Family Demands Research Articles

DOWRY PRACTICES IN LAMPUNG PESISIR TRADITIONAL MARRIAGES: AN ISLAMIC LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

In Indonesia, Islamic law requires that the giving of a dowry in marriage involves mutual agreement between the prospective groom and bride. In Padang Ratu Village, the practice of dowry does not deviate from Islamic principles. Instead, the dowry amount is agreed upon by both parties, influenced by the prospective bride's family's demands for specific amounts and forms of dowry, which may include money and goods. If the prospective groom’s family agrees to these terms, the marriage can proceed. This research explores two main questions: the implementation of traditional dowry practices in Lampung Pesisir, Padang Ratu Village, Wonosobo District, Tanggamus Regency, and the Islamic legal perspective on these practices. The research employs normative legal research with a descriptive approach, utilizing historical and legislative methods. Secondary data are analyzed qualitatively. The findings indicate that while only half of the dowry amount is explicitly mentioned during the marriage consent process classifying it as musamma dowry the practice of providing dowry in the form of goods does not contravene Islamic law.

An empirical analysis of the demand for family planning satisfied by modern methods among married or in-union women in Nigeria: Application of multilevel binomial logistic modelling technique.

Given the health and economic benefits of family planning (FP), Nigeria's very low demand for FP satisfied by modern methods (mDFPS) of less than 50% is therefore a major public health concern, especially considering the global target aimed at achieving an mDFPS of at least 75% by year 2030 for all countries. In view of this, together with recognising the possible contextual nature of health outcomes, this study aimed to empirically analyse the mDFPS among married or in-union women of reproductive age (WRA) in Nigeria. A multilevel binomial logistic model with two levels of analysis was used: individual and community levels. Secondary cross-sectional data were obtained from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, and analyses were performed using Stata 15.0. The analytical sample size was 9,122 WRA nested in a total of 1,072 communities. The mDFPS was approximately 31.0%. The median odds ratio (MOR) estimated from the final multilevel model was 2.245, which was greater than the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for most of the individual-level variables, suggesting that the unexplained/residual between-community variation in terms of the odds of women having their mDFPS was more relevant than the regression effect of most of the individual-level variables. This was with the exception of the regression effects of the following individual-level variables: women's husbands that had higher education level in comparison to their counterparts who had husbands with no formal education (aOR = 2.539; 95% CI = 1.896 to 3.399; p<0.001); and women from the Yoruba ethnic group in comparison to their counterparts from the Hausa/Fulani/Kanuri ethnic group (aOR = 2.484; 95% CI = 1.654 to 3.731; p value<0.001). However, other individual-level variables with positive statistically significant regression effects on mDFPS were: women who mentioned that money for accessing health care was not a problem; women's empowerment in relation to the visitation of family and relatives; and women being exposed to FP messages through various media sources, all in comparison to their respective counterparts. On the other hand, at the community level, women in communities where a high percentage of them had at least a secondary education had statistically significant greater odds of having mDFPS than women in communities with lower education levels (aOR = 1.584; 95% CI = 1.259 to 1.991; p<0.001). We found similar findings regarding women residing in communities with exposure to FP messages through various media sources. However, using the 80% interval ORs (80% IORs) as a supplemental statistical measure for further understanding the regression effects of community-level variables showed that all of the 80% IORs had a value of '1', signifying considerable uncertainty in the regression effects of all community-level variables due to the substantial residual variation existing between communities. Our study showed that to achieve the dire increase in mDFPS in Nigeria, policy interventions aimed at improving the education level of both females and males, especially beyond the secondary school level, should be implemented. Additionally, all of the various media sources should be extensively utilised, both at the individual and the community level, by the Nigerian government to spread information on the importance of women having their mDFPS.

Our business, not the robot's: family conversations about privacy with social robots in the home.

The targeted use of social robots for the family demands a better understanding of multiple stakeholders' privacy concerns, including those of parents and children. Through a co-learning workshop which introduced families to the functions and hypothetical use of social robots in the home, we present preliminary evidence from 6 families that exhibits how parents and children have different comfort levels with robots collecting and sharing information across different use contexts. Conversations and booklet answers reveal that parents adopted their child's decision in scenarios where they expect children to have more agency, such as in cases of homework completion or cleaning up toys, and when children proposed what their parents found to be acceptable reasoning for their decisions. Families expressed relief when they shared the same reasoning when coming to conclusive decisions, signifying an agreement of boundary management between the robot and the family. In cases where parents and children did not agree, they rejected a binary, either-or decision and opted for a third type of response, reflecting skepticism, uncertainty and/or compromise. Our work highlights the benefits of involving parents and children in child- and family-centered research, including parental abilities to provide cognitive scaffolding and personalize hypothetical scenarios for their children.

Coping with Academic Work and Nursing Motherhood: The Case of Akenten Appiah Minkah University of Skills, Training and Entrepreneurial Development (Aamusted), Kumasi

The study explored how student nursing mothers cope with academic work at AAMUSTED. An interpretive philosophical paradigm, qualitative research approach and exploratory case study design were used to guide the study. The study was grounded in Role Conflict and self-determination theories. A combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques was used to select 15 nursing mothers for the study. The data were gathered through interviews and a detailed observation of the nursing students using an observation guide. The data collected from the interview was analysed using an inductive analysis approach while the observation was analysed using content analysis. The results revealed that student nursing mothers face numerous challenges in their pursuit of academic achievement but they adopt several ways to cope with them. Combining childcare, post-maternity complications and family demands makes it very difficult for student nursing mothers to focus on their academic work. To deal with these challenges, students nursing mothers relied on their husbands, hiring a babysitter, participation in group discussion, developing a good relationship with lecturers and using other psychological tactics to enhance learning. Also, most students, breastfeeding were interrupted by “lecture calls” and had to run back to lectures to avoid missing out. It is recommended that universities should consider instituting policies that can offer student nursing mothers’ academic leverage and infrastructure support. Women must also be encouraged to have stable sources of income before pursing further studies to help them financially. Husbands are encouraged to support their wives and partners to further their education and provide them with necessary support they need at early stages of childcare

From flexibility to unending availability: Platform workers' experiences of work–family conflict

AbstractObjectiveThis article examines whether performing location‐based platform work is associated with greater work–family conflict—and if this association is stronger for those relying on labor platforms for their primary employment.BackgroundDigital labor platforms project a vision of flexibility and improved work‐family balance for workers; however, empirical evidence supporting these promises remains elusive. While platform workers are normally offered the freedom to choose their work hours, the efforts of labor platforms to algorithmically manage workers' schedules may encourage an ‘always‐on’ approach to work that pressures workers to prioritize work availability that exacerbates work–family conflicts.MethodWe conducted three national surveys of Canadian workers in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Based on pooled survey data (N = 10,483), structural equational modeling was used to investigate (1) the relationship between location‐based platform work and work–family conflict and (2) the mediating role of work‐family role blurring—captured by work contact outside of normal working hours.ResultsWe discovered that platform workers, compared to employees and the traditional self‐employed, reported greater work–family conflict—conflicts that were especially pronounced for those relying on labor platforms as their primary source of income. These patterns were partially explained by platform workers' increased exposure to work contact outside of work hours.ConclusionOur findings question the assertion that digital labor platforms provide enhanced flexibility for managing work and family demands. Instead, we contend that the instability inherent in platform work blurs and disrupts work‐family role boundaries, disproportionately favoring labor platforms and their clientele at the expense of workers' familial responsibilities.

Children's socioemotional skills and fathers' work satisfaction: Mediation of fathers' parenting

AbstractObjectiveIn this study, we examined the bidirectional association between fathers' work satisfaction and children's socioemotional skills from T1 (age 2) to T2 (age 4–5) and the mediating role of fathers' parenting.BackgroundFor many parents, balancing family and work roles can be challenging, particularly for fathers who are now expected to be both “ideal workers” and “involved fathers.” With multiple roles, fathers' experiences at work and in the family may have a mutual influence on each other.MethodThis study used structural equation modeling on secondary data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, to examine the associations and mediation mechanisms.ResultsResults indicate a positive association between fathers' work satisfaction at T1 and children's socioemotional skills at T2 through fathers' higher self‐efficacy and lower parenting stress. Additionally, there was a positive association between children's socioemotional skills at T1 and fathers' work satisfaction at T2 through fathers' higher responsibility and lower parenting stress.ConclusionFindings provide support for the spillover theory regarding the mutual influence of fathers' work‐related experiences and children's development.ImplicationsTo help parents balance the demands of work and family, effective parenting education programs and supportive or person‐centered workplace policies are both essential.

New product family demand planning: AddressingSKU‐level spread bias

AbstractNew product supply chain planning is challenging, primarily due to the lack of historical demand data. Rarely, however, do the academic literature or companies differentiate the demand forecasting process for new products from existing ones, despite their increased reliance on judgmental estimates. This research focuses on how judgmental errors lead to an under‐estimation of the difference between the highest‐ and lowest‐demand stock‐keeping units (SKUs), and consequently negatively impact supply chain planning for new product family introductions. A generalized empirical model and accompanying discrete event simulation are developed and applied to data from a major consumer packaged goods (CPG) firm during the launch of a new cosmetics product family. This application allows us to identify a focal type of judgmental error (identified as the SKU‐level spread bias) inherent to new product forecasting and to provide a new theoretical understanding of how this type of bias harms supply chain performance. Via an empirically driven theory‐building approach that iterates between the simulation outcomes and existing literature, SKU‐level spread bias is demonstrated to harm demand forecasts and, thereby, supply chain plans. Our unique theory‐building approach advances theory by identifying planner SKU‐level spread bias as a new source of bias that firms should seek to mitigate when introducing new product families.

Analysis of the implementation of the medical boarding school in a medical course derived from the mais médicos program

The mandatory curriculum internship corresponds to an essential period for medical education in which the apprentice, through supervised training in the health service, develops and improves competencies and knowledge of medical practice. In 2014, the new National Curriculum Guidelines (DCN) were instituted that guide medical education activities according to the scenario observed in the Unified Health System (SUS), aiming to qualify professionals so that the demands of citizens, families and communities are served. In this context, through the Mais Médicos Program (PMM) and the initiatives for the expansion of medical schools in Brazil, the medical course analyzed in this study, started its activities in 2015, starting to compose the set of courses guided by the new DCN. This article proposed to analyze the process of implementing the medical boarding school of the course, from the perspective of the students. This is a qualitative study, in which the data were collected through a questionnaire sent to the students of the course, with a total of 29 participants. The analysis of the data produced was performed by the dialectical hermeneutic technique. The categories of analysis were health care, health management and health education, which addressed topics about a) operational techniques, such as the correct filling of medical records, learning maneuvers and physical examination techniques and the communication of established hypotheses and sharing the therapeutic process with the patient; b) Integration between service, teaching and community, discussing the adaptation of the structure of health services to receive academics, perceptions about the number and quality of practice scenarios, students' performance in the health service and incentive to contribute actions in the context SUS; c) Structuring the boarding school, discussing the total workload of the stages, pointing out which casters demonstrated the largest and lower organization and what their evaluative methods were; d) Preceptoria, deepening about the performance of preceptors in the practical scenarios, the quality of preceptoria and communication between preceptors and students. It was concluded that the process of implementation of the medical boarding school analyzed is in line with the new DCN, but it demands improvements to fully achieve the learning objectives specified in the course regulation.

Did changing work and family demands during COVID-19 (de)motivate academic parents to craft sustainable careers?

Covid-19 has introduced many contextual changes into individuals' work and family lives, affecting their career sustainability. Although previous studies have provided evidence for these changes, little is known about how changing contextual demands (de)motivated them to take proactive initiatives for crafting sustainable careers. This study aims to explore how changing work and family demands of academic parents during Covid-19 affected their career sustainability indicators and career initiatives regarding health, happiness, and productivity. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 academic parents during the post-lockdown period of Covid-19 in Turkey. We analyzed the qualitative data by using content analysis via MAXQDA software. Results revealed differing career sustainability experiences and initiatives regarding gender roles, career stage, and work/family demands and resources. Notably, women academics with higher contextual demands and lower contextual resources and early-career academics reported relatively adverse experiences concerning their health, happiness, and productivity. Besides, even though early-career academics faced problems with sustaining their career development, they were relatively more oriented to engage in career initiatives, such as reorganizing developmental needs, improving career skills, and seeking career support and guidance. This study sheds light on the context, time, and person aspects of sustainable careers during Covid-19. Moreover, the study represents one of the first investigations into the proactive initiatives for crafting sustainable careers during the pandemic and provides a deeper insight into the (de)motivators for career proactivity.

A composite index; socioeconomic deprivation and coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions.

To examine inequalities in the coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions in low- and middle-income countries and territories using a composite index of socioeconomic deprivation status. We obtained data on education and living standards from national household surveys conducted between 2015 and 2019 to calculate socioeconomic deprivation status. We assessed the coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions, using three indicators: (i)demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods; (ii)women who received antenatal care in at least four visits; and (iii)the presence of a skilled attendant at delivery. Absolute and relative inequalities were evaluated both directly and using the slope index of inequality and the concentration index. In the 73 countries and territories with available data, the median proportions of deprivation were 41% in the low-income category, 11% in the lower-middle-income category and less than 1% in the upper-middle-income category. The coverage analysis, conducted for 48 countries with sufficient data, showed consistently lower median coverage among deprived households across all health indicators. The coverage of skilled attendant at delivery showed the largest inequalities, where coverage among the socioeconomically deprived was substantially lower in almost all countries. Antenatal care visits and demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods also showed significant disparities, favouring the less deprived population. The findings highlight persistent disparities in the coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions, requiring efforts to reduce those disparities and improve coverage, particularly for skilled attendant at delivery.

Associations of Primary Care Provider Burnout with Quality Improvement, Patient Experience Measurement, Clinic Culture, and Job Satisfaction

BackgroundBurnout among providers negatively impacts patient care experiences and safety. Providers at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) are at high risk for burnout due to high patient volumes; inadequate staffing; and balancing the demands of patients, families, and team members.ObjectiveExamine associations of provider burnout with their perspectives on quality improvement (QI), patient experience measurement, clinic culture, and job satisfaction.DesignWe conducted a cross-sectional provider survey about their perspectives including the single-item burnout measure. We fit separate regression models, controlling for provider type, gender, being multilingual, and fixed effects for clinic predicting outcome measures from burnout.ParticipantsSeventy-four providers from 44 clinics in large, urban FQHC (52% response rate; n = 174).Main MeasuresSurvey included a single-item, self-defined burnout measure adapted from the Physician Worklife Survey, and measures from the RAND AMA Study survey, Heath Tracking Physician survey, TransforMed Clinician and Staff Questionnaire, Physician Worklife Survey, Minimizing Errors Maximizing Outcomes survey, and surveys by Friedberg et al. 31 and Walling et al. 32ResultsThirty percent of providers reported burnout. Providers in clinics with more facilitative leadership reported not being burned out (compared to those reporting burnout; p-values < 0.05). More pressures related to patient care and lower job satisfaction were associated with burnout (p-values < 0.05).ConclusionsCreating provider-team relationships and environments where providers have the time and space necessary to discuss changes to improve care, ideas are shared, leadership supports QI, and QI is monitored and discussed were related to not being burned out. Reducing time pressures and improving support needed for providers to address the high-need levels of FQHC patients can also decrease burnout. Such leadership and support to improving care may be a separate protective factor against burnout. Research is needed to further examine which aspects of leadership drive down burnout and increase provider involvement in change efforts and improving care.

Allyship in the university setting: supporting women's success

PurposeThe lack of progress toward equity in the U.S. is evident across many spheres of society, academia notwithstanding. Women academicians, in particular, face many barriers that prevent them from advancing–including a continued unsupportive climate, competing work and family demands, and interpersonal discrimination. This paper reflects on a collaborative research effort in the United States to enhance allyship for women in academia.Design/methodology/approachThe authors partnered with a major university to hold ally training for department chairs during a university-wide department chair meeting. The authors developed a methodology for creating and implementing training content using a focus-group-based training needs analysis and a diversity science grounded approach to allyship training. The authors followed this up with surveys to assess impact.FindingsParticipants indicated that they learned from the training, but participation in follow-up data collection was limited, hampering the ability to conduct rigorous quantitative analyses around intervention impact.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the sample size may have been too limited to detect effects, the current study provides an approach that furthers the way in which researchers and practitioners can better assess the impact of allyship to women academicians.Practical implicationsPublished research on allies is very limited. The current research examines allies in the context of helping women in academia.Originality/valueDespite widespread recognition of the importance of first-line supervisors in support of diversity, limited intervention designs are available. The authors add to the extant literature on diversity interventions, while highlighting barriers to rigorous intervention evaluation.

Intra- and Inter-Individual Associations of Family-to-Work Conflict, Psychological Distress, and Job Satisfaction: Gender Differences in Dual-Earner Parents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the work-family interface dynamics in some families. For couples who kept earning a double income during the pandemic, their family demands may entail a loss of psychological resources that affect the work domain. This study explored the intra-individual and inter-individual (crossover) direct and indirect effects of family-to-work conflict (FtoWC) on psychological distress and job satisfaction in a non-probabilistic sample of 860 different-sex dual-earner parents with adolescent children from Temuco and Rancagua, Chile. Mothers and fathers answered an online questionnaire measuring FtoWC, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, and the Overall Job Satisfaction Scale. The data were analyzed using the actor-partner interdependence model with structural equation modeling. Results showed that a higher FtoWC is linked to greater psychological distress and lower job satisfaction in both parents. In contrast, psychological distress is directly linked to lower job satisfaction in fathers. In both fathers and mothers, they and their partners' FtoWC were indirectly linked to lower job satisfaction via the fathers' psychological distress. These findings indicate the need for gender-sensitive social and labor policies aimed at reducing the conflict between family and work to increase job satisfaction in both parents and reduce psychological distress, particularly in fathers.

An Autoethnographic Dialogue with Motherhood Literature

This autoethnography represents the first author’s journey as a mother and doctoral student researching mothers’ experiences in contending with the demands of work and family. Reading across different pockets of empirical motherhood literature (work-family conflict, contemporary motherhood, maternal gatekeeping, and intensive motherhood) I became troubled by how women’s realities were reflected. Pushing back against traditional methods that endorse separating my researcher identity from my maternal self, I draw on autoethnographic method to dialogue with this literature. This approach empowers me to speak out as a novice scholar uncomfortable with aspects of literature, while also navigating training in the use of traditional methods that often provide a directive to separate academic and personal identities. Importantly, doing so enables me to identify powerful insights about limitations in the literature, and how specific pockets of research can adversely affect the broader motherhood literature.

Literature Study on the Impact of Congregational Morning Prayer on Academic Anxiety: A View on Psychospiritual and Psychoneuroimmunology in Students

The practice of congregational morning prayer holds significant importance in both the context of worship and globally, as it promotes positive impacts. From a psychospiritual perspective, congregational prayer can be therapeutical in the modern era. Anxiety is a human adaptation response to any imminent or uncertain event that can occur in daily life situations. During the preparation for the thesis, most university students experienced several symptoms of anxiety (physical, cognitive, emotional, and affective symptoms). These symptoms can affect the students' cognitive ability, intelligence, family demands on campus, and social interactions. This study aimed to describe efforts to overcome academic anxiety among university students through psychospiritual and psychoneuroimmunological points of view. The study used a library research approach by gathering credible sources from books, scientific articles, documents, and previous research. The findings of this study showed that congregational prayers can be an effort to relieve academic anxiety among students.

Current Socio-Economic Conditions and Mental Health of Female RMG Workers: A Narrative Review

With an estimated 4 million workers, garment manufacturers in Bangladesh contribute to the country’s economic prosperity. Most of the female employees in this industry come from rural regions. These workers frequently do repetitive, continuous, and lengthy tasks including stitching, ironing, packaging, and lifting large objects. The presence of toxic factors in the workplace can have detrimental effects on an employee’s physical and mental well-being as well as the organization’s general health. This study aimed to investigate the mental health and socioeconomic situation of female RMG workers. Materials and Methods: The search approach that was used was a thorough electronic search of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Library. This review includes all publicly available research that had a full-text article in the database and a thorough methodology. Results: Eleven studies were included in this review. The studies revealed that the majority of the readymade garment workers are female around 80-90%. They are from rural areas and not highly educated. The mental health issues are due to result of working at uncomfortable positions at the factory and simultaneously fulfilling family demands at home. According to the experts, female employees’ health is impacted by their physical work environment, poor employment position, and the type of their profession. The female employees shared their own accounts of experiencing physical and verbal abuse, ongoing pressure, various personal limitations, and wage withholding in the workplace. Conclusions: Review of socio-economic status and mental health issues among the lowly educated young garment factory workers revealed that the uncooperativeness of various stakeholders were the biggest reasons for mental health issues. Women participated in the majority of the research projects. As a result, it’s essential to set up targeted initiatives to improve the mental health of garment workers.

Exploring the Mediating Role of Self-Directed Learning Behaviours in the Relationship Between Work-Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction, with Direct Influence of Organizational Commitment

Balancing work and family demands presents challenges for employee well-being and job performance. Continuous skill development is also crucial for career success in today's changing workplace. However, few research studies have looked into the role of self-directed learning behaviour (SDLB) in managing work-family conflict (WFC). The current study aimed to investigate the relations between WFC, job satisfaction (JS), organizational commitment (OC) and SDLB and whether SDLB mediates the relation between WFC and JS. A sample of 157 employed adults aged 18-65 years completed self-report measures of WFC, JS, SDLB, OC and demographic variables. SEM analysis was performed to examine the proposed relationships. Results showcased a significant direct negative effect of WFC on JS (β = -0.438, p &lt; 0.001) but no indirect effect through SDLB (β = -0.012, p &gt; 0.05). Moderated mediation analyses were also performed with gender as a moderator which revealed no significant conditional indirect effects. The findings suggest WFC directly impacts employees' job attitudes, but SDLB may not buffer these effects as hypothesized. Implications and limitations are discussed. The study's findings carry significant implications for organizations striving to enhance employee performance and well-being amidst evolving workforce trends.

Income Diversification among Small-Holder Farmers in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria

The study examined income diversification among smallholder farmers in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger state, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 94 respondents for the study. Primary data were used and collected with aid of structured questionnaire complemented with an interview schedule. Descriptive statistics, diversity index and Logit regression model were employed to analyze the data collected. From the result of analysis, the mean age of the farmers was 44 years, average household size was 8 members per household and farm size was 2.4 hectares. Majority (78.7%) of the respondents acquired one form of formal education or the other, while 21.3% did not have formal education. Reasons for income diversification were poor crop and animal yield (97.9%), availability of off-farm opportunities and limited income from animal production (78.7%), and limited income from crop production (75.5%) ranked 1st, 2nd and 4th, respectively. The result further revealed that 69.2% of the respondents had an income diversity index of 0.21 - 0.40 indicating that level of income diversification was moderately low. The determinants of income diversification in the study area were age (-2.12), household size (1.83), land ownership (2.36), non – farm opportunities (5.42) and farm size (-2.47). These variables were positively related to income diversification and statistically significant 10%, 5% and 1% level of probability, respectively. In conclusion, diversification into various income sources have helped the respondents to sustain family demands, although, level of income diversification was low. It was therefore recommended that Government should formulate and implement policies that encourage smallholders to diversify their income in the study area.

The Implication of Mothers’ Full-Time Labour Force Participation on Early Childcare and Outcome: A Case Study of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

In the last two decades, in Tanzania, female labour force participation outside the home has grown significantly along with their male counterparts challenging the traditional view that women are reproducers and producers in the home-based economy. Full-time employment leads to higher levels of self-esteem, autonomy, and independence, which may influence sensitivity in caregiving. Many mothers also participate in multiple roles which might limit exclusive time for childcare necessary for the development of healthy children. Qualitative methods were used to collect data both from workplaces and homes. Purposive sampling was utilized to identify 42 full-time working mothers with children under the age of five. In-depth interviews, non-participant observation and documentary reviews were used to gather data which was then analysed thematically. The findings indicate that employment imbues women self-esteem, autonomy and independence which improve sensitivity. Children gain from improved nutrition, health services, and access to better secondary care services. However, balancing family demands was difficult, and this affected the nature of maternal care of children. Work-family conflict demands were the main source of stress in mothers, which was detrimental on children's wellbeing. The study recommends that families should devise mechanisms for investing quality time with children, and develop crèches for early childcare in order to mitigate the rising challenges of working and raising healthy and secure children in an urban setting.

GRANDMOTHER CAREGIVERS’ RESILIENCE, MINDFULNESS, AND RESOURCEFULNESS AND MCCUBBIN’S MODEL OF FAMILY STRESS

Abstract Grandmothers raising grandchildren face numerous challenges that are reflected in their levels of depressive symptoms and perceived family functioning. Using McCubbin’s Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation, we examine how demographics, family demands (intra-family strains), mediators of problem-solving/coping (resilience, mindfulness and resourcefulness), resources (support) and situational appraisals (stress and reward) affect a) depressive symptoms and b) family functioning. Our participants were a nationwide sample of 300 American grandmothers raising grandchildren who participated in an online research study. Our regression model for general family functioning had an adjusted R2 of .44. Better self-appraisal of family functioning was significantly associated with younger participant age, identifying as white, higher levels of resourcefulness, fewer reported intra-family strains, more subjective social support and instrumental support. Situational appraisals, the problem solving/coping factors of resilience and mindfulness, employment status, and marital status did not significantly predict family functioning. Depressive symptoms, as measured by the CES-D scale, had an adjusted R2 of .46. Participants who were married, had fewer intra-family strains, higher levels of mindfulness and resilience, higher subjective support, and who appraised greater reward from caregiving to grandchildren had lower levels of depressive symptoms. There was no effect from caregiving stress, resourcefulness, employment status, or race. These analyses show the continued utility of McCubbin’s model, despite different patterns of predictors of family functioning and depressive symptoms. This further develops our prior work showing that resilience, mindfulness, and resourcefulness are correlated but independent theoretical constructs as they interact very differently with our two outcomes.