Parent-child Communication Skills Research Articles

Evolución percibida por los padres de preescolares que tartamudean que recibieron tratamiento preventivo

AimThe aim of this article is (a) to describe the progress perceived by parents of children between the ages of 2.11 and 5.11 who stuttered, after receiving preventive treatment for stuttering with parental support; (b) to assess the communicative resources learned by the children and their parents regarding stuttering and (c) to find out their level of satisfaction with treatment. The study was carried out at ILD, a specialized centre for fluency disorders. MethodsA questionnaire was administered to 18 parents, whose children had been discharged after therapy. Of the sample, 77.8% (n=14) were boys and 22.2% (n=4) girls. The selected children participating in the study were aged between 4 and 8 years (M=5.90, SD=1.25). ResultsFrom the responses it was noted that: (I) 88.9% of the children maintained fluent speech; (II) and 72.2% did not present or have blocks, 82.3% did not experience throat tension; (III) the children continued to present disfluencies when they were tired (n=6) or stressed (n=5); (IV) the children improved in speaking, behavior and had adopted good strategies in dealing with disfluencies or blocks; (V) both children and parents frequently used the resources learned during treatment; (VI) individual parent and follow-up sessions were conducted and most of them received guidelines to follow in case of relapses; and (VII) 94.4% of parents were satisfied with treatment outcomes. ConclusionResults indicate that the treatment conducted with the preschool children, with support from their parents, contributed to improvements in speech fluency, behavior, positive conversational attitudes, and parent–child communication skills.

ICOPE, a multi-level, cluster randomized, 36-month, parallel-group study to assess the efficacy of HIV disclosure intervention in HIV parental disclosure among parents living with HIV in China.

Objectives:Parents living with HIV who disclose their HIV status to their children could benefit from the parental HIV disclosure. However, it is also very challenging because of persistent stigma and discrimination against HIV. This report describes the study design and protocol of the “Interactive Communication with Openness, Passion, and Empowerment (iCOPE)” randomized controlled trial aimed at assisting parents living with HIV in conducting culturally and developmentally appropriate disclosure to their uninfected children in China through trainings among both parents living with HIV and healthcare providers.Methods:A total of 791 parents living with HIV with children aged between 6 and 15 years and 357 healthcare providers were randomized into either the intervention group or control group. Intervention package for parents consisted of five 2-h sessions focusing on positive coping, disclosure decision making, developing a developmentally appropriate disclosure plan, and accessing social support and post-disclosure counseling. The intervention for healthcare providers was made up of two 45-min sessions organized around two primary themes: knowledge of child cognitive development and effective parent–child communication skills in the context of parental disclosure. The control group received nutritional education of either five 2-h sessions (parents) or two 45-min sessions (healthcare providers). The outcome assessments were conducted at baseline, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months.Conclusion:The iCOPE study is among the first efforts to develop and evaluate a theory-based and multi-level intervention to promote culturally and developmentally appropriate parental HIV disclosure in China. It has implications for healthcare providers, social workers, and policy makers as it will provide efficacy data on how to enhance appropriate parental HIV disclosure and will shed light on developing a clinical guideline regarding parental HIV disclosure in China and other low- and middle-income countries.

Urgensi Program Pelatihan Parenting dalam Meningkatkan Kemampuan Komunikasi Orangtua dengan Anak


 Abstract: This article presents a study of the urgency of parenting training programs in improving communication skills of parents with children based on the results of research and literature review. At present in Indonesia parenting training programs are not yet fully integrated into children's education programs in schools. The study of parenting training programs has also not been widely carried out in the context of developing countries. However, empirical evidence from various results of research and literature studies has proven that parenting training programs provide significant benefits in improving the quality of childcare including improving parent-child communication skills. Considering the importance and benefits, this program needs to be continually initiated and facilitated as a manifestation of microsystem synergy between home and school to ensure the optimization of child development.

NP21 - Foodmania: Effects of a Curriculum Using Media Literacy as the Catalyst to Improve Parent-Child Discussion and Food Behaviors

Objective: To increase youth fruit and vegetable consumption by enhancing parent-child discussion of food marketing and food labels. Description: The curriculum employs principles from the social-ecological model, social cognitive theory, and the message interpretation process model from communication. The working hypothesis was that youth consumption of fruits and vegetables is increased through improved family communication about food marketing and improved home food environments. The curriculum targeted parents and 9-to-14-year-old youth, tested in Washington State. Six units comprised 1 hour with youth and parents separately, followed by a joint session, based on the Strengthening Families model. Activity-oriented lessons emphasized parent-child communication skills surrounding media management in the home and critical discussion of media messages about food. Evaluation: Two cycles of pre/post data collection employed a matched group design, along with focus groups. Analyses have included Bayesian and structural modeling, as well as qualitative and social media analyses. Controlling for pretest, results indicate that increases in child-initiated discussion and parent-facilitated critical discussion of media increased parental efficacy toward nutritional changes in the home. Parents' efficacy positively predicted discussion about, and use of, nutrition facts labels, which in turn improved the ratio of healthy-to-less-healthy food in the home. Additionally, for the intervention group, parents' use of negative mediation positively predicted youths' critical thinking toward advertising content. Critical thinking positively predicted youth reports of child-initiated discussion, which in turn predicted discussion of nutrition facts labels and youth consumption of fruits. Conclusions and Implications: Media literacy-based nutrition education can help families communicate effectively about persuasive food marketing and credible sources of nutrition information. Children also benefit by initiating discussions about food and marketing. Low participation among Latino/a families despite their prevalence in the targeted communities indicates a need for culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate programming. Funding: 2012-68001-19618. The following is the supplementary data to this article: Download .pdf (2.18 MB) Help with pdf files Poster

Where is the Faith? Using a CBPR Approach to Propose Adaptations to an Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Intervention for Adolescents in African American Faith Settings

African American adolescents are at increased risk for HIV/AIDS. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we engaged three black churches in adapting an evidence-based HIV prevention intervention, Focus on Youth (FOY)+ImPACT, for faith settings. To identify potential adaptations to increase FOY's relevance, utility, and efficacy for faith settings, we conducted eight focus groups pre- and post-intervention. Recommendations for maintaining FOY's core elements and enhancing its cultural authenticity include the following: incorporating faith tools, building pastor capacity, strengthening parent-child communication skills, and expanding social support for parents and youth. Engaging faith communities in adapting and implementing evidence-based HIV prevention programs could reduce HIV/AIDS disparities.

Do Thai parents discuss sex and AIDS with young adolescents? A qualitative study

This qualitative study explored parents' and young adolescents' perceptions of communication related to sex and HIV/AIDS. Focus group discussions and group discussion were conducted among 67 adolescents and 30 parents. For the adolescents, group discussion using participatory activities was conducted, followed by five focus group discussions. Group discussions using participatory activities were conducted among parents. Thematic analysis indicated that the adolescents received inadequate information about sex and AIDS from their parents, whom they feared as providing negative judgment, and this represented a key barrier to such discussions. Their parents, on the other hand, reported that they believed their children were still too young to learn about and engage in sexual activities. The parents perceived barriers to communication included a lack of confidence and feelings of embarrassment. Nevertheless, they also recognized their important role in their child's sexual education. Collectively, these results draw attention to the need for a culturally appropriate program to strengthen parent-child communication skills for the topics of sex and HIV/AIDS.

The role of parental alcohol-specific communication in early adolescents’ alcohol use

Many alcohol prevention programs advocate conversations about alcohol between parents and children because verbal communication is the most direct way for parents to express their thoughts, rules, and concerns about alcohol to their children, so called alcohol-specific communication. Nevertheless, research on the effects of alcohol-specific communication has produced inconsistent findings. This study examined the bidirectional links between frequency of alcohol-specific communication and early adolescents’ alcohol use, and the moderating effects on these links of gender and experience with alcohol. The longitudinal sample consisted of 428 Dutch early adolescents who were followed over 3 years. Results of structural equation models indicated that more frequent alcohol-specific communication at time two predicted more adolescent alcohol use at time three. Follow-up multiple-group analyses clearly show that prospective links between alcohol-specific communication and adolescent alcohol use were limited to adolescent males reporting the highest levels of drinking. For this group of drinking males, alcohol use predicted less parent–child communication, and more frequency of alcohol-specific communication predicted an increase in drinking. Alcohol-specific communication and adolescent alcohol use were not prospectively linked for males reporting lower levels of alcohol use or for adolescent females. These findings highlight the need for future research that examines both quantitative and qualitative aspects of how parents communicate with their adolescent children about alcohol. Advocation of specific parent–child communication skills meant to reduce youth alcohol use may be somewhat premature until additional studies refine our understanding of how specific parenting strategies are linked to different patterns of adolescent alcohol use.

Communication about smoking between depressed adolescents and their parents

Better understanding of effective parent-adolescent communication regarding tobacco use could inform smoking cessation intervention. Semistructured interviews related to communication about smoking were conducted with 15 depressed adolescent smokers and their parents, primarily from urban areas. This study, conducted in 2006-2008, was funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Interview transcripts (N = 30) were coded in QSR N6. Quality of communication, rather than content, seemed to determine whether parental communication was effective. Parents reactivity to, or avoidance of, adolescent smoking presented a barrier to effective communication. In this sample, parents and adolescents were more concerned about problems, such as depression, than smoking. Involving parents in adolescent smoking cessation programs may be promising. Parental involvement may include teaching parent-child communication skills, building stronger relational bonds, or helping parents quit simultaneously. Further research is needed to explore whether coupling smoking cessation with depression treatment increases parent and adolescent treatment engagement and effectiveness.

Evaluation of a Tobacco and Alcohol Use Prevention Program for Hispanic Migrant Adolescents: Promoting the Protective Factor of Parent-Child Communication

Background. Interventions designed to prevent tobacco and alcohol use targeting high-risk adolescents are limited. In addition, few studies have attempted to improve parent–child communication skills as a way of improving and maintaining healthy youth decision-making.Methods. A total of 660 Hispanic migrant families participated in a randomized pre–post control group study that was utilized to determine the impact of the intervention on parent–child communication. Both treatment and attention-control groups of youth were exposed to an eight-session culturally sensitive program presented by bilingual/bicultural college students. Parents jointly attended three of the eight sessions and participated in helping their child complete homework assignments supporting the content of each session. The content of the treatment intervention included (1) information about tobacco and alcohol effects, (2) social skills training (i.e., refusal skills), and (3) the specific development of parent–child communication skills to support healthy youth decisions.Results. Significant intervention by household size interactions for both parent and youth perceptions of communication were found indicating that the treatment was effective in increasing communication in families with fewer children. Based on the effect size and the previously established relationship between communication and susceptibility to tobacco and alcohol use, it was determined that the intervention effect could be translated into a future 5 to 10% decrease in susceptibility for these smaller families.Conclusions. A culturally sensitive family-based intervention for migrant Hispanic youth was found to be effective in increasing perceived parent–child communication in families with fewer children. It is expected that increases in this important protective factor will lead to later observed decreases in tobacco and alcohol use.