Family Life Research Articles

Children’s healthy and unhealthy food intake related to parental fear of COVID-19, family communication patterns, and parental controlling feeding practices

ABSTRACT Background The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 changed the daily lives of families, including their food environments. We tested a conceptual model of potential influences on children’s dietary intake under these conditions. Methods 310 (51% fathers) parents with children ages 5–12 were recruited for an online study. Parents completed questionnaires to measure fear of COVID-19, family communication patterns, parental controlling feeding practices, and child’s healthy and unhealthy food intake. Structural equation modeling was conducted, including a path analysis and a multi-group analysis to compare mothers and fathers. Results Parental fear of COVID-19 was related to more conversation and conformity-oriented family communication patterns, which were associated with more parental controlling feeding practices. Conversation-oriented communication was related to less, while conformity-oriented communication was related to more unhealthy food intake by children. Conclusion Family communication patterns play an important role in children’s dietary intake. Therefore, it may be useful to help parents adopt positive parenting approaches to influence their children’s healthy development.

Adaptation of the ‘’Food Allergy Self-Efficacy Scale for Parents’’(FASE-P) to Turkish: a validity and reliability study

Background. Food allergy is a public health issue that has a significant impact on the lives of families. Parental self-efficacy/confidence is important in managing food allergies. The aim of this study is to validate the “Food Allergy Self-Efficacy Scale for Parents” (FASE-P) and assess parental self-efficacy in managing their child’s food allergy. Methods. Turkish version of the FASE-P (T-FASE-P) was administered to 347 parents of children aged 0-18 who had been followed for at least one month due to food allergy at the Pediatric Allergy Clinic of Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital between September 1 and December 31, 2023, through face-to-face interviews and online surveys for parents of children with food allergies from the general population. Content validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to evaluate the validity of the scale. General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) was used for concurrent criterion validity. Internal consistency analysis, test-retest application, and item analysis were conducted to assess its reliability. Results. T-FASE-P scale initially contained 21 items, and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α) calculated in this form was found to be 0.89. Later, when 4 items were excluded, the 17-item version of the scale was calculated as α=0.90. The intra-class correlation coefficient between the test and re-test was found to be 0.972. The content validity index value of the scale was calculated as 0.99, indicating that the content validity was at a sufficient level. In the EFA, it was determined that the scale formed a three-factor structural model and that this model explained 60.82% of the total variance. As a result of the CFA, the fit indices were calculated as χ2/df=2.341, GFI=0.919, TLI=0.950, indicating a good level of fit. Based on the analysis results, T-FASE-P consists of 17 items and three subscales. Conclusion. T-FASE-P scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to determine the food allergy self-efficacy of Turkish parents.

Sociological research in the field of family and demography: responding to the challenges of our time

The article analyzes the data of sociological research conducted by the Department of Sociology of Family and Demography of the Faculty of Sociology of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, whose employees adhere to the familistic paradigm. The data from these studies are used for social design and forecasting of family and demographic behavior of the bulk of the population, as well as to develop recommendations for improving family and demographic policy aimed at increasing the birth rate and overcoming the crisis of the family as a social institution. Analysis of these data showed that effective policies in the field of family and demography should be aimed not only at changing the attitude towards family life and the birth of children on the part of those people who are now in active reproductive age, but also at creating a positive attitude of adolescents and young people towards based on a strong legal marriage and a close connection between three generations of a family with three or more children. A social atmosphere that encourages the formation and maintenance of families of this type should be considered as a necessary condition for the prosperity of the country.

Parenting, family guidance and spiritual education: Proverbs 1:8–9 and its wisdom ethos for children’s moral development

This article seeks to provide a wisdom domain moral analysis of Proverbs 1:8–9 on the role of parents in conveying the significance of parental instruction and the development of wisdom in children. As a process through which young individuals acquire and cultivate essential qualities and values that shape their behavior and moral outlook, children character development encompasses various aspects, including moral, social, emotional, and cognitive dimensions, and it is influenced by a range of factors, including familial upbringing, social interactions, cultural influences, education, and personal experiences. Whilst the origin of parents as agents of moral guardian is not explicitly stated in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (HB/OT), Proverbs 1:8–9 is one of those key passages whose themes underscore the profound significance of family structure and system, and parental responsibility. The verses highlight the spiritual and moral dimensions of family life, promoting a sense of dignity, submission, and personal development within the context of a supportive family structure. The incisive prescriptions of the text offer a journey into self-understanding, self-development, and self-actualization, by reaffirming the family as a pivotal social institution while balancing the roles and responsibilities of parents and children.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article brings together biblical and theological insights from the parental rhetoric of Proverbs 1:8–9 to bear on and help shape the oversight function of parents as agents of children moral development and healthy family life. The verses bridge spiritual wisdom with scientific understanding, presenting a holistic view of how a child grows intellectually, emotionally, and morally.

Between International Policy and Local Practice: Nepali Service Providers' Constructions of Domestic Violence in Context.

The conceptualization of social problems is an important site for examining the extent to which the knowledge and priorities of local practitioners are reflected in international policy. This study employed critical discourse analysis to examine the constructions of domestic violence (DV) used by service providers in Pokhara, Nepal, as compared with two major international women's human rights policy documents. Both constructed DV as a human rights issue that should be contextualized within patriarchal and intersecting oppressions. Service providers additionally emphasized the denial of rights and entitlements of family life as DV. This finding underscores the long-term risks that survivors navigate and suggests that international human rights policymakers should broaden conceptualizations of DV.

"I'm always fighting the Coronavirus because it's dangerous to my family": Children's agency, resilience, and role in the family during COVID-19 in Israel.

This study explores the experiences of Israeli children (N = 50) aged 3-6 years from middle to high socioeconomic status on the COVID-19 pandemic from their own perspectives. Following a qualitative-phenomenological paradigm and utilizing a semistructured interview format designed to involve children through a card game, this research seeks to unearth the nuanced dynamics of parent-child communication against the backdrop of Israel's distinctive sociopolitical context, characterized by "deep securitization" and some of the strictest COVID-19 restrictions enforced globally. Based on the interviews conducted with children, four main themes emerged: (1) how children were exposed to information; (2) types of information children were exposed to; (3) active mediation versus restrictive mediation; and (4) militant discourse and desire to fight. Incorporating multisystem theory (Masten & Narayan, 2012) to explore the interplay of risk and protective factors, the study situates these within Israel's unique sociopolitical context which engendered expressions of resilience and agency among young children. By highlighting the interrelationships between national security measures and family life, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex factors that affected young children's experiences during the pandemic, highlighting the workings of the transformation of adversity into resilience within contextually specific settings during times of crises. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Mother-child collaboration in an Indigenous community: Changing and enduring across generations.

Changes in family life related to globalization may include reduction in the collaborativeness observed in many Indigenous American communities. The present study examined longitudinal changes and continuities in collaboration in a Guatemalan Maya community experiencing rapid globalization. Fluid collaboration was widespread 3 decades ago among triads of mothers and 1- to 6-year-olds in 24 Mayan families exploring novel objects during home visits (Dayton etal., 2022). However, in the "same" situation 30 years later, 22 mother-child triads of their relatives spent half as much time in collaboration among all three people. This aligns with globalizing changes and with the pattern of Dayton etal.'s middle-class European American families. Nonetheless, the Mayan families maintained harmonious interactions, in line with preserving important cultural values.

Collage-based narratives of mothers of third culture kids the in-between space of transnational families in the UAE

This study delves into the lives of transnational families in the UAE, exploring their complex identities using a visual research approach known as the Collage Life Elicitation Technique (CLET). Both the topic and the methodology are framed within a theoretical lens of Verstehen (understanding) with a view to further exploring the lives of transnational families in the context of a pragmatic phenomenology and within the setting of the UAE as a rentier state. The lives of families such as these are characterized by a cross-cultural lifestyle, high mobility and expected repatriation. This paper presents narratives of eight transnational families in the UAE as expressed by the mother of each family unit, and seeks to expand on how these mothers view the identity of their families as expatriates living in the UAE. Findings indicate that these families navigate an intricate world where they are neither entirely of their host country nor of their passport country. The family unit plays a pivotal role in these families’ lives, acting as a bridge between their host culture and their home culture, serving as a nucleus for their evolving identities.

Exploring Gender Equity in Tanzania- A Comprehensive Study on the Need for Inclusive Practices in Selected Major Media Houses in Tanzania

This study investigates gender equity in Tanzanian print media, particularly focusing on women's leadership. Utilizing a qualitative approach with an interpretivist paradigm, the explanatory case study design includes 12 in-depth interviews. The research unveils the impact of Stereotype Theory on employment promotion policies, emphasizing challenges related to family life and child-rearing in career advancement. Challenges in adhering to maternity leave regulations are identified, hindering the balance between family planning and career progression for female journalists. The study highlights subjective performance evaluations, favoritism concerns, and a lack of transparency in promotion policies, contributing to gender inequity. A glass ceiling is noted at middle and senior management levels. Recommendations include implementing supportive structures for working mothers, revising promotion policies for transparency, and fostering a workplace culture that actively promotes inclusivity. The aim is to create a more equitable and inclusive media industry in Tanzania.

The development of a dyadic family life review intervention for the Asian diaspora: A practice article.

Intergenerational family conflict is a commonly identified issue in the Asian diaspora; however, there are limited interventions designed to address this concern. Given this gap in the literature, the authors present a practice article outlining the conceptualization, development, and delivery of a dyadic life review intervention called (Re)Cultivating Family Stories (RFS). RFS is a clinician-facilitated family intervention designed to promote connection and foster successive communication through the joint activity of developing a family story. Life review is a structured approach for reminiscing and evaluating one's life experiences and includes dyadic variants. RFS builds on dyadic life review by facilitating collaborative dialogs between a parent and adult offspring, incorporating culturally responsive elements, and focusing on developing family stories. This article provides an overview of the intervention and its theoretical foundations, along with formative feedback from a field test. Considerations for future implementation and research directions are described.

Dogs on Film: Status, Representation, and the Canine Characters Test

The representation of animals in cinema and television reflects and reinforces dominant ideologies and traditional stereotypes. While popular culture often legitimizes prevailing social norms and existing power relations, it can also reflect shifting cultural attitudes about traditional axes of inequality such as race, gender, class, sexual orientation, disability, and species. Representations of canine characters incidentally embedded in family life provide a unique lens through which to consider the evolving cultural and legal status of dogs and their place in multispecies families. This article introduces a Canine Characters Test, similar to the Bechdel Test used to measure the representation of women in movies, to critically evaluate the representation of dogs in film and television. Applying the test and its four criteria—Role in Narrative, Agency, Language, and Animality—to two examples, this article argues that portrayals that pass the test support a positive shift in social norms regarding dog–human relationships, which in turn bolsters efforts to elevate dogs’ status under the law. Benevolent speciesism, authenticity, and problematic tropes such as vanishing, ornamental, and miraculous canines are also discussed.

Football, fandom, and violence: Jean-Pierre Mocky’s À mort l’arbitre ! (1984)

ABSTRACT Jean-Pierre Mocky’s À mort l’arbitre ! (1984) is an interesting example of French sports fiction. It takes us back into French post-Giscardian society, where people lived under the threat of structural unemployment and in fear of a precarious personal and family life. This context allows us to better understand how exacerbated militancy developed among the fans of a sport as popular as football. À mort l’arbitre ! tells the story of a referee who was chased by a group of fans, intoxicated with frustration and rage after he awarded a penalty to the other team. Waylaid outside the locker room, stalked in a supermarket, and attacked at his home, the referee had no alternative but to go through this nightmarish odyssey to the end. The aim of this article is to analyse the political, cultural, and social meaning of fan violence towards football referees during the 1980s.

The Arab Woman In Israel In A Tight Spot: Academia And Career Versus Marriage And Family

This study concentrates on the impact that marriage has on the personal development of Israeli Arab women in the field of higher education and employment. These women are a minority within a minority as they belong to Israel’s Arab ethnic community but are also a gender-segregated minority within their patriarchal society. Whereas other studies touch on the overall struggle of Arab women to reach personal fulfillment despite intense family life, the focus of this study is specifically the marriage itself as a watershed in the young Arab Israeli woman’s life. To fully understand the challenges constructed by marriage, 25 Israeli Arab women were interviewed in-depth on a university campus. The findings indicate the negative effect that traditional marriage has on these women’s personal futures. The study concludes on the optimistic note that the interviews also revealed a deep awareness among young Arab women of their personal rights and liberties.

Human values behind intensive parenting

Abstract Intensive parenting (IP) is a contemporary parenting norm that emphasizes investing in children for their optimal growth and often strains parental resources. It demands centering family life around children and providing them with stimulating environments. Previous studies predominantly link IP to socioeconomic factors, overlooking its psychological determinants. Our research explores how support for IP is tied to individuals’ value systems. We use data from CRONOS online survey, conducted as a part of the European Social Survey (ESS) in 2016–2018. It covered over 1,500 people aged 18 and older. The survey included items that allowed the measurement of two central dimensions of IP: child-centeredness and stimulation (dependent variables in our study). To measure individuals’ values (our explanatory variables), we use ESS Schwartz’s value scale. Our analyses also controlled for key socioeconomic variables (country, sex, age, education, parity). Regression analysis reveals that tradition and security values positively correlate with both dimensions of intensive parenting, highlighting motivations to preserve traditions and ensure a secure future for children. Centering family’s life around children is additionally linked to benevolence, while the stimulation dimension – to achievement and (negatively) to universalism. This suggests that different aspects of IP may be motivated to some extent differently. Highlights • Childrearing standard of intensive parenting (IP) is tied to human values. • Importance of tradition and security is a shared core for different aspects of IP. • Child-centeredness ties additionally to caring for family wellbeing. • Providing children with stimulation appears to be additionally fueled by the need of achievement. • Depending on how IP is motivated, it may carry different consequences for children and parents.

Family quality of life of Ghanaian families raising people with intellectual disability

This study examined the family quality of life (FQOL) of people with intellectual disabilities (PWID). Participants were 176 Ghanaian parents of PWID (mothers = 71.6%). The mean age of the parents was 41.64 years (SD = 9.21 years). The parents completed the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale. Descriptive analysis revealed that while the parents of PWID were satisfied with overall FQOL, they were least satisfied with FQOL subdomains including disability-related support, physical/material well-being, and emotional well-being. There was evidence of variabilities within FQOL among families raising PWID. Female parents of PWID reported a higher overall FQOL than male parents. Parents who had male children with intellectual disability reported a higher overall FQOL, compared to those who had female children with intellectual disability. Our findings highlight the need for FQOL support for families of PWID and a need to develop interventions to improve different aspects of FQOL for higher family life satisfaction.

Home and family in alternative care – how Finnish legislation creates opportunities for belonging

ABSTRACT Alternative care can be offered through foster family care, residential care or adoption. The need to belong is equal for all groups of children, but the opportunities for creating a sense of belonging for them are different. An analysis of the laws and government propositions steering alternative care in Finland was conducted. The analysis was inspired by Critical discourse analysis (CDA) and performed across cases of the different types of care. The discourse on belonging was operationalised mainly through the concepts of home and family. These concepts were analysed in relation to the spatial, relational and temporal dimensions of belonging. In the laws and legal documents steering alternative care in Finland, adoption is about legal relations, while foster family and residential care concern the environment for upbringing. The opportunities for creating a sense of belonging are very different in the three forms of care. In residential care, legislation in relation to the home and family mainly considers the past; in foster family care, it considers the past and the present; and in adoption, it considers the future. In addition to legislation failing to consider temporal aspects, it also does not recognise the complexity of family life.

Digital Communication in work and family life in Europe

ABSTRACT This special issue brings together innovative research on the use and implications of digital communication in work and family life. It examines the context dependence of the use of digital communication and the consequences for work-family integration and conflict in a comparative design. It also broadens the perspective to new technological developments. The editorial gives an overview of the existing literature and presents the main findings of the articles in this special issue. It also provides initial descriptive information on digital communication with children, parents, line managers and colleagues, based on the initiated module on ‘Digital Social Contacts in Work and Family Life’ in the European Social Survey Round 10. There are apparent differences across European countries, social groups (age, gender, migration background, class) and with respect to the inclusion in the labor market (in paid employment, working from home, occupational status). Overall, the special issue demonstrates that digital communication in work and family life is interrelated, is inherent to gendered strategies to combine work and family, and is also a matter of digital skills, emotional and physical closeness and the institutional context. Work-family conflict enhancing implications are identified but do not seem to be an indispensable attribute.

The Evolution of Women's Roles and Status in Chinese Modern-Themed Films and Television Shows Between 2014 and 2024

Abstract: This paper devotes to study the changes in the role status and positioning of female characters in the context of modern Chinese film and television shows in the last ten years. This paper is based on the literature research method, case study, and comparative analysis method. Papers in related fields are studied to analyze the differences in the status and positioning of female characters in film and television works in various periods. In conclusion, this research finds that the evolution of female roles in modern Chinese film and television is a testament to the awareness and appreciation of gender diversity and female empowerment. As society continues to develop, future productions will embrace and celebrate the richness of women's careers and family lives. The film and television industry will continue to challenge and redefine traditional gender roles. The industry's response to audience feedback and the need for more realistic representations of women will elicit further innovation and diversity in the representation of female characters on screen.

Subjective and objective effects of anxiety and fatigue on social function in patients with enterostomy and their family caregivers.

Many patients with enterostomy and their family caregivers experience severe anxiety and fatigue, which affects their participation in normal social activities and family life, resulting in impaired social function. The purpose of this study was to understand the status of social function of patients with enterostomy and their family caregivers;at the same time to analyze the subjective and objective effects of anxiety and fatigue on their social functions. The self-made general information questionnaire, WHO Social Disability rating Scale, Miao Yu's Multidimensional Fatigue Scale-20 and Zung et al. 's Self-rating Anxiety Scale were used to investigate the general situation, social function, fatigue and anxiety of enterostomy patients and their family caregivers who came to the hospital for treatment from March 28, 2023 to November 30, 2023. SPSS27.0 was used to complete the statistical analysis of the data, and AMOS26.0 was used to establish the structural equation model to complete the subject and object effect analysis. A total of 260 pairs of enterostomy patients and their family caregivers were included in this study. The social function scores of enterostomy patients and their family caregivers were (8.80±3.44) and (6.44±3.60). The anxiety scores were (37.81±7.60) and (34.73±7.50). The fatigue scores were (63.35±12.80) and (51.21±12.38).The results of the subject-object effect analysis reported the subject effect: the anxiety of patients with enterostomy had a significant positive impact on the degree of social dysfunction (β = 0.154, P = 0.015); The fatigue of patients with enterostomy had a significant positive effect on the degree of social dysfunction (β = 0.132, P = 0.034). The anxiety of family caregivers had a significant positive effect on the degree of social dysfunction (β = 0.161, P = 0.023). The fatigue of family caregivers had a significant positive effect on the degree of social dysfunction (β = 0.201, P = 0.005). In terms of object effects: only the fatigue of family caregivers had a significant positive impact on the degree of social dysfunction of enterostomy patients (β = 0.224, P < 0.001), and other ways had no object effects. Patients with enterostomy and their family caregivers have serious social function defects. Clinical medical staff should take care of them as a whole in order to better return to family and society after surgery.

When Your Sibling is Trans Too: How LGBTQ Siblings Help LGBTQ Youth Navigate Cisnormativity and Heteronormativity in the Family

ABSTRACT Scholars have recently emphasized the importance of siblings in the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. However, most of this literature assumed that these siblings are heterosexual and cisgender. This study considers how LGBTQ siblings may impact the experiences of LGBTQ youth, particularly as the youth navigates cisnormativity and heteronormativity within the family. We analyzed interviews with 26 LGBTQ youth who have LGBTQ siblings from the Family, Housing, and Me (FHAM) project. We find that LGBTQ siblings offer positive social support to LGBTQ youth, particularly for transgender and nonbinary youth who have transgender or nonbinary siblings. For most of the youth, having mutual disclosure of their gender/sexual identity with the siblings strengthened their relationship and built sibling solidarity. LGBTQ siblings were a consistent source of LGBTQ identity support and often shared the burden of confronting cisnormativity in family life. This work has implications for understanding the social support available for LGBTQ youth.