Parental Behaviour Research Articles

A tale of two cities: Chinese mothers' parental burnout and parenting behaviors in Shanghai and Nanning.

Parental burnout is a psychological syndrome that develops in response to the chronic stressors in one's role as a parent. It can be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of both parents and children and has been empirically proven to result in more negative parenting behaviours. Based on recent research, parental burnout is more prevalent in individualistic cultures. Considering that parenting norms and practices vary greatly across cultures, there could be different effects of parental burnout on parenting practices in different areas. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between parental burnout and parenting behaviours in Shanghai and Nanning, two cities in China that differ in the extent to which they have been exposed to the cultural influence of Western individualism, and to examine the moderating effect of city on these relationship patterns. Three hundred and sixty-eight mothers in Shanghai and 180 mothers in Nanning took part in the survey. On average, mothers in Shanghai had more severe parental burnout than their counterparts in Nanning. Furthermore, parental burnout was associated with positive parenting behaviours (i.e., parental warmth) and negative parenting behaviours (i.e., parental hostility and neglect), and the associations between parental burnout and negative parenting behaviours in Nanning were greater than in Shanghai. These results can be explained by cultural differences in individualism and collectivism between Shanghai and Nanning. This study extends the knowledge on the role of culture in shaping parental roles.

The relationship between parental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour: Australian primary school -aged children and nature experiences

ABSTRACT Children are spending significantly less time outdoors in free play than previous generations, which has implications for children’s development. This study explores parental knowledge, attitudes and the time children spend in outdoor free play. Parents or caregivers of children aged between five and nine years old (N = 82) completed an online mixed methods survey. Data collected included knowledge of the benefits of outdoor play, attitudes towards outdoor play and time children spend outdoors. Participant’s knowledge varied between 1 and 19 benefits of outdoor free play (mean = 7.54). Participants had a positive attitude towards outdoor recreation, demonstrating a statistically significant positive correlation with time their child spends in outdoor free play on a non-school and school day. Findings contribute to research within the Australian context regarding the influence that parental attitude has on children’s engagement with nature, allowing for potential programmes around parental attitudes, to support greater time outdoors.

Parents' management of childhood fever: An exploratory quantitative study in Malta

Every child will, at some stage in their development, experience a febrile episode that their caregiver will have to manage. Literature has reported that parents tend to misdiagnose fever, administer antipyretics incorrectly and become overly anxious about their child when febrile. This study aimed to explore the fever management behaviours of parents in Malta. A quantitative, explorative cross-sectional study was conducted in Malta's acute hospital, Mater Dei, by distributing questionnaires to parents of children aged 6 months–5 years. The results showed that although most Maltese parents diagnose fever at the correct temperature, many are not aware of the correct evidence-based practices for safe pharmacological and non-pharmacological fever management. It is concluded that more dissemination of information is needed to educate and empower parents to manage fever effectively through health professionals other than paediatricians.

The Moderating Effect of Household Income on the Determinants of Parental Contribution to Children in Malaysia

Parents undertake the heaviest responsibility ever to prepare children for a brighter future. The study identified predictors towards parental contribution included parental characteristics, child upbringing, parental purchasing behaviour and financial strain. The moderating role of household income also was addressed. The study surveyed 2,182 respondents from low-income households with children under six years old and found that parental contributions towards their children’s upbringing were significantly influenced by household income. Parental characteristics were detected as important drivers of parental contribution; child upbringing and parental purchasing behaviour influence parental contribution positively, but the negative effect of financial strain was revealed. On the other hand, the upbringing of the children and parental contribution made by parents are significant in deciding the household income. The study highlights that parental contributions play a crucial role in shaping children’s character and development. Appropriate investments in children are essential to ensure they become decent human beings. Furthermore, the study underlines the practical implications for parents, government, and non-government organizations regarding investment in children. It is suggested that benefits, such as allowances provided by the Department of Social Welfare, should be allocated to needy families so that parents can invest in their children’s future. This study emphasizes the importance of investing in children from low-income households to ensure a brighter future, and government and non-government organizations must support these families.

Behaviour and perception of parents on irrational use of antibiotics in children at primary care level

Objective:To investigate the perception of antibiotics, the frequency of inappropriate antibiotic use, and the factors that lead to inappropriate antibiotic use by parents who apply to primary healthcare organizations.Methods:This cross-sectional study included 973 parents who applied to primary healthcare centers. We analyzed basic concepts related to antibiotics prescribed for their children, antibiotic administration, and antibiotic resistance, as well as parents' knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotic use, and their experiences, practices, and perceptions related to purchasing antibiotics without prescription.Results:In the past one year, 78.9% of the parents gave antibiotics to their children at least once, and 39.1% gave antibiotics three or more times. Some of the participants (7.1%) reported having forced the physician to prescribe antibiotics and purchased antibiotics without a prescription (13.2%). The knowledge about antibiotics and awareness about antibiotic resistance were found to be more frequent; among parents who had university degrees, higher income levels, two or fewer children, social insurance and negative behaviours were lower in those who received information about antibiotics from healthcare professionals. The probability of taking antibiotics without prescription was lower in that of with higher income level (OR0.460; 95%CI0.219-0.965), and the probability of forcing antibiotic prescription was higher in those with 3 or more children (OR6.94; 95%CI2.37-20.26). The score obtained from the awareness of antibiotic resistance sub-dimension was found to negatively affect the behavior of forcing antibiotic prescription (OR0.852; 95%CI0.732-0.993) but the score obtained from the behaviour sub-dimension was positively affect this behaviour (OR1.136; 95%CI1.011-1.276).Conclusions:Inappropriate antibiotic use appears to be a problem with negative perception, lack of knowledge and socioeconomic dimension. Studies should be conducted to increase antibiotic knowledge in parents and to expand the scope of social insurance.

The myth and reality of familial resemblance in dietary intake: a systematic review and meta-analysis on the resemblance of dietary intake among parent and offspring.

There is a strong societal belief that parents are role models for their child's dietary behaviours in early life that may persist throughout the life course. Evidence has shown inconclusive dietary resemblance in parent-child (PC) pairs. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine dietary resemblance between parent and children. We systematically searched for studies on PC dietary resemblance, via six electronic databases (PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycNet, CINAHL, and Web of Science) and other grey sources of literature between 1980 and 2020. We performed quality effect meta-analysis model on transformed correlation coefficients (z) to examine the resemblance in dietary intakes including nutrient intakes, food group intakes and whole diet. Finally, the Fisher's transformed coefficient (z) was used for meta-regression analysis to identify potential moderators. Heterogeneity and inconsistency were examined using the Q and I2 statistic. The study is registered on PROSPERO, CRD42019150741. A total of 61 studies met the inclusion criteria for systematic review, 45 were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled analyses showed weak to moderate PC dietary intake associations for energy: (r: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.22), fat (% energy): (r: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.29), protein (% energy): (r: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.27), carbohydrate (% energy): (r: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.29), fruits and vegetable (g/d): (r: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.32), confectionary food (g/d): (r: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.23), and whole diet (r: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.28, 0.42). Dietary intakes associations by study characteristics, including population, study year, dietary assessment method, person reporting dietary intake, quality of the study, and study design were highly variable, but associations were similar between PC pairs. The resemblance among parent-child pairs was weak to moderate for most aspects of dietary intakes. These findings challenge the social myth that parental dietary intake behaviour shapes their child's dietary intake. None.

STUDY OF NEW ONSET TYPE 1 DIABETES AMONG CHILDREN BEFORE AND AFTER COVID 19 PANDEMIC IN A TERTIARY CARE SETTING

Background: On March 11, 2020 the WHO announced a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Lockdown restrictions, compromised access to medical care and fear of potential exposure to SARS-CoV-2 have forced patients with non-COVID-19 illnesses like type 1 diabetes (T1D) to stay home. This situation lead to delay in T1D diagnosis and treatment resulting in rapid progression to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and therefore increased risk of complications and death Objective: To compare between frequency and characteristic of new onset of T1D in children before and after pandemic. Methods: This retrospective cohort study comprises 2 datasets- children diagnosed with new-onset T1D and admitted in MVJ medical college prepandemic from 1sep 2017 to 29 feb 2020 and pandemic from 1 march 2020 to 30 august 2022. We compared frequency and characteristics of children with newly diagnosed T1D before and after pandemic. Results: The number of children admitted to MVJ medical college due to new-onset T1D prepandemic were 9 cases which increased to 25 cases during the study period, with most of children had severe DKA during and after COVID-19. Conclusion: Most of children who admitted with T1D had severe DKA at diagnosis during the pandemic in comparison to prepandemic. The main stems for increase case and severity is delayed diagnosis following changes in parental behaviour and healthcare accessibility and another probability would be viral infections triggering T1D and/or DKA during pandemic. However, it needs to evaluate potential effects of SARS-CoV-2 on increased percentage of new onset T1D.

Decoding Behavioural Norms in School Mobility: A Structural Equation Modelling Analysis

Travel demand modelling for school travel, remains a subject of limited research. The exploitation of factors influencing parents in school mode choice and the understanding of the significance parents attribute to these factors is important, contributing to transport planning and leading to a strategic direction with an ultimate scope to improve the school transportation system and promote the use of alternative transport modes for upgrading the living environment and quality of life in general. The current paper examines the development of a Structural Equation Model (SEM) describing the interrelationships between the factors influencing parents in the decision-making process and the final mode choice. For that, a questionnaire survey is conducted for parents of children aged six to eighteen years old. The collected data are analysed through Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Following, an SEM is developed examining the proposed authors' conceptual model, basic hypotheses of school travel choice, and direct and indirect correlations of factors composing parental behaviour.

Career-specific parental behaviors and career adapting responses in Croatian early and late adolescents

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to validate the Parental Career-related Behaviour scale (PCB) in early (N = 382) and late adolescents (N = 325) in Croatia. The results provided support for the validity and reliability of the PCB in both groups of adolescents. Structural equation modelling results suggested that early and late adolescents did not differ in their perceptions of their parents’ career-related behaviours and that these parenting practices were equally important predictors of students’ career adapting responses. Parental support positively predicted adolescent career readiness, while parental lack of engagement positively predicted adolescent lack of engagement in career construction. Findings suggest that PCB can be used as a valid measure of parental career-related behaviours in early and late adolescents.

An overview of parental care in the foam-nesting frogs of the genus Leptodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae): current knowledge and future directions

Abstract Amphibians exhibit diverse parental care behaviours, which may be performed by the female, male or both parents. In the Neotropical family Leptodactylidae, frogs in the genus Leptodactylus exhibit different parenting behaviours. The repertoire of care behaviours includes egg/nest attendance, nest chamber sealing, tadpole feeding with trophic eggs, and tadpole attendance associated with complex behaviours, such as pumping behaviour and channel digging. Based on the available information, we found that 23.8% of Leptodactylus species are known to exhibit post-fertilization parental care. Future studies should focus on mechanisms involved in parent-offspring communication, including acoustic and chemical signals. Moreover, behaviours such as provisioning with trophic eggs are not well understood and deserves further investigation. Because of these complex parental care behaviours, tadpole schooling, and relative easy observation, frogs in the genus Leptodactylus represent excellent models for studies interested in parent-offspring communication and evolution of parental care.

Parental anxiety in food allergy: using a cognitive behavioural therapy approach to guide early intervention.

Food allergy is a common allergic disease and often coexists with other allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema. Parents of children and young people with food allergy commonly experience stress and anxiety and this can significantly affect their child's mental health. Interventions that incorporate approaches from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can reduce stress and anxiety in parents of children and young people with food allergy and support healthy adjustment and psychological well-being in their children. However, access to psychological services is limited. This article uses reflection on a case study to illustrate the value of taking a CBT-informed intervention approach and to outline the potential role for nurses in its delivery. Research suggests that talking therapies may improve mental health and parenting behaviours in the parents of children and young people with a range of long-term conditions, so this article is also relevant to their care.

The reported effects of neuroscience literacy and belief in neuromyths among parents of adolescents

Neuroscience research has increased our understanding of brain development, but little is known about how parents of adolescents engage with this neuroscientific information. Dutch parents completed a digital survey on neuromyths, neuroscience literacy and views of the adolescent brain and behaviour. These parents believed 44.7% of neuromyths and showed reasonable neuroscience literacy (79.8%). Stronger neuromyth belief predicted a more negative view on adolescent brain development. About 68% of the parents reported that they had changed their parenting behaviour based on their understanding of neuroscientific findings. These self-reported changes most often reflected changes to parents' own behaviour. The results of this study underline the importance for scientists and parents to engage in scientific activities to promote respectful and trusting relationships between them. These relationships have the potential to make communication about adolescent brain development between scientists and parents more effective and will empower parents to use correct information as a basis for their decisions around raising their adolescents.

Paternal perinatal depression: A concept analysis.

Our aim is to clarify the concept of paternal perinatal depression including its definition, attributes, antecedents and consequences. A concept analysis. To obtain relevant evidence, several databases were searched systematically including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library. Qualitative or quantitative articles published in English that focused on paternal perinatal depression were included. After the literature quality assessment, Walker and Avant's concept analysis strategy was used. Five defining attributes (i.e. symptoms occur during the partner's pregnancy or 1-year postpartum and last at least 2 weeks, emotional symptoms, somatic symptoms, negative parenting behaviours and 'masked' symptoms), four antecedents (i.e. personal issues, pregnancy-related issues, infant-related issues, social issues) and three consequences (i.e. offspring outcomes, marital relationship, maternal negative emotions) were identified.

Odrednice sagorijevanja u roditeljstvu

Parental burnout is a syndrome characterised by exhaustion in parenting as a result of permanent exposure to chronic parental stress. This syndrome manifests in emotional distancing from one's children with loss of pleasure and fulfilment in one's parental role and doubts about the ability to be a good parent. The main goal was to examine the contribution of sociodemographic variables (gender and age of parents, education, work status and financial status of the family), personal characteristics of parents (emotional (in)stability and perfectionism in parenting), dimensions of parental behaviour (parental support, permissiveness and restrictive control) and personal characteristics of the target child (gender, age, strengths and difficulties of the child) in explaining parental burnout. A total of 490 parents (90% mothers) participated in the research, with the average age of 40 (M = 40,04; SD = 5,63). The results of HRA show that the most significant predictors of parental burnout are parental characteristics (higher emotional instability and perfectionistic concerns), parental behaviour (low parental support) and child characteristics (younger age of the child, higher level of internalised and externalised problems). The emotional (in)stability of parents is the most significant predictor of parental burnout in the parental role.

Parental help-seeking behaviour for, and care of, a sick or injured child during the COVID-19 pandemic: a European online survey

BackgroundGlobally, the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on patients and healthcare systems. A decline in paediatric visits to healthcare settings was observed, which might have been due to lower incidence of injury and infectious illness, changes in healthcare services and parental concern. The aim of our study was to examine parental experiences of help-seeking for, and care of, a sick or injured child during COVID-19 lockdown periods in five European countries with different healthcare systems in place.MethodsAn online survey for parents with a child with any kind or illness of injury during COVID-19 lockdowns was circulated through social media in five European countries: Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Parents living in one of these countries with self-identification of a sick or injured child during COVID-19 lockdown periods were eligible to fill in the survey. Descriptive statistics were used for the level of restrictions per country, children’s characteristics, family characteristics and reported help-seeking behaviour of parents prior to the lockdown and their real experience during the lockdown. The free text data was subjected to thematic analysis.ResultsThe survey was fully completed by 598 parents, ranging from 50 to 198 parents per country, during varying lockdown periods from March 2020 until May 2022. Parents who completed the survey were not deterred from seeking medical help for their sick or injured child during the COVID-19 pandemic. This finding was comparable in five European countries with different healthcare systems in place. Thematic analysis identified three main areas: parental experiences of access to healthcare, changes in parents’ help-seeking behaviours for a sick or injured child during lockdowns, and the impact of caring for a sick or injured child during the lockdowns. Parents reported limited access to non-urgent care services and were anxious about either their child or themselves catching COVID-19.ConclusionThis insight into parental perspectives of help-seeking behaviour and care for a sick or injured child during COVID-19 lockdowns could inform future strategies to improve access to healthcare, and to provide parents with adequate information concerning when and where to seek help and support during pandemics.

Student voice: Which supportive parental behaviours first‐generation immigrant students in Australia find beneficial

AbstractThere is considerable evidence that parents/guardians play an important role in their children's education. The supportive behaviours of parents have important implications for children's learning. However, most research in this area has focused primarily on the perspectives of school leaders, teachers and parents. One area that thus remains relatively under‐studied is student perspectives on what constitutes beneficial parental supports. This research explores two case studies: one with primary school students, the other with secondary students. Both studies interviewed students from former‐refugee and non‐English speaking backgrounds who had recently settled with their families in Australia. The students were asked to reflect on supportive behaviours of their parents/guardians relating to their education. Findings suggest that despite many barriers, parents demonstrated high levels of support for their children's education. By foregrounding student voice, this study identifies several types of parental behaviours that students find most helpful for effective learning. These include: affirmation, role‐modelling, backup supports, conversations and discussions, encouragement and advice, and decision‐making and problem‐solving. Students’ responses suggest that slightly different sets of behaviours may be required at primary and secondary levels. This study highlights the types of supportive parental behaviours which schools could encourage, to help parents maximise the impacts of their supports for students, so these students are enabled to achieve effective learning and—more broadly—educational and career aspirations.

Parents' Satisfaction with the Facilities in Montessori School at Nawalparasi District

The primary objective of this study was to analyze the level of parents' satisfaction with the behaviour and roles of office staffs, receptionists, and roles of teachers. This study has applied the quantitative approach along with the survey method. The survey instrument was used to collect two hundred (N =200) data from the parents of Montessori schools in Gaindakot 1 and 2, Nawalpur. Random sampling was used to select the parents of Montessori schools. The results show positive association between the behaviour and roles of office staff, receptionists, and parents, satisfaction.
 Similarly, the results show a negative association between the facilities of Montessori schools, the influence of Montessori quality and behaviour and the roles of Montessori teachers. This study has concluded that there was an association between the quality of Montessori education and parental satisfaction. This study's implications would benefit new researchers, scholars, colleges, local government, Montessori schools, school administrators and owners and investors of private schools in Nepal.

Reach, acceptability and impact of an online parent healthy lifestyle intervention during the COVID-19 lockdown: A pilot study.

There is growing evidence that online parent-focused child healthy lifestyle interventions can improve healthy eating practices and food environments in the home. Greater understanding of whether and how parents engage with these online interventions is needed. This study evaluated the reach, acceptability and impacts of an online parent healthy lifestyle intervention. A pilot study was conducted in New South Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic when stay-at-home public health orders were in place (July-August 2021). A concurrent mixed methods design was adopted. Data collection measures were: an online participant survey at baseline, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up; two online post-intervention focus groups; and web metrics at post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. There were 181 intervention participants, primarily mothers with high education levels and living in advantaged areas: 43 (24%) completed surveys post-intervention; and of these, 35 (81%; 19% of participants) completed surveys at follow-up. Sixteen mothers participated in focus groups. Parents' knowledge, self efficacy, role modelling and behaviours improved, but there were no significant differences detected over time. Metrics and survey data indicated webinar recordings, particularly the topics of 'Fussy Eating' and 'Screen time and sleep', had the greatest engagement and most perceived them as useful (93% and 96%, respectively). An online healthy lifestyle intervention to support parents in providing opportunities for their children to engage in healthier lifestyle behaviours was appealing and acceptable to mothers and has the potential to improve families' healthy lifestyle behaviours. Enhancing intervention reach amongst fathers and priority populations, as well as incorporating design elements to enhance engagement will be important. SO WHAT?: An online healthy lifestyle intervention reached and engaged parents, despite being faced with additional parenting challenges arising from COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

Social Behaviour of Bush Dogs, <i>Speothos Venaticus (Lund, 1842)</i> in Captivity

In the present study, we analysed the social behaviour of a family group of bush dogs, Speothos venaticus (Lund, 1842), at Moscow Zoo. A unique situation has developed at Moscow Zoo, which makes it possible to observe a family group of bush dogs, consisting of 23 individuals. The group consisted of the parent couple and five litters of cubs (10 males and 11 females). The study was carried out in the summer and autumn of 2022 by observing a focal group of animals of different sex and age, consisting of 12 individuals (5 females and 6 males). The hierarchical structure of a group of bush dogs, the ratio of various forms of social behaviour of animals, as well as the nature of their aggressive interactions were evaluated. It was shown that in the studied family group, the dominant parent couple and their off spring were distinguished, which corresponds to the data known from the literature. The predominant form of behavior in animals was group movement around the enclosure, which accounted for 47.3% of all social interactions between dogs. The level of aggression was low among older individuals. Probably, the hierarchical structure of the group of bush dogs is not based on the aggression of high-ranking individuals, but on the demonstration of submission by low-ranking ones. Other social interactions observed included play, communication, marking, parental, and sexual behaviour. There were sex differences in the way territory was marked with urine. Females marked territory by adopting a standing posture on their forelegs, while males sprayed urine. At the same time, sequential urinary marking prevailed (71.6%).

Patterns of parental online health information-seeking behaviour.

This study aimed to understand parents' online health information-seeking behaviour and the potential influence of this on their relationship with their child's physician. A survey regarding parental online health information-seeking behaviour was administered to parents of children aged under 18 years admitted to an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital, paediatric hospital ward and paediatric clinic, and in their social media networks. Responses were presented as frequencies and percentages. Associations between parents' trust in their child's doctor and survey responses were analysed using χ2 tests. In all, 300 surveys were completed. Most parents (89%) reported searching for online health information when their child was sick. Some (31%) followed online health information instead of going to the doctor. Parents who trusted their child's doctor were more likely to follow the doctor instead of online health information when it contained conflicting advice. Most parents (91%) wanted health-care professionals' help in searching for online health information. Almost all parents search for online health information, but most do not act on it. Parents' trust in their child's doctor influences how parents use online health information. Thus, clinicians could recommend trustworthy websites with information that complements their advice to ensure parents access reliable online health information.