Family Difficulties Research Articles

The socio-economic burden of migraine: yesterday and today

Migraine is the most frequent and costly type of headache. The analysis of the «cost of the disease» implies an assessment of direct and indirect costs expressed in monetary units. Drastic changes have recently occurred in approaches to the treatment of the disease, in connection with which there are large differences in the structure of the economic burden «yesterday and today». «Yesterday» knowledge about the pathophysiology of migraine was insufficient and various nonspecific agents were used to treat the disease, the antimigrenous effect of which was manifested as an additional one. The relatively low prices of these ineffective drugs for relieving attacks and preventing migraines were accompanied by high indirect costs due to temporary disability of patients, frequent time off from work, decreased labor productivity, family troubles, etc. Therefore, «yesterday»: the indirect costs associated with migraine therapy outweighed the direct costs. «Today» the cost of drugs for the prevention and pathogenetic agents for the relief of migraine attacks has become significantly higher and their costs are the main part of the costs of migraine therapy, However, the effectiveness of new pathogenetic agents for the treatment of migraines helps to reduce indirect costs and improve the quality of life. Awareness of the change in the ratio of direct and indirect costs, as well as the causes of this phenomenon, will increase patient compliance, correctly allocate costs and ultimately save personal and public financial resources.

Investigating the Impact of Technology Addiction on Early Literacy Skills: A Study of First Graders

This study explores the impact of gadget addiction on the reading abilities of Grade 1 learners, focusing on how technology dependence affects early literacy development. Using a quantitative descriptive correlational approach, the study examined the relationship between gadget addiction and reading proficiency. The findings indicate a minimal and statistically insignificant negative correlation between gadget addiction and reading skills, suggesting that technology use does not significantly impede children's reading development. Despite notable indicators of gadget addiction, such as technology interference in family activities and difficulties in avoiding social media, most learners displayed strong reading and comprehension abilities. The results imply that factors beyond technological dependency, such as educational practices, parental involvement, and individual learner characteristics, may have a more substantial influence on early literacy skills. Consequently, the study concludes that addressing gadget addiction alone may not be sufficient to improve reading abilities. Instead, a comprehensive approach considering various educational and developmental factors should be prioritized. Efforts to enhance early literacy should focus on broader educational strategies, parental guidance, and individualized learner support. The study contributes to ongoing discussions about the balance between technology use and traditional literacy practices in early education, advocating for more holistic approaches to foster reading development in young learners. Future research should explore other contributing factors to literacy achievement, moving beyond the narrow focus on digital device usage.

Peruvian Migration and Community Organisation in Argentina: Transnational and Intergenerational Knowledge in the Social Production of Habitat

This paper analyses the transnational and intergenerational knowledge that Peruvian migrant women bring to the social production of habitat in Argentinean cities. In a context of increasing difficulties for Peruvian families to access urban space, this study highlights migrant women's capacity for agency through community organisation. Based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collected from research carried out in a neighbourhood built by migrants in the city of Cordoba, the article shows that urban experiences of Peruvian women reveal not only spatial segregation, but also a subaltern urbanism that attempts to ensure the sustainability of life.

Eating Problems in Young Adults: The Role of Unbalanced Family Cohesion and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation

Strong emotional bonds with the family often result in many positive consequences for human functioning, including emotional regulation and eating patterns. The study aimed to determine the relationship between unbalanced family cohesion, emotion regulation, and eating problems in young adults. A correlation research design was used with a non-probability purposive sampling technique to recruit a sample consisting of 300 university students, 50% men and 50% women, with an age range from 18 to 25 years ( M = 21.60, SD = 1.95) from the four universities of Lahore. Demographic performa, Family Cohesion Scale (FCS), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and Eating Problem Scale (EPS) were used to explore the study variables. Data was analyzed using SPSS 21. Pearson product-moment correlation indicated a significant positive relationship between unbalanced family cohesion, difficulties in emotion regulation, and eating problems. It also revealed that a positive relationship was found among unbalanced family cohesion, difficulties in emotion regulation, and eating problems in young adults. Mediation analysis shows that emotion regulation fully mediates the relationship between unbalanced family cohesion and eating problems in young adults. The findings will help students and family counselors identify risk factors of eating problems and its impact on their transition into marriage life. They will contribute to a deeper understanding of unbalanced family dynamics, difficulties in emotion regulation, and eating problems.

An evaluation of the Teachable Moments A&E Service: Correlating age with presenting needs and assessing how family difficulties impact intervention effectiveness

In 2019, the Home Office established 18 Violence Reduction Partnerships to reduce violence by understanding health, social care, and economic needs and identifying risk and protective factors to support community-level interventions. The Teachable Moments A&E programme was commissioned in 2021 as part of the violence reduction partnerships to support children and young people with presenting needs in hospital A&E and Major Trauma departments for violence-related activities. This study expanded on previous evaluations of the programme and considered how to improve the efficiency of the programme.Monitoring data were collected over a six-month period for 601 service users. Polyseries correlations were performed between age and participants’ presenting needs, and moderation analyses were performed to assess if family-wide challenges reduce the effectiveness of the Teachable Moments programme in improve service-user outcomes.There was a strong positive correlation between age and the presenting needs peer relationships, employment, and housing, as well as a strong negative correlation between age and self-harm. Moreover, moderation analyses show that unsupported family-wide difficult significantly reduce the effectiveness of the Teachable Moments intervention on improving the outcomes self-esteem, reducing risk, health and wellbeing, relationships, and employment/education.Findings show that as participants age, the prevalence of presenting needs is likely to vary which can allow the Teachable Moments programme to offer preventative support as service-users age and become more at-risk. Additionally, moderation analyses show that support programmes for service-users should extend beyond the individual and towards family-wide support in cases where support is required to improve the effectiveness of the Teachable Moments service.Paper Content:this paper expands on previous evaluations of the Teachable Moments service and considers how to improve the effectiveness of the interventions for service-users.Practical Implications of the paper:Findings from the paper offer insight into how the Teachable moments service can be altered to reduce future risk for service users by improving preventative measures towards specific presenting needs based on age, and how the programme can be expanded to account for factors around the service user that may reduce the effectiveness of the intervention.

The association of economic difficulties with social and health care costs of children-target trial emulation using complete birth cohort data in Finland.

It is unclear how much costs economic difficulties in families with children incur to the health and social care sector. We examined the health and social service costs after families entered into, and transitioned out of, social assistance used as a proxy measure for economic difficulties. We analyzed register data on all Finnish children born in 1997 and used the non-randomized target trial framework. The two target trials of entry to economic difficulties (social assistance) and continued economic difficulties included 697 680 and 71 131 children-year observations, respectively, in total. Inverse probability treatment weighting techniques were used to make the comparison group similar to the treatment group in terms of health, socioeconomic and demographic-related pretreatment variables. Entry to social assistance use was associated with some 1511-2619€ (50% compared to the control group) higher cumulative health and social care costs of the children three years after their families transitioned to social assistance, compared to the group that did not enter to social assistance system. This difference was primarily attributed to higher social care costs. Continued social assistance use was associated with some 1007-2709€ (31%) higher costs compared to the comparison group that exited social assistance. These findings support an economic argument to prevent families from entering economic difficulties and to help those in such situations to transition out.

Laughing through Brexit: Family humour practices, political troubles and everyday life

Humour has a well-established role in the public life of politics; however, its use within families affected by macro-level political events remains understudied. This article explores how families employed humour to navigate family troubles introduced by Brexit, the United Kingdom’s tumultuous exit from the European Union. Through an ethnographic study, we demonstrate how extraordinary political times test the positive relational potentials of humour. Families reframed situations through ‘playfulness’, exercised gentle and well-timed teasing, and digitally shared Brexit-related comedy objects to alleviate stresses and anxieties. However, the intensity of the Brexit drama rendered some family humour practices futile, and in particular circumstances, humour became an additional burden. By examining the interrelations of political events, everyday family practices and humour, this article demonstrates the integral role of humour in the reconstitution of familial relationships, the importance of craft, and the significance of relational and situational contexts to the successful deployment of humour.

Cohort profile: the Dynamics of Family Conflict (FamC) study in Norway

PurposeThe Dynamics of Family Conflict (FamC) prospective cohort study was set up to investigate how and why interparental conflicts and family relations develop over time, and in which contexts which...

Parenting During the Student Period: the Possibilities of Combining Life Strategies

The demographic challenges that Russia is facing today require more and more new measures aimed at increasing the birth rate. In the context of an increase in the age of first childbearing, modern youth have stable ideas that the age of 18-24 is not “suitable” for childbearing. The authors’ review of existing and proposed measures to support student families suggests the active development of this area. The key areas of implemented and planned support are highlighted: assistance to student families in solving housing issues; financial support for student parents; organizational measures aimed at combining parental and educational responsibilities. Our analysis focused on the problem of creating the necessary conditions for the implementation of the parental life strategy by young people during their student years. The aim of the study was to develop potential tools to minimize the difficulties of parenthood that arise during parental leave for student families. To achieve this goal, two tasks were set: to identify the totality of difficulties and contradictions experienced by parents during parental leave, and to develop proposals based on the results obtained aimed at increasing the birth rate of students during their higher education. The research method was semi-formalized interviews with 40 parents whose families use the right to parental leave. According to the results of the analysis, two levels of complexity have been identified: institutional (difficulties related to government regulation, infrastructure, labor market) and personal (social attitudes, relationships with the environment, health status). For student parents, the situation during parental leave is even more difficult, and support is more in demand. Based on this, recommendations have been developed that are aimed at mitigating the difficulties of student families on parental leave and can be implemented in the Russian higher education system.

Understanding Child Marriage Among Girls in Nigeria: A Focus on Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area of Nasarawa State

The right of choice in marriage is universal and it is enshrined in international human rights instruments. Yet, many girls under 18 years enter into marriage without a chance to exercise that right. This has proved problematic as the situation often results in negative outcomes including school drop-out, pregnancy risks, diseases and sexually transmitted infections, unhappiness, and even death. This study therefore examined the factors influencing child marriage among girls in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. It specifically investigated the cultural and sociodemographic factors influencing child marriage among girls in the study area. The ethno-cultural theory of pedogamy guided the study. The mixed method research design was employed with structured questionnaire and key informant interviews utilized in the collection of data. Data was retrieved from 183 respondents, and it was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study hypothesis was tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Results from the study showed that the practice of arranged marriage and beliefs that marriage brings honour to a girl and her family contributes to child marriage. Also, ignorance of fundamental human rights among girls and peer influence, as well as financial difficulties in families, illiteracy among parents and weak enforcement of legal sanctions against child marriage contributes to the practice of child marriage. The study recommends, among others, promotion of education and awareness programme that challenge cultural beliefs that perpetuate child marriage, and implementation of interventions that address poverty in Nasarawa Eggon LGA.

Navigating the challenges of extending working life: a study of employment support services for older workers in Hong Kong

PurposeThis research highlights age-specific barriers to employment for older workers and the gap between activation policy design and implementation, focusing on difficulties in extending working life under employment support services.Design/methodology/approachThis research employed a qualitative approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews to gather perspectives on extending the working lives of older adults. Eighteen experienced social workers who worked in employment support services for older workers who aged fifty-five and above participated in the study.FindingsThis study underscores the importance of comprehensively understanding the heterogeneity of individuals' circumstances and emphasizes the impact of intersectionality on the development of extending working life. It incorporates individual and familial difficulties, including considering caregiving responsibilities, health issues and housing challenges before exploring employment-related concerns. The study also highlights external factors influencing older workers' employment prospects, including employer perspectives, government support levels and public recognition of the necessity to extend working life.Research limitations/implicationsThis research sheds light on the impact of welfare-related stigma, which imposes obstacles and inflexibility on older workers seeking employment. It ultimately contributes to the sustainability and dynamism of the Asia–Pacific workforce while also informing regional discussions on social security and welfare services.Originality/valueIt uniquely employs the perspectives of social workers providing employment support services to highlight challenges and policy gaps in extending the working lives of older workers in Hong Kong. It also provides practical insights into strategies and mechanisms for extending working life across diverse social contexts.

The Association Between Early Family Social Stressors and Emotional Well-Being Among Infants and Toddlers

ObjectiveEarly childhood behavioral and emotional disorders are linked to diagnosable mental health problems both later in childhood and into adulthood. However, little work has examined the association between family social stressors and emotional well-being among children under two years of age, including whether differences exist between infancy and toddlerhood. MethodsData come from the nationally representative 2019–2022 National Health Interview Survey, an annual, cross-sectional survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Separate multivariate logistic regression models estimated associations between family social stressors (stressful life events, family food insecurity, family difficulty paying medical bills) and having a Baby Pediatric Symptom Checklist (BPSC) subscale score of 3 or more (“above the BPSC cutoff”) for poorer emotional well-being among children 2–23 months. Models were additionally stratified by age group (infants, 2–11 months; toddlers, 12–23 months), and adjusted for child and family sociodemographic and geographical characteristics. ResultsChildren who had experienced a stressful life event (AOR=3.83, 95% CI: 2.48–5.92), family food insecurity (AOR=1.69, 95% CI: 1.13–2.51), or family difficulty paying medical bills (AOR=2.10, 95% CI: 1.54–2.87) had higher odds of being above the BPSC cutoff, adjusted for all relevant covariates. Toddlers who experienced a stressful life event (66.5% vs 41.0%) or family difficulty paying medical bills (53.1% vs 29.8%) had higher odds of being above the BPSC cutoff compared with infants. ConclusionsFamily social stressors were linked to poorer emotional well-being among young children. Future research may benefit from the exploration of additional predictors of emotional well-being among this age group.

가족이 경험하는 어려움에 대한 가족의 대처방법과 가족서비스 인식

This study delved into coping mechanisms individuals employ to navigate familial difficulties, their perspectives on the need for family support services from local communities and public institutions, and the factors hindering their utilization. The study surveyed a sample of 1,500 adults aged 20-69 years and residing in South Korea. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, t-tests, and one-way ANOVA were conducted using SPSS 26. The results indicated that individuals primarily relied on personal coping mechanisms when dealing with difficulties. Second, there was widespread recognition of the need for support in areas such as childcare and family care. Third, ‘lack of awareness of family services’ was identified as the primary obstacle to accessing such services. Understanding the demographics and needs of potential users could aid the development of promotional and programmatic strategies to enhance the accessibility of family services.

Strengths and Difficulties Regarding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Correlation with Social Responsiveness and Disorder Severity

Objective: Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities often experience social difficulties. Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to experience peer rejection and cognitive, academic, family, and professional difficulties. This investigation aimed to identify the predictors of difficulties faced by children and adolescents with ADHD. Material and Methods: We established ADHD diagnoses based on DSM-5 criteria. Moreover, every participant had a diagnostic evaluation by a child and adolescent psychiatrist using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL) and a detailed sociodemographic form documented. Parents completed the Turgay DSM IV-Based Child and Adolescent Behavioural Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) for their children. Results: The study included 99 children, 59 in the ADHD group and 40 in the control group. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding gender and age. The mean scores of T-DSM-IV-S [Attention deficit (AD), Hyperactivity/impulsivity (H/I), Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), Conduct disorder (CD)], SDQ, and SRS were significantly higher in the ADHD group than in the control group. Among the independent variables in the regression model, SRS total scores significantly predicted SDQ-total (β = 0.238, p = 0.033) and SDQ-emotion (β =0.439, p = 0.001) scores in the ADHD group. Conclusion: Children diagnosed with ADHD may have more receptive deficits in mutual interactions than their peers, which greatly impacts their social behaviors. Early social skills training for social functioning impairments may reduce the condition’s social impact

The role of family relationships on adolescents' development and adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.

In typical times, adolescents' relationships with family members influence changing cognitive, social, and physical aspects of their development. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, impacted the full family system in ways that were unprecedented. Scholars of adolescence worldwide were driven to understand how adolescents' relationships with family members changed due to these dramatic societal shifts and the influence these relationships had on adolescents' well-being. This systematic review examined two research questions with 189 articles published from 2020-2022: (1) How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted families with adolescents, including broader family functioning, family relationship qualities, and parenting? and (2) How has the pandemic or pandemic-related stressors interacted with family functioning, family relationships, and parenting of adolescents to impact adolescent well-being and adjustment? Additionally, examination of the relevant studies were divided into sub-themes of pandemic influence: (a) family environment and routines, (b) family difficulties, (c) parenting and parent-adolescent relationships, and (d) sibling relationships.

PERIODISATION OF CHANGES IN STATE FAMILY POLICY IN POLAND BETWEEN 1989 AND 2022

The subject of this article is the periodization of changes in the state family policy in Poland that took place in the years 1989–2022, in order to systematize on this basis the main directions, priorities and instruments of the title policy as well as the most significant events, activities and turning points in a given area. This analysis shows a multi-aspect perspective on the assessment of the evolution of family policy in Poland in the years 1989–2022. Indicates, among others: periods in which there was a significant expansion of the scope of state intervention in the functioning of the family, especially through a significant increase in expenditure on financial instruments, for example after 2015. However, the development of service and leave instruments is particularly important, which took place in particular in 2013 as part of the "Good climate for the family" program. Due to the low fertility rate, financial difficulties of many families and difficulties in combining child care responsibilities with paid work, family policy should be based to a greater extent on investments and social services.

Emergency care for post-traumatic stress disorders complicated by psychosis

The work provides information on the emergency care for post-traumatic stress disorders complicated by psychosis. Emphasis is placed on cases of severe depression with suicidal manifestations and alcoholic complications with disorders of consciousness and psychosis. It is noted that in recent years, typical cases of post-traumatic stress disorder have often become more complicated and aggravated, because the debilitating nature of mental trauma persists in modern life due to military events. Therefore, in the clinical picture of psychogenic disorders, severe depressive states with suicidal tendencies can develop. In such cases, moodiness dominates, as well as episodes of significant melancholy that a patient experiences as torment, physical suffering. Ideas of self-accusation arise, which are closely related to the psychotraumatic situation and constitute the dominant content of a psychogenic complex. Patients blame themselves of the emerging trouble. Under the influence of such experiences, exacerbations develop with an increase in anxiety, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts with intentions and actions; sleep and appetite deteriorate, retardation, apathy, and indifference develop. Such conditions are more likely to occur in conditions of family trouble, in persons with weak personal psychological protection in a decreased tolerance to emotional stress, altered self-esteem. In other cases, patients with post-traumatic stress disorders become withdrawn, alienated, and spiteful. People can experience difficulties when communicating with others, they become irritable, sometimes aggressive. At this time, patients refuse to fulfill the traditional requirements of professional activity. In families, they become strangers, estranged from their relatives. Therefore, over time, they may lose their jobs and families. Characteristics of psychopathic behavior can predispose individuals to alcoholism and drug addiction, which in turn contribute significantly to social and micro-social maladaptation. When providing urgent care to such patients, it is necessary to be guided by the requirements of the legislation on psychiatric care. In the acute period, antidepressant, neuroleptic and sedative therapy in injections should be prescribed to quickly achieve the desired therapeutic effect, followed by switching to oral forms of basic and adjuvant therapy. Psychocorrectional measures should also be an important component of the process of further rehabilitation of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Changing policy, changing plans: responses to the end of fee-free education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the ending of fee-free higher education in Australia for overseas students in the 1980s, and the ways in which the government managed the diplomatic relationships that were affected by this policy shift. The introduction of fee-free higher education in Australia in 1974 was incredibly popular, and the end of the program in the late 1980s created difficulties for individuals, families and diplomatic relationships.Design/methodology/approachUsing a mix of secondary sources and archival documents, this paper has a historiographical element, and an element of analysis.FindingsThis research finds that the ending of fee-free education created significant diplomatic issues with a number of Australia’s regional neighbours. It also created issues for individual students and families. The solution to these problems was, in large part, a scholarship scheme called the Equity and Merit Scholarship Scheme (EMSS). The EMSS was designed, in part, to address the issues created by the end of the fee-free program. However, the design of the scholarship scheme also created its own diplomatic issues with a different cohort of nation states.Originality/valueThere is limited scholarly research into the history of international education policy in Australia. This research draws on the work of some scholars of international scholarships, as well as historians of universities and education more broadly. This research adds to a growing body of work in the field of Australian international education history.

How adult children of incarcerated parents experience ambiguous loss.

Families can experience grief when they lose a loved one to incarceration. Although there has not been a death, the removal of a family member from day-to-day life and the uncertainty and stigma surrounding incarceration pose major challenges. We applied consensual qualitative research methods to understand the unique grief experience that adult children have when a parent is incarcerated. Our findings elaborate on the impacts of the loss, the complicating factors of stigma and disenfranchisement, as well as how individuals have made meaning and pursued healing from this experience over time. Impacts included changes to member roles within the new family structure and difficulty forming secure bonds with peers. Participants characterized stigma toward their parent as extending to themselves and complicating their ability to openly miss their parent or process complicated reactions to the incarceration. Despite systemic challenges, participants set their personal life goals and used a combination of problem-focused coping and distancing themselves from the incarceration to successfully manage the loss. Consistent with these findings, mental health professionals serving this population can validate incarceration as a loss, repair ambiguity in family roles, develop an accepting therapeutic relationship that reduces perceived stigma, and identify possibilities for activism.

Positive parenting practices support children at neurological risk during COVID-19: a call for accessible parenting interventions.

Children and youth with neurological and/or neurodevelopmental conditions were at high risk for behavioral and mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Positive and responsive parenting practices may be one way to prevent and manage potential difficulties in families. We aimed to identify whether positive parenting practices were associated with reduced behavioral concerns in children at neurological risk during the late stages and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we examined whether ongoing parental stress, anxiety, and depression impacted parenting practices during this time period. Families (N = 179) with children 4 to 15 years old (M = 7.11y, SD = 2.02) diagnosed with neurological (84.3%), neurodevelopmental (54.8%) or comorbid neurological and/or neurodevelopmental conditions (21.2%) were contacted to complete online questionnaires regarding demographics, parent stress, child behavior, COVID-19 conditions, and parenting practices. Multivariable linear regression (MLR) analyses examined the association between positive parenting practices and parenting competency measures with child behavioral outcomes, controlling for relevant covariates, including COVID-19 related stress. MLR were also run to determine whether parental mental health impacted parenting practices. More positive parenting practices predicted fewer child problem behaviors and lower intensity of problem behaviors. Similarly, a higher sense of satisfaction with parenting competence also predicted fewer child problem behaviors and lower intensity of problem behaviors. In addition, higher reported parental depression, anxiety, and stress significantly predicted fewer reported positive parenting practices. Findings points to the promising application of positive parenting interventions to support vulnerable families, as well as the need for parental mental health intervention to support parenting practices.