Parental Care Research Articles

Unmet Needs of Children and Young Adults With ADHD: Insights From Key Stakeholders on Priorities for Stigma Reduction.

Individuals with ADHD continue to face stigma, which can negatively impact their access to, adherence to, and quality of mental health services, as well as their overall wellbeing. Perspectives of various stakeholders regarding priorities for stigma reduction remain underexplored. This study explores young adult, parent, teacher, and mental health care professional perspectives on unmet needs of children and young adults with ADHD in the Netherlands, in the context of stigma reduction. A total of 24 respondents participated in seven small focus group discussions (FGDs). The FGDs facilitated in-depth discussions exploring stakeholder group perspectives on unmet needs of children and young adults with ADHD in educational, professional, and social settings. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. Three thematic categories of unmet needs were identified: (1) a lack of awareness, knowledge, and understanding of ADHD; (2) insufficient personalized approaches in education and health care; and (3) limited accessibility of information and support services. Within theme 1, respondents primarily highlighted the importance of improving education for primary school teachers and mental health care professionals. Theme 2 underscored the need for increased capacity for personalization and attention to the sociopsychological factors of ADHD, alongside recognizing strengths. Theme 3 emphasized the need for easy access to reliable information and mental health care, including peer networks, as well as proper follow-up and continuity of care. Findings highlight the need for improving our understanding of ADHD as a complex biopsychosocial condition, which requires specific adjustments in education and mental health care. Interventions to improve support and disrupt stigmatization should meet diverse needs, incorporate multi-level strategies, and involve key stakeholders.

Family caregiving experiences of medical school faculty: high prevalence, high strain, and low resource awareness.

Adult caregiving can be demanding and stressful, especially when the caregiver is employed. As the age of the U.S. population and workforce increases, more adults are providing care to aging family members. To understand the prevalence and aspects of the caregiving experience and caregiving strain among department of medicine faculty members, and to gauge their awareness and utilization of caregiving resources. We used a cross-sectional survey design. A questionnaire survey was developed and launched in Redcap in October, 2022, and an invitation was emailed followed by two reminders to all full-time and part-time faculty members (N = 1053) in our department of medicine. Faculty demographics, caregiver status, caregiving details, degree of mental or emotional strain, and knowledge of and use of employer and external caregiver resources. Of the 1053 faculty members who received up to three email survey invitations, 209 (20%) responded of which 76 (36%) were current caregivers and 117 (56%) were non-caregivers. Among the 76 current caregivers, 53 (70%) reported providing care for parents or parent-in-laws and 9 (12%) reported caring for a spouse. One-third of current caregivers reported caring for individuals with Alzheimer's disease or dementia/memory problems. Ninety-five% of current caregivers reported some or a lot of caregiving strain. A wide variation in knowledge of and use of employer and external caregiver resources was reported. Department of medicine faculty who provide adult caregiving report a high prevalence of strain and wide variation in knowledge of and use of employer and external caregiver support services, suggesting opportunity to better understand where gaps exist in providing support for caregivers.

School Readiness and Early Childhood Education and Care Services Among Dual Language Learners.

Dual language learners (DLL) (ie, children learning 2 or more languages) present lower school readiness than non-DLL children, putting DLL children at risk of later school difficulties and adverse outcomes. However, it is unclear whether participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services may reduce this gap. To assess whether ECEC exposure may reduce the school readiness gap between DLL and non-DLL children in a population-based sample. This census survey study was performed from February to May 2022 in the Canadian province of Quebec using data from the Quebec Survey of Child Development in Kindergarten, which includes all children who attended kindergarten in the 2021 to 2022 school year in public and private schools in Quebec (n = 80 587), except for Cree and Inuit territories. Children's ECEC arrangement before kindergarten was retrieved from register-based data and teachers and arrangements were categorized as exclusive parental care, childcare, pre-kindergarten only, or childcare and pre-kindergarten. Based on their mother tongue and language of instruction, children were classified as French speaking, English speaking, bilingual French-English speaking, or neither French nor English speaking (allophone) children, the last 2 groups of which represented the DLL category. Vulnerability in school readiness was defined as a score below the 10th percentile in any of the 5 domains of the validated Early Development Instrument (EDI): (1) physical health and well-being; (2) social competence; (3) emotional maturity; (4) language and cognitive development; and (5) communication skills and general knowledge. In total, 80 587 children were surveyed, and 71 585 children were included in analyses. Mean (SD) child age was 6.0 (0.3) years, 34 911 children (48.8%) were female, and 18 341 children (25.6%) were DLL. English-speaking, bilingual French-English-speaking, and allophone children were more likely to be vulnerable in the EDI (769 of 2355 children [32.7%], 4814 of 13 981 children [34.4%], and 1622 of 4360 children [37.2%], respectively) than French-speaking children (13 664 of 50 890 children [26.9%]). In logistic regression analyses adjusted for social selection bias in ECEC arrangement, attending ECEC services was associated with a lower risk of being vulnerable among all language groups compared to parental care, with odds ratios ranging from 0.26 (95% CI, 0.25-0.27) to 0.96 (95% CI, 0.80-1.14), except in the emotional maturity domain. ECEC exposure was associated with reduction in vulnerabilities disparities between DLL and non-DLL children after adjusting for confounding factors, including socioeconomic status. ECEC services may foster school readiness for all children, especially DLL, and should be considered to reduce school inequalities.

Impact of Parental Deprivation on Academic Success of Children: A Study of Public Primary Schools in Masaba South, Kenya

This study investigated the relationship between parental deprivation and academic achievement among children from public primary schools. Using correlation and cross-sectional study designs, data were collected from 10 schools, involving 324 randomly selected children in grades 4 and 5. Results revealed a high prevalence of parental deprivation, with significant deficits in necessities, safety, shelter, educational resources, and parental care. Most children reported problems with clothing (95.1%), food (98.8%), safety (65.9%), shelter (34.7%), education (87.3%), quality time with parents (88.2%), and parental discipline (83.6%). Parental deprivation negatively impacted academic achievement. Grade level (Adjusted β = 0.1, 95% CI [-0.8, 1.0], p = .819) and age (Adjusted β = 0.5, 95% CI [-0.1, 1.0], p = .110) showed no significant associations with absenteeism or grades. However, difficulties affording shelter were a significant negative predictor of grades (aβ = -2.7, 95% CI [-2.8, -2.6], p < .001), while spending quality time with parents positively influenced grades (aβ = 0.4, 95% CI [0.2, 0.6], p < .001). The study demonstrated the need for comprehensive interventions addressing parental deprivation's material and education achievements. Recommendations include strengthening social safety nets, enhancing educational resources, promoting positive parenting practices, and addressing economic inequalities.

Intervention with institutional caregivers for the purpose of supportive education for disadvantaged children: 3C

IntroductionChildren in institutional care may have limited access to educational opportunities compared to children in parental care. Improving and enriching the educational practices of these children is important for their well-being. In this study, the Child Development, Communication and Care (3C) Training Program was prepared by the researchers. The 3C education approach emphasizes early childhood development and education. Particular focus is on the use of communication techniques in the education of young children. Our goal with 3C is to increase caregivers’ knowledge of child development and support them to communicate effectively with children. Through this curriculum framework, children are encouraged to interact effectively and empathically with others. Therefore, the curriculum framework emphasizes understanding emotions and building trusting relationships as key components in the holistic development of young disadvantaged children.MethodsA quasi-experimental design with pre-test-post-control group was used in the study. 16 sessions of 3C were applied to the personnel in the experimental group via distance education. Data were collected from the participants before and after the start of the training program by using the Child Education Competence Scale-Parent Form, Personal Information Form, and Training Evaluation Questionnaire.ResultsAs a result, significant differences were obtained between the experimental and control groups in favor of the group receiving training (z = 3.57, p<0.05). Accordingly, it can be said that 3C contributes to the holistic development of the child.DiscussionIt is hoped that such work could enhance the developmental outcomes of young children in institutional care and improve the quality of early childhood education.

Digest: Extremes of the mating system continuum are the most evolutionarily stable.

Marcondes and Douvas (2024) provide a macroscale insight into the evolution of mating systems in birds. The study shows that resource-defense polygamous lineages are evolutionarily unstable, commonly transitioning into monogamy or going extinct. Surprisingly, lek polygamy is as evolutionary stable as monogamy. While in monogamy both sexes benefit from cooperative behaviour by equally investing in parental care, in lekking systems each sex maximizes their fitness independently: females invest in parental care and males enhance sexually selected traits.

Intraspecific Variation in Parental Care May Reflect Variation in Parental Quality.

The existence of life-history trade-offs is a fundamental assumption of evolutionary biology and behavioural ecology, yet empirical studies have found mixed evidence for this. Such trade-offs are expected when individuals vary in how they allocate their limited resource budgets between different life-history functions (variation in resource allocation), but they may be masked when individuals vary in how many resources they have acquired that they can later allocate to life-history functions (variation in resource acquisition). We currently lack studies on the extent to which individual differences in behaviour reflect variation between individuals in resource acquisition and resource allocation. Here, we use parental care as a case study for exploring this question. We used the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, which exhibits facultative biparental care, comprising direct care (provisioning food or interacting with larvae) and indirect care (guarding or maintaining the carcass). We found some evidence for a positive relationship between these two components of care for both male and female parents. In addition, parents that spent more time providing care 24 h after hatching also tended to provide care for longer. Lastly, parents that provided more parental care did not experience a trade-off of reduced lifespan after the breeding attempt. On the contrary, we found a positive relationship between the duration of care provided and parents' post-breeding lifespan. Our finding of positive relationships between parental behaviours and between parental care and lifespan suggests that variation in care was mainly driven by differences in prior resource acquisition (i.e., parental quality) among individuals rather than differences in resource allocation. Our findings thus suggest that high intraspecific variation in parental quality can potentially mask reproductive investment trade-offs within populations.

Sibling presence during fostering ameliorates endocrine stress profile changes in a social rodent species (Octodon degus) in a sex-specific manner

During early life, disruption of the parent-offspring bond can substantially impact development of offspring physiology and behavior. In rodents, it has been well-documented that parental separation, reduction in parental care, and cross-fostering can affect development of the endocrine stress response. For social species, however, several social factors may mitigate the stress of cross-fostering, such as remaining with other known adult caregivers or siblings. In this study, we cross-fostered a social rodent species (Octodon degus) with or without their siblings at postnatal day (PND) 8 and measured their endocrine stress response immediately after fostering (PND9) and at weaning (PND28). We found that female singly-fostered offspring displayed elevated baseline cortisol levels and reduced weight gain immediately after fostering. At weaning, female singly-fostered offspring continued to display elevated baseline cortisol levels compared to non-fostered female offspring, while singly-fostered males demonstrated weaker cortisol negative feedback strength compared to male offspring that were not fostered or were fostered with their siblings. These results suggest that sibling presence may help mitigate the stress of fostering, and that future studies should further examine other social conditions that may help reduce developmental consequences of long-term parental bond disruption.

Embryonic and Pre-Larval Developmental Patterns in Cryptocentroides arabicus (Teleostei, Gobiidae).

The Arabian goby, Cryptocentroides arabicus (Gobiidae: Gobiinae), is a significant species in marine and brackish water ecosystems. However, limited information is available about the reproductive biology and the early life history of this species. This study aimed to understand the embryonic and pre-larval development of C. arabicus under controlled laboratory conditions using light microscopy. Ten fish pairs were placed in five 70-L glass aquaria, and environmental parameters were carefully monitored. After 4 months, spawning began, with each event yielding between 700 and 1500 eggs, totaling 10 spawning events. The elliptical-shaped eggs, measuring 3.9 ± 0.1 mm in length and 1.6 mm in maximum width, hatched after 7 days and 4 h at a water temperature of 28°C. This process resulted in the identification of eight distinct larval developmental stages. Parental care by both the male and female was observed during the incubation period. Documenting the morphological changes during incubation contributes to a better understanding of the reproductive behaviour and early life history of C. arabicus. This is essential for the conservation management of marine and brackish water environments.

Lifetime fitness benefits of breeding site fidelity and low costs of inbreeding permit inbreeding tolerance in an avian cooperative breeder.

Inbreeding, or breeding with close relatives, often decreases individual fitness, but mate choice in many species can increase inbreeding risk. Inbreeding is more likely in species with limited dispersal, such as cooperative breeders where non-parental individuals-often offspring from previous broods-provide parental care and frequently breed close to home. We leverage 32 years of data from a population of Florida Scrub-Jays ( Aphelocoma coerulescens ), an avian cooperative breeder, to investigate whether mate choice, and its lifetime fitness outcomes, affects inbreeding tolerance. We find that both sexes show a stronger preference for geographically closer rather than less related mates. While female-biased dispersal mitigates inbreeding risk when pairing for the first time, limited movement away from the breeding territory by both sexes for later pairings (following mate death or divorce) results in higher relatedness between mates than expected under random mating. Males paired with close relatives and females that move longer distances experience equivalently reduced lifetime reproductive success. Fitness benefits of breeding site fidelity and relatively low fitness costs of inbreeding thus permit inbreeding tolerance in Florida Scrub-Jays. Understanding how and why mate choice contributes to inbreeding is crucial for informed conservation action for endangered species like the Florida Scrub-Jay.

The interplay of resource availability and parent foraging strategies on juvenile sparrow individual specialization

Temporal variation in resource availability, amplified by global change, may have strong impacts on species breeding at temperate and high latitudes that cue their reproduction to exploit seasonal resource pulses. This study examines how resource availability and parental care influence niche partitioning between and within age classes in the rufous‐collared sparrow, which provides extensive parental care. We hypothesized juveniles would exhibit narrower niches focused on high‐quality resources compared to adults, regardless of resource availability. We used stable isotope analysis to quantify individual and population niches in juveniles and adults across the breeding season in two cohorts experiencing contrasting resource landscapes. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, juveniles exhibited greater among‐individual diet variation and smaller total niche widths (i.e. higher levels of individual specialization, IS) during periods of high food availability in comparison to periods of food scarcity. Interestingly, total niche width and IS of adults remained stable across seasons despite a shift in trophic level, highlighting their potential role in providing a consistent diet for their young. These findings reveal a dynamic interplay between resource availability, parental care, and IS, with important implications for understanding population resilience under variable resource scenarios. The study also suggests that adult sparrows modify their provisioning strategies based on resources, potentially buffering offspring from environmental fluctuations. Understanding age‐specific responses to resource variation is crucial for predicting species responses to ecological conditions, particularly in regions like central Chile where seasonal resource limitation is expected to become more variable in response to climate change.

Vibrations from the crypt: Investigating the possibility of vibrational communication in burying beetles

AbstractCommunication is fundamental in the animal kingdom, essential to interactions such as mating, defense, and parental care. Vibrational communication has often been overlooked in the past, but in recent decades, it has become clear that insects use substrate vibrations as a communication signal. In burying beetles of the genus Nicrophorus, which are known for their biparental brood care, both parents stridulate. Spending a considerable period of their lives underground, it is very likely the beetles utilize vibrations as part of their communication system. As playback experiments are challenging with this species, this study looked at the physical propagation of the signal of Nicrophorus vespilloides Herbst (Coleoptera: Siliphidae) through three soil types, as well as behavior, to see whether vibrational communication is possible. The aims were to determine: (1) whether the soils used in the laboratory compare to soil from the field, (2) whether the distance of propagation is enough for the range the beetles cover during brood care, (3) whether the two sexes show a difference in stridulation likelihood, (4) whether propagation of defensive signals differs from brood care signals, and (5) whether we can determine a behavior during stridulations that shows a clear and useable reaction to the signal. We manipulated beetles to induce stridulation and then used laser Doppler vibrometers to record the signals using three substrates and various distances, alongside behavioral observations. We showed that the three substrates tested, peat, coconut coir, and forest soil, displayed differences in terms of vibrational propagation, and that burying beetle stridulation signals can be transmitted up to about 25 cm in the soil. We also showed that the location where the animals stridulate exerts a significant influence on the total duration and number of stridulations. Overall, vibrational communication is in principle conceivable in this species, as the signals are transmitted far enough in the natural substrate to allow complex communication, opening possibilities for vibrational communication during this biparental brood care.

Psychotropic medication prescribed for children and young people with eating disorders in mental health in-patient services: a quality improvement programme

ABSTRACT The aims of this quality improvement programme were to enable providers of mental health in-patient services for children and young people in England to review their prescribing practice alongside the views and experiences of children, young people and their parent carers. Three online tools were developed. First was a medication census tool to be completed by provider clinicians to capture prescribing practices around psychotropic medication. The two other online tools were questionnaires that provided an opportunity for inpatient children and young people and their parent carers to express their views of the medication. 193 children and young people had a primary diagnosis of eating disorders. Antidepressants were the most widely prescribed (56%), followed by antipsychotics (41%), benzodiazepines, and antihistamines as sedatives (18%) and hypnotics (11%). Of those receiving regular psychotropic medications, 67% were prescribed two or more. Both the children and young people and their parent carers expressed concerns about the high level of psychotropic medication, the number of prn administrations, the number of psychotropic medications prescribed and the extent of side effects. Psychotropic medications are widely prescribed both on a regular and on a prn basis for children and young people with eating disorders in mental health in-patient services.

Effects of development and parental care on Hamilton's force of selection.

The force of selection describes the sensitivity of population growth to changes in life history parameters, with a focus usually on the survival probabilities from one age class to the next. Importantly, according to Hamilton the force of selection generally decreases after the onset of reproduction, thereby providing a possible explanation for patterns of senescence. A second characteristic feature is that the force of selection remains constant up to the age of first re- production. This latter observation, however, rests on the assumption that offspring become independent from their parents right after birth. I show here in a minimal model that if offspring are fully reliant on their parents, either during early embryonal development or via parental care at later stages, and during this time prevent their parents from entering a new bout of repro- duction, the force of selection on offspring survival generally increases up until the age at which offspring become independent. This provides a possible explanation for the commonly observed pattern of decreasing mortality during early ontogeny. Further, genes acting during recurrent life stages are observed to experience a heightened force of selection compared to genes that act strictly age-specifically, demonstrating the need to develop a mechanistic understanding of gene activation patterns through which to consider life history evolution.

Policy and practice recommendations for services for disabled children during emergencies: Learning from COVID-19.

To seek consensus on recommendations for the delivery of services to disabled children in England during future emergencies. Candidate recommendations were drafted based on our related mapping review and qualitative research related to experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Iterative workshops with professionals and parent carers helped to refine the recommendations. A Delphi survey, rating the importance of each recommendation, was conducted with (1) parent carers of disabled children, (2) disabled young people aged 8 to 19 years, and (3) health, education, and social care professionals. A consensus meeting was convened online to discuss the findings and ratify the recommendations. Twenty-eight recommendations were included in the Delphi survey. There were 141 participants in round 1 and 91 in round 2. Seven recommendations reached the agreed consensus criteria for being critical across all stakeholder groups, while 21 recommendations did not reach consensus across all groups. Fourteen participants ratified 23 recommendations, which when aggregated and refined further produced our final 19 recommendations. Reductions in services for disabled children and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic had serious and lasting consequences. This study enabled parent carers, disabled young people, and health, education, and social care professionals to agree recommendations on services for disabled children during future emergencies.

Perinatal loss: attachment, grief symptoms and women’s quality of life

ABSTRACT Aims/Background Perinatal loss may cause intense distress even psychiatric issues, affecting the woman’s quality of life. Attachment may provide a useful perspective in understanding the outcomes of the mourning process. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to evaluate perinatal grief symptoms and the psychological and general quality of life among 137 Italian women (mean age 36,9. ± 6,88 years old) in relation to attachment, specifically measured through parental care and control. Design/Methods About 79.6% of the participants had miscarriages and 20.4% had stillbirths. About 45.3% were childless. The women completed the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Perinatal Grief Scale and the Psychosocial General Well-Being Index online most frequently between 3 and 6 months (56.2%) after the perinatal loss. Results All the study participants showed intense grief and severe grief reactions to loss. Moreover, women experiencing optimal bonding towards their own mothers had a more positive effect on perinatal grief and psychological and general quality of life. Conclusions Attachment-based, tailored interventions for women who have experienced perinatal loss should improve their psychological and overall quality of life.

Confucian filiality revisited: The case of contemporary China

The ideal of filiality ( xiao) – care and reverence for elderly parents and ancestors – is one of the central values in Confucianism. It has been hugely influential in Chinese society. However, it has often been misused and vulgarized in practice, leading to significant human suffering. Hence, there is a need to articulate a morally defensible and realistic interpretation of filiality that is appropriate for the Chinese context. In this article, I articulate an account of filiality that can be deployed to enhance understanding of the ideal, criticize misuses and promote healthy relations among family members. I argue that filiality comprises five parts that have been influential in Confucian philosophy and Chinese society. For each component, I demonstrate that a morally defensible and realistic interpretation must be sensitive to the age and health condition of family members, as well as the particularities of modern Chinese society such as the legacy of the one-child policy. I support my argument with empirical research findings from China. I do not deny the possibility that my argument may be valid outside of China, but I leave it as an open question.

Disaggregating animal welfare risks in aquaculture.

Aquaculture, fueled partly by claims of supporting food security, is experiencing unprecedented growth. Framing aquaculture as a monolith, however, overlooks its extreme taxonomic diversity. This paper assesses the welfare risks associated with that diversity, establishing seven species-level risk factors from involved parental care to long lifespans. Investigating these welfare risks across all aquatic species reported to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed an uneven distribution of risk, with extreme species-level risks in chordates, crustaceans, and cephalopod mollusks. Compared to species with fewer risks, species with extreme welfare risks were found to cost more and contribute the least to global production. This work challenges the notion that prioritizing animal welfare is incompatible with addressing food security and creates the possibility of identifying certain plant and invertebrate species, like seaweeds and bivalves, that minimize welfare concerns while providing affordability and accessibility. Going forward, proactive welfare approaches are needed to inform consumer choice and shape just and sustainable aquaculture policy.

A fine line between attack and care.

Oxytocin neuron projections from two brain regions involved in parental care regulate both parental care and infanticidal behaviors in virgin mandarin voles.

Критерии нуждаемости в постинтернатном патронате: разработка методологического подхода

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">The article is devoted to the analysis of the concepts of “independence”, “adaptation” and “socialization”, as well as to the identification of definitions of the need for post-institutional patronage of persons from among orphans and children left without parental care in normative legal acts and the formulation of conclusions about the criteria of need, taking into account the regional aspect. The article uses a comprehensive approach, including an analysis of theoretical sources, regulations of the Russian Federation and Moscow, as well as the practical experience of specialists. As a result of the study, it was found that “independence” is defined as a generalized personality quality manifested in initiative and responsibility for one’s actions, “adaptation” is considered as an individual’s ability to assimilate the requirements of the environment, whereas “socialization” is understood as the assimilation of social roles and norms. The analysis showed important dynamic aspects of socialization, including the dependence of its success on external factors and the compliance of social skills with age requirements. The article substantiates the introduction of the concept of “desocialization” and criteria for identifying the risk of desocialization in the context of determining the need for post-institutional patronage of this category of citizens.</span></p>