Dual-parent Households Research Articles

Residential energy expenditures and the relevance of financial inclusion across location, wealth quintiles and household structures

This paper examines the relative role of financial inclusion in enhancing households’ ability to spend on energy consumption across rural and urban locations. It uses comprehensive household data from Ghana and employs the ordinary least square (OLS) as well as an instrumental variable estimation technique. Endogeneity of financial inclusion is instrumented using distance to the nearest bank. Our findings suggest that a standard deviation increase in financial inclusion contributes to an improvement in residential energy expenditure by 1.2835 standard deviations. This finding is robust to different methods for resolving endogeneity and alternative weighting schemes in the financial inclusion construct. Among the different sources of energy for lighting and cooking, financial inclusion increases expenditure on LPG and electricity more than the others. Financial inclusion increases the ability to spend more on residential energy in urban, poorest, and female-headed dual-parent households. Household net income is a key pathway through which financial inclusion affects residential energy expenditure.

18 Exploring Caregiver Perspectives on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Application to Early Intervention for Young Autistic Children

Abstract Background Caregivers of young autistic children face high levels of stress. With increasing focus on caregiver-mediated early intervention, which requires that caregivers learn and implement skills to address their child’s developmental needs, the stress experienced by caregivers may impact their participation. Currently available mental health interventions, including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), target caregiver stress but are not well-studied in caregivers with young autistic children and who are participating in early intervention. Objectives To identify caregivers’ perspectives on: i) the benefits and disadvantages of participating in ACT, and ii) the potential application of ACT to those caregivers whose children are participating in early intervention. Design/Methods This qualitative study utilized reflexive thematic analysis with a constructivist approach to explore caregivers’ perceptions of ACT. Demographic information was collected and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 caregivers from Ontario, Canada. Interviews were coded and themes generated from the codes. Themes were revised based on feedback from the research team and member-checking. Results Participants included mothers from single or dual-parent households with 1-2 autistic children or adults diagnosed before age 5 years who had taken an in-person or virtual ACT workshop between 2012-2020. In exploring the benefits and disadvantages of ACT, the theme changing caregiver’s perspective on prioritizing self highlights the shift in our participants’ focus to their own needs through accepting and managing their emotions and stress, aligning their actions with their chosen values, and moving towards acceptance of their child. Participants acknowledged feeling supported through establishing a community of other caregivers with whom they could share experiences and process emotions in a psychologically safe environment. Despite practical barriers to accessing ACT, participants noted their experiences in learning ACT were facilitated by their shared philosophies, use of imagery and hands-on activities to reinforce complicated concepts, and participation in a group designed to train ACT facilitators. Participants also shared their views on applying ACT to early intervention, providing their recommendations about accessibility, workshop timing and features, and community support. Considerations prior to participating in ACT included addressing gaps in messaging around the importance of caregiver mental health and wellness and a caregiver’s readiness to seek wellness support. Participants also maintained the importance of highlighting a child’s strengths and acceptance of the child. Conclusion Themes from this study highlight the internal process whereby caregivers begin shifting their focus on their own mental health needs, as well as the relational aspects of the group that contribute to the feeling of support. Though ACT participants had varying personal experiences with early intervention, their insights into integrating ACT along with early intervention provide a starting point in developing a truly family-centred intervention that honours the reciprocal relationship between child and caregiver.

17 Caregiver Mental Health Needs in Caregiver-Mediated Early Intervention

Abstract Background Caregivers of autistic children face high levels of stress and are at risk of developing mental health disorders. Caregivers participating in caregiver-mediated early interventions (CMIs), such as the Social ABCs, where they provide the intervention to their young child, juggle many responsibilities to their child and family, leaving self-care as the last priority. Caregivers may not seek mental health support, though interventions for caregiver stress, such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), exist. This study represents the first step in addressing the gap in mental health supports for caregivers who are participating in CMIs. Objectives To understand the mental health needs of caregivers participating in a CMI. Design/Methods This study utilized reflexive thematic analysis with a constructivist approach to explore caregivers’ experiences of a CMI, the Social ABCs. Demographic information was collected and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 caregivers from the Greater Toronto Area (Ontario, Canada). Interviews were coded and themes were generated from the codes. Themes were revised based on feedback from the research team and member-checking. Results Demographic data revealed that participants included mothers and fathers from a range of racial/ethnic backgrounds and from mainly dual-parent households with 1-2 autistic children. Participants of the Social ABCs virtual and in-person group-based and individual formats from 2018-2021 were included. Four central themes derived from this study illustrate the mental health needs of caregivers participating in the Social ABCs, including: social emotional connection, caregiver wellness tied to child’s success, perceived wellness needs and culturally sensitive care (Figure 1). Given the emotional intensity of caregivers’ experiences early in their journey with their young child, social emotional connection refers to the caregiver’s need to connect with other caregivers or professionals with understanding of their experiences in a psychologically safe environment. In navigating supports for their child and early intervention in particular, caregivers may place an overwhelming focus on building their child’s skills. This emphasis on seeing their child progress directly impacts a caregiver’s own wellness, as illustrated by the theme caregiver wellness tied to child’s success. Despite caregivers acknowledging the importance of their own mental health and well-being or their perceived wellness needs, caregivers may prioritize their own wellness needs below the needs of their child and family. The provision of culturally sensitive care was also highlighted as it poses a barrier to accessing wellness supports for already marginalized caregivers. Conclusion Caregivers identify a need for culturally sensitive, psychologically safe formal and informal social supports in the context of a CMI. Given the intense focus caregivers may have on supports for their child, clinicians should deliver balanced messaging about the importance of the child’s skill development and caregiver wellness, as there may be bidirectional impacts. Future research on CMI should consider ways to address caregiver mental health needs to optimize overall family functioning.

Understanding the Relationship Between Decreases in Social Security Benefits and Intergenerational Inequalities in Mental Health.

It is well-established that mental health follows similar patterns across generations. However, little is known how structural factors, such as those related to social security reforms, may impact this relationship. Our aim was to quantify the strength of association in mental health between parents and their adolescent children, and to explore how much of this correlation is explained by decreases in benefits. We used data from U.K. Household Longitudinal Study (2009-2019) from which we matched youth data to their parents, and split the sample into single- and dual-parent households. To estimate the intergenerational correlations, we estimated a series of unit- and rank-based regression models of standardized and time-averaged mental health measures for adolescents and their parents. Our findings suggest that there are statistically significant intergenerational associations in mental health between parents and children for both single- and dual-parent households, with the relationship being stronger for single-mother households. Benefit losses explain a small proportion of this association, for both single-mother and dual-parent households. Nevertheless, they are negatively associated with the mental health of adolescents in dual-parent households-independently of both adolescent and parental characteristics. Such negative effects should be considered when designing and evaluating future social security benefit policies.

Risk of Psychiatric Disorders Among Refugee Children and Adolescents Living in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

Refugee children and adolescents are at increased risk of mental health difficulties, but little is known about how the characteristics of the neighborhood in which they resettle may affect vulnerability and resilience. To test whether neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with risk of psychiatric disorders among refugee children and adolescents and examine whether the association differs by sex, age at arrival, and family structure. This quasi-experimental register-based cohort study included refugees in Denmark aged 0 to 16 years at the time of resettlement from 1986 to 1998. A refugee dispersal policy implemented during those years assigned housing to refugee families in neighborhoods with varying degrees of socioeconomic disadvantage in a quasi-random (ie, arbitrary) manner conditional on refugee characteristics observed by placement officers. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association between neighborhood disadvantage and risk of psychiatric disorders, adjusting for relevant baseline covariates. A neighborhood disadvantage index combining information on levels of income, education, unemployment, and welfare assistance in the refugees' initial quasi-randomly assigned neighborhood. First-time inpatient or outpatient diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder before age 30 years. Median (IQR) baseline age in the sample of 18 709 refugee children and adolescents was 7.9 (4.7-11.7) years; 8781 participants (46.9%) were female and 9928 (53.1%) were male. During a median (IQR) follow-up period of 16.1 (10.2-20.8) years, 1448 refugees (7.7%) were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder (incidence rate, 51.2 per 10 000 person-years). An increase of 1 SD in neighborhood disadvantage was associated with an 11% increase in the hazard of a psychiatric disorders (hazard ratio [HR], 1.11; 95% CI, 1.03-1.21). This association did not differ between male and female individuals, refugees who arrived at different ages, or those from single- vs dual-parent households. In secondary analyses using prescribed psychiatric medication as the outcome, a similar association with neighborhood disadvantage was found (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.14). In this cohort study, neighborhood disadvantage was associated with an increase in risk of psychiatric disorders. The results suggest that placement of refugee families in advantaged neighborhoods and efforts to enhance the neighborhood context in disadvantaged areas may improve mental health among refugee children and adolescents.

The Wealth (Disadvantage) of Single-Parent Households

Wealth is a buffer against economic shocks and the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage. We investigate the wealth of single-parent households in six high-income countries that span a variety of institutional contexts and welfare regimes. Using household survey data, we show that single-parent households in all these countries are disadvantaged in the wealth they hold, compared to dual-parent households—more so in Great Britain, France, Germany, and the United States; and less so in Italy and, especially, Spain. We tease out major differences in types of wealth holdings in single- and dual-parent households. We find that the single-parent wealth deficit is not explained by differences in age or number of children but that it is influenced by education, income, homeownership, and receipt of intergenerational transfers. We discuss the policy implications of our findings, both in terms of how single parents are treated in social protection and taxation systems and, more broadly, in the supports they require if they are to overcome barriers to accumulating wealth.

Education matters: longitudinal pathways to mid-life heavy drinking in a national cohort of black Americans.

To estimate longitudinal pathways from childhood socio-economic position (SEP) to educational attainment and mid-life heavy drinking in black Americans in order to identify potential points of early intervention to reduce risk for alcohol-related problems in adulthood. Data are from 1299 black Americans in the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, followed from 1979 (aged 15-19 years) to 2012. Given gender differences in factors related to education and alcohol outcomes, gender-stratified path models were analyzed. Youth socio-economic indicators included parental education (approximating childhood SEP) and adolescent poverty duration. Education-related measures included high-poverty school, perceived school safety, academic problems, suspension from school, educational expectations and educational attainment. Adulthood measures included repeated unemployment, poverty duration and mean frequency of heavy drinking (six or more drinks/day) in young adulthood and mid-life. Covariates included age, dual-parent household, marital status, early drinking onset and family history of alcohol problems. For both genders, two main pathways originating from low childhood SEP flowed to educational attainment through (1) educational expectations and (2) suspension and from educational attainment to mid-life heavy drinking [total indirect effect = 0.131, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.072-0.197 for women and 0.080, 95% CI = 0.035-0.139 for men]. For both genders, adolescent poverty (standardized βs ≥ 0.139), academic problems (βs ≥ 0.221) and school suspension (βs ≥ 0.166) were significantly (Ps < 0.05) related to lower educational expectations. In adulthood, educational attainment was indirectly protective against mid-life heavy drinking through its significant effects (Ps < 0.05) on young adult heavy drinking for both genders (βs ≤ -0.204) and economic hardships for women (βs ≤ -0.372). Low childhood socio-economic position among black Americans appears to be associated with subsequent, adverse socio-economic and school experiences that lead to lower educational attainment and, ultimately, greater heavy drinking at mid-life. Interventions that mitigate these earlier, adverse experiences might have indirect effects on mid-life heavy drinking.

Household material hardship and parental distress in a multicenter clinical trial for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

10025 Background: Poverty is associated with inferior psychosocial function among parents of children with cancer. Severe parental distress during treatment predicts future poor mental health for both parents and children. It is also associated with impaired parental cognitive bandwidth and executive function, which may have implications for treatment adherence. Efforts to identify poverty-exposures amenable to intervention are essential to improving survivorship quality of life for the &gt; 90% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who will be long-term survivors. Household material hardship (HMH) is a targetable poverty exposure defined as at least 1 of 3 unmet basic needs including food, housing, or utilities. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) ALL Consortium trial 16-001 is the first pediatric oncology clinical trial to systematically evaluate HMH. We investigated the hypothesis that HMH exposure independently predicts severe parent psychological distress during ALL therapy. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed ALL ages 1-17 years were enrolled on the DFCI 16-001 embedded HMH cohort study at 8 U.S. and Canadian centers. Secondary interim analyses used baseline (within 32-days of trial enrollment) and 6-mos parent-reported sociodemographic data, the Kessler-6 (K6) Psychological Distress scale, and trial-collected child and disease data. Severe psychological distress was defined as a K6 &gt; = 13. Multivariable cox regression evaluated baseline HMH-exposure and parent distress at baseline and 6-mos adjusting for child’s initial ALL risk group (Very High Risk (VHR) vs other) and marital status (single vs dual parent). Results: Among 258 families with evaluable data, 34% reported baseline HMH. Families were predominantly English-speaking (54%) dual parent households (71%). Children were a median of 5.7 years (IQR 1.0-17.99) at diagnosis and predominantly non-Hispanic white (66%) with expected disease distribution by immunophenotype (84% B-cell). HMH (odds ratio (OR) 2.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-4.31, p = 0.025) and VHR initial risk group (OR 2.32; 95% CI 1.06-5.06, p = 0.035) were independently associated with baseline severe psychological distress. Only HMH was independently associated with 6-mos severe psychological distress (OR 4.93, 95% CI 1.80-13.48, p = 0.002). Future analyses will investigate race and ethnicity associations with parental distress pending trial accrual for statistical power. Conclusions: HMH, a modifiable poverty exposure, is significantly associated with severe parent psychological distress at diagnosis that persists 6-months into pediatric ALL therapy. These findings identify a cohort at high risk of inferior mental health outcomes, and affirm the need for HMH-targeted interventions to support children and parents during cancer treatment to reduce poverty-associated outcome disparities in survivorship.

Implementation Monitoring of a Promotora-Led, Home-Based Obesity Prevention Pilot Study With Latino Preschool Children and Their Mothers.

Latino preschool children have higher rates of obesity than children from other racial/ethnic backgrounds. Few effective, culturally-tailored obesity prevention interventions exist that have focused on Latino preschool children, and even fewer have published results of the process evaluation. The purpose of this paper was to monitor reach, fidelity, and completeness of implementation to determine whether ANDALE, a promising promotora-led, home-based pilot study to prevent obesity in Latino preschool children, was implemented as planned. Guided by a logic model, we assessed reach, implementation fidelity and completeness through descriptive analyses of multiple data sources. Reach was assessed through attendance records. Fidelity was assessed via observation checklist and completeness was assessed via survey with both parents and promotoras in a subsample of 12 families. Promotoras recruited participants primarily through their own social networks and delivered the intervention to 50 families (mother-child dyads); the majority were of Mexican-origin, low-acculturation, dual-parent households. Nearly all (98%) families completed the whole 10-week intervention. Results demonstrated completeness and fidelity of implementation were acceptable in a subsample of 12 families. In sum, 75% of families in the subsample met the criteria (≥75%) for overall implementation of essential program elements (i.e., reach, completeness, and fidelity). Evidence suggests that ANDALE was delivered with high levels of completeness and fidelity in this sample of Latino families with preschool-aged children. These results support implementation of ANDALE in a large, randomized trial.

Family Mealtime Communication in Single- and Dual-Headed Households Among Hispanic Adolescents With Overweight and Obesity

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of adolescent self-report of family mealtime communication on obesity-related behaviors in single- and dual-parent households and by sex in a sample of overweight and obese Hispanic adolescents. DesignCross-sectional analysis of a randomized control trial SettingEighteen middle schools in Miami-Dade County, Florida. ParticipantsTwo-hundred and eighty Hispanic seventh- and eighth-grade students Main Outcome MeasuresPhysical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and added sugar intake. AnalysisStructural equation modeling. ResultsThe findings indicate that mealtime communication was associated with fruit and vegetable consumption in boys (β = .30; P = .001; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52–2.68) and physical activity in girls (β = .26; P = .010; 95% CI, 0.16–1.30). Moreover, a single-parent household was associated with dietary consumption in boys (fruit and vegetable intake [β= .18; P = .039; 95% CI, 0.02–2.60] but had a moderating effect on fruit and vegetable consumption in girls (β = .21; P = .015; 95% CI, 0.14–2.19). Conclusions and ImplicationsFamily mealtime communication may impact dietary and physical activity outcomes in Hispanic adolescents with overweight and obesity, but differentially across gender and household parent makeup. These findings, together with the prevalence of single parents, point to the importance of targeting Hispanic single parents as agents of change to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in their children via positive mealtime interactions.

Variations in recalled familial messages about gender in relation to emerging adults’ gender, ethnic background, and current gender attitudes

ABSTRACT The present study examined heterosexual emerging adults’ retrospective accounts of gender-stereotypical messages about women and men from their families while growing up. We tested the reported frequencies of gendered messages in relation to the participants’ current beliefs about gender and their self-reported gender, ethnicity, and family backgrounds. The sample included 499 undergraduate students attending California public universities (48.5% female; M age = 19.31 years; 40.7% Latinx; 30.1% Asian American; 29.3% European American). Participants rated the frequencies that they recalled influential relatives describing men versus women as trustworthy, manipulative, gold-diggers, dangerous, or promiscuous. Women were more likely than men to recall the other gender characterized as untrustworthy, dangerous, and promiscuous; and men were more likely than women to recall the other gender described as manipulative and gold-diggers. Some reported gendered messages were more likely among Latinx participants (vs. other ethnic backgrounds) or those raised in single-mother (vs. dual-parent) households. Next, recalling gendered messages was related to holding congruent beliefs about the other gender and to women’s (but not men’s) endorsement of benevolent sexism. These findings highlight the potential importance of gendered messages in the development of gender-stereotypical beliefs in emerging adulthood.

La distribución del tiempo en los hogares monoparentales de madre ocupada. Vivir con otros como estrategia de conciliación

Este artículo analiza la distribución del tiempo destinado al trabajo no remunerado —cuidado y tareas domésticas— en los hogares monoparentales de madre ocupada a partir de la Encuesta de Empleo del Tiempo 2009-10. Se parte de la hipótesis de que la madre monoparental ocupada lleva a cabo dos estrategias de conciliación: reorganizar su tiempo y convivir con otros familiares ajenos al núcleo. Los resultados muestran que estas madres dedican el mismo tiempo al cuidado que las biparentales ocupadas, mientras que el tiempo dedicado a tareas del hogar es menor, especialmente en aquellas actividades más arduas, como cocinar o limpiar. Por otro lado, las madres monoparentales ocupadas viven con miembros ajenos al núcleo en una proporción muy superior sus homólogas biparentales. La aportación de estos miembros ajenos al núcleo al trabajo de cuidado es significativamente superior en los hogares monoparentales, algo que no se ha podido demostrar para el trabajo doméstico.

The effect of parental residential school attendance and parental involvement on Indigenous youth’s participation in sport and physical activity during school

Introduction: The objective of this study was to assess the effect of parental residential school attendance on youth's participation in sport and physical activity (S/PA) at school and to explore the potential role that parental education and parental involvement in school activities may play in mediating this relationship.&#x0D; Methods: This cross-sectional study used the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey and included youth ages 12-17 (N=4,840). Structural equation modeling techniques were used for models with observed and latent variables. Sampling weights and bootstrap weights were used for all analyses.&#x0D; Results: The results indicate 62.87% of youth participated in S/PA; 27.54% at school; 31.52% outside of school, and 40.94% in school and outside school. Mothers who attended residential schools had lower levels of educational attainment. Maternal education had a positive effect on parental involvement in school activities in dual parent households and parental involvement had a positive effect on S/PA. The indirect effects of residential school attendance on parental involvement and participation in S/PA were significant only for youth living with both parents and only for the effect of maternal residential school attendance. Maternal residential school attendance had a negative effect on parental involvement and on participation in S/PA.&#x0D; Discussion: The findings from this study indicate that interpersonal factors and historical contexts shape Indigenous youth's participation in S/PA.

To Live Apart or Together: Integration Outcomes of Astronaut Versus Dual-Parent Household Strategies

In this paper, we examine the interactions between transnationalism and integration in a case-control study. Using a typology of interactions, the study assesses how a transnational household form affects structural and socio-cultural integration. The research draws upon 20 interviews with Chinese immigrants to Vancouver, Canada, to compare the integration experiences of women in transnational split households with those of women in dual-parent households. In the transnational split households, the women live with their children in the receiving nation-state, while their husbands reside and work in the country of origin. The findings illustrate an antagonistic relationship between transnationalism, and employment and financial integration. In contrast, results show a transnational split household approach positively affects housing and socio-cultural integration as compared to a dual-parent household strategy.

Trajectories of income and social benefits for mothers and fathers of children with cancer: A national cohort study in Sweden.

The contribution of different income sources from work and social benefits to trajectories of income for the parents of children with cancer has not been empirically investigated. Using Swedish registers, parents of children with an incidence cancer diagnosis between 2004 and 2009 were identified and matched with parents of children without cancer (reference parents). A total of 20,091 families were followed from the year before the diagnosis to a maximum of 8 years. Generalized linear models estimated the ratios of mean incomes from work and social benefits and of its total. Around the time of the child's cancer diagnosis, the total income was on average up to 6% higher among the mothers of children with cancer compared with reference mothers, but no differences were noted among fathers. Income from work dropped to the lowest level around the time of a cancer diagnosis, with swift recovery noted for fathers but not for mothers. Sickness and childcare-related benefits were up to 6 times larger for the parents of children with cancer than reference parents. As social benefits diminished after approximately 3 years, the total income of mothers of children with cancer became lower than that of reference mothers, and the gap widened over time. Social benefits appeared to ease the financial burden during the years around a cancer diagnosis. However, mothers experienced persistently lower income after benefits diminished. Experiences differed by single-parent versus dual-parent households, the survival of the child with cancer, and other relevant characteristics. Further investigation is needed for potential long-term consequences for mothers, including their career and future pension in retirement. Cancer 2018;124:1492-500. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Parental work characteristics and diet quality among pre-school children in dual-parent households: results from a population-based cohort in Taiwan.

To examine the relationship between parental work characteristics and diet quality among pre-school children in dual-parent households. Cross-sectional study. Parental work characteristics were measured by the types of combined parental work schedules and work hours. The main outcome variables included meal eating habits as well as 'health-conscious food' and 'unhealthy non-core food' dietary patterns derived by using principal component analysis. Sociodemographic covariates were considered to reduce confounding and selection biases. The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study, Taiwan. A population-based sample of 18 046 children. Multiple regression analyses indicated that compared with having both parents working standard schedules, having at least one parent who worked non-standard schedules was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of a child eating breakfast every day and a higher consumption of unhealthy non-core foods. If only one parent was employed and worked standard schedules, the children demonstrated greater odds of having home-prepared dinner most of the time. The mother's working long hours was associated with lower odds of eating breakfast every day, more frequent consumption of unhealthy non-core foods and a lower frequency of healthy food consumption. The findings raise concern that parents' non-standard work schedules and mother's long working hours have negative effects on diet quality of pre-school children. Policy implications include the need for a multifaceted approach to supporting working parents so as to create healthier food environments.

유자녀 한부모 및 양부모 가구의 사회경제적 특성 차이 및 주택자산효과 비교

유자녀 한부모 및 양부모 가구의 사회경제적 특성 차이 및 주택자산효과 비교

Policy Interventions and Relative Incomes of Families with Children by Family Structure and Parental Education

Cross-nationally, scholars conceptualize welfare states as both systems of stratification, reinforcing status distinctions between groups, and systems granting social rights to citizens. With growing inequality in the postindustrial era, it is particularly important to understand the role of the state in reinforcing or ameliorating inequality. The authors focus in this article on households with children, because there has been substantial polarization in income among these households. The authors consider how welfare state interventions affect a broad array of households that differ on crucial characteristics such as family structure and parental education. Focusing on European and North American welfare states between 1985 and 2007, the authors illustrate which households benefit in different policy contexts. Most policies do not have differential associations with income for mothers with different levels of education. However, tax policies are associated with variations that relate to partners’ education. Finally, childcare policies are associated with variations in income for both single-parent and dual-parent households.

Impact of a Father Figure's Presence in the Household on Children's Psychiatric Diagnoses and Functioning in Families at High Risk for Depression.

The consequences of living in single-parent households on children's wellbeing are well documented, but less is known about the impact of living in single-mother households among children with high familial risk for depression. Utilizing data from an ongoing three-generation study of high-risk families, this preliminary study examined a sample of 161 grandchildren of probands diagnosed with major depressive disorder, comparing those in single-parent households to those in dual-parent households with household status defined as the full-time presence of a resident male in the home. High-risk children were compared across households in terms of psychiatric diagnoses (measured by Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children; K-SADS-PL) and global functioning (assessed by Global Assessment Scale, child version; C-GAS). Results indicated that high-risk children in single-parent households had 4.7 times greater odds for developing a mood disorder and had significantly lower mean C-GAS scores (p = 0.01) compared to those in dual-parent households. Differences remained significant when controlling for household income, child's age, and either parent's depression status. There were no significant differences between high-risk children across households when household status was instead defined as legal marital status. This study has several limitations: sample size was small, pro-bands were recruited from a clinical population, and participants had not passed completely through the period of risk for adult psychiatric disorders. These findings point towards the importance of identifying and closely monitoring children at risk for depression, particularly if they reside in households without a resident father figure.

Predictors of indoor smoking at young children’s homes—a cross-sectional study

The aim of the study was to determine factors associated with indoor smoking in homes (ISIH) using a sample of households with at least one child aged 3 or younger and at least one smoking adult. In a defined German region, all households (n = 3,570) with a child aged 3 or younger were invited to participate in a study that tested the efficacy of an intervention for reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. In 1,282 households, at least one parent reported daily smoking. Among these, 917 (71.5%) participated in the study. ISIH was defined as smoking 'in specific rooms only' or 'everywhere'. Cross-sectional data were analysed using regression analysis. Among the households, 37.5% reported ISIH. ISIH was more likely if the youngest child had not visited a nursery (OR, 1.81; CI, 1.21-2.70) and if no private outdoor area was present (OR = 4.38, CI, 2.64-7.25). Lower household education level and partly unemployment in dual-parent households were associated with ISIH. Fostering nursery attendance and availability of a private outdoor area may protect young children living in household with smoking parents from environmental tobacco smoke.