Parent Absence Research Articles

Parental absence during childhood and intergenerational solidarity in adulthood in China

AbstractObjectiveWe aim to examine whether having been separated from parents during childhood influences multiple dimensions of intergenerational solidarity during adulthood.BackgroundIn developing countries, many children experience geographic separation from one or both parents due to parental out‐migration. Previous research has examined the concurrent effects of parental migration on parent–child relationships, but little is known about the long‐term implications of parental absence during childhood for intergenerational relationships in adulthood.MethodOur study used data from the China Family Panel Studies (2010 and 2016) to examine the relationship between mothers' and fathers' absence during childhood and intergenerational solidarity during adulthood. The sample includes adult respondents aged 25–54 with a living mother or father in 2016, generating 8889 respondent‐mother and 7159 respondent‐father dyads. We estimated multilevel regression models predicting emotional, associational, and functional solidarity with the mother and the father during adulthood.ResultsFor both mother and father, the parent's absence during childhood is negatively associated with children's closeness to and frequency of seeing the parent in adulthood. Parental absence during childhood has little impact on the economic and instrumental support of parents in adulthood. A longer duration of parental absence has a stronger detrimental impact on intergenerational solidarity than a shorter duration for both mother–child and father–child relationships. Moreover, one parent's absence during childhood can influence the child's relationship with the other parent during adulthood (a spillover effect).ConclusionParents' absence during childhood has long‐term implications for parent–child relationships during adulthood.

Military families with young children with disabilities: Families’ and providers’ perceptions

Active duty military families have unique life experiences that can affect individual members and also the family as a whole. While many benefits to the military lifestyle exist, previous research has described how children of active duty military families may also be more at-risk for emotional and academic difficulties as a result of parent absence, family stress or strain. For active duty military families who have children with disabilities, mobility and change can be especially stressful. However, limited research has been conducted to understand the experiences and perceptions of military families who have young children with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore (a) the experiences and needs of military families with young children with disabilities, and (b) the experiences and recommendations of early intervention professionals who work with young children with disabilities and their military families. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with six active duty military family members who have a children with disabilities, and focus groups were conducted with 12 early intervention service providers. Findings of the study include unique experiences and needs of military family members with young children with disabilities that have been highlighted in previous literature, as well as some unique findings specific to those receiving services under part of Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

IMPACT OF PARENTING STYLE ON CHILD BEHAVIOR AND GUIDANCE STRATEGIES DURING THE DENTAL TREATMENT

Behaviour guidance could be challenge in modern paediatric dentistry. A child’s behaviour towards dental treatment varies according to different parenting styles. Authoritative parenting utilizes warmth and nurturance, while at the same time maintaining firm control of the child’s behavior. The authoritarian category is a harsh parenting style in which power-assertive techniques are utilized, including physical punishment, commands and yelling, while lacking warmth and communication. Permissive parents are characterized as having little control over their children while exhibiting great warmth toward them. Behavior guidance techniques are used to alleviate anxiety, nurture a positive dental attitude, and perform quality oral health care safely and efficiently for children. The aim of this paper was to study the influence of parenting style on the child`s behaviour and some factors influenced guidance strategies during the dental treatment.
 Forty-nine children aged between 3 and 6 years with caries and its complications were examined during this study. These subjects presented to the Community paediatric dental clinic in Poltava. The Primary Caregivers’ Practices Report (PCPR) used in this study to assess the level of parenting style (authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative). The parent was asked to rank each behaviour on a Likert scale of 1-5 (1=Never and 5=Always) as to how often they and their spouse/significant other (if applicable) exhibited each behaviour. The scoring key of the PCPR used to classify parents into one of the three specific parenting styles. Also a child`s behaviour was investigated based on Frankle`s scale.
 Behaviour guidance strategies during the dental treatment based on recommendations of AAPD. Impact of parenting style on a child`s positive behaviour is evaluated with the Chi-square test months. The level of significance was p<0.05.
 The dominant authoritarian style was not observed in parents; rate of forty-three parents (87,75%) categorized as predominantly authoritative was higher than rate of six permissive parents (22,25%) (p<0,0001). A half of children of permissive parents showed positive behaviour during dental treatment. Majority of children of authoritative parents demonstrated positive behaviour (67,44%), followed by permissive (32,56%). There was statistically significant difference (р<0,05) between parenting styles in positive behaviour.
 Strategies used for all children were «tell-show-do», distraction, enhancing control, positive reinforcement (gifts and toys). Voice control used in a case of local anaesthesia. Techniques used for children with negative behaviour were desensitization, parental absence, protective stabilization, and sedation. Enhancing control used to allow the patient with positive behaviour (3 score) to assume an active role in the dental experience; the dentist provides the patient a signal to use if he becomes uncomfortable.
 Parenting style and kind of dental aid (emergency or planned) have impact on choice of guidance strategy for children with negative behaviour. Authors started management of children of permissive parents with negative behaviour from parent absence, this strategy was successful in one case; desensitisation used if strategy was unsuccessful. 7 children with negative behaviour during the first visit got planned dental aid after psychological desensitisation next visit. Children exposed gradually through a series of sessions to components of the dental appointment: parents examined them at home and children made dental treatment with «Play-Doh Doctor drill and fill». This technique was effective in 6 children of authoritative parents and 1 patient of permissive parents.
 One child of permissive children and three children of authoritative children got emergency dental aid under sedation. Two children of authoritative parents who need emergency dental aid, have contraindications to general anaesthesia, therefore, protective stabilisation of the patients performed.
 Planned dental aid under sedation (3 children of authoritative parents), which is one of the methods of positive motivation for treatment, performed if other guidance strategies were unsuccessful.
 Thus, children of authoritative parents more often showed positive behaviour, whereas permissive parenting style had no impact on child`s behaviour during dental treatment. Choice of guidance strategy depends on the kind of dental aid (planned and emergency), parenting style and child`s behaviour during dental treatment.

Parents as chaperones the long distance study results for elementary school students

Background: Student parents are supposed to provide maximum chaperones in primary school study. However, some parents are not at home at all and work late into the night, including the parents of Pasir Jawa 01. Purpose: The results of student study can be seen from parents' association. Therefore, the intent is to know the parent's relation to the students' learning during long distance study. Design and methods: The method used was the quantitative method, the collection of data done with Numbers and written documentation. The analysis subject is student parents and student learning during the long range learning process. Results: This study suggests that there is no or no influence between parent-teaching and student learning during long range study. This is because some of the student parents work late into the night so that the child feels inadequate to his or her parents' attention, when parents are not at home only a few students are accompanied by other family members, a parent's education, parental understanding in operating the technology and the student's parent's cell phone monitoring policies that cause a parent's absence from the results of a student's learning over long distances.

What makes a good Dad/Head of Household other than earning bread?—A Non-pecuniary Study based on ATUS and PSID

This paper examines the relationship between the dads/head of households’ behavior and child performance to measure the effects of fraternal parent absence and dissatisfaction on the child performance using the ATUS data from the BLS and the PSID database from the University of Michigan.

Parental presence switches avoidance to attraction learning in children.

Attachment-related learning (that is, forming preferences for cues associated with the parent) defies the traditional rules of learning in that it seems to occur independently of apparent reinforcement1-young children prefer cues associated with their parent, regardless of valence (rewarding or aversive), despite the diversity of parenting styles2. This obligatory attraction for parental cues keeps the child nearby and safe to explore the environment; thus, it is critical for survival and sets the foundation for normal human cognitive-emotional behaviour. Here we examined the learning underlying this attraction in preschool-age children. Young children underwent an aversive conditioning procedure either in the parent's presence or alone. We showed that despite disliking the aversive unconditioned stimulus, children exhibited a behavioural approach for conditioned stimuli that were acquired in the parent's presence and an avoidance for stimuli acquired in the parent's absence, an effect that was strongest among those with the lowest cortisol levels. The results suggest that learning systems during early childhood are constructed to permit modification by parental presence.

The death of patients with terminal cancer: the distress experienced by their children and medical professionals who provide the children with support care

BackgroundFew studies have been conducted on the experiences of children of terminally ill patients or hospital-based medical professionals supporting such children.AimThis study explored distress among individuals whose parents died of...

Military service absences and family members' mental health: A timeline followback assessment.

Although military service, and particularly absence due to deployment, has been linked to risk for depression and anxiety among some spouses and children of active duty service members, there is limited research to explain the heterogeneity in family members' reactions to military service stressors. The current investigation introduces the Timeline Followback Military Family Interview (TFMFI) as a clinically useful strategy to collect detailed time-linked information about the service member's absences. Two dimensions of parent absence--the extent to which absences coincide with important family events and cumulative time absent--were tested as potential risks to family members' mental health. Data from 70 mother-adolescent pairs revealed that the number of important family events missed by the service member was linked to elevated youth symptoms of depression, even when accounting for the number of deployments and cumulative duration of the service member's absence. However, youth who reported more frequent contact with the service member during absences were buffered from the effects of extensive absence. Mothers' symptoms were associated with the cumulative duration of the service members' time away, but not with family events missed by the service member. These results identify circumstances that increase the risk for mental health symptoms associated with military family life. The TFMFI provides an interview-based strategy for clinicians wishing to understand military family members' lived experience during periods of service-member absence.

Psychological development and educational problems of left-behind children in rural China

With China’s rapidly developing economy and increasing urbanization, many adults from rural areas migrate to urban areas for better paid jobs. A side effect of this migration is that parents frequently leave their children behind (left-behind children). This research investigated left-behind children’s and non-left-behind children’s psychological, behavioral, and educational functioning. Survey participants included 1,708 adolescents (54.8% female; mean age = 15.03 ± 1.93 years) from rural areas in Central China. Additionally, 32 left-behind children and 32 head teachers were interviewed. Data indicated that in comparison to non-left-behind children, left-behind children were at a disadvantage in regard to emotional adjustment (i.e. lower life satisfaction, lower self-esteem, and higher depression), but fared better in educational adjustment (greater school engagement). Mitigating factors which positively influenced outcomes of certain subgroups of left-behind children included the presence of one parent, increased parental contact, and shorter length of time since parental migration. Information gathered from interviews with LBC also indicated adverse effects of parent absence on children’s development. Teachers identified education measures and support offered to left-behind children and reported difficulties in communicating with parents. Based on this study’s findings, and considering the perspective of educators, implications for school-based interventions are explored.

Parental incarceration, transnational migration, and military deployment: family process mechanisms of youth adjustment to temporary parent absence.

The temporary absence of a parent (e.g., due to incarceration, migration, or military deployment) is experienced by many youth and can have profound effects. Available research within these disparate literatures primarily has catalogued contextual and individual variables that influence youth adaptation, which are integrated and summarized here. In addition, we present a systematic review of proximal family process mechanisms by which youth and their family members adapt to periods of temporary parent absence. This systematic review across the different types of parent absence produced four themes: communication among family members, parenting characteristics during absence, negotiation of decision-making power and authority, and shifts in family roles. By juxtaposing the three types of temporary parent absence, we aim to bridge the separate research silos of parent absence due to incarceration, deployment, and migration, and to bring wide-ranging characteristics and processes of temporary parent-absent families into sharper focus. The review highlights possibilities for fuller integration of these literatures, and emphasizes the clinical value of considering these types of experiences from a family and relational perspective, rather than an individual coping perspective.

Benamių vyrų patirtys: Atvejai iš nakvynės namų

Homelessness is a voluntary or involuntary way of life, that does not meet the behavior standards and values in the society and for which the society „punishes“ by stigmatizing and discriminating people. People, who experience homelessness, have unbalanced relationships with their micro, mezzo and macro environment. These people are not only called „border people“, but they are also pushed out of the society thus creating social isolation groups. Through social isolation process, various stereotypes and accusations are created, which complicate integration of the homeless people into the society and force them to behave in the way the attitudes are formed about them. The aim of the research of homeless men social relations is to better understand the phenomenon of the research by revealing the social relations importance in person‘s life and also to see the possibilities how a social worker can help when working with homeless people. In order to reveal the experiences of homeless men‘s social relations, the strategy of qualitative research was chosen. Research participants were 11 men that live in Kaunas and Klaipėda night shelters and get temporary accommodation services. Theme analysis as data analysis method was chosen. Theme analysis allows data identifying, analyzing and structuring. The research data revealed that most of the men experienced breakdowns of social relations and contacts in their childhood. Lack of love, intimacy, attention, secure attachments, and death of one parent or parental absence led to disturbed relationships in their adult life. The research revealed that the night shelter residents find it difficult to discover the meaning of life and to start long-term relationships built on trust and mutual respect with the similar fate people. However, despite this, it was noticed that men have no discomfort in communicating with social workers or organizations that provide social services and help.[...]

Children of incarcerated parents: Insights to addressing a growing public health concern in Australia

In Australia, the children of incarcerated parents are a growing and vulnerable population at risk for life adversity and social inequity. There is little understanding of these children's experiences, perceived risks, reported outcomes and needs. There is also a lack of knowledge regarding evidence-based interventions that can address the multiple risk factors to which these children may be exposed. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the multiple perspectives of children with incarcerated parents, their carers, parents and service providers so that social and health programs may be tailored to best serve their needs. We undertook an integrative literature review of qualitative research studies using a narrative synthesis methodology to explore the effect of parental incarceration upon the social and health outcomes of children and perceptions of interventions designed to support them. Findings revealed that children of incarcerated parents grieved their parent's absence which they reported had a profound effect on their behavior and resulted in exposure to discrimination, violence and abuse. However, resiliency was manifested by a number of coping strategies that could be harnessed to better support the children and young adults of incarcerated parents. Rigorous and innovative intervention studies are required to better inform comprehensive evidence-based policy and practice.

Further Observations on In Vitro Hybridization of Hemosporidian Parasites: Patterns of Ookinete Development inHaemoproteusSpp.

Increasingly frequent outbreaks of zoonotic infections call for studies of wildlife parasites to reach a better understanding of the mechanisms of host switch, leading to the evolution of new diseases. However, speciation processes have been insufficiently addressed in experimental parasitology studies, primarily due to difficulties in determining and measuring mate-recognition signals in parasites. We investigated patterns of sexual process and ookinete development in avian Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) spp. (Haemosporida, Haemoproteidae) using in vitro experiments on between-lineage hybridization. Eleven mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) lineages belonging to 9 species of hemoproteid were isolated from naturally infected passerine birds. The parasites were identified to species on the basis of morphology of their gametocytes and polymerase chain reaction amplification of segments of the cyt b gene. Sexual process and ookinete development were initiated in vitro by mixing blood containing mature gametocytes with a 3.7% solution of sodium citrate and exposing the mixture to air. Ookinetes of all lineages except Haemoproteus payevskyi (lineage hRW1) and Haemoproteus nucleocondensus (hGRW1) developed; the 2 latter species did not exflagellate. Between-lineage hybridization was initiated by mixing blood containing mature gametocytes of 2 different parasites; the following experiments were performed: (1) Haemoproteus pallidus (lineage hPFC1) × Haemoproteus minutus (lineage hTURDUS2); (2) H. pallidus (hPFC1) × Haemoproteus tartakovskyi (hSISKIN1); (3) Haemoproteus belopolskyi (hHIICT3) × Haemoproteus lanii (hRB1); (4) Haemoproteus balmorali (hSFC1) × H. pallidus (hPFC1); (5) H. belopolskyi (hHIICT1) × Haemoproteus parabelopolskyi (hSYBOR1); (6) H. tartakovskyi (hHAWF1) × H. tartakovskyi (hSISKIN1); (7) H. pallidus (hPFC1) × H. lanii (hRB1); (8) H. tartakovskyi (hHAWF1) × H. parabelopolskyi (hSYBOR1). We report 4 patterns of between-lineage interactions that seem to be common and might prevent mixing lineages during simultaneous sexual process in wildlife: (1) the blockage of ookinete development of both parasites; (2) the development of ookinetes of 1 parasite and blockage of ookinete development of the other; (3) selective within-lineage mating resulting in ookinete development of both parent species and absence of hybrid organisms; (4) absence of selective within-lineage mating resulting in presence of ookinetes of both parents and also development of hybrid organisms with unclear potential for further sporogony. The present study indicates directions for collection of source material in the investigation of mechanisms of reproductive isolation leading to speciation in these parasites. The next steps in these studies should be the development of nuclear markers for distinguishing hemosporidian hybrid organisms and the experimental observation of further development of hybrid ookinetes in vectors.

Post‐hatching parental care masks the effects of egg size on offspring fitness: a removal experiment on burying beetles

Parents can increase the fitness of their offspring by allocating nutrients to eggs and/or providing care for eggs and offspring. Although we have a good understanding of the adaptive significance of both egg size and parental care, remarkably little is known about the co-evolution of these two mechanisms for increasing offspring fitness. Here, we report a parental removal experiment on the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides in which we test whether post-hatching parental care masks the effect of egg size on offspring fitness. As predicted, we found that the parent's presence or absence had a strong main effect on larval body mass, whereas there was no detectable effect of egg size. Furthermore, egg size had a strong and positive effect on offspring body mass in the parent's absence, whereas it had no effect on offspring body mass in the parent's presence. These results support the suggestion that the stronger effect of post-hatching parental care on offspring growth masks the weaker effect of egg size. We found no correlation between the number and size of eggs. However, there was a negative correlation between larval body mass and brood size in the parent's presence, but not in its absence. These findings suggest that the trade-off between number and size of offspring is shifted from the egg stage towards the end of the parental care period and that post-hatching parental care somehow moderates this trade-off.

The Effect of the Loss of a Parent on the Future Earnings of a Minor Child

We quantify the effect of a parent's absence on a child's future earnings. A parent's absence because of separation or divorce reduces a child's lifetime earnings between 3 and 12 percent. Lifetime educational attainment is adversely affected by between 2 and 4 percent if a parent of the same gender as the child dies (a smaller impact than if absence is because of separation or divorce). No such adverse effect is found if a girl's father or a boy's mother dies. We conclude that it is sensible that lifetime earnings loss to children not be estimated in a parent's wrongful death case.

War Injuries Often Disrupt Parent-Child Relationships

War Injuries Often Disrupt Parent-Child Relationships

Nonsevere Acute Otitis Media: A Clinical Trial Comparing Outcomes of Watchful Waiting Versus Immediate Antibiotic Treatment

The widespread use of antibiotics for treatment of acute otitis media (AOM) has resulted in the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens that are difficult to treat. However, it has been shown that most children with nonsevere AOM recover without ABX. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety, efficacy, acceptability, and costs of a non-ABX intervention for children with nonsevere AOM. Children 6 months to 12 years old with AOM were screened by using a novel AOM-severity screening index. Parents of children with nonsevere AOM received an educational intervention, and their children were randomized to receive either immediate antibiotics (ABX; amoxicillin plus symptom medication) or watchful waiting (WW; symptom medication only). The investigators, but not the parents, were blinded to enrollment status. Primary outcomes included parent satisfaction with AOM care, resolution of symptoms, AOM failure/recurrence, and nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains resistant to ABX. Secondary outcomes included medication-related adverse events, serious adverse events, unanticipated AOM-related office and emergency department visits and telephone calls, the child's absence from day care or school resulting from AOM, the parent's absence from school or work because of their child's AOM, and costs of treatment. Subjects were defined as failing (days 0-12) or recurring (days 13-30) if they experienced a higher AOM-severity score on reexamination. A total of 223 subjects were recruited: 73% were nonwhite, 57% were <2 years old, 47% attended day care, 82% had experienced prior AOM, and 83% had not been fully immunized with heptavalent pneumococcal vaccine. One hundred twelve were randomized to ABX, and 111 were randomized to WW. Ninety-four percent of the subjects were followed to the 30-day end point. Parent satisfaction with AOM care was not different between the 2 treatment groups at either day 12 or 30. Compared with WW, symptom scores on days 1 to 10 resolved faster in subjects treated with immediate ABX. At day 12, among the immediate-ABX group, 69% of tympanic membranes and 25% of tympanograms were normal, compared with 51% of normal tympanic membranes and 10% of normal tympanograms in the WW group. Parents of children in the ABX group gave their children fewer doses of pain medication than did parents of children in the WW group. Subjects in the ABX group experienced 16% fewer failures than subjects in the WW group. Of the children in the WW group, 66% completed the study without needing ABX. Immediate ABX resulted in eradication of S pneumoniae carriage in the majority of children, but S pneumoniae strains cultured from children in the ABX group at day 12 were more likely to be multidrug-resistant than strains from children in the WW group. More ABX-related adverse events were noted in the ABX group, compared with the WW group. No serious AOM-related adverse events were observed in either group. Office and emergency department visits, phone calls, and days of work/school missed were not different between groups. Prescriptions for ABX were reduced by 73% in the WW group compared with the ABX group. Costs of ABX averaged $47.41 per subject in the ABX group and $11.43 in the WW group. Sixty-six percent of subjects in the WW group completed the study without ABX. Parent satisfaction was the same between groups regardless of treatment. Compared with WW, immediate ABX treatment was associated with decreased numbers of treatment failures and improved symptom control but increased ABX-related adverse events and a higher percent carriage of multidrug-resistant S pneumoniae strains in the nasopharynx at the day-12 visit. Key factors in implementing a WW strategy were (a) a method to classify AOM severity; (b) parent education; (c) management of AOM symptoms; (d) access to follow-up care; and (e) use of an effective ABX regimen, when needed. When these caveats are observed, WW may be an acceptable alternative to immediate ABX for some children with nonsevere AOM.

Molecular Changes of the Fusion Protein Gene of Chicken Embryo Fibroblast–Adapted Velogenic Newcastle Disease Virus: Effect on Its Pathogenicity

Molecular changes of cell culture-adapted Newcastle disease virus (NDV) were studied by adapting a velogenic NDV isolated from commercial layer chicken-to-chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells. The isolate was passaged 50 times in CEF cells. At every 10th passage the virus was characterized conventionally by mean death time analysis, intracerebral pathogenicity index, and virus titration. As the passage level increased, a gradual reduction in the virulence of the virus was observed. Molecular characterization of the virus included cloning and sequencing of a portion of the fusion gene (1349 bp) encompassing the fusion protein cleavage site (FPCS), which was previously amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Sequence analysis revealed a total of 134 nucleotide substitutions, which resulted in the change of 41 amino acids between the parent and the 50th passage virus. Pathogenicity studies conducted in 20-wk-old seronegative chickens revealed gross and histopathologic changes in the chickens injected with the parent virus and absence of the lesions in chickens injected with the adapted virus. The 50th passage cell culture virus was back-passaged five times in susceptible chickens and was subjected to virulence attribute analysis and sequence analysis of the FPCS region, with minor differences between them.

Does Growing up with a Parent Absent Really Hurt?

It is widely recognized that children who grow up without a biological parent do worse, on average, than other children. However, because having a single parent is highly correlated with many other socioeconomic disadvantages, the negative outcomes might be caused by something beyond the parent's absence. Econometric tests using a variety of background controls and parental death as an exogenous cause of absence, show little evidence that a parent's presence during childhood affects economic well being in adulthood. The two exceptions are that living without a mother impacts girls' cognitive performance while having a father die lowers sons' chances of marriage.

The effect of parents' presence on children's social interactions in preschool

Preschool children's social behavior was observed in the presence and absence of their parents in parent-cooperative preschools. When their parents were working in the preschool, children engaged in less high-level peer play and more low-level peer play than in their parent's absence. They also initiated play with peers less often in their parent's presence than in their parent's absence. In addition, children expressed more negative emotion and spent much less time in proximity to adults when their parents were at school than when they were not. These findings are discussed in relation to attachment theory and their implications for practitioners.