Comparison Of Mothers Research Articles

Parents’ ethnotheories of the nature and causes of children’s misbehaviors: A comparison of mothers across two cultures

Across all cultures, parents have intuitive ideas (“ethnotheories”) of what undesirable child characteristics are as well as how to explain them. Yet there have been relatively few cross-cultural comparisons of parents’ ethnotheories about the nature and causes of child misbehavior. 108 mothers of 5-year-old children from the United States (N = 52; Mage = 5.26, SD = 0.07) and mainland China (N = 56; Mage = 5.31, SD = 0.20) were recruited to participate in a semi-structured interview that allowed parents to generate open-ended responses in relation to the nature and causes of children’s misbehavior. Parents were asked to describe the behaviors they would least like to see in their children, before providing causal attributions to a series of hypothetical vignettes depicting a range of externalizing-type child behaviors. Parents’ responses were coded based on common themes. Across both cultures, mothers endorsed social insensitivity as the most undesirable child characteristic. With regard to cross-cultural differences, mothers from the US highlighted aggressive and disruptive behaviors as the most salient child misbehaviors, whereas parents from mainland China emphasized cognitive and motivational difficulties. Regarding causes of child misbehaviors, American mothers were more likely than Chinese mothers to report momentary internal states as the primary causes of child misbehavior, followed by immature development. Conversely, Chinese parents attributed child misbehavior primarily to social influences, followed by temperament. Our results provide a significant contribution to our understanding on how parents across cultures define and explain misbehaviors in young children.

Parenting of siblings in Latinx families during middle childhood.

Parents' management of their children's sibling relationships, or sibling-focused parenting, has substantial theoretical and practical importance but is rarely studied. This study's goals were to describe dimensions of sibling-focused parenting and to examine sociocultural resources and challenges as potential correlates among Latinx mothers and fathers in 262 families with two children in middle childhood. Families were recruited from 11 public elementary schools, and caregivers (248 mother figures; 118 father figures) participated in a home visit and phone interviews at the onset of the study. Sibling-focused parenting included three dimensions: positive guidance (10 items), nonintervention (four items), and authoritarian control (five items). Parents rated positive guidance as their most frequent strategy, and comparisons of mothers and fathers from the same families revealed that mothers engaged in more sibling-focused parenting overall than fathers. Regarding correlates, mothers' familism values and mothers' and fathers' family cohesion reports were associated with more positive guidance and mothers' cohesion was negatively related to nonintervention in sibling conflicts. For mothers only, parenting stress was linked to all three dimensions of sibling-focused parenting-negatively to guidance and positively to authoritarian control and nonintervention; maternal depressive symptoms were positively linked to authoritarian control. Economic hardship was not a significant correlate of any dimension. Findings suggest that sibling-focused parenting is a key domain of parenting in need of further research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparison of Mother’s and Toddler’s Characteristics Based On The Nutritional Status of The Toddler

Nutritional status in toddlers is one of the indicators used to describe the quality of toddler health. Toddlers’ nutritional status is interpreted based on some indices, namely weight for age, length/height for age, and weight for length/height Z-score. The nutritional status of toddlers is affected by various factors, both maternal and child factors. Anaemia and chronic energy deficiency during pregnancy affect a toddler’s nutrition status. Birth weight, exclusive breastfeeding, and complementary food may result in a toddler’s nutrition status as well. This study aims to compare the mother’s and toddler’s characteristics based on the nutritional status of the toddler. This was an observational analytical cross-sectional study. All data for the analysis of this paper were obtained from observations of the toddlers, interviews with mothers, and recorded data from KIA book. Toddlers’ weight and length/height were measured when the subject came to Posyandu. Questions about exclusive breastfeeding and complementary food were asked of mothers. Information about anaemia and chronic energy deficiency status was obtained from KIA book. This study used chi-square test to finds evidence that, on 88 subjects, there is no difference in anaemia and chronic energy deficiency during pregnancy, birth weight, exclusive breastfeeding, and complementary food among all nutritional status indices.

Parental mentalising among mothers with intellectual disability or ADHD: Links with experiences of abuse, neglect and psychosocial risk.

Parental mentalising difficulties are robustly linked to caregiving problems. Mothers with intellectual disability are at risk for caregiving problems, but knowledge on their parental mentalising abilities is lacking. The present study aimed to fill this gap. Thirty mothers with mild intellectual disability, and 61 comparison mothers with ADHD, were assessed for parental mentalising using the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire. Contributions of intellectual disability, maternal exposure to childhood abuse/neglect and psychosocial risk to parental mentalising were examined through hierarchical regression analysis. Mothers with intellectual disability had a heightened risk for parental mentalising difficulties, in the form of elevated prementalising. Intellectual disability and cumulative childhood abuse/neglect uniquely predicted prementalising among the mothers, whereas cumulative psychosocial risk added to the risk for prementalising specifically among mothers with intellectual disability. Our findings support contextual models of caregiving, and suggest a need for mentalisation-based support for parents with mild intellectual disability.

The impact of mode of delivery on parent-infant-bonding and the mediating role of birth experience: a comparison of mothers and fathers within the longitudinal cohort study DREAM

BackgroundThe association between mode of delivery (MOD) and parent-infant-bonding has only been studied in mothers and findings have been inconclusive. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate how MOD relates to postpartum parent-infant-bonding in both mothers and fathers and whether these associations are mediated by birth experience.MethodsThis study is part of the prospective cohort study “Dresden Study on Parenting, Work, and Mental Health” (DREAM). Our sample comprised N = 1,780 participants who completed quantitative questionnaires during pregnancy as well as 8 weeks and 14 months postpartum. MOD was dummy coded, contrasting spontaneous vaginal delivery against vaginal delivery induced by drugs, operative vaginal delivery, planned, and unplanned cesarean section. Parent-infant bonding and birth experience were assessed using validated scales. A moderated mediation analysis based on ordinary least square (OLS) regression and bootstrapped estimates was conducted, considering relevant confounding variables.ResultsCompared to spontaneous vaginal delivery, all categories of MOD predicted more negative birth experiences in both parents. A more positive birth experience predicted stronger parent-infant-bonding at 8 weeks, but not at 14 months postpartum. Mothers who delivered via cesarean section (planned or unplanned) reported stronger parent-infant-bonding at 8 weeks and 14 months postpartum. In fathers, only unplanned cesarean section was associated with stronger parent-infant-bonding at 8 weeks postpartum. At 8 weeks postpartum, birth experience mediated the association between a vaginal delivery induced by drugs and a planned cesarean section and mother-infant-bonding and between a vaginal delivery induced by drugs, an operative vaginal delivery, and planned cesarean section and father-infant-bonding. At 14 months postpartum, birth experience mediated the association between a vaginal delivery induced by drugs, operative vaginal delivery, and planned cesarean section and parent-infant-bonding in both parents.ConclusionsThe results emphasize the importance of the birth experience for parent-infant-bonding in both mothers and fathers. Further research should address the mechanisms by which parents with an unplanned cesarean section establish stronger parent-infant-bonding compared to parents whose baby was delivered via spontaneous vaginal delivery, despite their overall more negative birth experiences.

Comparison of mothers’ perceptions of hunger cues in 3-month-old infant under different feeding methods

BackgroundMothers’ perception of infant hunger cues is a critical content of responsive feeding, which is central to the promotion of early childhood development. However, only a few studies have examined responsive feeding in China, especially lacking the studies on perceptions of infant hunger cues. Consider the cultural differences, the aim of this study was to describe the perceptions of infant hunger cues of Chinese mothers for infants aged 3 months, and explore the relationship between maternal perceptions of infant hunger cues and different feeding methods.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 326 mothers of healthy 3-month-old infants, including 188 exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) mothers and 138 formula feeding (FF) mothers. It was implemented in four provincial and municipal maternal and child health hospitals. The mothers’ perceptions of infant hunger cues were surveyed by self-reporting questionnaires. Chi-square tests and logistic analysis were applied to analyze the differences in maternal perceptions of infant hunger cues, including the number of hunger cues and the specific cues, between EBF group and FF group by controlling sociodemographic variables and the daily nursing indicators.ResultsWe found that a higher proportion of EBF mothers could perceive multiple hunger cues (≥ 2) than FF mothers (66.5% vs.55.1%). For specific cues, the EBF mothers had higher perceptions of infant’s “hand sucking” (67.6% vs. 53.6%) and “moving head frantically from side to side” (34.6% vs. 23.9%), all p < 0.05. Regression analysis revealed that EBF might support mothers to perceive infant hunger cues than FF mothers, with the number of infant hunger cues (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.01–2.85), “hand sucking” (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.04–2.87), “moving head frantically from side to side” (OR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.19–3.62). The number of infant hunger cues perceived by mothers was also associated with their educational level and family structure.ConclusionEBF mothers of 3-month-old infants may be more likely to perceive infant hunger cues than FF mothers in China. It is necessary to increase the health education about infant hunger and satiety cues to caregivers in China, especially among mothers with lower education levels, mothers living in nuclear families, and FF mothers.

Comparison of mother with father of children with cancer in terms of marital intimacy, parental self-efficacy and cognitive emotion regulation strategies

Aim: This study was conducted with the aim of comparing mothers and fathers of children with cancer in terms of marital intimacy, parental self-efficacy and emotion regulation strategies. Method: This study was of comparative causal type. Among the parents who referred to Mahak Hospital in Tehran in 2022, 146 people (73 couples) were selected as the current sample and questionnaire of intimacy-marriage (Walker and Thompson, 1983), parental self-efficacy (Dumka et al., 1996) and cognitive emotion regulation strategies (Garnefski &amp; Kraaij, 2006) were completed. Dependent t-test and SPSS-27 software were used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that the average of marital intimacy and parenting self-efficacy was slightly higher in fathers than in mothers, but this difference was not statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). However, in the cognitive emotion regulation strategies, mothers' scores in the less important subscale of a number of adaptive strategies were higher than fathers' and the mean rumination of maladaptive strategies was higher in fathers than in mothers. Therefore, in the comparison of fathers and mothers of children with cancer, no significant difference was found in terms of marital intimacy and parental self-efficacy, there was only a difference in cognitive emotion regulation strategies, compromised strategies and non-compromised strategies between fathers and mothers, which could mean that the performance of both parents depend on each other and act very similar to each other. Conclusion: Parents need psychological care because parents are with the child during the illness and their anxiety and behavior affect the sick child and the treatment process, and paying attention to the gender difference and the wishes of the couple can be a strategy to provide better services to the parents. And help the whole family

Parents’ physically performative behaviors during shared book reading: A comparison of mothers and fathers

This research explores the physically performative behaviors demonstrated by mothers and fathers during shared book reading (SBR) activities with their young children. Separate observations of fathers and mothers reading with their preschool-aged child (Mage = 46 months) were conducted with 40 families. Video-recorded observations were coded and analyzed for the physically performative behaviors demonstrated by parents during SBR, including hand/body gestures, facial expressions, voice, pointing, and proximity to the child while reading. Findings from the Actor Partner Interdependence Model reveal actor effects for the relationship between parental physical behaviors and parental affect, but no partner effects. Results also demonstrate similarities and differences in the stylistic approaches mothers and fathers used during the SBR task, with mothers demonstrating more physical behaviors, and fathers engaging in more interconnected physical contact with their children. This research contributes to the existing SBR literature by providing original observational data regarding mothers’ and fathers’ physicality during shared reading activities and how these physical behaviors contribute to the overall quality of parent-child SBR experiences.

Intergenerational Continuity of Child Sexual Abuse: Comparison of Mother and Emerging Adult Dyads

ABSTRACT Sexual abuse trauma can have long-term implications for individuals in terms of psychological functioning, relationships, and socio-environmental circumstances, all of which are elements that could explain the CSA intergenerational continuity phenomenon. There are few empirical studies drawing comparisons between families to identify factors associated with the intergenerational (dis)continuity of CSA. The objectives of this study are to compare mother and emerging adult dyads to determine differences between cycle maintainers, cycle breakers, cycle initiators, and a control group in terms of maternal maltreatment histories, mental health, attachment, and socio-environmental characteristics. A sample of 186 dyads was recruited across Canada to participate in an online study. The study represents a cross-sectional design and bivariate and multivariate analyses were used. The results support prior research that there is a higher risk of CSA in dyads where the mother experienced CSA (OR = 1.38). Compared to cycle initiators, maintainers reported greater psychological distress (M = 27.23; 35.18), and lower mother-rated parent-child attachment (M = 115.83; 111.43). Maintainers reported more post-traumatic stress symptoms only in comparison to the control group (M = 24.82; 10.13). Mothers in cycle maintaining dyads were exposed to more acts of domestic violence than those in cycle breaking dyads (OR = 2.43). No group differences were observed for intimate partner attachment. Findings should be replicated using robust methodological designs (e.g., longitudinal, mixed methods). Preventative efforts should target at-risk families to reduce the chance of intergenerational CSA.

A Descriptive Comparative Study to Assess the Knowledge Regarding Play Home Environment among Mother’s of Preschool Children at Selected Rural and Urban Areas

A descriptive comparative study was undertaken to assess the knowledge regarding play home environment among mothers of preschool children at selected rural and urban areas of Puducherry. A sample of 140 mothers (70 from urban &amp; 70 from rural) with children in the age group of 3 to 6 years was selected by non-probability purposive sampling technique. Home observational visit and interview technique was employed to assess the knowledge of the mothers of Preschoolers regarding play home environment. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive comparative statistics. The findings of the descriptive and comparative study revealed that The association of Knowledge of 140 samples were considered, overall stimulation (Total Percentile Range) given by the mothers to their children showed majority of the mother’s stands on Middle half with 60.7% &amp; minor mother’s stands on Upper fourth with 15%. Comparison of mother’s knowledge on urban &amp; rural data shows that the Knowledge on overall stimulation (Total Percentile Range) given by the mothers to their children showed majority of the mother’s stands on Middle half with 60.7% &amp; minor mother’s stands on Upper fourth with 15% and p value is 0.000. The finding of the study showed that the demographic variables such as Locality (nuclear family), Birth order of the child (birth order of 1), Age of the child (4 – 4.11 age group), Educational qualification of partner (educational status of class XII &amp; Graduate), Employment of mother (not employed), Employment of father (employed), Religion (Hindu), Type of family (nuclear family), Sex of the child (male children’s &gt; female) influence the knowledge of mother regarding play home environment whereas Educational qualification of mother (educational status of no &amp; elementary education) doesn’t influence the knowledge. The study concluded that in the assessment of findings of knowledge of mothers of preschoolers on play home environment on urban and rural mothers, urban mother’s got satisfactory knowledge on overall play &amp; its environment with most of them in middle half percentile compared to rural mothers.

Reducing Maternal Stress in Pediatric Hospitalization during the COVID-19 Pandemic by Improving Family-Centered Care with Bedside Telehealth: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: Stress and anxiety in the mother as one of the most important members of the child's health can delay recovery and prolong hospitalization of the child. However, families feel very anxious or stressed because of the limitations imposed by COVID-19; therefore, it is important for physicians and nurses who work with children and families to recognize and reduce family stress. This study aimed to investigate the effect of implementing an educational-supportive program on improving family-centered care with bedside telehealth. Method : In this clinical trial, 40 parents with hospitalized children were selected and randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. The intervention group received a supportive training program, including teaching parental roles and supportive methods for the child and mother during the illness, while nurse counseling and support role was performed virtually as part of the intervention. After the virtual and visual implementation of the training, the father established online video communication with the child and the mother as the primary caregiver. Data collection tools were a demographic questionnaire and Stress Response Inventory (SRI) completed by the mother before and after seven days of intervention. The control group received routine care. Results: After the intervention, mothers in the intervention group showed significantly lower levels of stress than before the intervention (P < 0.05). Stress level of mothers in the control group did not demonstrate significant difference before and after the intervention (P > 0.05). Also, a comparison of mothers' stress scores post-intervention showed significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Planning and maintaining family integrity during the COVID-19 pandemic along with educating and supporting fathers through the supportive role of spouses can reduce stress of mothers with hospitalized children.

Prenatal Reflective Functioning as a Predictor of Substance-Using Mothers' Treatment Outcome: Comparing Results From Two Different RF Measures.

Mothers with prenatal substance use disorder (SUD) often show broad deficits in their reflective functioning (RF), implying severe risk for the relationship with their baby. Two different types of prenatal maternal RF may be important for parenting: adult attachment-focused-RF (AAI-RF), regarding parent's own childhood experiences, and parenting-focused RF (PRF) regarding their own current process of becoming a parent. However, their inter-relations and potentially different roles for parenting intervention outcomes are not clear. This study examined the associations between mothers' prenatal AAI-RF and pre- and post-natal PRF, and their role in mother-infant interaction and substance use as treatment outcomes. The participants were 57 treatment-enrolled pregnant mothers with SUD and 50 low-risk comparison mothers. AAI-RF was measured with the Adult Attachment Interview. For a subsample of 30 mothers with SUD, PRF was measured with Pregnancy Interview (during pregnancy/pre-intervention), and with Parent Development Interview at 4 months (during intervention). Mother-infant interaction was measured with Emotional Availability Scales at 4 and 12 months (post-intervention), and maternal substance use by post-natal substance relapses. Prenatal AAI-RF and pre- and post-natal PRF were highly associated with each other. Only higher prenatal PRF predicted better mother-infant interaction quality at 4 months and less substance use during the child's first year. Interestingly, prenatal PRF and AAI-RF predicted opposite changes in mother-infant interaction: lower prenatal PRF, but higher AAI-RF predicting more positive change. AAI-RF was especially associated with a change in maternal intrusiveness and hostility, indicating that it represents a more general regulatory tendency. Further studies are needed in larger and lower-risk samples. Our results suggest, however, that AAI-RF and PRF are partially distinct and should be uniquely targeted in perinatal interventions.

Participation in survey research among mothers with a recent live birth: A comparison of mothers with living versus deceased infants - Findings from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2016-2019.

Despite high infant mortality rates in the United States relative to other developed countries, little is known about survey participation among mothers of deceased infants. To assess differences in survey response, contact and cooperation rates for mothers of deceased versus. living infants at the time of survey mailing (approximately 2-6months postpartum), overall and by select maternal and infant characteristics. We analysed 2016-2019 data for 50sites from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a site-specific, population-based surveillance system of mothers with a recent live birth. We assessed differences in survey participation between mothers of deceased and living infants. Using American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) standard definitions and terminology, we calculated proportions of mothers who participated and were successfully contacted among sampled mothers (weighted response and contact rates, respectively), and who participated among contacted mothers (weighted cooperation rate). We then constructed multivariable survey-weighted logistic regression models to examine the adjusted association between infant vital status and weighted response, contact and cooperation rates, within strata of maternal and infant characteristics. Among sampled mothers, 0.3% (weighted percentage, n=2795) of infants had records indicating they were deceased at the time of survey mailing and 99.7% (weighted percentage, n=344,379) did not. Mothers of deceased infants had lower unadjusted weighted response (48.3% vs. 56.2%), contact (67.9% vs. 74.3%) and cooperation rates (71.1% vs. 75.6%). However, after adjusting for covariates, differences in survey participation by infant vital status were reduced. After covariate adjustment, differences in PRAMS participation rates were attenuated. However, participation rates among mothers of deceased infants remain two to four percentage points lower compared with mothers of living infants. Strategies to increase PRAMS participation could inform knowledge about experiences and behaviours before, during and shortly after pregnancy to help reduce infant mortality.

Comparison of Mothers with 0-2 Years Old Babies in Terms of Risk Factors Affecting the Formation of Congenital Anomalies

Amaç: Bu araştırma 0-2 yaş doğumsal anatomik anomalisi olan bebeklerin annelerinin aynı yaş grubunda sağlam bebeği olan anneler ile konjenital anatomik anomali oluşuma etken olan risk faktörleri açısından karşılaştırılması amacıyla planlanmıştır.Yöntem: Retrospektif, ilişki arayıcı ve tanımlayıcı tipte yapılan araştırma, 0-2 yaş arasında çocuğu olan, araştırmaya katılmayı gönüllü olarak kabul eden, çalışmanın yapıldığı tarihler arasında kurumda çocuğu yatarak tedavi olan 200 anne ile anket yöntemi kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Bulgular: Araştırmaya katılan annelerin tamamının yaş ortalamasının 30,25+5,99 (Min:19/ Maks: 42) yıl, çocuklarda en sık görülen konjenital anatomik anomalilerin ise genitoüriner sisteme ait olduğu (%46,0) belirlenmiştir. Çocukları konjenital anatomik anomali sahibi olan annelerin; şehirde yaşadığı, kronik hastalığa sahip olduğu, spinal anestezi ile bebeklerini dünyaya getirdikleri görülmüştür, çocukların iseçoğunluğu erkek olup erken doğum öyküsü bulunmaktadır (p&amp;lt;0.05). Annelerin gebelik sürecinde sigara tüketimi, pasif içiciliğe maruziyeti ve akraba evliliği yapma durumu çocuklarda konjenital anatomik anomali oluşumu açısından anlamlı farklılık ifade etmemektedir (p&amp;gt;0.05). Sonuç: Konjenital anatomik anomalilerin önlenmesi ile maternal ve fetal sağlığın korunması amacıyla koruyucu sağlık hizmetlerinin yaygınlaştırılması, annelerin gebelikte teratojenik etki oluşturabilecek risk faktörleri açısından bilinçlendirilmesi amacıyla eğitim programlarının düzenlenmesi önerilmektedir.

A Comparison of Mother's Milk and the Neonatal Urine Metabolome: A Unique Fingerprinting for Different Nutritional Phenotypes.

The ability of metabolomics to provide a snapshot of an individual’s metabolic state makes it a very useful technique in neonatology for investigating the complex relationship between nutrition and the state of health of the newborn. Through an 1H-NMR metabolomics analysis, we aimed to investigate the metabolic profile of newborns by analyzing both urine and milk samples in relation to the birth weight of neonates classified as AGA (adequate for the gestational age, n = 51), IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction, n = 14), and LGA (large for gestational age, n = 15). Samples were collected at 7 ± 2 days after delivery. Of these infants, 42 were exclusively breastfed, while 38 received mixed feeding with a variable amount of commercial infant formula (less than 40%) in addition to breast milk. We observed a urinary spectral pattern for oligosaccharides very close to that of the corresponding mother’s milk in the case of exclusively breastfed infants, thus mirroring the maternal phenotype. The absence of this good match between the infant urine and human milk spectra in the case of mixed-fed infants could be reasonably ascribed to the use of a variable amount of commercial infant formulas (under 40%) added to breast milk. Furthermore, our findings did not evidence any significant differences in the spectral profiles in terms of the neonatal customize centile, i.e., AGA (adequate for gestational age), LGA (large for gestational age), or IGUR (intrauterine growth restriction). It is reasonable to assume that maternal human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) production is not or is only minimally influenced by the fetal growth conditions for unknown reasons. This hypothesis may be supported by our metabolomics-based results, confirming once again the importance of this approach in the neonatal field.

Psychosocial functioning of caregivers of pediatric brain tumor survivors.

Assessment of caregiver needs is a recommended standard of care in pediatric oncology. Caregivers of pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS) are a subgroup that may be at highest psychosocial risk. This study examined psychosocial functioning of caregivers of PBTS in comparison to caregivers of youth without cancer history. We hypothesized that caregivers of PBTS would exhibit more psychological symptoms, higher caregiver burden, and lower perceptions of social support than caregivers of comparison youth. As part of a five-site study, we utilized a matched sample design to evaluate psychosocial functioning of 301 caregivers of 189 PBTS (ages 8-15) who were 1-5years post treatment, and 286 caregivers of 187 comparison youth matched for sex, race, and age. Caregivers completed measures of psychological symptoms, caregiver burden, and perceptions of social support. Repeated measures mixed models compared outcomes between groups and examined differences based on caregiver sex. Socioeconomic status (SES) was examined as a moderator of significant main effects. Caregivers of PBTS reported similar levels of psychological symptoms to caregivers of comparison youth. Mothers of PBTS mothers reported higher caregiver burden and lower perceptions of social support than mothers of comparison youth. Low SES exacerbated group differences in caregiver burden. Mothers of PBTS may have more caregiving responsibilities and perceive less social support, but reported similar levels of psychological symptoms to comparison mothers; fathers of PBTS were similar to comparison fathers. The mechanisms involved in this complex psychosocial dynamic require further investigation.

Resilient Child Development Trajectories over 10 Years—A Comparison of Mothers’, Fathers’, and Adolescents’ Perspectives

Background: Given the need to consider different assessors’ perspectives in research on child and adolescent developmental psychopathology and the underrepresentation of fathers in that area, this 10-year longitudinal study examines adolescents with resilient and maladaptive development from the perspectives of their mothers and fathers as well as the adolescents themselves. Objective: The central aim of this study is to compare the results depending on the assessor’s perspective. Methods: The study sample consists of N = 343 children who were examined first in kindergarten (age M = 4 years) and then 10 years later in adolescence. Results: At measurement time pre, 24% of the children belonged to the group with early childhood developmental risks; 61% of these showed resilient development over 10 years from the mothers’ perspective; 68% were resilient from the fathers’ perspective, and 62% from the adolescents’ own perspective. The agreement between mother and father ratings was good (κ = 0.63), whereas agreement between adolescents and their parents was low (mother: κ = 0.30, father: κ = 0.33). Across the three raters’ perspectives, differences between the resilient and maladaptive adolescents were found in 60% of the longitudinal prognostic characteristics, demonstrating at least small effects. The results differed depending on the perspective of the rater. Conclusions: To avoid a rater bias in developmental psychopathology research, different perspectives are needed, especially those of the mother, father and, as far as possible, also those of the children or adolescents.

Eligibility, Utilization, and Effectiveness of 17-Alpha Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate in a Statewide Population-Based Cohort of Medicaid Enrollees.

The primary objective was to estimate the initiation and adherence rates of 17 α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17OHPC) among eligible mothers in a statewide population-based cohort of Medicaid enrollees. The secondary objectives were to (1) determine the association of maternal sociodemographic and clinical characteristics with 17OHPC utilization and (2) assess the real-world effectiveness of 17OHPC on recurrent preterm birth prevention and admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This is a retrospective cohort study using a linked, longitudinal administrative dataset of birth certificates and medical assistance claims. Medicaid-enrolled mothers in Pennsylvania were included in this study if they had at least one singleton live birth from 2014 to 2016 following at least one spontaneous preterm birth. Maternal Medicaid claims were used to ascertain the use of 17OHPC from various manufacturers, including compounded formulations. Propensity score matching was used to create a covariate balance between 17OHPC treatment and comparison groups. We identified 4,781 Medicaid-covered 17OHPC-eligible pregnancies from 2014 to 2016 in Pennsylvania, 3.4% of all Medicaid-covered singleton live births. The population-based initiation rate was 28.5% among eligible pregnancies. Among initiators, 50% received ≥16 doses as recommended, while 10% received a single dose only. The severity of previous spontaneous preterm birth was the strongest predictor for the initiation and adherence of 17OHPC. In the matched treatment (n = 1,210) and comparison groups (n = 1,210), we found no evidence of 17OHPC effectiveness. The risks of recurrent preterm birth (relative risk [RR] 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97-1.24) and births admitted to NICU (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.84-1.18) were similar in treated and comparison mothers. The 17OHPC-eligible population represented 3.4% of singleton live births. Less than one-third of eligible mothers initiated treatment. Among initiators, 50% were treatment adherent. We found no difference in the risk of recurrent preterm birth or admission to NICU between treatment and comparison groups. · About 3.4% of singleton live births were eligible for 17OHPC.. · About 30% of eligible mothers initiated treatment.. · We found no association of 17OHPC with recurrent preterm birth..

Effect of Play2Sleep on mother-reported and father-reported infant sleep: a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study of a randomized controlled trial.

This study evaluated the effect on infant sleep of a novel intervention (Play2Sleep) that combined infant sleep information with self-modeled video feedback on parent-infant interactions. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design consisting of a randomized controlled trial with 63 mother-father-infant triads randomized to Play2Sleep or comparison home visit interventions was used. We used repeated measures analysis of covariance to detect changes in infant night wakings, nocturnal wakefulness, and sleep durations and Wilcoxon signed rank test to evaluate changes in perception of infant sleep problems. Family interviews (n = 20) were used to explain the quantitative findings and analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Play2Sleep was effective in reducing maternal-reported infant wakefulness, F(1,55) = 5.33, P = .03, partial η2 = .09, and the number of paternal-reported naps, F(1,58) = 4.90, P = .03, partial η2 = .08. Parents in the Play2Sleep group reported significant improvements in problematic infant sleep that were not observed in the comparison group; however, Play2Sleep was not effective in reducing the number of parent-reported night wakings. Information overwhelm, learning infant cues, and working together with a subtheme of father involvement were key qualitative themes developed to explain the quantitative results. Unplanned exploratory analyses revealed a significant improvement in maternal depression symptoms in the Play2Sleep group. This study suggests Play2Sleep could improve infant sleep by promoting parental awareness of infant cues and father involvement and improving maternal depression. Additional research is needed to determine the optimal number and timing of sessions. Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; Name: Play2Sleep: Using Play to Improve Sleep; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02742155; Identifier: NCT02742155. Keys EM, Benzies KM, Kirk VG, Duffett-Leger L. Effect of Play2Sleep on mother-reported and father-reported infant sleep: a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study of a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(2):439-452.

Mothers With Mild Levels of Intellectual Disability: Emotion-Interpretation, Traumatization, and Child Attachment Representations.

Prior research indicates links between parents' experiences of interpersonal trauma and emotion-interpretation difficulties, and between such difficulties and child attachment insecurity and disorganization. Although mothers with mild levels of intellectual disability (ID) are at heightened risk for trauma and emotion-interpretation difficulties, and their children for attachment insecurity, corresponding links in this population have not been examined. We therefore investigated emotional interpretations among mothers with mild levels of ID (n = 23) and matched comparison mothers without ID (n = 25), in relation to mothers' experiences of trauma and their children's attachment representations. Mothers with mild levels of ID were not less accurate than comparison mothers with regard to general positive and negative emotion-interpretation accuracy, but they were significantly more likely to misinterpret shame and anger. Among mothers with mild levels of ID, misinterpretations of shame were positively related to maternal experiences of trauma, and to child attachment insecurity and disorganization.