Families Of Children Research Articles

A life course perspective: women’s childhood background and family formation trajectories in low-fertility South Korea

A life course perspective: women’s childhood background and family formation trajectories in low-fertility South Korea

Agreement between quality of life assessed using family proxy and child self-reports among children with hematologic malignancy.

Evidence-based literature recognizes that the different degrees of agreement between a child self-report and a proxy-report depend on the characteristics of the domains, the child's age and illness, the proxy's own perspective on QoL, and family attendance during the child's hospitalization. This study aims to determine the degree of agreement between proxy-reports and child self-reports on quality of life (QoL) for children with hematologic malignancy ranging in age from 5 to 18 years who are undergoing treatment.We retrieved clinical QoL data from a study titled "Dynamic change in QoL for Vietnamese children with hematologic malignancy" from April 2021 to December 2022. To evaluate the magnitude of agreement between self-reports and proxy-reports, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for 259 pairs of measurements were quantified. Using independent t tests, the mean differences between self-reports and proxy-reports were tested.Moderate agreement was consistent through all age groups for five subscales, including physical, psychosocial, pain, nausea, and procedural anxiety (ICCs ranged from 0.53 to 0.74). The weakest agreement appeared in two groups, subjects aged 5-7 years and 13-18 years on six domains (school, treatment anxiety, worry, cognitive problems, perceived physical appearance, and communication) (-0.01 to 0.49). Child self-rating was consistently higher than that of proxies for the physical, emotional, and nausea domains among children aged 5-7 years and for procedural anxiety, treatment anxiety, and cognitive problems among children aged 8-12 years. Conclusion: The agreement level of self-reports and proxy-reports was differently distributed by child age and the PedsQL domains. The proxy children agreement on QoL among children with hematologic malignancy was divergent according to the different age groups, which could potentially be explained by proxy-child bonding at different stages of childhood development. Our recommendation for future studies is to explore children's age as a potential factor influencing proxy agreement on QoL among children with cancer. What is Known: • Children and their proxies may think differently about quality of life (QoL). • Comparing two sources of data (i.e., child and proxy) on aspects of QoL can help identify the discrepancies between children's perceptions of their QoL and their parents' perceptions. This can be useful in terms of identifying potential areas for improvement or concern and may also be helpful in making decisions about treatment and care. What is New: • Our study results demonstrated that proxies who comprised children aged 5-7 years or 13-18 years reported differently among domains that cannot be expressed verbally or with body language, including cognitive problems, perceived physical appearance, and communication. • Children generally perceived their QoL to be better than their proxies. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of children's QoL may require the consideration of multiple sources of data from various perspectives.

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH MALNUTRITION OCCURRENCE AMONG CHILDREN UNDER 5 YEARS IN KIHENDA VILLAGE HOIMA DISTRICT. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Background Malnutrition refers to deficiency, excess, or imbalance in a person’s energy and/or nutrient intake). The study aims to assess the Factors associated with malnutrition occurrence among children under 5 years in Kihenda village Hoima district. Methodology A cross-sectional descriptive study where the Simple Random sampling method was used to select the 100 respondents from which quantitative data was collected. Results The majority 46(77%) reported that working long hours of parents contributed to malnutrition and the minority 14(23%) reported that it did not affect malnutrition. 48(80%) majority of teenage mothers reported that age contributed to malnutrition whereas the minority of 10(17%) and 02(03%) of adult mothers never agreed. Majority of children in families 78(78%) were found to be normal while the minority 07(07%) stunted, 06(06%) underweight and 09(09%) wasted. Majority of the respondents’ families had children 64(64%) of 3 to 5 whereas 23(23%) of 0 to 2, 08(08%) of 6 to 8, and 05(05%) of 10 to 12 as the minority.The majority of the respondents 60(60%) had ever heard about malnutrition while the minority 40(40%) of them had not. The majority of the respondents 55(55%) did not know that the first breast milk was important to the child whereas the minority 45(45%) knew that the first breast milk was important. Conclusion A Variety of factors like age of caretakers, number of children in the household, long working hours of caretakers, insufficient Knowledge, and poor attitudes about proper nutrition were closely associated with Malnutrition. Recommendation There should be increased campaigns with feasible knowledge that is applicable in rural areas, and this could be through empowering the Village Health Teams in these areas by the government of Uganda and the Ministry of Health to improve the nutrition status of children below 5 years.

James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and Punitive Child Loss in the Modern Bureaucratic State

The intense ambivalence of James Joyce’s references to Oscar Wilde throughout Joyce’s literary career poses a riddle to which scholars have proposed an array of answers. This article seeks the basis for Joyce’s simultaneous identification and disidentification with Wilde in the strata of painful affect that informs collective subjectivity in the modern nation-state. In late 19th century Britain, two nebulous new crimes, coined at the urging of the Social Purity movement—gross indecency, and custodial neglect—rendered families and communities newly vulnerable to punitive child loss. The enforcement of these new laws created conditions under which one might lose custody of one’s children based on a charge that could be brought by anyone, based on anything, or nothing. Gross indecency and child neglect were both ill-defined and highly stigmatizing. Both were difficult to defend against, while their most terrible consequences were often extra-judicial. In De Profundis, Oscar Wilde conveys the dehumanizing anguish of extra-judicial punishments that could be indiscriminately imposed on a new kind of moral criminal by depicting the loss of his children as a figurative crucifixion. This article charts accounts by social historians describing the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s early years in Dublin, and the organization’s impact on socially precarious families, alongside episodes from Joyce’s biography, and his literary reinventions of these episodes. Using passages from De Profundis that influenced Joyce’s writing, historical accounts of moral policing introduced by the Social Purity movement, and Joyce’s biographical materials, letters, and published writing, this article connects changing affect in Joyce’s childhood family to the intense aversion, outrage and empathy that color his recurrent allusions to what he termed Oscar Wilde’s ‘civil death.’

Digital mental health programmes for children and young people: Parental involvement and supporting implementation

Involving children's family members through parent-inclusive digital mental health programmes and support can be more effective in achieving positive change, John Sharry explains

Research note: Gender and educational differences in childcare time: Evidence from the Czech Republic

Objective: This study explores the gender and educational differences in the time spent on childcare in the Czech Republic. In particular, we ask how gender and educational gradients in parenting time intersect and whether they vary by the child’s age. We consider the time parents spend in basic, interactive and focused childcare care as a way to address the intensive parenting model. Background: Prior research has documented an increase in parental time investment in childcare associated with changes in gender roles and the spread of norms of intensive parenting. However, it remains unclear whether educational and gender differences in parenting time are converging because of these changes and how they vary by the child’s age. Method: Using time-use data from the Czech Household Study Panel Study—a nationally representative sample from the Czech Republic (2015)—we applied mixed regression models to analyse time spent on three types of childcare activities. Results: The results indicate that highly educated parents allocate more time to basic and focused care, reflecting a commitment to intensive child-centred parenting. In addition, higher-educated fathers of preschoolers engage more in interactive care. Although gender disparities persist among higher-educated parents, the gap narrows for parents with children older than three years. Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of analysing parenting time across different activities and child ages to understand family dynamics and child opportunities.

The Influence of Childhood Family Experiences on Women's Attitudes towards Marriage and Relationships

This article aims to explore the influence of childhood family experiences on women's attitudes towards marriage and relationships. Through literature review and surveys based on examples, it analyzes the shaping of women's attitudes towards marriage and relationships by analyzing the family environment and the quality of parental marriage, as well as their influencing mechanisms. The research findings indicate that the family environment has a significant impact on attitudes towards marriage and relationships, with factors such as family structure and the quality of parental marriage closely related to women's attitudes towards marriage and relationships. Parents' marriage serves as a role model in shaping women's attitudes towards marriage and relationships, and family emotions play a crucial role in the transmission of attitudes towards marriage and relationships. This study supports the hypothesis of the influence of childhood family experiences on women's attitudes towards marriage and relationships, further confirming the importance of childhood family experiences in shaping individual attitudes towards marriage and relationships. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind the formation of women's attitudes towards marriage and relationships, providing a theoretical basis for promoting healthy marital and relationship outcomes.

Development and validation of a questionnaire to measure the congenital heart disease of children's family stressor.

Families of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) face tremendous stressors in the process of coping with the disease, which threatens the health of families of children with CHD. Studies have shown that nursing interventions focusing on family stress management can improve parents' ability to cope with illness and promote family health. At present, there is no measuring tool for family stressors of CHD. The items of the scale were generated through qualitative interviews and a literature review. Initial items were evaluated by seven experts to determine content validity. Factor analysis and reliability testing were conducted with a convenience sample of 670 family members. The criterion-related validity of the scale was calculated using scores on the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). The CHD Children's Family Stressor Scale consisted of six dimensions and 41 items. In the exploratory factor analysis, the cumulative explained variance of the six factors was 61.085%. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the six factors in the EFA were well validated, indicating that the model fits well. The correlation coefficient between CHD Children's Family Stressor Scale and SAS was r = 0.504 (p < 0.001), which indicated that the criterion-related validity of the scale was good. In the reliability test, Cronbach's α coefficients of six sub-scales were 0.774-0.940, and the scale-level Cronbach's α coefficient value was 0.945. The study indicates that the CHD Children's Family Stressor Scale is valid and reliable, and it is recommended for use in clinical practice to assess CHD children's family stressors.

Experiences and Preferences of Truth-telling in Families of Children with Cancer: A Phenomenological Study

Experiences and Preferences of Truth-telling in Families of Children with Cancer: A Phenomenological Study

Feasibility of Systematic Social Needs Screening Among Families of Children with Advanced Cancer (RP217)

Feasibility of Systematic Social Needs Screening Among Families of Children with Advanced Cancer (RP217)

A new concept of webspace reconstruction in syndactyly - An easily reproducible cross-shaped advancement flap

Background and objectiveThe use of sizable dorsal flaps for webspace reconstruction without skin grafting can minimize complications in syndactyly correction. We report the technique and results of a cross-shaped advancement flap for reconstruction of the webspace and coverage of the lateral sides of the bases of the separated fingers in congenital syndactyly. MethodsFrom June 2018 to July 2020, 15 patients with simple or complex syndactyly for webspace reconstruction with a dorsal cross-shaped advancement flap were retrospectively studied. The patients' ages ranged from 5 to 144 months, with a median age of 12 months. Out of these 15 patients, six patients were suffering from bilateral involvement. Withey grading of web creep was used for postoperative evaluation. Scar hyperplasia was assessed using the Vancouver Scar Scale, and Visual Analogue Scale was applied to evaluate the subjective satisfaction of the children's families with the reconstructed finger appearance, pain and function. ResultsThere was no perioperative complication in the group. During an 8–17 months follow-up period, no secondary correction was needed in this group. The average score of Withey scale was 0.1, and Vancouver Scar Scale was 1.5. The Visual Analogue Scale score of appearance, pain and function was 1.8, 0.2 and 1.1, respectively. ConclusionThis technique can reconstruct the webspace and cover the lateral wall of the fingers for syndactyly correction without the risk for web creep or hypertrophic scar.

Pediatric Support for Children Eligible for Legal Humanitarian Relief.

Many children in immigrant families may qualify for legal protection-for themselves if unaccompanied, or as a derivative on parents' claims-on humanitarian grounds related to persecution or forced migration. Pediatric providers can offer a spectrum of multidirectional medical-legal supports to increase access to medical-legal services and support children who are undocumented or in mixed-status families. These activities can include providing trusted information, incorporating screening for health-related social needs, establishing networks for multidirectional referrals, and providing letters of support for legal protection. To expand workforce capacity for medical-legal services related to immigration, pediatric providers can also receive training to conduct specialized, trauma-informed forensic evaluations and can advocate at individual, local, state, federal, and global levels to address factors leading to persecution and forced migration while supporting individuals who may be eligible for legal protection. [Pediatr Ann. 2024;53(5):e183-e188.].

The impact of welfare on maternal investment and sibling competition: evidence from Serbian Roma communities.

Siblings compete for limited parental resources, which can result in a trade-off between family size and child growth outcomes. Welfare incentives may improve parental circumstances in large families by compensating for the additional costs of an extra child and increasing the resources available to a family. The improvements in conditions may influence parents to increase their investment, expecting greater returns from the investment in child survival and development, while in turn increase sibling competition for the investment. This study assessed whether welfare benefits have influenced parental investment trade-offs and competition between siblings among Serbian Roma, a population largely dependent on welfare. Using data from the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 6, this study assessed the associations between maternal investment, child cash benefits, sibship size, and child anthropometry, as an indicator of health, among 1096 Serbian Roma children aged 0 to 59 months. Living in a small family benefited Roma children, while the incentives increased competition between siblings. Maternal investment was negatively associated with incentives, as the improvements brought about were insufficient to influence a change in maternal perceptions about the local setting uncertainty and thus promote an increase in investment.

Needs and Coping during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Government Tertiary Hospital

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the well-being of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families. The core deficits of the condition and increased parental stress during this time made them more vulnerable. Objectives. This study aims to explore how the pandemic has affected these families by identifying their needs and capabilities in order to provide support. Methods. A total of 227 parents of children with ASD completed an online survey consisting of items on sociodemographic, family needs, and coping strategies. Descriptive statistics were used and t-test and ANOVA/Kruskal Wallis were used to determine the relationship between parent and child factors with needs and coping. Results. Needs for Information, Community Services, and Finances are the top categories while the greatest identified need during this pandemic was for financial assistance. Religiosity, Problem-Solving, and Cognitive Reappraisal were the widely used coping strategies by the parents. Fathers, younger children, daughters with ASD, and having more than one child with ASD showed significant association with needs. Parents with primary and tertiary education were associated with use of the cognitive reappraisal strategy and those with jobs were associated with substance use. Conclusion. Families of children with ASD have multiple needs during this pandemic, from autism-specific information and services, to more generic concerns such as financial assistance. Despite these challenges, these families have positive strategies in place to facilitate coping mechanisms.

어머니의 가족상호작용이 유아의 사회적 유능감에 미치는 영향

Objectives The purpose of this study was to verify whether the mother's co-parenting and warmth parenting behaviors have a dual mediating effect on the effect of the mother's family interaction on the child's social competence. Methods The research subjects were 1,432 people selected using the 7th (2014) data of the Korean Children's Panel (PSKC). Correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between measurement variables using Spss 22.0 and Spss Process Macro v3.5, and the dual mediating effect of mother's co-parenting and warmth parenting behavior was examined using Process Macro's Model No. 6. Confirmed. Results First, the significant mediating effect of mother's co-parenting in the relationship between mother's family interaction and children's social competence was verified. Second, the significant mediating effect of the mother's warmth parenting behavior in the relationship between the mother's family interaction and the children's social competence was verified. Lastly, in the relationship between the mother's family interaction and the children's social competence, the mother's co-parenting and compassionate parenting behavior showed a significant dual mediating effect. Conclusions This conclusion provides basic data for the development of parent education or programs that can improve children's social competence by providing evidence that family interaction, co-parenting, and warmth parenting behavior have a significant impact on children's social competence.

Parental perspectives on Children's lifestyles: A Path for school health promotion

The National School Health Program in Portugal advocates for healthy lifestyles. However, school health teams mostly focus their activities on educating children, whereas it is the families who are primarily responsible for managing children's lifestyles. Although the programme proposes interactive health education activities, such as meetings with the children's families, few parents participate in these activities. The project Gostar de Mim was created to bridge this gap by promoting healthy family lifestyles in school settings. The project used an evaluating instrument called the ‘Parents’ Booklet’ packed with information. This study assessed the usefulness of the booklet in providing health information and planning family engagement. Based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED framework (PRECEDE: Predisposing, Reinforcing, and Enabling Constructs in Educational/Environmental Diagnosis and Evaluation; PROCEED: Policy, Regulatory, and Organizational Constructs in Educational and Environmental Development), this article focuses on the social and epidemiological assessment phases. We examined the health surveillance status of children aged 6–10 years (epidemiological phase) and description of health behaviours in different lifestyle dimensions (behavioural and environmental phase). The Parents' Booklet was used to identify parents' perspectives on their children's lifestyles. Data analysis of 568 Parents' Booklet (23 schools) use cases showed that the lifestyle priorities, in order, were ‘sleep and rest’ (95.6 %), ‘energy balance’ (100 %), ‘oral/body healthcare’ (95.6 %), ‘alcohol, tobacco/other drugs’ (73.9 %), ‘consumerism’ (91.3 %), ‘leisure-time occupation’ (91.3 %), and ‘literacy and satisfaction at school’ (86.9 %). Clearly, the Parents' Booklet was useful, as it made it possible to obtain information that allowed for participatory school health diagnosis and can guide community nursing actions that need to be developed in schools. Crucially, this tool can be useful for parents, enabling them to be more aware of their children's lifestyle via self-monitoring as well as increasing their participation in health education.

Factors associated with underweight and overweight prevalence among children in Bangladesh

BackgroundBangladesh is not excluded from the global issue of children being underweight or overweight. This study examined the relationship between underweight, overweight, and sociodemographic variables in children. MethodsData from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019 were used for this study. We employed chi-square and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests to identify significant variables. Subsequently, we fitted a multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression model and reported odds ratios (OR), confidence intervals (CI), and p-values. STATA version 17 was used for analysis. ResultsThe sample size for our study consisted of 10,875 Bangladeshi children under five years of age. From a total of 10,875 children, 20.57% were underweight and 6.80% were overweight. Data were available for 8858 rural and 2017 urban under-five children. The prevalence of underweight was greatly influenced by age, and in rural regions, it consistently increased from 12 months to 59 months. Male children were more likely to be overweight and underweight than female children. Children in the Sylhet division were likelier to be underweight and overweight. Educated mothers reduce the risk of underweight children in urban and rural areas. The richest family children were more likely to be overweight in urban areas. In rural areas, children born with a smaller size were more likely to become underweight and less likely to become overweight. ConclusionsOur research revealed that the poorest sociodemographic category, the Sylhet division, small newborns, and illiterate mothers were the most vulnerable to child weight problems.

Exposure to maternal experiences of IPV in early childhood and sleep health in adolescence

BackgroundHalf of US women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV), and nearly all children in families experiencing such violence will be exposed. The negative effects of IPV exposure on children's mental and physical health are well-documented; however, less is known about effects on children's sleep health, a key marker of well-being. ObjectiveThis study examines the associations of early childhood exposure to maternal experiences of IPV with sleep health in adolescence, focusing on multiple dimensions of sleep health and differences by child sex. Participants and settingWe rely on data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a population-based study following 5000 children in large US cities, from birth to age 15. Analyses are based on 2687 adolescents interviewed at the year-15 follow-up. MethodsEarly childhood exposure to IPV is based on mothers' reports of her experiences of IPV from the child's birth to age 5. Adolescent sleep health is measured using 6 items approximating the BEARS sleep problem scale, at age 15. We estimate multivariate linear regression models to examine associations of early childhood IPV exposure with adolescent sleep health and stratify models by child sex. ResultsEarly childhood IPV exposure is associated with worse overall sleep health (β = 0.08; p < 0.001) and multiple dimensions of poor sleep health in adolescence. Associations are notably stronger among girls than boys. ConclusionsThe strong and lasting associations of early childhood exposure to IPV with adolescents' sleep health, particularly among girls, has important consequences for addressing adolescent health disparities.

Effect of Family Income Level on Pediatric Upper Extremity Fracture Rate

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the sociodemographic characteristics of children with upper extremity fractures with those of children without upper extremity fractures. Materials and Methods: A total of 161 participants (age:11.24±2.95, female:53, male:108), 100 of whom were admitted to the orthopedics and traumatology clinic in 2022 with upper extremity fractures and 61 without upper extremity fractures, were included in the study. Participants; age, height, weight, mother's education level, mother's age, father's education level, father's age and monthly income of the family were recorded. Fracture and recurrent fracture rates of the participants who were members of a family whose monthly income was below the minimum wage and those who were included in a family with a monthly income above the minimum wage were compared. Results: The age, height and weight of the participants without upper extremity fractures were greater than those with upper extremity fractures (p&amp;lt;0.01). The body mass index of those with upper extremity fractures was lower than those without upper extremity fractures (p=0.001). While the number of upper extremity fractures in the participants who were members of families with a monthly income below the minimum wage was 79 (63.70%), the number of fractures in the participants who were members of families with an income above the minimum wage was 21 (56.80%) (p=0.44). In addition, when those with upper extremity fractures were evaluated independently from those without upper extremity fractures; While the number of recurrent upper extremity fractures was 7 (33.3%) in the participants who grew up in families with an income above the minimum wage, the number of recurrent upper extremity fractures was 11 (13.9%) in the participants who grew up in families with an income above the minimum wage (p= 0.04). Conclusion: Low body mass index may increase the rate of upper extremity fractures in children. For this reason, families should be informed about the possibility of physical development of children at risk for upper extremity fractures. In addition, the rate of recurrent upper extremity fractures is higher in children of families with a relatively high monthly income. Families with relatively high incomes should be made aware of the safety measures to be taken against accidents in their living spaces.

Factor structure of the quality of early relationships rating scale (QuERRS-2): Attachment representations predict case severity and length of psychological therapy in a community learning disabilities team

We present the construct validity of the Quality of Early Relationships Rating Scale (2nd version; QuERRS-2) and its relationship to outcomes of psychotherapy. Principal components analysis (PCA) from 103 participants generated three factors explaining 61% of the variance; (1) hostile incoherence (HI), (2) unresolved interpersonal pain (IP), and (3) fearful preoccupation (FP). HI was correlated with initial case severity. IP was correlated with initial severity and the number of therapy sessions. FP was correlated with the amount of positive change in therapy and the number of sessions required. IQ, age, and gender did not predict QuERRS-2 scores. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed. The scale and a scoring guide are included.Easy to read summary■How we feel about the people we grew up with can affect our later feelings and relationships.■We developed a scale for psychologists. This scale is called the QuERRS-2. Psychologists might use the QuERRS-2 to explore feelings and relationships.■The QuERRS-2 seems to tell us something about;our childhood family,how serious psychological problems can be,how many times a person might see a psychologist to get help.