Parent-child Communication Research Articles

Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Parent-child Communication and Smartphone Overdependence among Adolescents

Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Parent-child Communication and Smartphone Overdependence among Adolescents

Parental Coping Strategies as Predictors and Outcomes of Bullying: Longitudinal Relationships Between Child Victimization, Parent-Child Communication, and Parent-Teacher Consultation.

Parental actions, such as parent-child communication and parent-teacher consultation about a child's social adjustment, have been addressed as predictors, but not as outcomes of victimization. This study, based on the Bronfenbrenner's social-ecological model, considered them as outcomes as well as predictors of child victimization and examined their longitudinal bi-directional relationship with child victimization. Data were drawn from the Seoul Education Longitudinal Study, where a total of 4005 Korean youth (female = 43.6%, age mean = 12.43, SD = 1.48 in the first wave), and their parents (female = 87%) were surveyed for six waves (when the youth were 7th to 12th grade). Autoregressive cross-lagged analyses revealed that child victimization positively predicted parent-teacher consultation and negatively predicted parent-child communication, and of these strategies, only parent-child communication was a statistically significant negative predictor of subsequent victimization. The results of this study suggest that parents tend to talk with teachers instead of their own children when bullying occurs, but it is ineffective in preventing further victimization. Communicating with one's children, which is a less common reaction, appears to be a better preventative measure.

Should Parents Only Use One Language with Their Autistic Children? The Relations Between Multilingualism, Children's Social Skills, and Parent-Child Communication.

Parents of autistic children are often advised to use only one language to simplify their child's language acquisition. Often this recommendation orients towards the geographically predominant language, which may cause difficulties especially for minority-language families. On the other hand, scientific evidence suggests that multilingualism does not hinder language acquisition and that communicating in exclusively foreign languages may even impede social interaction. Therefore, we investigated how parent language use is linked to the social skills of 68 autistic children and to their parents' ability to feel comfortable, authentic, and free to express themselves. Data was collected online, using parent-report questionnaires from parents of 25 different nationalities in the European context, assessing children's language, autistic traits (AQ-C), social skills (SRS-2), and parent-child communication. Language use was not found to significantly relate to social skills in children. However, parents using their mother tongue, either only their mother tongue or in combination with other languages, reported feeling significantly more comfortable and more authentic than parents using exclusively foreign languages, either one or many. There were no significant differences between monolingual and multilingual families regarding parents' feelings in regard to their language use. Our findings may encourage specialists to consider multilingualism more often and consult with parents whether monolingualism is worth risking the negative outcomes we have found. Especially, since advising parents to raise their child multilingually may facilitate access to therapeutic treatment, childcare, and social interaction in multilingual societies and families and subsequently improve support and orientation for stakeholders.

Effects of digital and non-digital parental distraction on parent-child interaction and communication

Technoference, namely parental screen use in the presence of a child, is a widespread phenomenon that has negative effects on parent-child interaction and communication. When parents use screens around their children there are fewer interactions and parents are less contingent and responsive to the child. Additionally, children show more negative behaviors, such as whining, frustration, and outbursts. Communication is also affected—parents speak and gesture less towards their children and, in turn, children are less likely to develop their language abilities. It remains unclear, however, if parental distraction due to screen use affects parent-child interaction and communication more negatively compared to non-digital parental distraction. Fifty-two parent-child dyads (mean child age = 22 months, range 12–36 months) first played for 5 min (Time 1); then (Time 2), the parent was asked to fill out a questionnaire on a tablet (screen condition), on a printed form (paper-pen condition) or was not interrupted (control condition). Interactive quality was assessed at Time 1 and Time 2 using the Coding Interactive Behavior scale. Communication was assessed by coding the number of word tokens and types during Time 1 and Time 2; child gestures were also coded. Results revealed that when parents were distracted—either by the paper-pen or the screen questionnaire—the quality of the interaction significantly deteriorated (ps ≤ .01) and the quantity of parental communication significantly declined (ps ≤ .012). Importantly, the nature of the distraction did not matter: there were no significant differences between the paper-pen and the screen distraction conditions across Time 2 (ps ≥ .59). Findings suggest that parental distraction matters for the quality of interaction and the amount of communicative bids, independently on whether parents were distracted by a digital or non-digital activity. These findings likely relate to complex factors related to young children's experiences and habits with parental screen use.

Novel CHATogether family-centered mental health care in the post-pandemic era: a pilot case and evaluation

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic impacted children, adolescents, and their families, with significant psychosocial consequences. The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and self-injurious behaviors increased in our youth, as well as the number of suicide attempts and hospitalizations related to suicidal ideation. Additionally, parents’ mental health saw increasing rates of depression, irritability, and alcohol use combined with worsening family function, child-parent connectedness, positive family expressiveness, and increases in family conflict. In light of these statistics, we created CHATogether (Compassionate Home, Action Together), a pilot family-centered intervention using multi-faceted psychotherapeutic approaches to improve familial communication and relational health between adolescents and their parents. This paper discusses the implementation of the CHATogether intervention at the Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), providing an example of the intervention through an in-depth pilot case, and evaluation of the program’s acceptability and feasibility.MethodsThis paper describes a case in detail and evaluation from a total of 30 families that completed CHATogether in the initial pilot. Each family had 4–6 one-hour CHATogether sessions during their 6-week treatment course at the IOP. Before and after CHATogether, adolescents and their parents separately completed a questionnaire designed to explore their perceived family conflicts. After completion of the program, participants completed a brief quality improvement survey to assess their overall experience with CHATogether. In the reported case, the family completed Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) depressive and anxiety symptoms scales, Conflict Behavior Questionnaires (CBQ), 9-item Concise Health Risk Tracking Self-Report (CHRT-SR9), and help-seeking attitude from adults during distress and suicide concerns.ResultsThe pilot case showed a trend of improvement in reported depressive and anxiety symptoms, child-parent conflicts, subfactors of suicide risk including pessimism, helplessness, and despair, help-seeking acceptability from parents for suicide concerns, and the establishment of individualized family relationship goals. Preliminary feedback from participating families demonstrated positive effects on intra-family communication and improvement in the overall family dynamic. Adolescents (n = 30/30) and their parents (n = 30/30) rated “strongly agree” or “agree” that their families had benefited from CHATogether and welcomed participation in future program development.ConclusionThis study presents CHATogether as a novel family-centered intervention to address post-pandemic family mental health stress, especially when a family system was disrupted and negatively affected the mental health of children and adolescents. The intervention facilitated positive child-parent communication on a variety of topics, through tools such as emotional expression and help-seeking behavior. The reported pilot case and evaluation suggested CHATogether’s acceptability and feasibility in a clinical context. We also provided quality improvement feedback to guide future studies in establishing the efficacy of CHATogether and other similar models of clinical family interventions.

Coparenting and Adolescent Academic Engagement: The Mediating Role of Parent–Child Communication Among a National Sample of Chinese Families

ABSTRACTThe relationship and related mediating mechanism between parental coparenting and adolescent academic engagement have yet to be elucidated during the pandemic. The present study is set to investigate the relationship between parental coparenting and adolescent academic engagement within Chinese families. Then it examines the mediating effects of parent–child communications in relationships. As a part of the national online survey in China, fathers, mothers and adolescents from 700 families across the country participated in the online survey. Both parents reported their coparenting support and conflict, while adolescents rated the level of open and problematic parent–child communication and their own academic engagement. Paternal coparenting conflict was related to adolescent academic engagement through both open and problematic communications. Paternal and maternal coparenting support was related to adolescent academic engagement through the mediating effect of open communication. Maternal coparenting conflict was related to adolescent academic engagement through problematic communication. Moreover, paternal coparenting support was positively directly related to adolescent academic engagement in the overall model. The research findings supported the effects of parental coparenting on adolescent academic engagement through the mediating effects of open and problematic parent–child communication. Paternal coparenting support had a greater impact on adolescent academic engagement.

Family Issues on Effectiveness of Substance Abuse Preventive Measures among Secondary Schools in Kakamega County, Kenya

The rising prevalence of youth involvement in substance abuse is a global issue that requires immediate attention.The critical need everywhere in the 21 century world is to prepare students to lead healthy lives by providing them with relevant educational programmes inclusive of family matters. The study examined influence of family issues on effectiveness of substance abuse preventive measures among secondary school students in Kakamega County through mixed design. The target population was 59675 form three students, 1080 class teachers, 530 G/C teachers and 12 parent representatives in the study area. Multi-stage sampling, simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select sample size; 381 students, 108 class teachers, 53 G/C and 12 parent representatives. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design.Structured questionnaires, focus group discussion guide and interview guide were used to collect data which was subjected to descriptive statistics, correlation and simple linear regression. Qualitative data was transcribed, analysed and reported according to emerging themes. Supervisors were consulted to determine the face, content, and construct validity of the instruments while reliability was tested using split half method and Cronbach’s alpha of reliability coefficient index for data collection instruments was above 0.8 both for teachers and students. The study established that there was a strong positive association (r=.730, p<.01, N=270; r=.768, p<.01, N=59) between influence of family issues and effectiveness of substance abuse preventive interventions. The study further established that family issues significantly influence effectiveness of substance abuse preventive measures, thus, [F (1, 269) = 415.202, P<.05] and where [F (1, 58) = 24.071, P<.05]. The study concludes that family issues significantly influence effectiveness of substance abuse preventive measures. Based on conclusion, it was therefore recommended that schools should increase forums on parent-child communication so as to work on role modeling as an effective target in substance abuse preventive measures.

Parental experience and distress: the protective role of self-care and employment flexibility on parenting practices in parents of adolescents

ABSTRACT Objective The aim of this study was to identify whether the coping strategy of active self-care, and the coping resource of employment flexibility were moderators of the relationships between parental distress and parenting practices, and parental experience and parenting practices, in parents of adolescents. Method This research was part of a larger study conducted by the Parenting Research Centre who surveyed a representative sample of 2600 Victorian parents on their parental concerns, approaches, and experiences using computer-assisted telephone interviews. Results Results demonstrated that employment flexibility and active self-care significantly moderated the relationship between a demanding parental experience and autonomy-supportive parent-child communication, and that active self-care moderated the relationship between the belief parenting comes naturally and negative parenting. It was concluded that both coping indicators had protective effects on parenting practices, through interacting with parental experience. Conclusions Practical implications of this research include enhancement of parental interventions by lending evidence that both self-care and employment flexibility promote parent-child communication and protect against more aversive parenting behaviours.

Sexual Passion in Adolescence: Examining Its Transmission Through Mothers

ABSTRACT Sexual passion is an important element of adult romantic relationships, but little is known about how it is developed or expressed during adolescence. From a Self Determination Theory perspective, this study explored the connections between parents’ sexual passion and children’s sexual passion, and whether these links were mediated by parents’ communication about sexuality with their children. Using a diverse sample of 484 mother-adolescent dyads (Mage = 14.48, SD = 1.68, 50% female, 56% White), we specified a path model in a Structural Equation Modeling framework to test hypothesized associations. Results indicated that all three types of parent sexual passion – harmonious, obsessive, and inhibited – were positively associated with children’s sexual passion in the same domains. Additionally, the frequency of parent-child sexual communication partially mediated the transmission of harmonious passion, whereas controlling parent-child sexual communication partially mediated the transmission of obsessive passion. These findings highlight the importance of parents’ sexual relationships in the sexual socialization and development of adolescents. Additionally, helping parents to have more frequent conversations about sex with their children could help facilitate the transmission of harmonious sexual passion.

Prevalence and determinants of internet addiction among children with depression: A study in a school setting in Tunisia

IntroductionChild depression is a public health problem. Its association with internet addiction (IA) could increase the frequency of complications and have a significant impact on the child’s psychological well-being, schooling, family and social life.Objectives To study the clinical profile and associated factors of IA in a population of primary school children with depressive disorders.Methods This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of 182 children with depression attending four primary schools in the government of Sfax. The study took place from 1 March 2022 to 30 June 2022. In the present study, we administered the following psychometric scales: Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS- 47), Birleson Depression Scale Questionnaire and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale.ResultsThe mean age of the children studied was 9.9 ±1.17 years and the sex ratio was 0.8. Mean score of Internet Addiction Test was 40 ±4,46. In addition, Internet addiction was identified in 73.6% of students with depression (N=143). Following a univariate analysis, internet addiction among depressed Childrens was positively correlated to individual factors such as the absence of leisure activity, the number of hours per day spent on the internet (1.63 VS 3.25, P < 0.001) and interest in accessing Tiktok (p=0.002). Internet addiction in depressed children also depended on family factors. Internet addiction was more common among childrens with a medium to high family socio-economic level (P < 0.001) in cases where parent-child communication was deemed unsatisfactory (P = 0.002) and in cases of verbal violence (P < 0.001). We were also able to establish a significant link between internet addiction among depressed pupils and significant symptoms of anxiety (P=0.019) and low self-esteem (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression revealed that medium to high socio-economic level, unsatisfactory parent-child communication, absence of leisure activities and significant symptoms of social phobia were independent predictors of Internet addiction in children with depression.ConclusionsOur study highlighted the high frequency of IA in children with depression and demonstrated the implication of certain variables such as medium to high socio-economic status, disruption of the family environment, anxiety and low self-esteem. The identification of these different factors would make it possible to identify a group at risk of IA. This raises the case for introducing prevention and awareness-raising campaigns on IA among depressed children, targeting these groups and targeting health professionals and parents.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Pattern of video game usage and video game disorder in Portugueses adolescents: A study about parental and peer attachment, parenting styles, and communication in parenting

Introduction Video game disorder has been a subject of increasing interest, being associated with patterns of insecure attachment and authoritarian and permissive parenting styles. However, there is still a gap concerning the relationship between video game disorder and parent-child communication, one of the fundamental components of attachment to parents. Particularly in the Portuguese context, research on these topics and their interrelations is still scarce, thus remaining relatively unexplored.ObjectivesTo explore the pattern of video game usage and video game disorder, as well as their relationships with parental and peer attachment, parenting styles, and communication in parenting within a sample of Portuguese adolescents.Methods 150 Portuguese teenagers, recruited at public Portuguese schools, aged between 10 and 19 years old (mean age = 14.37, DP = 3.12; 52.7% girls (n = 79), and mostly living with both parents (79.7%, n = 106) fulfilled a sociodemographic and an academic questionnaire, a questionnaire on video game use patterns, the Video Game Disorder Scale - Short Version 9, the People in My Life Questionnaire, the Portuguese hetero-report version of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire: Short Versionand the Perception Scale of Parenting Communication.ResultsThe majority of the sample indicated 3rd childhood (n = 81, 54.0%), specifically at 8 years old, as the age of video game initiation and a playtime of less than or equal to 2 hours (n = 111, 74.0%), with only 2 participants found to have a video game disturbance index (1.3%). A positive association was found between video game disturbance and the average hours of gameplay, as well as a negative association with the age of game initiation. Additionally, relationships were explored, revealing that video game disturbance is negatively related to lower quality of attachment to parents and peers, positively related to an authoritative parenting style, and negatively related to less available, open, and affectionate parent-child communication.ConclusionsThis study provides an in-depth understanding of adolescents’ behavior regarding video games, contributing to the knowledge of the topic in the Portuguese context. Furthermore, the identification of factors associated with video game disturbance allows for the development of remediation and prevention programs for this addictive disturbance, which are essential tools in psychological practice.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

부모와 자녀간의 긍정적 상호작용을 위한 부모코칭 프로그램 개발과 적용

The purpose of this study is to develop a parent coaching program for positive interaction between parents and children and verify its effectiveness. To help parents have positive interactions with their children through coaching program education, the C-PLUS coaching conversation model was used to ask coaching questions and improve empathy skills. In order to determine the effectiveness of the parent coaching program for positive interaction between parents and children developed in this study, 16 parents of elementary school children were surveyed from September 2023 to October 2023. A total of 8 sessions of 2 hours and 30 minutes each were conducted to test parents' parental efficacy and parent coaching competency in pre- and post-tests. Parental coaching competency was t=-4.64 (p < .001), and parent efficacy was t=-4.64 (p < .001). The result was significant at -8.799 (p < .001). This indicated that the parent coaching program was effective in improving parents' coaching capabilities and parental efficacy. In addition, the parent coaching program allows parents to become coaches and communicate with their children, which has a positive effect on parents' self-efficacy, parent-child communication, parent self-concept, self-esteem, problem-solving ability, parenting competency, and communication. indicated.

A Feasibility Study of Parenting for Lifelong Health for Adolescents in China

Purpose: This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of Parenting for Lifelong Health for Parents and Adolescents program in reducing the risk of child maltreatment in Chinese families with adolescents. Methods: A pre-post single-arm pilot trial was conducted in July and August, 2023, and involved 16 parents and 13 teenagers with a mixed-methods design to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Parents reported enhanced positive parenting and reduced child behavioral problems. Adolescents reported decreased general child maltreatment and emotional maltreatment, along with perceived improvements in positive parenting and parent-child communication. Thematic analyses suggested of tangible benefits for participants, as well as for their family dynamics. Discussion: The program demonstrated promising feasibility, and it was significantly associated with reduced adolescent maltreatment. Further rigorous randomized controlled trials are needed.

Internet Impacts on Parent–Child Communication in Vietnamese Urban Families

ABSTRACTWith 72% of Vietnamese households using the Internet after Vietnam first had access in November 1997, the traditional culture of parent–child communication within families in particular has been significantly influenced by the arrival of this technology. This paper presents a mixed‐method study that surveyed 464 parent–child dyads, conducted 30 in‐depth interviews and 6 group discussions held in three major cities across Vietnam. The results demonstrate how the parents and their children use the Internet and recognize the influence of this technology on their communication. It is apparent that despite the old ways of a top‐down or hierarchical relationship in traditional homes, parent–child communication is moving in the direction of a more equal and open manner despite some disparities in the understanding and respecting of each other's emotions and perspectives due to conflicts created by generational gaps and cultural understandings. The positive and negative impacts of the Internet on parent and child communication are acknowledged, but this study advocates for a change from informal communication rules related to Internet usage and suggests developing a professional system that supports parents and children to manage the parent–child communication issues and challenges more effectively.

PARENTS-CHILD INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION PATTERNS IN SELF-REGULATED LEARNING (INDEPENDENT LEARNING) OF EAST KALIMANTAN STATE MADRASAH ALIYAH STUDENTS

This research investigates parent-child interpersonal communication patterns in self-regulated learning (independent learning) of east Kalimantan state madrasah aliyah students. Learning independence is an essential skill in education that allows students to manage, organize, and supervise their learning process. This research uses a qualitative approach with interview and observation methods as data collection tools. Participants in this research were Madrasah Aliyah students in East Kalimantan and the students' parents. The collected data is then analyzed by paying attention to interpersonal communication patterns between parents and children during the learning process. The research results show that communication between children and parents plays a significant role in forming students' character and independent learning abilities. Open and honest communication influences children's confidence in their talents and interests. This also positively impacts students' active learning, discipline, and responsible attitude toward learning tasks and obligations. The role of parents in children's independent learning is evident in various aspects. The implication of this research is to provide recommendations for MAN East Kalimantan and related parties to increase the role of parents in supporting students' independent learning. It is hoped that the results of this research will provide an essential contribution to further understanding the relationship between parent-child interpersonal communication and students' independent learning abilities, which in turn can improve the quality of education at MAN East Kalimantan and similar educational institutions.

Parental Responsivity and Child Communication During Mother-Child and Father-Child Interactions in Fragile X Syndrome.

Past research shows that parentally responsive behavior toward the child positively influences language development in both neurotypical children and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including those with fragile X syndrome (FXS); however, most studies have focused exclusively on the mother-child relationship. The current study examined relationships between parent behavior (i.e., responsivity and behavior management) and child language performance in both mother-child and father-child interactions, as well as relationships between child characteristics and both parent behavior and child language. Participants were 23 families of young boys with FXS between 3 and 7 years of age. Mothers and fathers independently completed questionnaires assessing child characteristics and separately engaged in 12-min play-based interactions with their child via telehealth. One parent also completed a comprehensive interview assessing child adaptive behavior. Video recordings of the parent-child interactions were transcribed and coded for parent and child behavior, and measures of parent and child language were obtained from the transcripts. Mothers and fathers used similar rates of responsive behaviors during parent-child interactions, and parental responsivity was positively associated with some aspects of child language performance (i.e., talkativeness and lexical diversity). Parental behavior, however, was not associated with syntactic complexity. Older children and children with higher levels of adaptive behavior had parents who used higher rates of responsive behaviors. Fathers used higher rates of behavior management strategies compared to mothers, and this type of parent behavior was not associated with child language. Overall, this study provides evidence that interventions focused on increasing parental responsiveness would be beneficial for families of children with FXS and that these interventions should be delivered early given the association between responsivity and child age. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25229939.

Female adolescent sexual reproductive health service utilization concerns: A qualitative enquiry in the Tema metropolis of Ghana.

Evidence globally indicates that female adolescents face numerous sexual and reproductive health (SRH) risks. Utilization of sexual reproductive health services among adolescents is of global health importance and plays a crucial role in adolescent sexual reproductive health outcomes and their quality of life. The current study explored sexual reproductive health service utilization concerns among female adolescents in the Tema Metropolis in Southern Ghana using the Anderson and Newman Behavioural model of Health Service Utilization as a guiding framework. The study utilized a qualitative exploratory descriptive design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit female adolescents. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. In all, 12 interviews were conducted. Each interview lasted between 45 and 60 minutes. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Thematic analysis was guided by the constructs of the Anderson and Newman Behavioural model of health service utilization. Utilization of sexual reproductive health services among female adolescents is low in the Tema metropolis. Factors such as unprotected non-consensual sexual activity or an unwanted pregnancy sometimes triggered the use of these services. Barriers to utilization identified include lack of awareness on sexual reproductive health services, unreliable sources of SRH information, underestimation of the severity of sexual reproductive health problems faced, unmet expectations and poor experiences with service providers. The current study identified poor utilization of sexual reproductive health services among female adolescents within the Tema metropolis of Ghana. There is the need to increase the number of adolescent health corners, increase awareness about SRH services among adolescents, improve parent-child SRH communication and provide adequate training for healthcare providers to improve provider attitude towards adolescent SRH service delivery in order to increase utilization of sexual reproductive health services among female adolescents in the Metropolis.

Parental migration and cyberbullying victimization among Chinese left-behind children: understanding the association and mediating factors.

Parental absence is greatly associated with school bullying victimization of left-behind children (LBC) in migrant families. With the increasing popularity of the Internet, little is known about the association between parental migration and cyberbullying victimization, and potential mediators. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Anhui and Zhejiang Province, China, in 2020. With a sample of 792 currently left-behind children (CLBC), 541 previously left-behind children (PLBC), and 628 never left-behind children (NLBC), path analysis was used to explore the association between parental migration and cyberbullying victimization among children, while considering the independent and sequential mediating roles of parent-child communication, and time spent online. The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization was 29.3% among CLBC, 29.2% among PLBC, and 23.4% among NLBC. Path analysis showed that current left-behind status was positively associated with cyberbullying victimization among children (p = 0.024). Furthermore, current left-behind status was associated with worse parent-child communication, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.007, 0.036)]. Similarly, the previous left-behind experience was associated with worse parent-child communication, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.013, 0.043)]. Current left-behind status was associated with increased time spent online, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.013, 0.038)]. Additionally, the current left-behind status positively predicted cyberbullying victimization among children through the serial mediating roles of parent-child communication and time spent online [95% CI = (0.001, 0.006)]. Similarly, previous left-behind experience positively predicted cyberbullying victimization among children through the serial mediating roles of parent-child communication and time spent online [95% CI = (0.002, 0.007)]. We propose that to protect CLBC and PLBC from cyberbullying victimization, it is of great importance for migrant parents to regulate children's time spent online and promote daily parent-child communication.

Communication about Purchase Desires between Children and Their Parents in Croatia

The main aim of this study is to describe the communication between children and parents about children’s desired purchases of items in Croatia. Online focus groups were conducted with children ages 11 to 15, and their parents, using a pre-prepared list of questions. The constant comparative method was applied, and the data were coded thematically, meaning data were organized into groups or codes on the basis of repeating keywords in the transcripts. The analysis shows children mostly ask their parents for clothing items and food. The findings indicate children and parents resolve the purchase decisions based on a few communication themes. Children employ persuasion, bargaining, and negotiation communication to acquire their desired items. As a response, parents employ bargaining and negotiation communication, budgeting and financial communication, usefulness and need communication, and postponed purchase communication. This research contributes to a better understanding of child and parent communication related to child purchase wishes and parent–child communication.

Associations of latent patterns of parent‒child communication with communication quality and mental health outcomes among Chinese left-behind children

BackgroundParent‒child communication in migrant families is essential to family bonds and the mental health of left-behind children (LBC). Little is known about the different patterns of communication between migrant parents and LBC and associated communication quality and mental health outcomes.MethodsA sample of 2,183 Chinese children (mean age = 12.95 ± 1.29 years) from Anhui province, including LBC whose parents had both migrated (n = 1,025) and children whose parents had never migrated (never-LBC, n = 1,158), was analyzed. With the LBC sample, latent class analysis was applied to identify the patterns of parent‒child communication. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the associations between the sociodemographic variables and class membership of LBC. Analysis of covariance and chi-square tests were used to compare communication quality and mental health outcome differences among the classes of LBC and between each of the classes and never-LBC.ResultsFive latent classes of communication formed through different media or channels between migrant parents and their LBC were identified. Higher household economic status (OR = 2.81, p < 0.05) was associated with adequate communication. LBC in Class 1, defined by frequent technologically-mediated and face-to-face communication, had a significantly higher quality of communication with their migrant parents (F = 8.92, p < 0.001) and better mental health than those in other latent classes; these children did not have significantly worse mental health outcomes compared to never -LBC.ConclusionsFacilitating multichannel parent‒child communication is a practical way of reducing mental health inequities between LBC and their peers.