Family Experiences Research Articles

The causes, process and result of becoming a digital nomad family: a phenomenological case study

PurposeThe aim of the research is to reveal information with regard to being a digital nomad as a family. Within this brief, the aim is to provide information regarding the reasons for choosing the digital nomad lifestyle of families, the female and male thoughts regarding the experience, destination selection factors and the difficulties and conveniences of digital nomadism for family aspects.Design/methodology/approachThe data were obtained through a semi-structured interview questionnaire with a British digital nomad family, individually from the wife and husband, using a qualitative research design in the scope of the phenomenological research.FindingsIt was determined that having a better lifestyle, being willing to spend more time with family and traveling with them were the reasons for becoming a digital nomad. The opinions of the woman and man are in parallel. While the main features of being a digital nomad are freedom and flexibility, having time to spend with family is also important. Factors for choosing a destination as a nomad were access to nature, quality of life, cost of living, quality of the food, climate, proximity to other families who are nomads and interest in nonschool education. As a family, they meet their needs and wants, such as going to a local shop or staying in a rented house, but prefer to use restaurants and other facilities if their stay is short. Although having children motivates digital nomadism, it has been determined that families prefer to stay in a fixed place as nomads since it is not appropriate for children over a certain age to travel frequently.Originality/valueThe study provides detailed information regarding a family experience with digital nomadism through a case study.

“Friends? Supported. Partner? Not so much …”: Women's experiences of friendships, family, and relationships during perimenopause and menopause

In recent years, there has been increased cultural interest in perimenopause and menopause. The importance of peri/menopause in many women's lives makes this topic particularly pertinent for feminist psychologists. Some feminist scholars have acknowledged both physical and psychological factors as important aspects of women's experiences within their wider social and cultural contexts. However, consideration of relational aspects during peri/menopause remains sparse. We report our research exploring peri/menopausal women's experiences of friendships, family, and relationships. Thematic analysis was used to analyse responses to an online qualitative survey in which 71 mainly British women participated. In our analysis, we discuss the Menopause Sisterhood and how these women described social support as grounded in embodied experiences shared with other women. However, there were tensions concerning partners, whose understanding varied, which we report in the second theme: Accounting for (lack of) partner support: Men as heroes (or as absolved of any blame). We discuss the importance and implications of our findings for feminist scholars and psychologists more widely.

Gastrointestinal symptoms in autistic children during Covid-19 lockdown: A qualitative study of family experience

BackgroundAutistic individuals face barriers to healthcare access and premature mortality. There is an increased prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in autistic children compared to not-autistic children. There is a complex interplay between these GI symptoms and various aspects of behaviour, sleep, and mental health in autistic children. Lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic changed the delivery of healthcare for all patient groups, and it is particularly important to understand the effects of this on vulnerable groups. In this qualitative study we document the family experiences associated with managing persistent GI symptoms in autistic children and access to related healthcare for these children during Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions. MethodWe conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 parents of autistic children and subjected data from these interviews to qualitative analysis. ResultsTwo themes emerged (i) Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions changed the children’s reported GI symptoms in a non-uniform manner; and (ii) parents were divided on the appropriateness of telemedicine services for their child. Some parents reported an increase in their child’s anxiety level that was linked to worsening of GI symptoms. Those parents who reported a reduction in their child’s social anxiety during lockdown related this to improved GI symptoms. Parents reported advantages and disadvantages of both in-person and telemedicine consultations, and they were split on their preferences for these appointment types. ConclusionsTelemedicine is preferred by some but not all families of autistic children. Clinicians should consider the interplay between anxiety and GI symptoms in autistic children when assessing and treating GI symptoms.

Designing a Community Health Worker (CHW) Certificate Training that Centers Marginalized Youth’s Health and Wellness

The genesis of the youth Community Health Worker (CHW) and Citizen/Community Science (CS) training is rooted in interdisciplinary research and the lived experiences of families in Chicago and Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Mendenhall and colleagues’ (Drs. Robinson, Roberts and Rodriquez-Zas) South Chicago’s Black Mothers’ Resiliency Project provide dinsights into Black women’s experiences with genomics, trauma, and community science. Black women’s testimonies highlighted the health impacts of living in neighborhoods with high levels of gun violence and the resilience strategies they employ. This led to the development of a youth-centered CHW and CS training program, aimed at addressing health disparities. The program trained high school students and young adults (up to age 24) as CHWs and CSs, focusing on the objectives of (1) embedding culturally competent health workers in marginalized communities; (2) amplifying community voices; (3) collecting, analyzing, and quantifying observational data to inform policy decision-making; (4) amplifying community voices in healthcare discussions and (5) creating community health care worker training certification for youth. Over three years, the program trained over 50 participants, incorporating elements of wellness, art, and entrepreneurship.Based on ethnographic notes participants reported increases in wellness such as reduced anxiety and increased empowerment. The program’s long-term goals include creating employment opportunities for graduates and contributing to improved community health outcomes. This initiative represents a step towards addressing racial trauma and promoting community healing through youth-led innovation and empowerment.

The effect of peers' theory of mind on children's own theory of mind development: A longitudinal study in middle childhood and early adolescence.

While there is considerable evidence that children's early ability to understand others' mental states, called "theory of mind," is shaped by family experiences, it remains unclear whether children's social interactions at school influence theory of mind (ToM) beyond early childhood. We tested whether the mean level ("quantity") and/or the diversity ("variety") of peers' ToM influenced children's own ToM. We also examined whether peer effects on ToM were independent of possible confounding variables (e.g., verbal ability, social isolation) and comparable across children with different initial levels of ToM and social status. Four hundred fifty-four 8-12-year-old children completed assessments of ToM and peer and friendship nominations at baseline and (for ToM only) 1 year later. The variety (but not the quantity) of peers' ToM predicted the development of children's ToM over and above control variables. The magnitude of the peer effect was comparable across different levels of children's ToM and between children indexed as socially isolated and those who were not. These findings fit with sociocultural models and highlight the importance of the school environment in the development of ToM. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Proceedings of the first global meeting of the Posterior Fossa Society: state of the art in cerebellar mutism syndrome.

The Posterior Fossa Society, an international multidisciplinary group, hosted its first global meeting designed to share the current state of the evidence across the multidisciplinary elements of pediatric post-operative cerebellar mutism syndrome (pCMS). The agenda included keynote talks from world-leading speakers, compelling abstract presentations and engaging discussions led by members of the PFS special interest groups. This paper is a synopsis of the first global meeting, a 3-day program held in Liverpool, England, UK, in September 2022. Topics included nosology, patient and family experience, cerebellar modulation of cognition, and cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome. In addition, updates from large-scale studies were shared as well as abstracts across neuroradiology, neurosurgery, diagnosis/scoring, ataxia, and rehabilitation. Based on data-driven evidence and discussions, each special interest group created research priorities to target before the second global meeting, in the spring of 2024.

Effectiveness and family experiences of interventions promoting partnerships between families and pediatric and neonatal intensive care units: a mixed methods systematic review.

The objective of this mixed methods review was to examine the effectiveness and family experiences of interventions promoting partnerships between families and the multidisciplinary health care team in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units. Hospitalization of infants and children in neonatal intensive care units and pediatric intensive care units has a significant effect on their families, including increased stress, anxiety, and depression. Available evidence syntheses focused on specific family-centered care, but not on partnership, which is another aspect that may improve families' outcomes and experiences. This review considered studies that focused on effectiveness or family experiences of interventions by health professionals in partnership with families of infants or children hospitalized in an intensive care unit. For the quantitative component of the review, the type of intervention was a partnership between the health care team and the family, and focused on outcomes of stress, anxiety, depression, quality of life, attachment, or satisfaction with family-centered care. For the qualitative component, the phenomenon of interest was family experiences of interventions that included collaboration and partnering with the health care team in the pediatric or neonatal intensive care unit. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies, published from 2000 to August 2022 in English or French, were eligible for inclusion. The JBI methodology for convergent segregated mixed methods systematic reviews was followed using the standardized JBI critical appraisal and data extraction tools. Ten databases were searched in December 2019 and again in August 2022. Study selection, critical appraisal, and data extraction were performed by 2 reviewers independently. Findings of quantitative studies were statistically pooled through meta-analysis and those that could not be pooled were reported narratively. Qualitative studies were pooled through meta-synthesis. This review included 6 qualitative and 42 quantitative studies. The methodological quality varied, and all studies were included regardless of methodological quality. Meta-analyses showed improvements in anxiety, satisfaction with family-centered care, and stress, yet no conclusive effects in attachment and depression. These results should be interpreted with caution due to high heterogeneity. Qualitative analysis resulted in 2 synthesized findings: "Interventions that incorporate partnerships between families and the health care team can improve the family's experience and capacity to care for the child" and "Having a child in intensive care can be an experience of significant impact for families." Integration of quantitative and qualitative evidence revealed some congruence between findings; however, the paucity of qualitative evidence minimized the depth of this integration. Partnership interventions can have a positive impact on parents of children in intensive care units, with improvements reported in stress, anxiety, and satisfaction with family-centered care. PROSPERO CRD42019137834. A Chinese-language version of the abstract of this review is available at http://links.lww.com/SRX/A50 . A French-language version of the abstract of this review is available at http://links.lww.com/SRX/A51 .

A qualitative examination of the reintegration experiences of Australian Defense Force families

ABSTRACT The profound development that occurs during the first five years of a child’s life may contribute to military families with young children facing unique challenges during reintegration. Yet, little is known about the reintegration experiences of military families with young children, and less so from the perspectives of non-deployed parents and families outside of the US. In this qualitative study, we explored the reintegration experiences of Australian Defense Force (ADF) families with young children (five years and younger). Through written responses to open-ended prompts, ADF service members (n = 9) and their non-deployed spouses (n = 38) reflected on periods of reintegration and discussed their family’s adaption during this time. Using thematic analysis, six themes representing the reintegration experiences of these families were generated from the data. Four themes were generated from the combined experiences of service members and non-deployed parents, while a further two themes were generated from the experiences of non-deployed parents only. Relational and parenting challenges were at the forefront of reintegration experiences. These findings offer meaningful implications for practice and research to improve the quality of parent-child relationships and enhance outcomes for military families with young children during reintegration.

The future of childhood maltreatment research: Diversity and equity-informed perspectives for inclusive methodology and social justice.

A long-standing practice in clinical and developmental psychology research on childhood maltreatment has been to consider prospective, official court records to be the gold standard measure of childhood maltreatment and to give less weight to adults' retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment, sometimes even treating this data source as invalid. We argue that both formats of assessment - prospective and retrospective - provide important information on childhood maltreatment. Prospective data drawn from court records should not necessarily be considered the superior format, especially considering evidence of structural racism in child welfare. Part I overviews current maltreatment definitions in the context of the developmental psychopathology (DP) framework that has guided maltreatment research for over 40 years. Part II describes the ongoing debate about the disproportionalities of minoritized children at multiple decision-making stages of the child welfare system and the role that racism plays in many minoritized families' experience of this system. Part III offers alternative interpretations for the lack of concordance between prospective, official records of childhood maltreatment and retrospective self-reports, and for the differential associations between each format of data with health outcomes. Moving forward, we recommend that future DP research on childhood maltreatment apply more inclusive, diversity and equity-informed approaches when assessing and interpreting the effects of childhood maltreatment on lifespan and intergenerational outcomes. We encourage future generations of DP scholars to use assessment methods that affirm the lived experiences of individuals and families who have directly experienced maltreatment and the child welfare system.

The experiences of familial mental illness stigma among individuals living with mental illnesses.

Persons with mental illnesses may experience stigma from their immediate family members in addition to other forms of stigma. Using semi-structured interviews, we investigated experiences of familial mental illness stigma among 15 people diagnosed with mental illnesses in a mid-sized city in Canada. We identified five themes that speak to participants' experiences of familial mental illness stigma and ways to reduce it. The themes include the following: diagnosis as a 'double-edged sword,' potential familial isolation, familial stigma as societal stigma localized, stories of acceptance, and confronting potential familial mental illness stigma. Participants' narratives indicate that familial mental illness stigma is rooted in the broader social or public stigma, which sees its way into familial relations as well. This stigma takes various forms, including relationship bias or unfair treatment, breakdown in romantic relationships, loss of status, verbal and emotional abuse, exclusion from decision-making, and alienation within their immediate and extended families. Familial mental illness stigma experiences negatively impact participant's psychological well-being and personal empowerment. However, participants also shared ways that family members create supportive environments or actively confront or prevent stigma. Overall, this study has contributed to knowledge on mental illness stigma, particularly familial mental illness stigma from the perspective of participants living with a mental illness in a high-income country. Suggestions for future research include a focus on strategies to prevent ongoing familial mental illness stigma and large-scale studies to explore familial mental illness stigma to understand why families might perpetrate stigma.

Persistent environmental lead exposures disrupting black children’s neurodevelopment and quality of life trajectories: an under-recognized ACE in the hole

Persistent environmental lead exposures disrupting black children’s neurodevelopment and quality of life trajectories: an under-recognized ACE in the hole

Online therapy with families - what can families tell us about how to do this well? A qualitative study assessing families' experience of remote Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy compared to face-to-face therapy.

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) is a family-based therapy for adopted children aiming to achieve secure attachment between the child and parent. Due to restrictions under the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery of DDP transitioned from face-to-face to online methods. This study aimed to explore families experience of online DDP compared to face-to-face DDP, looking at the advantages and disadvantages of remote delivery methods and the implications this has on future service delivery for clinicians. Semi-structured interviews with 6 families were conducted online. Analysis of transcripts using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) revealed four superordinate themes: environment and child engagement, non-verbal communication, travel and familiarity with remote interactions. Parents recognised the influence the physical and online environment had on their child's engagement levels, however, varied in their experience and hence preference of delivery method. All families emphasised the importance of non-verbal communication within DDP sessions and majority highlighted this may be lost online. For families who travelled to face-to-face DDP, car journeys provided a unique opportunity to decompress and reflect after sessions. For families where travel is unfeasible, online DDP was a lifeline, demonstrating the ability of remote therapy to widen access to specialist healthcare. Familiarity with online work emerged as a strong indicator of positive attitudes towards remote DDP, especially if the previous experience is positive and the child is confident using technology. Overall, families differed greatly in their experience of remote and face-to-face DDP indicating a new approach must be undertaken with each family beginning therapy, ensuring it is unique and individual to their needs.

Surviving crisis after crisis: strengths and gaps in support for Syrian refugee families living in Lebanon

PurposeAs host to over one million Syrian refugees, Lebanon continues to experience challenges addressing the needs of refugee families. This research examined the experiences of Syrian families with the refugee support system in Lebanon. The purpose of this study was to better understand the strengths and gaps in existing mechanisms of support for these Syrian families, including informal support from family, neighbors and community and more formalized support provided through entities such as nongovernmental organizations and United Nations agencies.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 46 families displaced by the war and living in Lebanon (N = 351 individuals within 46 families). Collaborative family interviews were conducted with parents, children and often extended family.FindingsThe data identified both strengths and gaps in the refugee support system in Lebanon. Gaps in the refugee support system included inadequate housing, a lack of financial and economic support, challenges with a lack of psychosocial support for pregnant women and support for disabled youth. Despite these challenges, families and community workers reported informal community support as a strong mediator of the challenges in Lebanon. Furthermore, the data find that organizations working with Syrian families are utilizing informal community support through capacity building, to create more effective and sustainable support services.Originality/valueThis study provides an overview of strengths and gaps in supports identified by refugees themselves. The research will inform the development and improvement of better support systems in Lebanon and in other refugee–hosting contexts.

Experiences of healthcare professionals, patients and families with video calls to stimulate patient- and family-centred care during hospitalization: A scoping review.

To synthesize the literature on the experiences of patients, families and healthcare professionals with video calls during hospital admission. Second, to investigate facilitators and barriers of implementation of video calls in hospital wards. Scoping review. PubMed, CINAHL and Google Scholar were searched for relevant publications in the period between 2011 and 2023. Publications were selected if they focused on experiences of patients, families or healthcare professionals with video calls between patients and their families; or between families of hospitalized patients and healthcare professionals. Quantitative and qualitative data were summarized in data charting forms. Forty-three studies were included. Patients and families were satisfied with video calls as it facilitated daily communication. Family members felt more engaged and felt they could provide support to their loved ones during admission. Healthcare professionals experienced video calls as an effective way to communicate when in-person visits were not allowed. However, they felt that video calls were emotionally difficult as it was hard to provide support at distance and to use communication skills effectively. Assigning local champions and training of healthcare professionals were identified as facilitators for implementation. Technical issues and increased workload were mentioned as main barriers. Patients, families and healthcare professionals consider video calls as a good alternative when in-person visits are not allowed. Healthcare professionals experience more hesitation towards video calls during admission, as it increases perceived workload. In addition, they are uncertain whether video calls are as effective as in-person conservations. When implementing video calls in hospital wards, policymakers and healthcare professionals should select strategies that address the positive aspects of family involvement at distance and the use of digital communication skills. No patient or public contribution.

Exploring the family experience of children aged 2–4 years receiving daily vosoritide injections: A qualitative study

PurposeVosoritide is administered as a daily subcutaneous injection in children with achondroplasia. In clinical trials, families of children aged 2–4 years reported difficulty with drug administration due to child fear, pain, and distress. Study aims were to gain a better understanding of the current vosoritide administration experience in this cohort and to investigate whether topical anaesthesia and ice application prior to injections improved the child and family experience. Design and methodsA qualitative descriptive study design ensured in-depth understanding of family experience. Parents were interviewed to explore experience of vosoritide administration for their child at two time points, before (Phase 1) and after (Phase 2) the introduction of topical anaesthesia and ice application prior to injections. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. ResultsSeven families participated. Children's ages ranged from 2 years 2 months to 3 years 11 months. Five themes emerged from data analysis: (1) The reality of the burden of care; (2) Child experience as the greatest obstacle; (3) Parents juggle multiple emotional considerations; (4) Many factors may impact experience; and (5) Short-term and long-term impacts. ConclusionsAdministration of vosoritide in this cohort presents multiple challenges for families. Factors which influenced experience differed between families. Responses to topical anaesthesia and ice application also varied between children, improving administration experience for some children and worsening experience for others. Practice implicationsThis study highlights the need for individualised care for young children receiving daily injections. Support should be provided to families to identify factors that improve experience.

Explosive and Harmful Impulses: A Subset of Child and Adolescent-to-Parent Violence and Abuse.

"Filial harm" refers to harms experienced by a parent and caused by their child, with increasing umbrella terminology developing to capture all forms of harm despite differing experiences and contexts. In this paper, based on a Glaserian Grounded Theory study underpinned by participatory research principles, this work utilized diaries and interactive interviews with 34 parents and arts-based workshops with 21 children to develop a new terminology and approach to child and adolescent-to-parent violence and abuse when harm does not have a clear intent. Explosive and harmful impulses refer to preadolescents experiencing proactive, reactive, affective, and relational harms and needs. These specific forms of filial harm are based upon underlying needs, and the maladaptive ways children may attempt to meet their needs result in filial harm as an unintended consequence rather than being a form of harm with intent. Using an approach that captures subsections of filial harm, there is opportunity to better represent the nuance of individual family experiences and could provide more appropriate language and interventions that better represent the language used by families themselves. Future interventions, support pathways, and research with families living with explosive and harmful impulses could use the provided framework to understand why children are attempting to meet their needs in harmful ways and to consider less harmful methods of support.

Emergency service health care workers’ opinions and experiences on the practice of family-witnessed resuscitation: a cross-sectional study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Türkiye

Despite the evidence and recommendations regarding the benefits of family-witnessed resuscitation, the opinions and attitudes of healthcare professionals vary widely. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 154 healthcare professionals working at the emergency departments of four hospitals within the borders of Ankara, Türkiye to examine their opinions and experiences on the practice of family-witnessed resuscitation. Data were collected by using the demographic form and the Family Presence Risk-Benefit Scale. Descriptive statistical analyses, t-test for samples, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in the evaluation of the data. Results indicated that majority of emergency department healthcare workers (85.8%) had no previous experience of family witnessed resuscitation, and most of them (96.8%) opposed the practice of resuscitation with family presence. Although nurses tended to favour family witnessed resuscitation more than physicians, most of the participants expressed their concerns about the presence of family during the CPR. It is recommended that institutional policies be developed on family-witnessed resuscitation, and inter-professional education be provided to increase the awareness of families and to change the opinions and attitudes of health care professionals.

Navigating distress: Exploring factors affecting adolescent girls' wellbeing during and after a violence-focused survey in Maharashtra, India

BackgroundEnsuring the emotional wellbeing of participants in violence-focused research is a paramount ethical requirement. While previous research suggests that most participants in violence-focused studies do not report harmful consequences, little is known about the experiences of adolescent participants in low- and middle-income countries. ObjectiveThis study, conducted in Maharashtra, India, aims at assessing how participant, contextual, and interviewer characteristics affect the level of distress that adolescent girls experience after participation in a violence survey. MethodsA total of 3049 13–18-year-old girls were interviewed on their experiences of family and intimate partner violence. Following the interview, both girls and interviewers completed a 5-item questionnaire on perceived participant distress. Linear regression analyses were conducted to identify possible correlates of girls' distress. ResultsLess than 10 % of participants reported feelings of distress upon completion of the interview. Higher levels of interviewers' empathy were significantly associated with decreased levels of participants' distress (standardised beta: −0.25, p < 0.001). Reported distress was also lower if girls had opted for an audio- and mobile-assisted self-interview (ACASI) format (standardised beta: −0.05, p < 0.01) and if the interview was conducted by someone older (standardised beta: −0.22, p < 0.001). Conversely, if interviews were conducted in participants' homes and by interviewers with higher education levels, reported distress was significantly higher (standardised beta: 0.06, p < 0.01 and 0.12, p < 0.001, respectively). ConclusionsOur findings suggest that incorporating empathetic interviewing and trust-building techniques into interviewer training, offering ACASI interviews, and choosing interview locations that ensure confidentiality can help protect the wellbeing of participants in violence research.

‘Sit down and thrash it out’: opportunities for expanding ethics consultation during conflict resolution in long-term care

Objective: To identify the frequency and nature of care conflict dilemmas that United States long-term care providers encounter, response strategies, and use of ethics resources to assist with dispute resolution. Design: An online cross-sectional survey was distributed to the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA). Results: Two-thirds of participants, primarily medical directors, have rejected surrogate instructions and 71% have managed family conflict. Conflict over treatment decisions and issues interpreting advance directives were frequently reported. Half of facilities lack a formal dispute mediation policy. Only five respondents have called an ethics consult for assistance. Conclusion: Ethically tense care conflicts commonly arise in long-term and post-acute care facilities. Few facility procedures incorporate ethics resources into actual practice. Recommendations are made to create actionable policy, increase access to ethics services, and support staff skill development in order to improve the end-of-life care experiences for patients, families, and care facility staff.

Family journey in the process of recovery of schizophrenia: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this research is to explore the life experiences of schizophrenic families in accompanying the recovery process. Methods: This study uses a qualitative method with descriptive phenomenology to explain phenomena from family experiences. The number of the participants was eight families who had family members with schizophrenia. Sampling was determined by purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using the Colaizzi method. Results: The results of this study show four themes that emerged including (1) psychological burden on the family, (2) families needing support in the recovery process, (3) obstacles due to social stigma, and (4) family gratitude for being able to pass the test patiently. Conclusion: The schizophrenia family’s journey in the recovery process is very long. They are required to endure in assisting the recovery process. Experiences felt by the family include feelings, obstacles, and hopes that arise in carrying out their role to assist the recovery process which aims to improve the health of schizophrenia patients. The findings from this study provide insight for nurses to be able to pay attention to family psychological problems by strengthening families through home visits and health promotion related to the recovery process of survivor schizophrenia.