagement Research Articles

First-Grade Transitions: Teachers’ Perceptions of Parental Emotions, Communication Strategies, and Sense of Effectiveness in Parent Engagement

This qualitative study explores the perceptions of 24 female first-grade teachers from northern Israel regarding parental emotions during their children’s transition to first grade. Using semi-structured interviews, it examines the teachers’ communication strategies and their self-assessed skills and training to effectively engage with parents at this critical stage. The findings highlight teachers’ awareness of parents’ concerns about social integration, academic performance, and behavioral adaptation. Despite the importance of effective communication, teachers face challenges due to parental disengagement and over-involvement and report a lack of formal training, relying instead on self-developed strategies.

Adolescents' sleep mediates maternal depressive problems and parenting behaviors: daughter and son differences in a majority Black and Hispanic sample.

Parents who experience depressive symptoms are less likely to use positive parenting behaviors, in part because of sad affect and inconsistency, which can lead to disengaged parenting. Their children also are more likely to get too little sleep, get too much sleep, or have trouble sleeping, leading to increased irritability and defiance, which may make it more difficult for a parent to use clear rules and result in more harsh parenting behaviors. The current study examined whether adolescents' sleep (too little, too much, trouble sleeping) mediated the relation between maternal depression and parenting behaviors (harsh parenting, positive parenting, clear rules). Further, a child's sex was examined as a moderator (ie, moderated mediation). The sample (n = 318) consisted of mothers reporting on adolescents aged 16-18 years (mean = 16.89, standard deviation = .429; 53.4% female) from the 10th wave of the Schools and Families Educating Children Study. Measures included the Child Behavior Checklist, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Parenting Practices Questionnaire. Too little sleep mediated the relation between maternal depressive problems and clear rules in the overall sample (β = .05) and between maternal depressive problems and positive parenting (β = .11), clear rules (β = .13), and harsh parenting (β = .14) for only sons. Too much sleep mediated the relation between maternal depressive problems and harsh parenting in the overall sample (β = .03), but no mediation occurred for sons and daughters separately. Trouble sleeping did not serve as a mediator in the overall sample but mediated the relation between maternal depressive problems and clear rules for daughters (β = .03) and between maternal depressive problems and harsh parenting for sons (β = .09). These results suggest that adolescents' sleep difficulties may be one contributing factor to why mothers who are dealing with depressive symptoms have difficulty using clear rules/positive parenting and use more harsh parenting behaviors. In addition, several of these mediations differed for sons and daughters, indicating important sex differences that may help to better inform and design intervention programs for mothers experiencing depression. Stearns MA, McCrae CS, Curtis AF, etal. Adolescents' sleep mediates maternal depressive problems and parenting behaviors: daughter and son differences in a majority Black and Hispanic sample. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(6):849-858.

The Effects of TiKToK on Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing of University Students

In this world of the digital era, social media is becoming quite popular and provides users with different platforms on which people can do many things. TikTok is one of the social media platforms that is becoming quite popular among people of all ages. TikTok is loaded with many types of content and people watching different types of content can derive the meaning according to them. TikTok is a social media application that is creating a disturbance in our society. Beauty complex, superiority complex, child pornography, cyberbullying, parental disengagement, and many other issues are increasing because of this application. This research is about to find out why TikTok is a more highlighted application than other social media applications and highlight the psychological effect on the young generation who are inspired by TikTok videos and TikTok stars. The deductive approach and the convenient sampling technique will be used in this study. This research will be quantitative, and the data will be collected through surveys. The questionnaire will be used to collect data from a student who was adopted. Statistical analysis through SPSS will be performed to check the hypothesis. This research is conducted to create awareness that they are wasting their time on something useless, and their friends and family should help them to drive out this addiction which is affecting them badly.

‘When they were taken it is like grieving’: Understanding and responding to the emotional impact of repeat care proceedings on fathers

AbstractThere is growing recognition, in the UK and internationally, of the huge costs of recurrent appearances of parents in local authority care proceedings. This paper contributes to pressing policy and practice concerns to reduce recurrence. It presents qualitative longitudinal data from the first study of fathers' experiences of recurrent care proceedings in England. Demonstrating the emotional impact of repeat proceedings and successive loss of children on fathers, in terms of grief, loss and shame, we highlight the trauma and abuse in their developmental histories. We consider complex connections between anger and shame for these fathers, including within the arena of family justice. With the use of literature on complex trauma, shame and parental disengagement, we explore ideas for re‐framing fathers', and professionals', resistance to engagement and for better understanding fathers' intense emotions. We suggest that the link between shame and complex trauma and the value of shame reducing, dignity promoting practice in response provide a valuable way forward for working with fathers. As is recognized to be the case for mothers, without holistic, empathic interventions to address the vulnerabilities of such fathers, the risks for children, mothers and fathers are unlikely to reduce.

Teacher Burnout in Saudi Arabia: The Catastrophic Role of Parental Disengagement.

The present study predicts teacher burnout from previous experiences, efficacious beliefs, student achievement, and parental engagement. Data came from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science study (TIMSS 2019) and utilized a random sample of n = 2000 from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was hypothesized that parental engagement and involvement in school may represent a salient factor in understanding teacher burnout in that if parental disengagement is high, necessary supports and resources available to the teacher are withdrawn. This thesis was tested using the cusp catastrophe with linear negative predictors of teacher burnout being teacher satisfaction, years of experience, teacher efficacy, and student achievement. The role of parental disengagement was verified with critically low levels of parental engagement being associated with abrupt and unpredictable levels of teacher burnout. It is concluded that parental engagement and involvement in schools may provide critical supports that are necessary for teachers to successfully manage their workload.

Caregivers and interventionists: Developing a Dual Role Behaviors Scale for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders.

The integration of the roles of caregivers and interventionists is important in parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, an instrument to measure dual-role behaviors is unavailable. This study developed and validated the Dual Role Behaviors Scale for parents of autistic children (DRBS-A). Initial items were generated using the interview transcripts of a previous qualitative study. The initial scale was administered to 422 parents. Data were randomly halved to generate Samples 1 and 2. Exploratory factor analysis conducted using Sample 1 (autism spectrum disorder=216) screened items based on factor loadings and explored the scale's structure. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) conducted with Sample 2 (N=206) examined structural validity. Among the participants, 121 (Sample 3) derived from the two samples were followed up after 1 month to examine the test-retest reliability. Convergent validity was examined with another sample of 105 parents (Sample 4). The formal version of the DRBS-A comprised 20 items across four dimensions: parental acceptance, parental disengagement, persistence in interventions, and punishment in interventions. The four-factor structure with two higher order factors was supported by the CFA results (χ2 =290.90, df=165, CFI=0.94, TLI=0.93, RMSEA=0.061, SRMR=0.063). The subscales' test-retest reliabilities ranged from 0.61 to 0.78. The internal consistencies were satisfactory (Cronbach's αs: 0.67-0.93). Convergent validity was supported by correlations of the DRBS-A dimensions with parental involvement and positive parenting practice. Other factors related to dual-role behaviors were also explored. The DRBS-A has good validity and reliability and can be used to explore the effects of role integration.

The role of neighborhood collective efficacy in moderating associations between adversity and internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents.

Neighborhood collective efficacy is associated with lower internalizing and externalizing problems. There is evidence that neighborhood factors may moderate associations between child adversity and behavior problems (e.g., Riina et al., 2014). There is a limited understanding of whether neighborhood collective efficacy moderates the associations between adversity (threat/deprivation) and internalizing and externalizing problems. Our study tested these associations in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 2666). Parental disengagement (deprivation) and parental harshness (threat) severity scores from ages 1-9 years were calculated by using caregiver report. Neighborhood collective efficacy, including its components informal social control and social cohesion, was reported at age 9. Internalizing and externalizing problems were reported at age 15. The lowest level of internalizing problems was reported for adolescents living in neighborhoods with high neighborhood collective efficacy who also experienced low parental disengagement. Among adolescents who lived in neighborhoods with high neighborhood collective efficacy or high informal social control at age 9, higher parental disengagement was associated with higher externalizing problems at 15. Further research is needed to understand complex associations between adversity, neighborhood collective efficacy, and adolescent behavior problems.

Parenting Styles and Their Associations With Children's Body Composition, Activity Patterns, Fitness, Diet, Health, and Academic Achievement.

Background: Evidence regarding the impact of parenting style on health and other outcomes is inconsistent and limited by measurement quality and type. This study will examine associations between parenting style and children's objectively assessed activity patterns, body composition, fitness, diet, health, and academic achievement. Methods: Two hundred fifty-five children (mean age: 9.4 years) from Adelaide, Australia, were included. Parenting style (items from Child Rearing Questionnaire and National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth to assess Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive, Disengaged parenting), diet, and health were proxy-reported by parents. Body composition, fitness, and 24 hour activity patterns were objectively measured, and children reported screen-time. Academic achievement was measured using standardized tests in reading and mathematics. Mixed models were used to regress parenting style against activity patterns, body composition, fitness, diet, health, and academic achievement, adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic position, and pubertal stage. Results: Children with Disengaged parents had poorer activity patterns: less moderate to vigorous physical activity (standard mean difference [SMD] relative to grand mean = -0.23), light physical activity (SMD = -0.13) and sleep (SMD = -0.18), more sitting (SMD = 0.45), later bedtime (SMD = 0.18), lower overall energy expenditure (SMD = -0.23), and poorer overall self-reported health (SMD = -0.30). Children with Permissive parents had generally better activity patterns (SMD = 0.25-0.32). Children with Authoritative parents were more likely to meet dietary guidelines for fruit intake (SMD = 0.12). There were no associations for Authoritarian parenting style or for academic achievement, body composition, or fitness. Conclusions: Disengaged parenting was detrimental, while Permissive parenting was beneficial for activity patterns. As parenting styles may be malleable, future interventions may target Permissive parenting to improve children's activity patterns. Trial registration: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, identifier ACTRN12618002008202. Retrospectively registered on 14 December 2018.

The Quadratic Pathways Model to Promote Principals' Self-efficacy and Resilience in Low-socioeconomic Schools in Alberta

This paper presents the Quadratic Pathways Model (O’Neill, 2013), which emerged from the findings of a doctoral study that investigated the influences on principals’ self-efficacy and resilience in low-socioeconomic-status (SES) schools. This model was developed to promote principals’ efficacy and resilience while exercising leadership agency in these challenging contexts.
 Principals leading in low-socioeconomic-status (SES) schools experience unique challenges from their counterparts in wealthier contexts. The literature identified that educators cope with students with academic problems, student disengagement, mental health concerns, behavioral issues, and parental disengagement. Additionally, many students lack the basics of life. Principals also contend with many teachers who believe some parents and students do not value education. Consequently, while cognizant of their need to be instructional leaders, some principals believe they cannot fully engage in the instructional aspect of their role due to the many pressures and competing demands on their attention, and the subsequent frustration influences their efficacy.
 This study employed a theoretical framework founded upon Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (1986, 1997), particularly pertaining to self-efficacy, and also integrated resilience research (Patterson & Kelleher, 2005), leadership theories (Leithwood et al., 2004), and contextual literature, which explored the complexities of low socioeconomic status schools.
 The methodology was mixed methods utilizing questionnaires (n=42) and interviews (n=13) with principals in low-SES schools across the province of Alberta, Canada (Creswell & Guetterman, 2019). Although there were several key themes to emerge from the research, this paper focuses on the synthesis of a new model, the Quadratic Pathways Model, which was designed to inform system leaders of the various components that could enhance and sustain high principal efficacy and resilience in low-SES contexts. It offers principals a template that positively reconceptualises instructional leadership practices that enhance and nurture student success in challenging school contexts.

Assessing job satisfaction and emotional intelligence in public school teachers

Education is a profession that has been particularly prone to teacher turnover. Educators in today's educational system face a slew of unreasonable demands and expectations, including increasing responsibility, a lack of funding, parental disengagement, a lack of positive student attitudes, a low regard for their profession, and meagre compensation. Many instructors are dissatisfied with their jobs as a result of the pressures they are under. 50 percent of new instructors quit during the first five years, according to Colbert and Wolff (1992). Emotional intelligence, according to Daniel Goleman's latest writings (1995, 1998), is a predictor of success and contentment in the workplace. Emotional intelligence and teacher work satisfaction have not been studied to date. This study invited instructors to take Baron EQ-i Self Report Scale, Job Descriptive Index (JDI) in order to examine this phenomenon in the context of teachers. The questionnaires were sent out to 101 teachers, and a total of 101 responses were received. Emotional intelligence plays a factor in teachers' self-reported job satisfaction, according to data analysis. did confirm linked to job satisfaction and the number of years of teaching experience. There are several ideas for future research that are brought forward.

Motivations for adolescent offending and truancy from school: retrospective interviews with adults recently released from a custodial prison sentence in England

This qualitative study considers the development of adolescent offending and examines a range of potential causes rooted in the issues of truancy, peer pressure, and educational and parental disengagement. Ten adult offenders recently released from prison were accessed through a probation service in the North West of England. Participants (M age = 35.2, S.D = 8.51) were interviewed about the indictable offences that they perpetrated between the ages of 12–16. Thematic analysis uncovered several key themes related to substance misuse and broader enjoyment of risk-taking behaviours, financial gain and the desire to develop a recognised criminal status, alongside fear and rejection of authority. In general, educational disengagement led to stronger associations with anti-social peers from whom acceptance was sought and offending identities were constructed around. Longer-term consequences of time spent with anti-social peers included substance abuse, more serious criminality, and increased risk-taking behaviour. The implications of the findings are discussed in the context of early interventions.

Efficacy testing of a work-based support programme for teachers in the North West Province of South Africa

Teachers face increased workplace challenges in South Africa. Through a process of intervention research, this study aimed to develop and evaluate the efficacy of a work-based support programme for teachers. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was adopted as the theoretical framework informing both programme design and evaluation. Teachers (n = 10) were recruited through simple random sampling in the North West Province, South Africa. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions before and after exposure to the programme. Data were thematically analysed. Pre-exposure findings supported existing literature that states that teachers face numerous malleable workplace challenges such as learner indiscipline, parental disengagement, overcrowded classrooms, considerable administrative work and burnout. Post-exposure findings indicated that the programme mitigated teachers’ perceived weaknesses and seems to have enabled them to cope with and manage their workplace challenges. It is concluded that the programme facilitated a process to enable participants to navigate towards self-actualisation and reaching their full potential in the work environment. Recommendations are offered for the further implementation of the programme and in addressing work-based challenges experienced by South African teachers.

Differential associations of parental harshness and parental disengagement with overall cortisol output at 15 years: Implications for adolescent mental health.

Psychosocial stress in childhood and adolescence is linked to stress system dysregulation, although few studies have examined the relative impacts of parental harshness and parental disengagement. This study prospectively tested whether parental harshness and disengagement show differential associations with overall cortisol output in adolescence. Associations between overall cortisol output and adolescent mental health problems were tested concurrently. Adolescents from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) provided hair samples for cortisol assay at 15 years (N = 171). Caregivers reported on parental harshness and disengagement experiences at 1, 3, 5, 9, and 15 years, and adolescents reported at 15 years. Both parent and adolescent reported depressive and anxiety symptoms and antisocial behaviors at 15. Greater parental harshness from 1-15 years, and harshness reported at 15 years in particular, was associated with higher overall cortisol output at 15. Greater parental disengagement from 1-15 years, and disengagement at 1 year specifically, was associated with lower cortisol output. There were no significant associations between cortisol output and depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or antisocial behaviors. These results suggest that the unique variances of parental harshness and disengagement may have opposing associations with cortisol output at 15 years, with unclear implications for adolescent mental health.

Parenting Profiles, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Worry among Chinese Primary School Children

This study identified the profiles of Chinese children’s perceived parenting style and examined profile differences in worry and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and whether differences on worry were mediated by IU. A sample of 591 primary school children (aged 9–12 years) in China completed self-report questionnaires assessing perceived parenting style, IU and worry. Latent profile analysis on six parenting dimensions (emotional warmth, rejection and overprotection for fathers and mothers) identified four parenting profiles: supportive, disengaged, harsh, and highly harsh. The supportive and disengaged parenting profiles showed lower levels of worry than the harsh and highly harsh parenting profiles, and the supportive parenting profile had the lowest level of IU. The results of multicategorical mediation analysis showed that difference in child worry between the supportive and harsh parenting profile was fully mediated by IU. The findings of this study revealed the internal mechanisms of child worry using a person-centered approach within the Chinese cultural background and provided initial evidence for parenting interventions to alleviate children’s worry.

Parents as Gatekeepers? An Indirect Account on the Image of Vocational Education in Historical Context

Vocational education and training (VET) is high on the European agenda. This article adds nuance to the policy ambition of “fixing” parents’ views on VET. It is based on extensive qualitative research in Romania, with over 250 young people. An unanticipated finding was the “absence” of parents from the young people’s accounts, along with a tendency by the teachers and employers to blame young people for having “unreasonable expectations.” This article explores the deeper structural reasons for the current state of “parental disengagement.” It links parents’ precarious working lives with young people’s sense of disillusionment and communist nostalgia.

Disempowering parenting and mental health among Asian American youth: Immigration and ethnicity

Guided by the concept of ABCDG (Abusive, Burdening, Culturally Disjointed, Disengaged, and Gender Prescriptive) parenting, this study investigated how subdomains of disempowering parenting adversely influence young people's mental health, independently and collectively, using a large-scale longitudinal survey data of community samples among Filipino American (FA) and Korean American (KA) youth (MAGE = 15.01, N = 1580; 391 FA and 417 KA families). Regression results showed that the subdomains of disempowering parenting, while individually harmful, were differentially associated with mental health. For example, abusive and disengaged parenting and culturally disjointed parenting (a.k.a. intergenerational cultural conflict) were the most notably adverse subdomains and remained significant when all subdomains were accounted together. This study pinpoints specific aspects of disempowering parenting that may lead to mental distress among FA and KA youth and underscores a need for culturally tailored intervention programs that address the harms of disempowering parenting approaches.

Parent Socialization of Coping and Child Emotion Regulation Abilities: A Longitudinal Examination.

This study examined the hypothesis that parent socialization of coping (SOC) would have a longitudinal relation with child emotion regulation abilities. Participants included a sample of 256 parents of 5- to 12-year-old children (child M age=8.36, SD=2.03, 54.7% male; parent M age=34.49, SD=6.20, 59% female). Data on demographic information, parenting behaviors, and child emotion regulation abilities were collected via online questionnaires at baseline and 12months. Results from longitudinal structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses suggested that parent SOC, measured at baseline, predicted child adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation, measured 12months later. More specifically, parental engagement coping suggestions predicted child's adaptive emotion regulation, whereas parental disengagement coping suggestions predicted child's maladaptive emotion regulation. Further, child gender emerged as a moderator in the longitudinal association between socialization of engagement coping and child adaptive emotion regulation: Whereas this association was small and marginally significant for girls, it was large and statistically significant for boys. Results highlight the importance of parent SOC as potentially contributing to emotion regulation abilities of 5- to 12-year-olds.

Parental Disengagement in Childhood and Adolescent Male Gun Carrying.

To examine the association between parental disengagement in childhood and adolescent gun carrying and determine whether this association is accounted for by externalizing problems and affiliation with delinquent peers during early adolescence. The sample included 503 boys (55.7% African American, 40.6% white, 3.7% other) recruited from first-grade classrooms in Pittsburgh public schools. Multi-informant assessments were conducted regularly (semiannually then annually) from approximately ages 7.5 to 20 years. Latent factors were constructed by using parent-reported parental disengagement (ie, poor parental involvement, poor parent-son communication, poor parent-son relationship quality) collected from ages 7.5 to 10 years, youth-reported peer delinquency from ages 10.5 to 13 years, and teacher-reported externalizing problems from ages 10.5 to 13 years. The outcome was youth-reported gun carrying from ages 14 to 20 years. Twenty percent of individuals sampled reported carrying a gun during adolescence. Childhood parental disengagement was significantly associated with adolescent gun carrying (β = .22; 95% confidence interval: 0.08 to 0.36). Furthermore, the association between parental disengagement and gun carrying was partially mediated through peer delinquency and externalizing problems during early adolescence. The 2 indirect paths accounted for ∼29% of the total effect of parental disengagement. Boys exposed to poorer parental engagement during childhood are more likely to affiliate with delinquent peers and exhibit externalizing problems during early adolescence, which (in turn) increases their risk of carrying a firearm in later adolescence. This suggests that gun violence prevention efforts with children should work to enhance aspects of parental engagement.

Black Virgin Islands Male High School Dropouts: A Qualitative Study

The dropout phenomenon involving Black Virgin Islands male high school students residing in the United States Virgin Islands has become a major area of concern for parents, educators, policy makers, and other community stakeholders. However, little is known about the direct or indirect factors that lead many Black Virgin Islands male students to drop out of high school. For the actual study, the researcher used a qualitative phenomenological approach to examine the experiences of seven Black Virgin Islands males who dropped out of high school. The study results revealed seven important themes (a) grade retention, (b) disengagement with school officials, (c) adequate intake, (d) stress, (e) socioeconomics, (f) parental disengagement, and (g) low effort. These findings have important implications for parents and school officials, with respect to designing and implementing effective intervention strategies that will aid in Black Virgin Islands male students remaining in and graduating from high school.

Disengaged parenting: Structural equation modeling with child abuse, insecure attachment, and adult symptomatology

Based on attachment theory, we hypothesized that self-reported childhood experiences of disengaged parenting (DP) would predict adults’ psychological symptoms even more than, on average, childhood sexual, physical, or psychological abuse. In a large (N=640) university sample, bootstrapped multiple regression analyses indicated that although various forms of child maltreatment were correlated with symptomatology at the univariate level, DP was the primary multivariate predictor. Structural equation modeling indicated significant direct paths from (a) DP to both nonsexual child maltreatment and sexual abuse, (b) DP and nonsexual child maltreatment to insecure attachment, and (c) sexual abuse and insecure attachment to symptomatology. There were significant indirect effects of DP on psychological symptoms through sexual and nonsexual abuse, as well as through attachment. These results suggest that although child abuse has direct and indirect impacts on psychological symptoms, exposure to DP may be especially detrimental, both by increasing the risk of child abuse and by virtue of its impacts on attachment insecurity. They also support the potential use of attachment-oriented intervention in the treatment of adults maltreated as children.