Family Context Research Articles

Evidence Synthesis and Clinical Recommendations for Supporting School Students With Sensory Processing Challenges: A Rapid Review.

Children with sensory processing challenges often need supports to access, participate in, and achieve at school. However, research on best practice is varied, presenting difficulty for practitioners to assess the appropriateness of each support. To provide evidence-informed recommendations regarding best practices in school-based supports for students with sensory processing challenges via a Rapid Evidence Assessment of current literature. Searches were run in CINAHL Complete, Education Research Complete, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus (for articles published 2010 to 2023). Informed by a 2010 review, articles citing publications identified in the prior review were also included. A reviewer screened the title and abstract of each article for inclusion, and another screened the full texts, with 10% of each reviewer's articles assessed by the other. Interrater reliability was excellent. The review included 61 articles, with only 15% constituting good evidence (38% provided adequate evidence, 31% provided poor evidence, and 16% were reviews). No support could be wholly recommended without caveats, but there was some evidence that sound amplification systems, alternate seating, and multisensory environments may be beneficial in certain conditions or with certain populations. The use of weighted vests is not recommended. Most research had small sample sizes and inconsistent protocols, highlighting the importance of ongoing research. Evidence-informed practitioners should review research findings carefully and integrate evidence from comprehensive clinical assessment and understanding of the child, school, and family contexts when assessing the appropriateness of a support for each student. Plain-Language Summary: Children with sensory processing challenges often need supports to access, participate in, and achieve at school. Occupational therapists provide school-based supports for children with sensory processing challenges with the goal of enabling access, participation, and achievement. It is difficult, however, for practitioners to assess the appropriateness of each support because research on best practice varies. This review of the current literature provides practitioners with evidence on supports for school children with sensory processing challenges to inform decision-making and the selection of appropriate supports for their clients. When assessing the appropriateness of a support for a student, practitioners should carefully review current research findings and integrate evidence from comprehensive clinical assessments along with an understanding of the student, school, and family contexts.

Influential factors in the consumption of water by schoolchildren in Mexico

Purpose Based on the assumptions of the social ecological theory (SET), this study aims to identify the factors that influence water consumption by the schoolchildren segment in urban communities in Mexico, to further develop a community-based social marketing intervention. Design/methodology/approach This study was formative research, quantitative and qualitative in nature, consisting of a survey, focus groups and in-depth interviews. It was conducted in public and private elementary schools in central Mexico (five states), during 2023. Findings It was identified that parents are aware of the benefits of drinking water for their children’s health. However, various factors in the sociocultural environment, perceptions, customs and habits were noted as barriers to water consumption. Consequently, children’s behaviors are influenced by their family context as the strongest environment. Likewise, the school environment and the social environment are identified as other influential factors. Each system acts as a motivator or barrier in the child’s behavior, creating and supporting consumption behaviors learned from an early age. Originality/value Interventions on water consumption should target the most influential SET systems; the microsystem and the mesosystem, achieving the participation and co-responsibility of stakeholders in changing the environment and thus behavior.

INTEGRALIDADE NA ATENÇÃO EM SAÚDE BUCAL PARA PESSOAS COM DEFICIÊNCIA

Introduction: Comprehensiveness in oral health care for people with disabilities. These are principles that seek to ensure comprehensive care in the social and family context. The objective of the present study was to discuss aspects related to comprehensive care in dental services offered by the Unified Health System (SUS) for patients with disabilities. Material and Method: This is a narrative review of the literature with research in the Scholar Google, SciELO, PubMed and Virtual Health Library databases, using the descriptors "Integrality", "People with Disabilities" and "Collective Health". Results: Articles that met the selected inclusion criteria were selected. Conclusion: Special care for people with disabilities is a skill that should be developed by dentists, strengthening the principles of the SUS and the consolidation of curricular guidelines and humanizing care.

Accidental Detection of Cocaine in Urine in Pediatric Patients: Case Series and Literature Review

Infantile occult exposure to cocaine in domestic environments represents a complex clinical and medico-legal problem, which can be associated with abuse and neglect and with potential short- and long-term health risks for children. The authors present a retrospective study on 764 children under 14 years old who accessed the Emergency Department of IRCCS Meyer from 2016 to 2023 and were included in the GAIA (Child and Adolescent Abuse Group) protocol for suspected maltreatment and abuse, and for which a urine toxicology analysis was performed. The aim is to discuss the medico-legal implications and highlight the need for a thorough evaluation and management of such situations. Urine screening tests for substances of abuse (e.g., cocaine, opiates, etc.) were performed with an EMIT® Siemens VIVA-E drug testing system (Siemens, Newark DE) in 124 cases for which the child’s clinical condition raised suspicion of intoxication, or the family context indicated distress or substance abuse dependency. The screening results revealed the presence of cocaine and its main metabolite, benzoylecgonine, in the urine of 11 children. In one case, a single girl was brought to the Emergency Department by staff from the facility where she and her mother were staying. In most of the cases, children were brought to the Emergency Department by their parents who accessed the Emergency Department due to various clinical manifestations (drowsiness, agitation, seizures, hypotonia, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.), except for one case of eye trauma suspected to be caused by abuse or neglect by one of the parents. Three of the children did not have signs or symptoms attributable to substance exposure, whilst eight of the cases presented some of the symptoms associated with occult infant exposure to cocaine, such as neurological manifestations, seizures, gastrointestinal symptoms, and respiratory depression. The probable mode of intake was mostly through breastfeeding and continuous environmental exposure due to domestic contamination or inhalation of “crack”. In the case of a 12-hour-old infant, there was probable prenatal in utero exposure. All the children were hospitalized, some for medical reasons and others solely as a precautionary measure for proper care. In all cases, a report was made to the Prosecutors as required by the Italian Penal Code, as well as to the Court of Minor. The study highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach involving pediatricians, social workers, and forensics, as well as close collaboration with the relevant authorities, as the Gaia service at IRCCS Meyer offers. The occasional detection of cocaine in cases that showed no suspicion of intoxication led to a modification of the procedure and the development of a standardized protocol at IRCCS Meyer both in terms of prevention and in the detection and interception of hidden cases, in order to intervene early and initiate the necessary care pathways (secondary prevention). This protocol includes routine toxicological urine testing in all suspected or confirmed cases of child abuse, not just in those where symptoms might suggest a suspicion of intoxication.

The effects of a dyadic empowerment-based heart failure management (De-HF) programme on self-care and HRQL : a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background The ever-growing epidemiology of heart failure (HF) and its detrimental impacts on patients’ quality of life and healthcare cost urge for effective interventions to ameliorate the modifiable prognostic factors. As substantial evidence suggests ineffective self-care as an important candidate especially for the post-discharge outcomes, various care approaches are developed to optimize this behavioral outcome. However, even family carers are heavily involved in the self-care process, dyadic approach to improve the health outcomes of both interactive partners are least applied in the HF transitional care model. Purpose To evaluate the effects of a dyadic empowerment-based heart failure management program (De-HF) on dyadic health and hospital service utilization outcomes. Methods This double-blind RCT randomized 88 HF patient-carer dyads to receive the De-HF program or a dialectic education program, after hospital discharge. Based on the Theory of Dyadic Illness Management, the 16-week De-HF Program, comprising i) a dyadic assessment, ii) five online empowerment modules and iii) follow-up telecare, integrated explicit strategies (scenario-based training, teach-back and goal-setting) to actively engage the care dyads in collaborative disease management. Figure 1 is the graphical presentation of the De-HF Program. The primary outcome is health-related quality of life (HRQL) of the care dyads. Secondary outcomes include patients’ self-care as well as shared care and perceived control of the dyad. Results The mean age of the HF patients was 76.8 (9.4). The patients were in moderate disease severity [NYHA II/II: 56/44%; mean LVEF = 42.5%]. Figure 2 shows the consort flow diagram. After adjusting the socio-demographic characteristic, two-way analysis of covariance showed that patients in the De-HF program showed significantly greater improvement in patients’ self-care domains [Mean difference in change of score (95% CI): Self-care maintenance = 7.15 (1.82-12.46),Cohen’s d = 0.26, p=0.009; Self-care management = 10.04(3.29-16.79), Cohen’s d=0.65, p=0.004; symptom perception = 15.59 (8.20-22.98), Cohen’s d=0.928, p<0.001] and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure score [Mean different in the change of score (95% CI) = -11.45 (-18.24 - -4.66). Cohen’s d = -0.742, p=0.001]. The patient-carer dyads also have significantly greater improvement in perceived control (p=0.001) and collaborative disease management in terms of joint decision-making (p=0.001) and sense of reciprocity (p=0.026). Conclusion Dyadic science has evolved in self-care research for HF. This trial provides the first evidence to inform the positive effects of a theory-based dyadic transitional care program in improving the collaborative self-care management in a family context and patient health outcome. Longer-term evaluation on the effects of De-HF program on health service utilization outcomes and cost-effectiveness will be followed.The De-HF Managment ProgramThe Consort Flow Diagram

Couples therapy and the challenges of building trust, fairness, and justice.

The cornerstone of the contextual family therapy model is predicated on the belief that all family members benefit from trustworthy relationships, which result from (a) acknowledging the contributions of deserving family members, (b) engaging in responsible interactions, and (c) ensuring a fair distribution of relational burdens and benefits. Nonetheless, conflicts may arise when one partner asserts a claim to relational resources based on need, while the other believes they are entitled to such resources based on merit. Based on relational ethics and the development of trust, this paper focuses on the therapist's role in facilitating the conflict-resolution process to assist couples in reestablishing individual responsibility and accountability within the systemic framework of couple therapy. It elucidates several clinical strategies, including (a) cultivating trust through fairness and focusing on the importance of reciprocity and equitable give-and-take, (b) detecting destructive entitlement, and (c) marital relationships and ethics of care. Several clinical examples are discussed, as well as common couple relational issues associated with horizontal and vertical relationships, partnership, and fusion, and the impact of gender and power dynamics and trustworthiness based on the feminist lens.

The involved and responsible outsiders: Norwegian gamer-parents expanding and reinforcing contemporary norms of parenthood

ABSTRACT Gaming is a popular activity among both children and adults. However, research on gaming in a family context often frames gaming as the interest of the child that parents must manage. Because gaming is becoming a more mainstream pastime for parents as well, we need knowledge about the ways gamer-parents position themselves as gamers and parents. Drawing on interviews with 29 Norwegian gamer-parents, we explore how they position themselves and how they assemble parenting. Contemporary parenting norms means engaging in risk-management, and public discourse has framed gaming and screen time as risks that need to be managed. How do gamer-parents position and assemble good parenthood to include gaming? Existing research on families and gaming has given insights into family struggles, dynamics, and mediation within the family. We add to this work by studying how gamer parents position themselves in relationships outside the family to other parents, relevant institutions, and to norms of good parenthood.

Relational ethics in immigrant families: The contextual therapy five-dimensional framework.

Contextual family therapy offers a unique explanatory and clinically valuable framework to address complex multigenerational processes in families of immigrants who experience cumulative migration-related traumas. In this paper, we offer a new extended, specific conceptualization of immigrant families' generational dynamics using existing literature within the five-dimensional contextual therapy framework illustrated with a clinical example. We highlight the importance of social and relational justice, loyalty, entitlement, and parentification in transgenerational processes in addressing manifestations of these traumas that are frequently overlooked in clinical practice with different generations of immigrant families. Clinical guiding principles include acknowledgment of the social nature of situational injustices and their consequences for relational justices, exploration of loyalty conflicts (familial, cultural, and national), active dialogue of mutual care, exoneration, and stimulating constructive entitlement through active giving. This paper contributes to further development of contextual therapy theory and provides practical guidance for clinicians working with international migrants including second and third generations.

Drinking firsts at home and with parental knowledge: Racial/ethnic differences in associations with later alcohol outcomes among underage youth.

Prior research has shown that early alcohol experiences, such as age of initiation and speed of progression between drinking milestones, vary across racial/ethnic groups. To inform culturally tailored prevention efforts, this longitudinal study examined racial/ethnic differences in the associations of drinking firsts at home and with parental knowledge with alcohol use outcomes among underage youth. The study included baseline and five follow-up surveys, collected every 6 months, from California adolescents (ages 12-16 years at baseline). The analytic sample was composed of the 689 adolescents who reported lifetime alcohol use at baseline or a follow-up survey (5% Black, 37% Latinx, 46% White, and 12% other/mixed racial/ethnic group; 54% female). Participants who reported consumption of a full drink, intoxication, or heavy episodic drinking (HED) were asked ages and contexts of these drinking firsts, including whether the initiation was at their own home and whether their parents/guardians knew about this drinking event. Outcomes included past-6-month alcohol frequency, alcohol quantity, and number of alcohol-related problems. Multilevel negative binomial regression analyses were conducted, controlling for demographics and age of initiation by type of drinking behavior. Moderation analyses examined racial/ethnic differences. For consumption of the first full drink, both drinking at home and parental knowledge were negatively associated with all outcomes; associations did not vary by race/ethnicity. First intoxication at own home was negatively associated with the number of drinks for Latinx youth and with the number of problems for Black youth. For first HED, drinking at own home was positively associated with drinking frequency across groups, and for Black youth specifically, parental knowledge of their first HED experience was significantly associated with greater later alcohol frequency and quantity. Results suggest that the association of family contexts of drinking first with later alcohol outcomes among underage youth varied by stage of alcohol use and race/ethnicity.

Adaptive educational expectations: How do parental educational expectations respond to child academic performance in various family contexts?

Parental educational expectations are well-studied in sociology of education and social stratification and mobility, but most literature conceptualizes these expectations as static or considers how they change only at key educational junctures such as educational transitions. Whether parental educational expectations adapt to child academic performance more generally, and what might be the key theoretical components in adaptation, are not well-conceptualized or tested. To address these limitations, we posit and test the concept of adaptive educational expectations. Our concept encompasses three key propositions: adaptability – parental expectations adapt to child academic performance; relative responsiveness – the adaptive response of parental expectations to child performance is larger in magnitude than the responsiveness of child performance to parental expectations; and heterogeneity – the adaptability of parental expectations varies across family contexts. We test the concept using the case of China, the largest education system in the world, with analyses of longitudinal data from the China Education Panel Survey. Findings show that parental expectations are more adaptive to child performance in low-SES families than in high-SES families and in rural areas than in nonrural areas, but there is no difference in adaptability by child gender and sibship size. These findings indicate that the adaptation of educational expectations is more shaped by socioeconomic circumstances than family demographics. Furthermore, the use of this concept reveals a hidden form of educational inequality that prior literature often neglects: compared with high-SES parents, low-SES parents not only hold lower educational expectations but are more likely to decrease their expectations when child academic performance declines, which further reduces their educational involvement. These findings illustrate the relevance of all three features of the adaptive educational expectations concept.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) in children: An update of this orphan disease

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) are tumours of the digestive tract that mainly develop in adults. Recommendations for the management of GIST in pediatrics are limited. We performed an updated review of the literature serving as a basis for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations for GIST in children and young adults (YA). GIST in pediatric population can have a sporadic presentation but occur more often in a syndromic and/or familial context. Currently more than 170 cases of sporadic GIST or in association with Carney-Stratakis syndrome or Carney's triad family cases of familial GIST have been described in children and YA. These syndromes are frequently associated with germline or somatic alterations in a sub-unit of Succinate Dehydrogenase (SDH). In contrast, the frequency of somatic KIT and PDGFRα oncogene mutations (±15%) is significantly lower as compared to adults with GIST. The recommendations for the management of children with GIST are generally comparable to those used for adult patients, although certain biological differences influence the therapeutic attitude. International collaborations have been deployed in order to increase the clinical and biological knowledge of this orphan pathology in pediatrics.

Family affairs or Government's duty? The tax morality of a mobile society

PurposeThis paper aims to shed light on the relationship between intergenerational labor mobility and tax morale among European citizens, given the relatively limited evidence on the potential influence of tax compliance behavior on future inequalities.Design/methodology/approachExploiting data from the European Values Study (2008), we show that the larger the intergenerational mobility, i.e. better economic conditions of children respect to their parents, the larger the willingness to pay taxes. In this vein, the subjective tax payment may be meant as an investment which could be rewarded with a more mobile society result by considering different estimation strategies. This evidence remarks the importance to foster intergenerational mobility to build a more tax-compliant society.FindingsThe linkage between mobility and tax morale is stronger and significant across citizens living in high income classes, and in countries where there is a commitment of the Government in guaranteeing more opportunities to citizens regardless of their familiar starting conditions (more defamiliarized countries). We further show that the intergenerational mobility significantly shapes the attitude towards tax payment only among individuals who claim for independence from their family context (i.e. those showing less family ties). This evidence remarks the importance to foster intergenerational mobility to build a more tax-compliant society.Originality/valueWe revisit the linkage between attitude toward tax compliance and inequality, on the light of the intergenerational labor mobility, that may be seen as the dependence between children's and parents' earnings. Given the insights from the existing studies, this paper represents the first empirical work that aims to analyze the potential relationship between intergenerational mobility and personal attitude toward tax payment across European citizens.

Context-Specific Resilience Through a Cultural Lens: Social-Ecological Factors Among Chinese Families of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities.

With the rise in attention towards Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Hong Kong and worldwide, understanding the role of social ecological resilience in reducing parenting stress and enhancing child outcomes is crucial, particularly within the unique cultural context of Chinese families. This study utilized a social ecological model to examine resilience factors at individual and interpersonal levels among Hong Kong parents of children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. It also compared the stress and resilience conditions and differential functions of social ecological resilience between parents with and without children diagnosed with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. A sample of 447 parents of children with and without Neurodevelopmental Disorders were assessed by a newly developed Social Ecological Resilience Scale, along with measures of parenting stress and the internalizing and externalizing behaviors of their children. Independent sample t-tests showed that Chinese parents of children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders report significantly higher parenting stress and more internalizing and externalizing difficulties in their children compared to those without Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that enhanced social ecological resilience among parents predicted improved parenting stress and better outcomes in children's behaviors. Notably, social ecological resilience factors showed varying effects between parents with and without children diagnosed with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. These findings highlight that both individual and interpersonal resilience factors among parents predicted improved parenting stress and better outcomes in children's behaviors and certain resilience factors may be contextually motivated. Policy makers and practitioners should consider developing context-specific strategies and programmes to help the focal target group.

Child's Externalizing and Internalizing Problems and Caregiver Strain: Mediation of Child's Executive Functions.

The aim of the study is to explore the role of child's executive functions in the relation between child's externalizing and internalizing problems and caregiver strain in early school age children. The caregiver strain refers to providing nurture and care for a dependent family member. A sample includes 175 caregiver-child dyads and 36 school teachers. Participants completed the Family Strain Index which measures caregiver strain or burden (caregivers), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire which measures child's externalizing and internalizing problems (teachers), and behavioral tasks that measure executive functions (children). Using structural equation modelling, the analysis resulted in a full mediation of the child's externalizing problems on the caregiver strain by child's executive functions. However, the association of child's internalizing problems with caregiver strain has not been confirmed. These results indicate that better child's executive functions buffer the negative effect of child's externalizing problems on caregiver perceived burden. Based on these results, we can suggest that interventions should be focused on programmes to improve the child's executive functions in the family and educational context, along with caregiver training aimed at providing emotional and social support, or individual therapy.

Longitudinal effects of father‐adolescent attachment on anxiety: A multi‐informant study

AbstractResearch has demonstrated that many elements of the family context can play a significant role in the development of anxiety in adolescents. Some work suggests that parent‐adolescent attachment may serve as an antecedent of adolescent anxiety problems, but there remains a gap in research that examines both the mother‐adolescent and father‐adolescent attachment relationship and its impact on adolescent anxiety. Evidence suggests that parent‐child attachment security may provide a context for the development of emotion regulation skills; if an adolescent lacks these important regulatory capabilities in a time of stressful transitions, this may be related to increased feelings of anxiety. However, little is known about the particular effects of father‐adolescent attachment on anxiety, especially in early to mid‐adolescence. The present study addresses parental influences on the development of adolescent anxiety in a sample of 295 mothers, fathers, and adolescents studied across three years. Two dyadic growth‐curve models were specified: one for mother‐adolescent dyads and the other for father‐adolescent dyads. Results indicated that linear increases in adolescent reports of secure attachment with their fathers were predictive of linear decreases in adolescent reports of anxiety. Interestingly, there were no significant effects for the mother‐adolescent model. The results call attention to the developmental significance of attachment to fathers in buffering adolescents from emerging anxiety in this developmental period. The present study contributes to a growing body of research that highlights the importance of the father‐child relationship in adolescence.

Socio-pedagogical tact in familial contexts: from empty space to teaching space and the handling of symbols and things1

ABSTRACT This paper informs about a specific German concept in Pedagogy, the concept of “tact”.Following an initial discussion of the particularities of the concept of (socio-) pedagogical tact, including its ethical and moral self-positioning and current demands for its operationality (1); will come the presentation of an empirical examination of the opportunities and limits to the feasibility of meeting these demands, based on a current example from the field of social work: ‘integrated family support’ (2); finally, options for further investigation of the potential effects of ‘socio-pedagogical tact’ will be identified (3).

A qualitative exploration of Gestalt therapy and systemic pedagogy paediatric primary healthcare consultations in Agramunt (Spain).

Gestalt therapy (GT) and systemic pedagogy (SP) are useful tools to approach emotional difficulties and mental health problems among children and adolescents. The main objective of this study was to explore the perceptions on GT and SP techniques in paediatric mental health-related consultations in a primary healthcare (PHC) centre in Catalonia in 2018-2019, among families, healthcare, and education professionals. Qualitative study, combining semi-structured interviews with families (N = 42) and professionals (N = 15), conducted after a series paediatric PHC consultations including GT and SP techniques. Interviews lasted between 15 and 90min and were conducted at the PHC centre where GT/SP consultations took place, and at professionals' workplaces. Socio-demographics, reasons for consultation, and quantitative ratings on the perceived effectiveness of GT/SP consultations were also collected to combine these data with the qualitative interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed descriptively using thematic analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed by calculating frequencies (percentages) for categorical variables, and means, medians, and ranges for continuous variables. Narratives from families and healthcare professionals indicate that GT/SP consultations might have been effective in improving children and adolescents' symptomatology and emotional health. Improved well-being within the family context was another main finding, based on families' perceptions and experiences. Besides, GT/SP were considered acceptable for approaching emotional and mental health in PHC services, although barriers for implementation were identified. This study presents data on the potential usefulness of GT/SP to design and implement services that promote emotional and mental health among children and adolescents in PHC. Also, for the development of health policies and future research in this area.

Obraz regionu w opowiadaniach gwarowych Klemensa Frenszkowskiego. Wybrane zagadnienia

The aim of this article is to restore to public memory the literary output of Klemens Frenszkowski as the author of stories in the Warmian dialect prepared for publication. The analytical material consists of 24 stories of various genre provenance, the content of which concerns the everyday life of Warmians at the threshold of the 20th century. Problematisation distinguished three scopes. The social and family context involves the reconstruction of the author's biography on the basis of historical sources and literary texts. The cultural context concerns the realities of everyday life, fragments of customs and beliefs practised by the Warmian characters. The political-military context concerns the realities of public life (military service and politics).

Cascading Effects of the Family Context in Adolescence: Implications for Young Adult Antisocial Behavior and Intergenerational Transmission of Risk.

Inspired by the tremendous impact of Robert McMahon's career, this study evaluated an intergenerational cascade model in which young adult conduct problems may serve as a risk pathway linking generation 1 (G1) parenting and family climate in adolescence with generation 2 parenting quality and family climate with their children (G2-G3). Our sample included 396 parents (Mage = 28.3; 70% women; child Mage = 3.96, 48% girls) who have participated in the PROSPER study since they were in 6th grade. Our developmental model included a random intercept cross-lagged panel model assessing bidirectional relations between family climate and effective discipline, assessed over six measurement occasions from 6th through 10th grade (G1). In turn, random intercepts for family climate and effective discipline in adolescence predicted distal outcomes: young adult antisocial behavior (assessed at ages 20, 23, and 25) and G2-G3 parenting quality (warm, lax, harsh, and abusive parenting) and family-level (cohesion, conflict, routines) functioning. Cross-lagged analyses revealed a bidirectional relation between G1 family processes: in early adolescence, higher levels of a positive family climate were associated with increases in effective discipline; in middle adolescence, the direction of effects reversed, with effective discipline predicting increases in positive family climate. In terms of cascading effects, a more positive G1 family climate was associated with reduced risk for young adult antisocial behavior, but no effect was evident for G1 effective discipline. Antisocial behavior was linked with all three aspects of G2-G3 family climate and with lower levels of parental warmth. Direct, domain-specific intergenerational links were found for G1 family climate with G2-G3 family-level functioning and G1 effective discipline with more effective G2-G3 parenting.

The social skills of autistic boys in preschool: the contributions of their dyadic and triadic interactions with their parents.

The interactions of typically developing (TD) children within the family context are associated with their social skills in preschool, and the question guiding this study, which focused on boys, was whether the same would be true for autistic children. A specific focus was on the importance of the boys' engagement in triadic, mother-father-child interactions over and above their engagement in dyadic, parent-child interactions. The boys' social skills were assessed concurrently with their family interactions and one year later. Seventy-five autistic preschooler boys (Age in months: M = 49.45, SD = 11.03) and both of their parents were recruited through treatment centers and social media. The boys' dyadic engagement was assessed from observations of their interactions with their mothers and fathers (separately), and their triadic engagement from an observation of mother-father-child interactions. The boys' social skills in preschool were assessed using a Q-sort completed by observers and teachers and by the Social Responsiveness Questionnaire (SRS) completed by teachers. Controlling for the severity of the boys' symptoms and IQ, their dyadic engagement was associated with the concurrent observer Q-sort and teacher-reported SRS measures, and their triadic engagement did not explain additional variance in these measures. Predicting over one year, dyadic engagement was associated again with the observer Q-sort and teacher SRS measures, while the boys' triadic engagement accounted for additional variance in these measures as well as the teacher Q-sort. Finally, boys' dyadic engagement predicted gains in social skills on the observer Q-sort, and their triadic engagement was predictive of gains in the observer and teacher Q-sort. The engagement that autistic preschool-age boys displayed in the context of their dyadic and triadic interactions with their parents appears to be transferred to the preschool setting, and triadic interactions are of particular significance.