Parental Family Research Articles

Family meals are associated with lower substance use in female adolescents.

Adolescents, especially female youth, who have more family meals tend to be at lower risk for substance use. The present study tested whether family meals relate to substance use count and frequency during high school, whether associations differ by gender, and whether other family-related variables explain these associations. A community sample of 316 adolescents (Mage = 16.40, SD = 0.74; 56.96% female; 41.77% Latine, 23.10% Asian American, 29.11% European American, 6.01% from other ethnic backgrounds including Middle Eastern and African American) reported the number of substances they have ever used and how often they used alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes, and completed measures of parental support and family cohesion. Across 15 days, they reported whether they had a family meal, got along with parents, and spent leisure time with their family each day. Regression models tested associations between frequency of family meals and substance use, whether associations differed by gender, and whether associations were explained by other family-related variables. Results indicated that more frequent family meals were associated with lower substance use count and less frequent alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use among female adolescents but not male adolescents. Other daily family experiences were unrelated to substance use, and family meal frequency was independently related to lower substance use after accounting for parental support and family cohesion. Taken together, more frequent family meals in high school may reduce substance use risk for female adolescents, and interventions could consider promoting family meals in addition to other positive family values.

Isolation's Echo Current Perspectives in Loneliness Research

Despite increasing incidence across the world, not much evidence is available for understanding and effective management of loneliness. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, hard economic times, parental stress, marriage issues and other factors pressed the global population with severe loneliness in high-income, low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This literature review investigates the current landscape of loneliness in high and LMICs to identify new developments, knowledge gaps and insights. This literature search in electronic databases, PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar, to gather qualitative and quantitative evidence and evaluate reported symptoms, prevalence and variance of loneliness across populations. The review focused on unaddressed or contentious issues that are vital for evidence-based interventions. The incidence of loneliness among adolescents, married, children, and separated partners in high and LMIC resonated around vulnerability due to socio-economic, cultural, political and ethnic features. A global incidence of loneliness manifested through parental stress, family conflict, abuse and victimization, racial discrimination, loss of jobs, the COVID-19 pandemic and weak social connections. In children aged 4 to 10 years, loss of pro-social activities like hobbies, sports, school, family conflicts, child-parent disagreements, sedentary behaviors like increased screen time, health disparities and racism have been associated with loneliness. Loneliness has been deemed a trigger of poor social development, quality of life and family fragmentation. The global variance of loneliness can be attributed to unique risk factors. Loneliness implicates social isolation, stress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances among children, adolescents and elderly people. Apart from parental stress, the recent pandemic amplified its prevalence due to hard economic times, loss of jobs and curfews. Males, adolescents and children are the major victims of ensuing loneliness. nonetheless, our study established that physical exercise is an effective intervention against loneliness. Keywords: Loneliness Research, Social Isolation, Mental Health, Psychological Well-being, Current Perspectives

Problems and Suggestions of Parents in Family Education in the Context of the "Double Reduction" Program

With the introduction of the "double-decrease" policy and the Family Education Promotion Act, the status and importance of family education has become more and more prominent. Parents, as the main body of family education, play a crucial role in family education, and improving the level of parental family education is an important issue in promoting the healthy growth of children and adolescents and deepening education reform. At present, parents in family education still have the problems of weak consciousness, unclear understanding of the identity of the main body of family education, "utilitarianization" of family education, inappropriate education methods and insufficient ability of parents in family education, etc. In view of the above problems, we can discuss countermeasures from the main body of family education, the goal, the way and other aspects to enhance the ability of parents in family education and improve their level of family education. To address these problems, countermeasures can be explored from the aspects of the subject, goal and method of family education, so as to enhance parents' ability in family education and improve their family education level.

Associations between parental civic engagement, negative beliefs towardcivic engagement and youths' future civic attitudes and behaviors.

Civic engagement (CE) in adolescence is associated with a higher level of engagement in adulthood and is reported to be beneficial to youth's development and societal well-being. Parents are among the most influential factors in adolescents' lives. This study examined the associations between parents' own civic participation, their negative beliefs toward youth CE and their child's future CE. While prior research documented positive associations between parental civic behaviors and youth CE, the role of parental negative beliefs has remained unexplored and could act as an additional barrier to adolescents' CE. A total of 234 adolescents (65% girls; mean age = 13.77) and their parents (79% mothers; mean age = 44.20), residing in the Canadian province of Quebec from 2016 to 2019, were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Parents completed measures of their civic activities and their negative beliefs regarding youth CE. Adolescents completed measures of future civic attitudes and behaviors. Hierarchical regressions revealed significant positive cross-sectional associations between parental civic behaviors and their child's future civic attitudes and behaviors. However, parental negative beliefs toward youth CE were negatively associated with youths' future civic attitudes and behaviors, even after considering parental civic behaviors and family socioeconomic status. Adolescents' age did not moderate these relationships. These findings highlight the significant role that parents could play in shaping CE of future generations. Interventions promoting youth CE should thus target both adolescents and their parents.

Parenting and psychological adjustment during middle childhood in lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parent families formed through assisted reproduction.

Parenting and psychological adjustment during middle childhood in lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parent families formed through assisted reproduction.

The Influence of Family Experience and Environment on Alcohol Use in Patients with Mental Disorders

Background: environmental influences on alcohol use in patients with mental disorders have received little research, although they may be another determinant of alcohol use beyond illness. The aim was to study the influence of family traditions and social environment on alcohol consumption by patients with mental disorders. Patients: 106 patients with various mental disorders who received treatment in inpatient and outpatient settings. Methods: patient information was received from the medical record and interviews using questionnaire “Alcohol use: experience, pattern, treatment” and scales: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser Scale (UKU), Drug Attitude Inventory-10 (DAI-10). Results: the proportion of patients with high risk for alcohol use problems was 21% of all patients. Patients with a high level of risk differed in the style of drinking alcohol in the parental family: their parents drank alcohol more often. These patients also had their first experience of drinking alcohol in their parental family. There were more people who drank alcohol in large quantities in the past environment of such patients. Although high-risk patients had changed their current environment, they were still more likely to make situational alcohol choices, use it more often to cope with difficulties, and appeared to use previously established drinking styles. All high- risk patients began drinking alcohol before the onset of the disease. Conclusions: patients with a high risk of problems with alcohol use are more likely to have learned their drinking style from their parents, and they are more likely to drink alcohol under the influence of the situation. However, one third of patients were able to reduce their alcohol consumption during illness.

Parenting Educational Styles and Obesity Association in Mexican Children.

Introduction Obesity can develop from childhood through adulthood and is influenced by genetics, family, and environmental factors. Parenting educational style is believed to contribute to an individual's future weight status. This study aims to assess the connection between parenting educational style and weight-related issues. Methods The study involved 487 participants, including either the mother and/or father and their school-age child, aged 6-11, at a primary care unit in Mexico. Fifty-two records were excluded due to incomplete questionnaires, electronic records, and refusal of informed consent. The study group consisted of 435 adults and children who completed an adapted version of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) tailored for the Mexican population. The researchers also gathered anthropometric measurements of the primary caregiver (parent) and the child from the electronic record to calculate their BMI and nutritional status. We used IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0 (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) to analyze the data. The Pearson Chi-square and Fisher's exact test were applied to examine interaction terms between variables, revealing a statistically significant p-value of <0.05. Results Out of the 435 patients examined, there were 229 (52.6%) children and 206 (47.3%) adult patients. Grade 2 obesity was present in 90 (39.3%) school-age children and 104 (50.5%) adult patients. The family's parenting educational style, as determined by the PSDQ questionnaire, was found to be permissive in 143 (69.4%) patients, authoritarian in 33 (16.0%) patients, and authoritative in 30 (14.6%) patients. Conclusions Parenting educational style and the PSDQ tool can be used to assess how parents influence the development of obesogenic home environments. We observed that a permissive parenting educational style was linked to a more obesogenic environment, whereas an authoritative parenting educational style was linked to a less obesogenic environment.

Supplemental Material for Parenting and Psychological Adjustment During Middle Childhood in Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Parent Families Formed Through Assisted Reproduction

Supplemental Material for Parenting and Psychological Adjustment During Middle Childhood in Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Parent Families Formed Through Assisted Reproduction

Mediating role of gestational weight gain in the relationship between socioeconomic status and preterm birth: a Chinese population-based study

BackgroundThe modifiable mechanisms underlying the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and preterm birth remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between preterm birth and maternal SES or gestational weight gain (GWG), as well as the role of GWG in mediating SES disparities in preterm birth.MethodsData was from a hospital-based sub-study of physical growth and development survey for Chinese newborns with various gestational ages. Singleton newborns aged from 24 to 42weeks’ gestation and their mothers were included. Using information from maternal questionnaire, a composite SES was constructed with parental education and family annual income. GWG as mediator was calculated by deducting pre-pregnancy weight from maternal weight at delivery. Logistic regression model was adopted to investigate the association of preterm birth with SES or GWG. Causal mediation analysis was performed to measure mediating effect of GWG on the pathway from SES to preterm birth.ResultsAfter controlling for potential confounders, risk of preterm birth was reduced by 12.4% (OR = 0.876, 95%CI:0.855–0.879) for per one-kilogram increase of GWG, and risk of preterm birth was reduced by 24% (OR = 0.760, 95%CI: 0.717–0.806) for per one-unit increase of SES score. Mediation analysis supported a significant association between higher SES and decreased risk of preterm partly through higher GWG, in which estimated proportion mediated by GWG was 13.04% (95%CI: 11.89–16.25). GWG also played a significant role as a mediator when socioeconomic status was indicated by maternal education, paternal education or family income. GWG mediated approximately 11.03% (95% CI: 8.56–18.25) of the total effect of SES on very preterm birth, which was greater than that for moderate preterm birth (6.72%, 95%CI: 2.72–31.52) and late preterm birth (9.04%, 95%CI: 5.24–24.04). A series of sensitive analysis confirmed the robustness of association of interest.ConclusionIncreased GWG and higher socioeconomic status are strongly associated with a lower risk of preterm birth. GWG mediates socioeconomic disparities in preterm birth, most notably in very preterm birth. Understanding this mechanism will aid in the development of interventions and policy for maternal and child health care.

SNS 기반 영아기 자녀를 둔 아버지교육 프로그램 개발 및 효과

Objectives This study aimed to develop and validate the effectiveness of education program for fathers of infants based on Social Networking Services (SNS). Methods To achieve this, the researcher developed a education program based on SNS for fathers of infants, following a 6-step procedure and the effects were examined by investigating 17 fathers of infants who live in S City, S District (17 in the experimental group, 17 in the control group). The program consisted of 10 sessions conducted through a non-face-to-face approach using SNS. To analyze the program results, χ2 tests, ANCOVA, and qualitative data analysis were conducted. Results The findings are as follows. First, the experimental group participating in the SNS-based father education program showed an improvement in the parental engagement of fathers with infants. Second, participants in the program exhibited enhanced family well-being and increased happiness in their infants. Third, qualitative data revealed changes in fathers' perception on parental engagement, family well-being, and infants' happiness throughout the SNS-based father education program. Conclusions This study provides valuable foundational data indicating that an SNS-based father education program for fathers of infants can enhance parental engagement, elevate family well-being, and increase infants' happiness. The findings are significant in providing a basis for father education and suggesting strategies to promote father education within early childhood education institutions.

Children and families with chronic pediatric acquired brain injury in need of rehabilitation: characteristics and main challenges in daily life

Purpose To increase our understanding of child and parent characteristics, family functioning and main challenges in daily life in children and families in need of rehabilitation in the chronic phase of pediatric acquired brain injury (pABI). Methods Fifty-eight children (aged 6–16, 48% girls) were included at least one year post ABI. Demographics and questionnaire data regarding children’s symptom burden, parents’ emotional symptoms and family functioning were collected. Children and parents named their main pABI-related challenges in daily life, and these were categorized in accordance with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Descriptive statistical analyses were performed. Results Parents’ emotional symptom loads were high; 22.3% had moderate, moderate-severe or severe depression symptoms while the equivalent number for anxiety symptoms was 17.9%. Problematic family functioning was reported by 32.1% of parents. When asked about their main pABI-related challenges in daily life, 69% of children named school. The most frequent ICF chapters for children and parents were school education, energy and drive functions (mainly fatigue), and emotional functions. Codes spanned across all ICF-domains. Conclusions Rehabilitation for pABI should have a broad, interdisciplinary, and family-centered approach, with school, fatigue, and emotional functioning of parents and children as potential core elements.

Impact of digital technology on family life and leisure activities: An approach from families with adolescents

This study investigates parents’ perceptions of the impact of digital technology on family life and leisure activities for adolescents (11–17 years old). Through three focus groups, 19 parents aged 33 to 56 participated. The discourse analysis, conducted using NVivo software and grounded theory, revealed how families access and use digital technology and its impact on parental supervision and family leisure activities. Parents noted the importance of digital skills to protect adolescents from online risks and to engage in virtual activities together. The study highlights the need for parents to improve their digital competencies to effectively manage and participate in their children’s digital lives. Future research should explore the digital skill levels of parents to identify barriers to effective digital inclusion and develop strategies to address these gaps. This will enable families to better navigate the digital landscape and ensure a balanced and safe integration of technology into their daily lives.

A Comparison of Children’s Social Behaviors in Single Mother and Two Parent Families in Japan

The present study examined the differences between young children from single-mother families and those from two-parent families based on their prosocial behaviors and behavior problems. Mothers’ affectionate parenting was also compared. We collected data using a Japanese online survey company. A total of 335 women who had a 3 to 5-year-old child participated; 51.2% of which were single mothers. The mothers rated their child’s behavior problems and prosocial behavior and answered a questionnaire on affectionate parenting. The results indicated a significant interaction effect of family structure and child’s gender on children’s behavior problems. The scores of girls were significantly higher than those of the boys in single-mother families, whereas no such gender difference was found in two-parent families. Concerning the scores of children’s prosocial behaviors and the mothers’ affectionate physical contact, however, there was no difference between single-mother and two-parent households. Limitations of using internet surveys were discussed.

Social well-being and problematic school absence among Danish adolescents: A nationwide cross-sectional study.

Adolescents' well-being and school absence are important factors for public health. The aim of this study was to examine the association between social well-being and problematic school absence among Danish adolescents in the ninth grade, as well as to examine potential sex differences, using a large cohort of adolescents. In this cross-sectional study, information on social well-being was obtained from the yearly Danish National Well-being Questionnaire mandatory in compulsory school. Data on school absence was obtained from the Ministry of Children and Education. The study population comprised 203,570 adolescents in the school years 2014/2015 to 2019/2020. The association between social well-being and problematic school-absence was analysed using logistic regression. A stratified analysis was made to investigate potential sex differences. A total of 17,555 (9.16%) adolescents had problematic school absence, defined as >10% illegal absence and/or sickness absence in the ninth grade. Adolescents with low social well-being had higher odds for having problematic school absence compared with adolescents with high social well-being, adjusted odds ratio=2.22 (95% confidence interval 2.10-2.34). When stratifying for sex, the association was strongest for girls. The results remained after adjustment for parents' educational level and family structure. Associations between adolescents' social well-being and problematic school absence were found, where girls had the strongest association. These findings might provide knowledge about social well-being as an important factor for problematic school absence, while underlining the importance of early focus and prevention, which is of importance for both the adolescents and society.

Impact of Consanguinity and Familial Aggregation on Vitiligo Epidemiology in Saudi Arabia: A Case-Control Study.

Background Vitiligo, characterized by depigmented patches due to melanocyte loss, involves genetic, autoimmune, and environmental factors. Recent studies suggest a link between family history, consanguinity, and vitiligo prevalence, particularly in regions with prevalent consanguineous marriages. This study explored the relationship between consanguinity and familial vitiligo prevalence in Saudi Arabia. Methods A case-control study enrolled 792 participants from Saudi dermatology clinics (382 vitiligo cases, 408 controls). Family histories and consanguinity levels were assessed. Logistic regression analysis, adjusting for relevant variables, evaluated associations. Results Significant associations were found between vitiligo and both parental consanguinity and family history. Cases had higher consanguinity rates, with 246 out of 382 (64.4%), compared to controls, with 161 out of 408 (39.5%). A positive family history of vitiligo was more common in cases, with 184 out of 382 (48.2%)than in controls, with 90 out of 408 (22.1%). Logistic regression identified parental consanguinity and positive family history as significant risk factors for vitiligo, with adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of 2.39 and 2.92, respectively. Their synergistic effect notably amplified the risk (aOR = 7.58), indicating a complex genetic and familial influence on vitiligo in Saudi Arabia. Conclusions Consanguinity showed a significant association with vitiligo prevalence, highlighting genetic factors' role. Further genetic research is needed to identify specific mutations in vitiligo among consanguineous populations. Genetic counseling and awareness programs are crucial in regions with high consanguinity rates to mitigate vitiligo and other genetic disorders' risks.

PARENTAL INFLUENCE ON CHILDREN'S FAST-FOOD CHOICES: A STUDY OF FAMILY DECISION-MAKING

Concerns about obesity and lifestyle diseases have increased as children eat more fast food. Parents influence children's eating patterns, especially fast-food selections. This study explores family decision-making processes to determine parental influence on children's fast-food habits. We surveyed 5–15-year-old families to determine how parental supervision, socioeconomic conditions, and family dynamics affect children's diets. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics in this quantitative study. While parental influence is significant, children's preferences and external effects like peer pressure and marketing can influence fast food choices. The study found that parental supervision and public health programs can help kids eat healthier. Parents, schools, and legislators are advised to help youngsters make healthier eating choices.

The role of opportunity versus effort in shaping long-term well-being in China

ABSTRACT Whether children who inherit social advantages or those who exhibit motivated hard work are more likely to attain superior well-being over time remains a critical question, yet has received little empirical examination. This paper aims to provide new evidence from China on this issue by deploying a natural experiment research design. The empirical analysis explores the link between early-life experiences shaped by parental family background and children’s long-term well-being outcome. Using household survey data from China, we find that children born with social advantages tend to complete more years of education in rural areas but fewer years in urban areas compared to their counterparts. Our results are robust to changing the cohort selection, outcome variables, and sources of the analytical sample.

Parental history of cardiovascular risk factors and childhood cardiometabolic risk: The preventive effects of cardiorespiratory fitness and waist circumference within offspring

Introduction: In addition to childhood obesity status, the family history of cardiovascular disorders might be used as a tool for screening youth to identify those at the highest risk of developing metabolic impairments later in life. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine associations between parental history of cardiovascular disease risk factors and childhood cardiometabolic risk, and to examine the role of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and obesity in mediating the relationship between parental history and global cardiometabolic risk. Methods: A cross-sectional study was developed with 2,213 Brazilian youth. The cardiometabolic risk factor (CMRF) score, CRF, and waist circumference (WC) were evaluated. Parental family history of cardiovascular risk factors was obtained through a self-reported questionnaire. Results: Family history of hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity were associated with a higher CMRF score. Also, hypertensive father and high maternal cholesterol, and obesity in both parents increased the prevalence rates of these conditions in the offspring. WC was a mediator in some of these associations, while CRF was a protector for a lower metabolic risk. Conclusion: Evaluating family history, along with WC and CRF is essential for determining pediatric cardiometabolic risk.

Pengaruh Latar Belakang Pendidikan Orangtua Terhadap Kedisiplinan Anak

Parents' attention in educating children in the family environment is very important because the family is the best place to start education, in the family environment learning opportunities can be utilized to develop children's talents. Discipline is obedience and obedience to something that has been agreed upon. Discipline can be trained from an early age through the family's parenting style, in which parents play a bigger role. The method used in this research is a descriptive analysis research method. The research results show that every person who has a different educational background certainly wants their child to be successful and disciplined in the future, therefore every parent provides rules, motivation and encouragement to become an educated and disciplined person because that is important.

Who is involved in child protection investigations? The relationship between gender, ethnicity/migration background, and contacts between parents and caseworkers during investigations and assessments

Involvement of parents in child protection investigations and assessments is important and associated with the quality of care in the system. However, it seems that not all parents are involved to the same extent. Mothers seem to be more involved compared to fathers and parents of minoritized ethnic groups or with migration backgrounds seem less likely to be involved compared to parents of advantaged ethnic populations. In this study, we operationalized involvement by analyzing the number of contacts parents had with child protection agencies. We investigated whether gender and ethnicity or migration background impacted contacts in child protection investigations and assessments in England, the Netherlands, and Germany. We conducted a quantitative case file study and analyzed case files representing investigations and assessments regarding suspected child abuse and neglect (1,954 parents involved in 1,207 child protection cases). Using linear multilevel regression analyses, we investigated whether parent gender and family ethnicity/migration background were associated with the number of contacts that parents had. In all countries, we found that fathers had fewer contacts compared to mothers. In the Netherlands only, we found that parents in migrant families had fewer contacts. We discuss strategies to enhance the involvement of fathers and parents with migration backgrounds.