Parental Concern Research Articles

Caregiver satisfaction survey results in a multidisciplinary cleft clinic

Introduction: Orofacial clefts have a wide range of severity and can create functional and aesthetic issues for the affected individuals as well as influence their social interactions and general happiness. Our aim was to investigate how parents/caregivers score functional and aesthetic aspects of their child’s cleft and their child’s social interactions and happiness. Method: Parents/caregivers attending the Christchurch Cleft Clinic in New Zealand between 2016 and 2019 completed a survey covering eight items—hearing, look of face, look of teeth, speech, teeth issues, food or liquid coming out of the nose, social interactions, general happiness and a free-text comment section. Items were scored using a visual analogue scale. Descriptive statistics were performed on the data and qualitative analysis of the free-text comments was conducted via thematic categorisation.Results: A total of 226 completed surveys from 154 parents were assessed. Surveys that had any incomplete question (24) and/or had repeat submissions (72) were excluded, reducing the sample to 130 surveys. ‘Speech’, ‘look of the teeth’ and ‘teeth issues’ had the lowest (worst) mean scores. Negative functional issues relating to speech and fistulas were the most common free-text themes. Conclusion: Speech was a common concern for parents, emphasising the importance of speech language therapy as a key component in cleft treatment. Parental concerns regarding the look of their child’s teeth and teeth issues highlight the need for an interdisciplinary treatment approach. The inclusion of otolaryngology and psychology services to improve issues that arise from hearing, social and emotional challenges is also recommended.

Intergenerational transmission of generativity and stagnation within families in a society after a macrosocial change: A two-generation study

Intergenerational transmission of generativity is a process through which one generation passes elements of its generative potential, such as values and patterns of behavior, on to another. So far, most research on intergenerational transmission of generativity came from relatively stable societies, where the transmission process might be facilitated by the fact that adjacent generations face relatively similar socioeconomic challenges and can therefore make use of similar solutions. In contrast, our study focused on the relationships between parental and offspring characteristics in the context of a society that had undergone a major macro-social change in the past few decades, involving the downfall of the communist regime and subsequent transformation of major political, cultural, and social structures and norms. Apart from examining whether relationships between parental and offspring generative concern and action would show patterns similar to those observed in previous studies, we looked at intergenerational similarities in stagnation, which was recently redefined as a construct partly separable from generativity (Van Hiel et al. Journal of Personality, 74(2), 543–574, 2006). One hundred and twenty-three predominantly female university students and their parents completed measures of generative concern, generative action, stagnation, and Big Five personality traits. Multiple-group path analysis revealed that the structure of the relationships between generativity, stagnation and personality traits did not differ significantly between the groups of parents and offspring. Further analyses showed that parental generative concern was not related to offspring generative concern, but maternal generative action was significantly related to offspring generative action, and maternal stagnation was significantly related to offspring stagnation. The parental level of education was unrelated to offspring generativity or stagnation. These results indicate a certain degree of intergenerational continuity of generativity and stagnation, especially their behavioral components, even though the two generations in our study were raised in different socio-cultural contexts.

Los efectos a largo plazo de las competencias emocionales y la autoestima en los síntomas internalizantes en la adolescencia

Internalizing symptoms such as depressive mood, somatic complaints and anxiety among adolescents are a major and global concern for parents, educators and professionals. Empirical research suggests that high level of self-esteem during adolescents is associated with psychological adjustment and emotional well-being. This study examines the self-esteem as a potential mediator in the interplay between emotional competencies and internalizing symptoms during adolescence. Data from 855 Spanish adolescents (Mage = 13.6, SD = 1.09, 52% girls) were collected in two waves, using a longitudinal design. The mediation model was estimated using structural equation modelling (SEM). Results show that girls perceive and understand emotions better than boys, but they also perceive higher amounts of emotional distress, while boys showed higher levels of self-esteem. Results of structural equation modelling indicated positive self-esteem function as mediator between emotional competencies and long-term internalizing symptoms. Poor emotional competencies and low self-esteem are strongly associated with internalizing symptoms in adolescents. These findings have implications for future research and positive youth development considering that emotional abilities and self-esteem can protect adolescents from experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Number of words at age 2.5years is associated with intellectual functioning at age 7years in the SELMA study.

We examined the association between the number of words used at age 2.5years and deficits in intellectual functioning at age 7years, in 549 children, and whether such association is confirmed by parental concern about the child's development. Parental reports of how many words their children used at age 2.5years were analysed for the association to intellectual functioning (assessed with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition,WISC-IV) at age 7years using linear regression, adjusting for sex, maternal education level, parental IQ and smoking during pregnancy. Parental concern at age 7years was examined with the Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations-Questionnaire (ESSENCE-Q). Adjusted linear regression showed that use of 50 words or fewer at age 2.5years, relative to use of more than 50 words, was associated with lower scores of Full-scale IQ (B=7.27, p=0.001), verbal comprehension (B=8.53, p<0.001), working memory (B=9.04, p<0.001) and perceptual reasoning (B=4.21, p=0.045), in the WISC-IV, at age 7years. Parental concern was more common in the group that used 50 words or fewer (Mann-Whitney U test, p=0.011). This easily accessible measure of number of words seems to be a valuable marker for intellectual functioning later in life.

School Attendance, Asthma Risk, and COVID-19 in Children

In the face of tremendous uncertainty during the current pandemic, there is a need for clear and consistent recommendations and an understanding of the evidence in general, and for families of children with allergic conditions. A common concern of parents of children with asthma is the risk that in-person learning poses during the pandemic. This Rostrum examines the actual risk of in-person learning among children with asthma during novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the discrepancy between perceived and actual risk, the contributing factors to this discrepancy, and possible solutions to narrow this divide. Overall, the evidence does not support that children with asthma are at an increased risk of COVID-19 morbidity or mortality compared with children without asthma. Asthma medications do not appear to contribute to incidence or severity of COVID-19 disease. However, there is a high perceived risk of in-person learning that is partially related to how it is portrayed in the media. There is little guidance regarding transitioning asthmatic children back to school and how to properly counsel on mediation of risk. There are differences regionally and locally around school reopening, exemptions, and their implementation. To narrow the divide between perceived and actual risk, clear consistent and ongoing communication will be necessary.

A new measure of excessive parental worries about children’s health: Development of the Health Anxiety by Proxy Scale (HAPYS)

Objective Health anxiety by proxy is a newly introduced term to describe parents’ experience of excessive and unpleasant worries about their child’s health. This article describes the development of a new measure, the Health Anxiety by Proxy Scale (HAPYS), for systematic assessment of health anxiety by proxy. Method The development of the HAPYS was performed over three phases. (1) Patients clinically assessed to have health anxiety by proxy participated in semi-structured interviews to elaborate their experience of worries regarding their child's health and their related behaviours, and to examine the face validity of items in an existing questionnaire: ‘Illness Worry Scale – parent version’. (2) Based on the findings from Phase 1 the project group and a panel of experts selected and formulated questionnaire items and scoring formats. (3) The HAPYS was pilot-tested twice using cognitive interviewing with healthy parents and parents with health anxiety by proxy followed by further adjustments. Results The final version of HAPYS consists of 26 items characteristic of health anxiety by proxy and of an impact section with six items. Conclusion Based on the pilot testing the HAPYS showed good face and content validity. It holds the potential to be a valid questionnaire to help clinicians across health care settings assess parents suffering from health anxiety by proxy.

Parental Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Pediatric Food Allergy

The purpose of this study was to explore anxiety, worry, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in parents of children with food allergies, and to evaluate whether these three psychological outcomes could be predicted by allergy severity, intolerance of uncertainty, and food allergy self-efficacy. Participants were 105 parents who reported their children to have medically diagnosed food allergies. Participants were recruited to a study on parent wellbeing through an allergy clinic and social media advertisements. Participants completed online questionnaires assessing anxiety, worry, PTSS, intolerance of uncertainty, food allergy self-efficacy, and demographic and allergy information. In this sample, 81.0% of parents reported clinically significant worry, 42.3% met the clinical cut-off for PTSS, and 39.1% reported moderate-extremely severe anxiety. Greater intolerance of uncertainty and lower food allergy self-efficacy were associated with poorer psychological outcomes, with mixed results for allergy severity. However, intolerance of uncertainty was the only variable to consistently account for unique variance within regression models. This study highlights the need for greater awareness of mental health in parents of children with food allergy. The study also indicates that factors impacting on parents' perception of threat may be most strongly predictive of psychological outcomes, warranting further research. Finally, the study indicates that intolerance of uncertainty may be a promising target for psychological interventions within this population.

Associations of parenting factors and weight related outcomes in African American adolescents with overweight and obesity.

This study evaluated the associations between parenting factors and adolescent weight related outcomes in African American adolescents with overweight and obesity. Baseline heights and weights were collected from 241 African American adolescents (11-16years) with overweight and obesity. Self-reported adolescent perceptions of caregiver's parenting style (responsiveness, demandingness), parental feeding practices (monitoring, responsibility, weight related concerns, pressure-to-eat, and restriction), and their own dietary self-efficacy for healthy eating were assessed. Results demonstrated that greater parental responsiveness was significantly associated with lower adolescent body mass index (BMI) and higher adolescent dietary self-efficacy. In contrast, parental concern about adolescent weight was significantly associated with greater adolescent BMI, while greater parental responsibility for foods was associated with lower adolescent BMI. Although parental pressure-to-eat was significantly associated with higher dietary self-efficacy, greater parental restriction was associated with lower dietary self-efficacy. The results of this study highlight the importance of parental responsiveness and responsibility in understanding obesity related outcomes in African American adolescents with overweight and obesity.

Parenting as a full time job: The experience of secular middle-class Jewish parents of transgender emerging adults in Israel

Background Emerging adulthood is a developmental period that encompasses individuals from their late teens through at least their mid-twenties, causing parents to be engaged in “parenting” activities longer than in the past. The present study aims to explore the parenting experience and its ascribed meaning among parents of trans emerging adults in Israel. Method Perceptions and perspectives of 18 Israeli parents of trans emerging adults regarding their parenting experiences were explored using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. All interviews were audiotaped, fully transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. Results Analysis of the interviews yielded three main themes. The first pertains to parental worries; the second pertains to parental support practices, including accompanying and supporting their child in different arenas and serving as their companions and advocates; and the third pertains to parental coping skills. Conclusion Participants portrayed the parenting of trans emerging adults as a demanding, challenging, and complex experience which they described as a “full time job.” Their parenting experiences revolved around the tension between responding to the special needs of their trans children by helping them navigate this period of experimentation and exploration, and the need to give them autonomy and help them develop the independence they want and need. This tension should be understood in light of the specific situation and the stage of the child’s transition, the parent-child relationship, and the family situation, in addition to the wider societal context, which is often hostile and transphobic.

The comparison of medial longitudinal arch development in normal feet and flexible flatfeet in preschool children with an 18-month follow-up: a retrospective case-control study

Background: Flexible flatfoot is a major concern for parents of preschool children. Although the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) has significant development during the growth of a child, flexible flatfoot usually does not need treatment. However, the time and process of MLA changes are controversial among researchers. The aim of this study was to compare MLA development in preschool children with normal feet and with flexible flatfoot. Methods: Sixty preschool children (36 girls and 24 boys) with normal feet and 60 preschool children (36 girls and 24 boys) with flexible flatfoot participated in this study. The arch index (AI) was obtained from static footprints. Results: According to this study, the mean values of AI in the flatfoot and control groups showed significant difference. Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that the medial longitudinal arch development was lower in preschool children with flexible flatfoot than in the control group. This lower development was shown by higher AI. Level of Evidence: Level III.

Single-centre survey of parents regarding the hidden burden of paediatric flexible bronchoscopy

Although paediatric flexible bronchoscopy is safe with relatively few side effects, parents frequently report an associated burden. To assess this, we undertook 25 semi-structured interviews with the parents of children...

From Risk to Advantage: The Role of Active Mediation in the Viewing of Big Brother by Children and Pre-adolescents

The content to which children are exposed by reality television shows is of great concern for parents and educators, especially because of excessive amounts of relational aggression. Parental mediation is suggested as an effective approach for reducing the risk of this exposure and to derive learning value. In two studies, we used qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the effects of different types of mediation and children’s preferences with regard to who they liked to watch TV with on children’s attitudes and perceptions about characters that appear in reality shows and of their acts. Findings from both studies revealed that more active parental mediation leads to fewer adverse reactions and more desirable attitudes towards the characters. The current study suggests that active parental mediation during reality television viewing may transform the risks stemming from watching reality shows into important advantages for children's social development.

So You Think This Baby Has Appendicitis? The Subtle Clues and Deceptive Signs

Diagnosing appendicitis in infants is challenging due to varied and heterogenous presentations. Whilst the condition is uncommon, the consequences of missing this in a busy Emergency Department (ED) can be catastrophic. We report an 8-month-old infant who presented to ED with a brief history of reduced feeding, lethargy and vomiting with normal observations. Excessive crying was noted when the child was supine, he was consolable when placed prone. Due to these paroxysms of crying which varied with position, investigations were commenced. He had a good clinical outcome. A high degree of suspicion is needed in preverbal children. Clinical examination, observation of the behaviour of the child and parental concern remain key to diagnosis. Through this paper we aim to explore the clinical conundrum of making the diagnosis in this age group and the modalities which help in decision making.

“I'm Worried About My Child”: A Longitudinal Investigation of Parental Concerns and Repeat Screening in Toddlers with Familial Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder

“I'm Worried About My Child”: A Longitudinal Investigation of Parental Concerns and Repeat Screening in Toddlers with Familial Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Case Study on Anxiety Experienced by Japanese Wives in Korea Due to Korea-Japan Relations -Focusing on the Situation in 2019-

This article examined the anxiety of Japanese wives in Korea (63 research collaborators) who are were raising children, discussing the specific content of how they perceive the “worst relations between Japan and South Korea after the war,” which took place in 2019. Through the research, the paper focused on the factors causing this feeling.BR Considering the events in 2019, a total of 95.2% of the respondents confirmed that they were anxious, which is an unusual situation compared to 58.7% who answered that they felt anxious because of their life in Korea so far. The most common specific contents were “Is there something bad for my child? My child may have said something bad at school.” (90.4%), “It may be harder for Japanese to live in South Korea.” (39.6%), and “These worsening relations between Japan and South Korea would cause concern for Japanese parents and relatives” (36.5%).BR This paper examined the relationship between these specific contents of anxiety and factors that cause anxiety. The following three factors were considered as anxious factors: the reaction of the Koreans around, the influence of the media, and the presence of knowledge about the modern history of Korea and Japan.BR As a result of the analysis and consideration focusing on what their anxiety, the following two ways to handle the situation were identified. The first way is to have a sense of balance without being influenced by the media, it was found that there were many people who were trying to grasp the relationship. The second way is there were not a few people who were actively trying to learn the modern history of Korea and Japan from the psychology of protecting children.

The long-term effects of emotional competencies and self-esteem on adolescents’ internalizing symptoms

Internalizing symptoms such as depressive mood, somatic complaints and anxiety among adolescents are a major and global concern for parents, educators and professionals. Empirical research suggests that high level of self-esteem during adolescents is associated with psychological adjustment and emotional well-being. This study examines self-esteem as a potential mediator in the interplay between emotional competencies and internalizing symptoms during adolescence. Self-report data from 855 Spanish adolescents (Mage = 13.6, SD = 1.09, 52% girls) were collected in two waves, using a longitudinal design. The mediation model was estimated using structural equation modelling (SEM). Results show that girls perceive and understand emotions better than boys, but they also perceive higher amounts of emotional distress, while boys showed higher levels of self-esteem. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that positive self-esteem function as a mediator between emotional competencies and long-term internalizing symptoms. Poor emotional competencies and low self-esteem are strongly associated with internalizing symptoms in adolescents. These findings have implications for future research and positive youth development considering that emotional abilities and self-esteem can protect adolescents from experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 та вітамін D3 при поширених клінічних проблемах дітей грудного віку

Purpose — to demonstrate the clinical significance of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and vitamin D3 in common clinical problems in infants. Materials and methods. Clinical cases in pediatrics of infancy in children with infant colic (G4), infant regurgitation (G1), functional constipation (G7) are presented. Some international recommendations regarding a preventive dose of vitamin D in the first year of a child' life are considered. Results. The behavior of an infant is often a concern for parents and is a reason for seeking medical help. In particular, it has been shown when acute crying of a child is associated with threatening conditions. The prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders and the importance of using the Rome IV criteria in practice are emphasized. Clinical examples of infant colic (G4), infant regurgitation (G1), functional constipation (G7) demonstrated the management of patients with the importance of counseling, showing the evidence base for the use of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and vitamin D3. Works on the importance of vitamin D for the prevention of respiratory infections and its dosage are presented. Conclusions. For children in the first year of life with infant colic (G4), infant regurgitation (G1), functional constipation (G7), counseling is important, as well as the use of, in particular, Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938. Additional benefits are provided by the combined use of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 with vitamin D3, which is also discussed for the prevention of respiratory infections. Provided international recommendations for a daily preventive dose of 400 IU of vitamin D for infants. No conflict of interest was declared by the author. Key words: vitamin D, infants, respiratory infections, functional gastrointestinal disorders, Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938.

Youth suicide in the school context

Across the domains of youth risk behavior, suicidality is a significant concern for parents and professionals alike, requiring ongoing efforts to better understand and prevent rising trends. Recent examinations of suicidal behaviors in the United States over the last decade revealed an increase in emergency and inpatient hospital settings. Of importance, seasonal variations were demonstrated, finding the lowest frequency of suicidality encounters in summer months, and observed peaks in the fall and spring, during the school year. Given these findings and the fact that youth spend nearly half of their time at school, consideration of youth suicide in the school environment is critical. This paper will review the trends of youth suicide within the school context, exploring factors such as at-risk youth, bullying, relevant legal issues, and the current state of crisis response in school settings. Recommendations for prevention, intervention, and postvention will be provided. The authors propose that school professionals play a vital role in addressing youth suicide and will aim to provide guidance on effective crisis response within the school context.

Prevention Children Sexual Abuse in Preschool with Picture Story Book

Background: Children sexual abuse (CSA) is a form of concern for parents and society, given the phenomenon that occurs is like an iceberg with an increasing prevalence every year. Parents play an important role in CSA prevention education, but the majority are confused about how to explain it. The picture book is expected to be a medium for educating parents to their children regarding the prevention of CSA in preschool children. Purpose: to produce a picture book as an effort to prevent KSA. Methods: This study used a research and development design. The development of this pictorial story book uses information from parents and teachers for initial data collection, while for product validation a team of experts consisting of material experts, media experts and linguists are used for product validation. Meanwhile, for the public test was 34 parents. The instruments used were interview guides and questionnaires. The data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Result: There is creation of ABIJAGARI a story book in the prevention of child sexual abuse that consist of 17 pages. Conclusion The picture story book entitled ABIJAGARI can be used as an alternative media in education on prevention of CSA

The Relationship Between Family Support and e-Learning Engagement in College Students: The Mediating Role of e-Learning Normative Consciousness and Behaviors and Self-Efficacy.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities have implemented network teaching. E-learning engagement is the most important concern of educators and parents because this will directly affect student academic performance. Hence, this study focuses on students’ perceived family support and their e-learning engagement and analyzes the effects of e-learning normative consciousness and behaviors and self-efficacy on the relationship between family support and e-learning engagement in college students. Prior to this study, the relationship between these variables was unknown. Four structural equation models revealed the multiple mediating roles of e-learning normative consciousness and behaviors and self-efficacy in the relationship between family support and e-learning engagement. A total of 1,317 college students (mean age=19.51; 52.2% freshman) voluntarily participated in our study. The results showed that e-learning normative consciousness and behaviors and self-efficacy played significant and mediating roles between students’ perceived family support and e-learning engagement. Specifically, these two individual variables fully mediated the relationship between students’ perceived family support and e-learning engagement. The multiple mediation model showed that family members can increase family support of their children by creating a household environment conducive to learning, displaying positive emotions, demonstrating the capability to assist their children, advocating the significance of learning normative consciousness and behaviors, and encouraging dedicated and efficient learning. The findings complement and extend the understanding of factors influencing student e-learning engagement.