Parenting Practices Research Articles

Child emotional problems: Associations with maternal distress and parenting practices

AbstractObjectiveThe primary aim of the present study was to explore the associations among COVID‐19 distress, maternal parenting practices (e.g., adaptive and maladaptive parenting), COVID‐19 exposure, and emotional problems of preschoolers (ages 3 to 6) in Chinese culture.BackgroundIn the current study, we focused on Shanghai kindergarteners who, due to the complete COVID‐19 citywide lockdown, experienced an interruption in learning and social interaction.MethodParticipants were 382 mothers of children (Mage = 5.49 years, SD = 0.62; 53.4% boys) from one kindergarten in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Upon obtaining consent, mothers completed the measures (administered via an online survey website) of COVID‐19 exposure, COVID‐19 distress, and maternal parenting practices and child's emotional problems.ResultsOur main finding showed that the relation between COVID‐19 exposure and children's emotional problems is serially explained by COVID‐19 distress and maladaptive parenting.ConclusionThe COVID‐19 pandemic has induced and exacerbated a variety of stressors that impact mothers' parenting behavior, which in turn exacerbated child emotional problems.ImplicationsThis research adds to our understanding of the negative impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on Chinese families.

Parent-reported offering of allergen foods to infants during complementary feeding: An observational study of New Zealand infants

The prevalence of food allergies in New Zealand infants is uncertain but is believed to be similar to Australia, exceeding 10%. Current recommendations for reducing food allergy risk are to offer all major food allergens to infants from as early as six months of age (start of complementary feeding), and before 12 months of age. However, little is known regarding parental practices around introducing major food allergens. This study aimed to explore parental offering of major food allergens to infants during complementary feeding, and parent-reported food allergies. The cross-sectional study is a secondary analysis of the multi-centre (Auckland and Dunedin) First Foods New Zealand study of 625 parent-infant dyads. Participants were recruited in 2020–2022 when infants were 7–10 months of age. Questionnaires assessed sociodemographic characteristics, complementary feeding approach, infant pouch use and parental responses to five food allergy questions. All major food allergens had been offered to only 17% of infants by 9–10 months of age. Having offered egg, peanut, tree nuts, sesame, soy and seafood was more commonly associated with using a baby-led complementary feeding approach than a parent-led approach (p < 0.001). Frequent baby food pouch use was associated with a lower likelihood of offering egg and peanut (both p < 0.001). Overall, 12.6% of infants had a reported food allergy, with symptomatic response after exposure being the most common diagnostic tool. Most infants are not offered all major food allergens during early complementary feeding, with some parents actively avoiding major food allergens in the first year of life. These results provide up-to-date knowledge of parental practices, highlighting the need for more targeted advice and strategies to improve parental engagement with allergy prevention and diagnosis.

Parental knowledge, attitudes and practices on the use ofantibiotics in children: a cross-sectional study in UAE

Parental knowledge, attitudes and practices on the use ofantibiotics in children: a cross-sectional study in UAE

A Digital Health Model for School-Based Implementation to Improve Parent and Child Outcomes: Comparison of Active Versus Light-Touch Coaching Effects.

Online or app-based parenting interventions have become more widely available in recent years. However, challenges related to poor engagement and high attrition have been noted in the literature, and there are important questions regarding ways to enhance parental engagement and improve treatment outcomes through digital health, including through the addition of therapeutic coaches. The current study evaluated differences in the effects of active versus "light-touch" coaching implementations of an enhanced version of Family Check-Up Online (FCU-O) on parent/family and child-level outcomes from pre-treatment to 2-month follow-up assessments. The enhanced version of the FCU-O was adapted to support families in coping with pandemic-related stressors to prevent youth behavioral and emotional problems during middle school and included app-based modules designed to support effective parenting practices as well as virtual coaching. In the "active-coach" condition, parenting coaches were active in efforts to arrange coaching sessions with parents as they worked through the app-based modules, while in the light-touch intervention, parent-coaches enrolled participants in the context of a one-time support session but did not actively pursue families to schedule additional sessions. Parents in the active-coach condition exhibited greater engagement with both the app and coaching sessions than parents in the light-touch condition. Further, stronger improvements in several aspects of parenting and child functioning were observed in the active-coach versus light-touch conditions. However, parents in the light-touch condition showed reductions in stress and comparable levels of dosage when using the app. Implications for prevention and accessibility of digital health interventions are discussed.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Parents Regarding Antibiotic Use for Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Children in Basrah, Iraq

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Parents Regarding Antibiotic Use for Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Children in Basrah, Iraq

Parenting and mental health in protracted refugee situations: A systematic review

BackgroundRefugees' parenting behaviour is profoundly influenced by their mental health, which is, in turn, influenced by their situation of displacement. Our research presents the first systematic review on parenting and mental health in protracted refugee situations, where 78% of all refugees reside. MethodsWe pre-registered our protocol and screened documents in 22 languages from 10 electronic databases, reports by 16 international humanitarian organisations and region-specific content from the top 100 websites for each of the 72 countries that ‘host’ protracted refugees. Our criteria were empirical papers reporting parenting and parental mental health data on refugees who are in a protracted refugee situation. Studies including only internally displaced or stateless persons were excluded. ResultsA total of 18,125 documents were screened and 30 studies were included. We identified a universal pathway linking macro-level stressors in protracted refugee situations, such as movement restrictions and documentation issues, to symptoms of depression and anxiety, which, in turn, led to negative parenting practices. Additionally, culture-specific pathways were observed in the way parental mental health and parenting were expressed. Situational (e.g., overcrowding) and relational factors (e.g., spousal dynamics) modulated both of these pathways. Biases in the research included the over-representation of specific protracted refugee situations, overreliance on self-reported data, and a heavy focus on mothers while neglecting fathers and other caregivers. Longitudinal research is needed to clarify the directionality and causality between specific macro-level stressors in a given protracted refugee situation and parental mental health and practices. Refugees were rarely consulted or involved in the design of research concerning their parenting and parental mental health. ConclusionIn recognising the existing links between protracted refugee situations, parental mental health, and parenting, our systematic review calls for a shift in thinking: from focusing solely on the micro aspects that affect ‘refugee parenting’ to understanding and tackling the broader macro-level stressors that drive them. We urge larger and long-term research efforts that consider diverse protracted refugee situations, greater investment in science communication and diplomacy with governments, and stronger implementation of durable solutions by states to alleviate the roots of refugee parents' distress and negative parenting practices.

Maternal perceived safety and parenting practices with young children: a cross-sectional analysis from 15 low-income and middle-income countries

IntroductionSocial environments can influence parents’ caregiving capacities and the quality of nurturing care provided to children. These links, in turn, can shape children’s developmental outcomes over the life course. We...

Adolescents’ mental health is associated with food parenting practices among British Columbian families

BackgroundAdolescence is a developmental period marked by significant changes related to the body and food parenting practices. However, few studies have explored child-level psychological correlates of these practices during adolescence. Our study examined whether adolescents’ weight status, weight concerns, self-esteem, and anxiety were associated with food parenting practices, and whether these associations significantly differ by adolescents’ gender among 297 families in British Columbia, Canada. MethodsParents (47 years, 76% mothers) completed a food parenting practice item bank. Adolescents (14 years, 52% girls) self-reported their height and weight, weight concerns, self-esteem, and anxiety. Covariate-adjusted regression models evaluated the association of adolescents’ weight and mental health with nine practices (main effects). Interactions were used to evaluate the moderating role of gender, and further decomposed in all models to examine simple effects within each gender group. ResultsMain-effect models showed positive associations between: (1) weight concerns and child involvement, (2) weight concerns and accommodating practices, (3) self-esteem and healthy eating opportunities, and (4) self-esteem with meal routines, as well as negative associations between: (5) self-esteem and accommodating practices, (6) self-esteem and coercive control, and (7) anxiety and rules and limits. In all models (except one) interactions with gender were not significant; however, in all cases the decomposed effects showed only significant effects among girls. A significant gender interaction emerged in (8) the association between anxiety and coercive control, but the decomposed effects were not significant for either gender. Adolescents’ weight status was not associated with food parenting practices in any model. ConclusionsFood parenting practices are associated with mental health indicators among British Columbian families; however future studies should examine multidirectional relationships between these practices, adolescents’ mental health, and eating habits.

Parental norms and attitudes in Relation to Children’s sugar consumption − A mediation analysis of the “Are You Too Sweet?” intervention study

Parental influence on children’s dietary behaviour makes parents an obvious target for prevention strategies with nutritional foci. Mediation analysis is considered a valuable tool for understanding the underlying mechanisms of influence in intervention studies aimed at implementing behaviour change strategies.The present study used data from the multi-component cluster-randomised intervention “Are You Too Sweet?” with 153 Danish children (5–7 years) to explore mediating effects and role of parental determinants on added sugar intake in children.A pre-and post-intervention questionnaire evaluated parental knowledge, practices, self-efficacy, norms, and attitudes. Children’s dietary intake was estimated from a seven-day dietary record. Associations between children’s added sugar intake and parental responses and changes in responses following the intervention were evaluated using linear mixed models. Exploring potential behaviour change pathways of the intervention was done using mediation analyses.Children’s reduction in added sugar consumption was partly mediated by changes in parental norms and attitudes regarding limiting sugar-rich foods and drinks to special occasions. Parental knowledge of guidelines on the intake of sugar-rich discretionary foods and drinks increased as an intervention effect but did not demonstrate a mediating effect. No significant changes or mediating effects were found in parental self-efficacy or practices.The findings highlight parental norms and attitudes regarding restricting sugar-rich foods and drinks to special occasions as modifiable and a mediator for reducing added sugar intake in the “Are You Too Sweet?” intervention study.Trial registration: Retrospectively registered at ISRCTN: ISRCTN10409779.

Mothers’, Fathers’, and Children’s Other Caregivers’ Socioemotional Caregiving Practices and Early Childhood Development in 51 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

This study examined children’s mothers’, fathers’ and other caregivers’ socioemotional parenting practices in 159,959 families with 3- to 4-year-olds from 51 low-and-middle income countries. Mothers engaged in the most socioemotional caregiving practices, followed by other caregivers and then fathers. The more socioemotional caregiving practices mothers engaged in, the more fathers engaged in, but the fewer other caregivers engaged in. The higher the level of national development, the more likely it is that mothers and fathers, but the less likely it is that other caregivers, engaged in socioemotional caregiving practices. Nations with mothers who engaged in more socioemotional caregiving practices had children who demonstrated more advanced development. At the within-country level, the more that all three caregivers engaged in socioemotional caregiving practices, the greater was children’s development.

Influence of parental practices on eating habits in school children aged 6-11 years of instituto particular bilingüe abdón calderón (IPAC) from january 2023 to march 2023

Influence of parental practices on eating habits in school children aged 6-11 years of instituto particular bilingüe abdón calderón (IPAC) from january 2023 to march 2023

A longitudinal study of perceived stress, tangible social support, and gender on Mexican American parental feeding practices.

This study examined the association between perceived stress and perceived tangible social support on parental feeding practices in a sample of Mexican American parents of young children. Tangible social support was examined as a potential moderator of perceived stress on parental feeding. Results by parent gender were also examined. A secondary analysis of data from a 2-year, longitudinal cohort study of parental feeding practices and child weight status was used. The sample consisted of (N = 495) Mexican American parents. Random effects models that accounted for the interdependence of couples were used to test hypotheses. Perceived stress was negatively associated with positive involvement, b = -0.07, SE = 0.03, 95% confidence interval [-0.12, -0.02], in both parent genders. Parent gender moderated the association between tangible social support and pressure to eat, F(1, 886) = 3.94, p = .048, with fathers reporting less pressure to eat behavior than mothers at high levels of support. Parent gender moderated the interaction between tangible social support and perceived stress on pressure to eat, F(1, 851) = 8.02, p = .005, such that for low-stress mothers, going from low to high tangible social support was associated with an increase in pressure to eat behavior. Also, for fathers with low tangible social support at baseline, going from low to high stress was associated with a decrease in pressure to eat. Perceived stress among Mexican American parents serves as a barrier to healthful feeding practices. However, both cultural and structural forces may influence pressure to eat behavior in this population. Implications for childhood health are examined. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal relations between parenting practices and prosocial behaviors in recent immigrant Latino/a adolescents: Familism values and ethnic identity as mediators

IntroductionThe present study investigated the mediating roles of familism values and ethnic identity in longitudinal associations between recent immigrant U.S. Latino/a adolescents' reports of their parents' (i.e., mothers' and fathers') use of social and material rewards and prosocial behaviors.MethodsParticipants included 302 recent immigrant U.S. Latino/a adolescents (M age = 14.5 years at Time 1, range = 13–17 years, 53% male) recruited from Los Angeles and Miami. Participants self-reported on their perceptions of parents' use of social and material rewards (Time 1), familism values (Time 3), ethnic identity (Time 5), and multiple types of prosocial behaviors (Time 6).ResultsPath analyses showed that mothers' use of social rewards was indirectly related (via familism values and ethnic identity) to higher levels of everyday types of helping behaviors seen in youth, whereas mothers' use of material rewards was only directly related to motive-based helping behaviors. In contrast, we found no significant direct or indirect relations from fathers' use of social or material rewards and prosocial behaviors.DiscussionThe discussion describes the parenting and cultural assets that facilitate varied types and motives of prosocial behaviors in recent immigrant U.S. Latino/a youth. Family-based interventions, prosocial development theories, and future research on this topic can target prosocial parenting practices (e.g., social rewards) and cultural assets (e.g., familism values, ethnic identity) to facilitate helping in youth.

Dynamics of everyday practices of urban parents

In order to further improve family policy, the article aims to analyze the dynamics of everyday practices of parents. The empirical basis is the databases on individuals of the Comprehensive monitoring of living conditions (GKS-KOUZH — 2011,2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 years), which is conducted by the Federal State Statistics Service. Subsamples of urban fathers and mothers living with children under the age of 15 have been formed. The daily practices of parents are analyzed based on the indicators of work, leisure, sports, health, smoking and alcohol consumption contained in the database, depending on gender, educational level and number of children. The article presents an analysis of studies on the transmission of constructive and destructive parenting practices to children. It is shown that during the analyzed period, the proportion of parents who work in their specialty, attend various leisure facilities, participate in the activities of political and public organizations, engage in sports and drink alcohol is stable. The proportion of mothers attending religious institutions and meetings of believers has decreased. There are positive trends in a significant increase in the proportion of both fathers and mothers who are satisfied with their profession and salary, who make tourist trips, who positively assess their health and a decrease in the proportion of fathers who smoke. According to the analysis of the KOUZH-2022, more parents with higher education work in their specialty, are satisfied with wages, have the opportunity to work distantly via the Internet, practice buying food and goods over the Internet, make tourist trips, visit the theater, museums, exhibitions, restaurants, participate in social activities, do not smoke, play sports or active recreation compared to parents without higher education. Parents with many children are similar in terms of types of professional activities and level of education to one- and two-child parents. The absolute advantage of parents with many children is a significant proportion of religious fathers and the lowest level of alcohol consumption by fathers and mothers. Positive trends in the daily activities of parents inspire optimism about the prospects for fertility and the quality of parenthood.

Testing a family system-based intervention (ENTREN-F Programme) for a paediatric obesity sample by a randomized controlled trial

This study evaluated the effectiveness of ‘ENTREN-F’ –a multi-component, family system-based intervention-for managing paediatric obesity at National Health Primary Care. A 3-arm, parallel-design, single-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT), 165 families were randomized: Arm 1) ENTREN-F(n = 62) is a 12-week cognitive-behavioural intervention (CBT) family system-based programme, addressing lifestyle changes, children's emotional and social development and the family system, Arm 2) ‘ENTREN’ (n = 52) is a CBT family-based programme for children and parents, not addressing the family system, and Arm 3) Control group (CG) (n = 51) covers individual behavioural monitoring. All children were clinical interviewed to assess a diagnosis. Their effectiveness was assessed against six-month changes in children's body mass index (BMI) z-score, children's psychological well-being, levels of expressed maternal emotion, depression symptoms, parental feeding practices, levels of physical activity and sedentary lifestyles. The maintenance of the changes was evaluated for two years. High-attendance rates for ENTREN-F (72.6% vs. 66% vs. 33%, respectively) indicated its greater acceptance. After programme completion, the BMI z-score reduced by .5 points in almost 50% ENTREN-F (n = 22/45), 21.9% ENTREN (n = 7/32) and 11.8% (n = 2/17) CG participants. There were no significant differences between the three trial arms for anthropometric, psychological, or family-related measures. At the two-year follow-up, both ENTREN-F and ENTREN showed similar long-term effectiveness without between-group differences, and weight trajectories were favourable. ENTREN-F appears effective for childhood obesity management; however, the COVID-19 pandemic limited the sample size. Also, the tendency towards multiple differences in child and family outcomes could not be statistically shown. It also provides further evidence of the role of psychological and family-related factors that may underlie the origin and maintenance of weight gain.

Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice: Policy Statement.

Reading together often with infants and young children strengthens their relationships with parents/caregivers at a critical time in child development, stimulating brain circuitry and early attachment. A positive parenting practice, shared reading helps build the foundation for healthy social-emotional, cognitive, language, and literacy development, setting the stage for school readiness and providing enduring benefits across the life course. Pediatric physicians and advanced care providers have a unique opportunity to encourage parents/caregivers to establish routines and enjoy conversations around books and stories with their children beginning in infancy. Research has demonstrated that parents read and children learn when pediatricians offer literacy promotion as a practical and evidence-based primary prevention strategy in primary care practice to support early brain and child development. This supports families with a strengths-based approach, shaping a child's life trajectory and helping mitigate stress and adverse experiences. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians encourage shared reading beginning at birth and continuing at least through kindergarten as a strategy for supporting parents/caregivers, enhancing foundational relationships, promoting positive language-rich interactions, and helping families create a nurturing and stimulating home environment. The integration of literacy promotion into pediatric resident education is crucial to achieve that goal and thus is also essential. The AAP supports advocacy toward establishing public and private funding for diverse high-quality, developmentally appropriate children's books in the languages preferred by the family to be provided at pediatric health supervision visits to all children, but especially to children living in underresourced communities. This statement is supported by multiple AAP policies and implementation resources, including the accompanying "Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice: Technical Report."

Understanding bidirectional and transactional processes of child eating behaviours and parental feeding practices explaining poor health outcomes across infancy and early childhood in Australia: protocol for the Longitudinal Assessment of Children’s Eating (LACE) study

IntroductionChild eating behaviours develop through interactions between the child’s characteristics, psychological factors and the child’s social environment and this affects the child’s diet and weight. To examine the currently existing...

A web-based and mobile randomised controlled trial providing complementary feeding guidelines to first-time parents in France to promote responsive parental feeding practices, healthy children’s eating behaviour and optimal body mass index: the NutrienT trial study protocol

BackgroundChildhood obesity is a crucial public health issue. Early childhood is a critical time to foster the establishment of healthy eating behaviours and growth, which are partly shaped by parental feeding practices. To inform French parents of the recently updated national complementary feeding guidelines for 0–3 years (in terms of nutrition and responsive feeding as a mean to encourage infant appetite control skills and promote healthy growth), an official printed brochure was developed and nationally disseminated in 2021 by the French public health agency, Santé publique France. This randomised controlled trial aims to investigate whether the provision of guidelines through digital (smartphone application) and printed (brochure) tools (vs. the printed brochure alone, usual service) results in healthier parental feeding practices, infant eating behaviours and weight status.MethodsThis double-blinded monocentric 2-arm trial is currently conducted among first-time parents living in the area of Dijon (France) and recruited in a maternity ward. From child age 3 to 36 months (mo), an app provides a range of 106 age-adapted messages, including dietary recommendations, educational advice, recipes, and tips (intervention group only). Additionally, parents of both groups are provided with 48 messages related to child general development and the printed brochure at child age 2.7 mo. The primary outcome is the body mass index (BMI) z-score at child age 36 mo. Secondary outcome measures include a combination of online parents’ reports and behavioural assessments (experimental meals) of parental feeding practices and infant eating behaviours from inclusion to 36 months of age. Analyses of covariance on these outcomes will assess the effect of the intervention, adjusted for relevant confounders. Complementary mediation and moderation analyses will be conducted. Sample size was determined to be n = 118 in each arm of the trial, plus 20% to compensate for potential attrition.DiscussionThis is the first public eHealth randomised control trial in France to assess the effect of a web-based and mobile intervention targeted to first-time parents to improve child feeding practices and child growth.Trial registrationThis trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05285761 (March 18, 2022).

Supplemental Material for A Longitudinal Study of Perceived Stress, Tangible Social Support, and Gender on Mexican American Parental Feeding Practices

Supplemental Material for A Longitudinal Study of Perceived Stress, Tangible Social Support, and Gender on Mexican American Parental Feeding Practices

A Study on the Relationship between Parental Parenting Styles and Adolescent Attachment Decision Making Styles

This study investigates the associations between perceived parenting styles, attachment orientations, and decision - making styles among adolescents. Employing a cross - sectional, correlation research design, data were collected from 197 eighth - grade students (111 boys and 86 girls) Participants completed self - reported scales measuring perceived parenting styles, attachment styles, and decision - making styles. The results revealed a significant positive correlation between parental responsiveness and secure attachment, highlighting the crucial role of parental warmth and support in fostering secure attachments during adolescence. Conversely, a significant correlation was found between parental control and fearful attachments, indicating the adverse effects of harsh and inconsistent parenting practices on attachment patterns. . These findings underscore the importance of responsive parenting in nurturing secure attachment bonds and advocate for culturally sensitive approaches to understanding parenting styles. Further research is warranted to explore parental influences on adolescent decision - making across diverse cultural contexts, with implications for tailored interventions aimed at promoting positive outcomes in adolescents' development.