Parents Of Children Research Articles

Parental Information-Use Strategies in a Digital Parenting Environment and Their Associations With Parental Social Support and Self-Efficacy: Cross-Sectional Study

Background In today’s digital society, the acquisition of parenting information through online platforms such as social networking sites (SNSs) has become widespread. Amid the mix of online and offline information sources, there is a need to discover effective information-seeking methods for solving parenting problems. Objective This study aimed to identify patterns of information use among parents of young children in the digital age and elucidate the characteristics of these patterns through a comparative analysis of parental social support and self-efficacy. Methods An internet-based survey was administered to fathers and mothers of children aged 0-3 years. Convenience sampling, facilitated by an internet-based survey company, was adopted, and data from 227 fathers and 206 mothers were analyzed. The survey included questions on personal characteristics, frequency of use of different sources of parenting information (websites, SNSs, parenting apps, family, friends, and professionals), availability of parental social support, and parental self-efficacy. The Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) clustering algorithm was used to identify patterns in parenting information use. Results A total of 4 clusters were identified: multisource gatherers (n=161), offline-centric gatherers (n=105), online-centric gatherers (n=86), and minimal information gatherers (n=68). The availability of parental social support was perceived to be relatively higher among multisource and offline-centric gatherers compared with online-centric and minimal information gatherers. Parental self-efficacy was highest among multisource gatherers, followed by offline-centric and online-centric gatherers, and lowest among minimal information gatherers. Conclusions This study contributes to the evidence that online information can effectively complement offline information in addressing parenting challenges, although its ability to fully replace offline sources remains limited. Parenting support professionals are encouraged to understand parents’ current information use strategies and actively foster their social relationships, helping them to adopt more diverse and comprehensive approaches to information use.

Association between adherence to behavioral intervention and capability well-being among parents of autistic children: a cross-sectional study from China

BackgroundHigh adherence to behavioral interventions among parents of autistic children contribute to improvement in children’s behaviors and parental outcomes. However, most of previous studies focused on the effects of intervention adherence on health-related well-being among parents, which is inadequate to capture the multi-dimensional parental burden of caring for autistic children. The aim of this study is to assess the association between parents’ adherence to behavioral intervention and their capability well-being.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among caregivers of autistic children aged 1–17 years with a confirmed diagnosis in China. A total of 213 parents of autistic children who were currently receiving behavioral intervention were considered in this study. Parental adherence to behavioral intervention was evaluated by the 5-item General Adherence subscale of the Medical Outcome Study. Capability well-being was assessed using the Investigating Choice Experiments Capability Measures for Adults (ICECAP-A), including the domains of stability, attachment, autonomy, achievement, and enjoyment. The index scores for each domain were computed based on the preference-based value set in the United Kingdom, ranging from 0 to 1. Multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between intervention adherence and parental well-being. Intervention adherence as well as the variables with p < 0.1 in the univariate analyses were included in multivariate linear regression analyses.ResultsThe mean overall score of ICECAP-A was 0.681 (0.205). In the univariate analyses, intervention adherence was positively associated with stability, autonomy, achievement, and enjoyment (p < 0.05), while the relationship between intervention adherence and attachment was not significant (p = 0.07). After controlling for the confounders in the multivariate linear regression analyses, intervention adherence was positively associated with achievement (β = 0.0004) and enjoyment (β = 0.0004).ConclusionsThe overall capability well-being among parents of autistic children was worse than that of the general population and caregivers of adult patients with chronic diseases. Adherence to behavioral interventions was positively associated with parental well-being in terms of achievement and enjoyment. Health professionals should involve parents in behavioral interventions and encourage them to implement therapeutic strategies on a routine basis. Customized interventions are warranted to improve capability well-being targeting at vulnerable groups.

The Use of the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status and Developmental Milestones in Screening Children for Developmental Delay in India

Background/Objectives: The Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and Developmental Milestones (PEDS:DM) are cost-effective, self-report tools that can be conveniently utilized in low- and middle-income countries to screen for developmental delays in children. This study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of PEDS and PEDS:DM in distinguishing children with typical development (TD) from those with developmental disabilities (DD). It also examined the relationship between parents’ general concerns and specific developmental concerns about their children. Method: The study included 407 children with TD and 59 children with DD, recruited from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, and the National Capital Region of India. Parents of children aged 4 to 8 years completed the PEDS and PEDS:DM online. Results: The PEDS demonstrated high sensitivity (91%) but low specificity (47%), whereas the PEDS:DM showed poor sensitivity (17%) and specificity (6%). Parents of TD children who expressed general developmental concerns were likely to report specific concerns related to behavior, self-help skills, health, and cognitive development. Parents of DD children with general concerns reported specific issues with fine motor skills, behavior, school performance, cognitive development, and health. Conclusions: These findings suggest that while PEDS and PEDS:DM can support early detection of developmental delays, their interpretation should be approached with caution. The study provides preliminary insights into the applicability of these screening tools for children aged 4–8 years in India.

Spirituality and religious coping in patients with cystic fibrosis and their parents

In this article, we reviewed spirituality and religiouscoping in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and theirparents to draw attention to the importance ofspiritual and religious dimensions of CF patients.Coping styles seem to have a large effect upon thequality of life of CF patients. In CF, all phasesincluding past, present and future were permeatedwith the search for the meaning of the disease andsocial support, the importance of religion andspirituality, and child's socialization. Children withCF reported a variety of religious/spiritual copingstrategies they nearly always associated withadaptive health outcomes. Persons with late-life CFdiagnoses used spirituality to make meaning,understanding themselves in a collaborativepartnership with their pulmonologist and Allah.Most parents of children with CF reported prayer as helpful and multi-faceted, including individual andgroup prayer. Parents imagined Allah as active,benevolent, and interventionist; found hope in theirbeliefs; felt supported by Allah; and related religionto their motivation to adhere to their child's treatmentplan. Conclusion – We would like to emphasize thatspirituality and religious coping have a large effectupon the quality of life of CF patients and theirparents. Given religion's importance to many peoplein the world, we believe that using religious copingis the right of patients with CF and their parents.Spiritual care for patients with CF and their parentsneeds to be integrated into the curriculum of nursesand health care professionals in collaboration withpastoral caregivers.

The Support Needs of Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Study Based on the Nurturing Care Framework.

To explore the support needs of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China under the guidance of the nurturing care framework (NCF). A descriptive qualitative study design was used. Fourteen parents of 2-6-year-old children with autism were recruited for face-to-face individual interviews in Chongqing between July and November 2023. NVivo 12.0 software was used to manage the data, and a directed content analysis was performed to extract themes. Five nurturing care needs of parents of children with autism were extracted, including acquisition of health- and disorder-related knowledge and information, maintenance of psychological and physical wellbeing, desire for individualised caregiver skills training, creation of multi-agent social support network, and accessibility of high-quality and coordinated services. Parents of children with autism have multidimensional unmet nurturing care needs. It is crucial to address these needs and develop targeted family support programs with consideration of the extracted need components. This study implies that health education, parental empowerment and psychological support should be prioritised in future family support programs. The findings also emphasise the importance of establishing a cross-departmental coordination mechanism and building a multi-agent social support network for families of children with autism. This study expands our understanding on the support needs of families of children with autism and enriches the theoretical connotation of nurturing care framework, and the results may inform the development of tailored support programs for families of children with autism in China. The results are reported in accordance with the reporting guidelines of the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ). No patient and public contribution.

"We Could Hold Our Own Here at Home": Longitudinal Experience of COVID-19 Lockdowns in Parents With Children Affected With Interstitial Lung Disease.

The global health emergency of COVID-19 in early 2020 placed much of the population under quarantine. Interstitial Lung Disease in childhood (chILD) was recommended to be a pediatric clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) group in April 2020 for shielding due to the unknown health consequences of COVID-19 in children with chronic respiratory conditions. This qualitative longitudinal research study explores how chILD parents in the UK experienced COVID-19 lockdown from over two interview time points. Participants (n = 8) were recruited from chILD patient organizations and online communities. Interview one focused on the period between January 2020 to July 2020, gaining personal insight into respondent's experience of lockdowns, which included questions on support systems and media coverage of COVID-19. The second interview enquired how respondents managed further UK lockdowns between September 2020 and May 2021. The main themes were uncertainty and adaptation. Respondents described how they navigated the UK lockdowns and undertook various risk management strategies for pandemic isolation. Once these were established, routine and positive family bonding was reported, along with a reluctant acceptance of the COVID-19 virus and continued shielding. As new COVID-19 information emerged, risk management strategies changed or remained for some respondents, bringing a feeling of living with COVID-19 as a "new normal". (Understanding the unique insights people with rare diseases such as chILD face during a global pandemic adds to policy and healthcare literature. Recommendations include further study of caregiver traits and resilience, essential facets of positive pandemic adaptation.

"When I gave him the insulin injection, I felt the pain in my heart": Experiences of parents of young children with type 1 diabetes in an Arab country.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus in children is one of the most common chronic health conditions, requiring constant monitoring and care. Living with children who are diagnosed with chronic illness affects multiple aspects of parents' daily lives, including the physical, mental, and social aspects. Due to their child's diabetes, parents may experience many special difficulties with their daily responsibilities. This study describes parental experiences caring for a child with type 1 diabetes. The study was based on semi-structured interviews with 10 parents caring for a child with type 1 diabetes. We analyzed the interviews using Colaizzi's strategy of descriptive phenomenological data analysis in nursing research. Participants were described a profoundly challenging situation, and they were in need of support to help them handle a challenging life situation, especially during the first years of a child's diagnosis. The following themes emerged from the data: adapting to the new reality after diagnosis, keeping up with the child's treatment regimen, psychological, social, and financial burdens, and staying tuned for complications.

Exploring parents’ perceptions and experiences of childhood obesity and management in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: an interpretive qualitative study

BackgroundChildhood obesity is a public health concern in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where cultural and social factors shape parental perceptions. This study explores how Riyadh-based parents view childhood obesity.MethodsA hybrid approach to thematic analysis was employed, combining deductive and inductive coding to allow for emergent themes directly from the data. Semistructured interviews were conducted with twelve parents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, whose children were identified as overweight or obese. The data were analysed to identify key themes related to parental perceptions and childhood obesity management.ResultsFour themes emerged from the data: (1) perceptions towards childhood obesity; (2) perceived barriers to weight management; (3) perceived benefits to weight management; and (4) perceived motivators to addressing obesity.ConclusionParents in Riyadh often view childhood obesity as a sign of health due to deep-rooted cultural norms. However, as they witness health and social challenges in their children, such as bullying or physical difficulties, their perceptions begin to shift. This study highlights the role of cultural beliefs, lifestyle constraints, and limited institutional support as barriers to managing childhood obesity. Addressing these factors through awareness initiatives and community support could empower parents to more effectively promote healthier behaviours for their children, ultimately contributing to improved health outcomes.

Investigation of parents’ perceptions of sending their children to swimming courses in terms of various variables

The study aims to investigate parent’s perceptions regarding their children’s participation in swimming courses, considering various variables. Within the scope of the study, the “Reasons for Parents Sending Their Children to Swimming Sports Scale,” consisting of 21 questions, was utilized. This Scale evaluates three sub-factors: the motivations behind parents sending their children to swimming sports, the impact of swimming sports on their children, and the level of satisfaction with swimming sports. These factors were then compared with the parents’ demographic data. The sample group comprised parents of children participating in different swimming courses in Ankara and those attending courses organized by the Presidential Guard Regiment Command. Data analysis has clarified factors influencing children’s participation in swimming courses and highlighted key dimensions of parental perceptions. The findings indicate that equipping children with swimming skills can mitigate the risk of drowning and substantially enhance their physical activity levels. In this context, our research has identified a strong correlation between parent’s physical activity levels and their children’s. This finding highlights the critical role of parents in encouraging physical activity and underscores the importance of parent’s serving as role models for their children.

Characteristics of the parent-child relationship in families of children with cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis (literature review)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and cerebral palsy (CP) are chronic disabling diseases caused by central nervous system affection. The diagnosis of a chronic illness in a child is a psychotraumatic event that disrupts the structure and functioning of the family system, the psychological well-being and the health of family members. In the process of adapting to the stress factor, both parent-child relationships and marital relationships are deformed. In most families raising disabled children, disharmonious parenting styles prevail. Parents report a decrease in quality of life, dissatisfaction with their role and family relationships, experience anxiety, depression, guilt and helplessness and try to compensate for the psychological distress by focusing on the child's problems, often sacrificing their private life and free time. In addition, parents of children with MS are burdened by a sense of insecurity related to the difficult-to-control and unpredictable course of the disease. The lack of a sufficient number of scientific studies on this topic does not allow us to draw clear conclusions about the influence of the type of child's disease progression (progressive, stationary) on the characteristics of the parent-child relationship. In addition, longitudinal studies are needed to assess the dynamics of parent-child relationships and the effectiveness of psychocorrective interventions in families with children with MS and CP. The review is based on a theoretical study of the issues of parent-child relationships in families raising children with CP and MS and the impact of chronic disabling illness on the family system, which was conducted based on a systematic literature search of PubMed, Google Scholar, eLibrary and DisserCat databases.

Intergenerational Transmission and Age Differences of Education Anxiety Among Children and Adolescents

ABSTRACTThis study examined 1337 children or adolescents from various educational stages (primary, junior, and senior high school levels) along with their parents. First, we examined the effects of parental education anxiety, children's academic anxiety, children's self‐academic achievement expectation, and parental self‐blame on the progression of children and adolescents. Moreover, we investigated the interactions between parental education anxiety and children's academic anxiety. Additionally, the potential mediating influences exerted by children's self‐academic achievement expectation and parental self‐blame were explored within distinct phases of childhood and adolescence. The results showed that: (1) As children and adolescents grow older, their academic anxiety levels tend to rise. In comparison to primary school students, junior high school students exhibited higher self‐academic achievement expectation, whereas senior high school students showed diminished ones; (2) Parental education anxiety was a significant predictor of their children's academic anxiety; (3) The transmission of education anxiety across generations was influenced by the mediating role of children's self‐academic achievement expectation; (4) The mediating impact of children's self‐academic achievement expectation was significant in junior and senior high school, while its significance was not observed in primary school; (5) The intergenerational transmission of education anxiety was mediated through parental self‐blame; (6) The mediating effect of parental self‐blame was noteworthy in primary and junior high school, but the latter half path of parental self‐blame did not attain significance in senior high school. This results verified the intergenerational transmission of education anxiety, affirming the substantial positive predictive link between parental education anxiety and children's academic anxiety. Notably, children's self‐academic achievement expectation emerged as mediators during junior and senior high school, whereas parental self‐blame played a mediating role during primary and junior high school.

This is How We are at Home: Typology and Shifting Parenting Authority in Early Childhood

Purpose – Parenting Islamism not only makes religion a teaching material in children’s education, but more than that, religion is used as an ideology that displays Islamic symbols in parenting actions in the public sphere. The emergence of Islamism parenting practices is a response to traditional parenting practices and modern parenting practices. This study aims to explore the practice of parenting in millennial families based on the ideology of Islamism in Pontianak City. Design/methods/approach – This research method uses the Mixed Methods Research approach, which is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative method in this study provides an understanding of the shifting in parenting authority carried out by millennial parents with the ideology of Islamism. Meanwhile, the quantitative is carried out to measure the variables of parenting typology objectively. Data analysis in this study was carried out; first, the data was reduced; second, data categorization; third, data preparation; fourth, data verification; fifth, the configuration of the relationship between the inference of the problem formulation; sixth, the data is analyzed with theory. Findings – The findings of this study show that millennial parents of Islamism groups use mixed parenting, which is a combination of several parenting models according to the condition of the child, be it authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive. The findings of this study also show that there is a shift in parenting authority in Islamism millennial families, which is influenced by new media so that parents idolize popular ustadz from Islamism groups. Research implications/limitations – The shift in authority in parenting has implications for parental figures or references in parenting due to the presence of new authorities on social media, namely public figures or micro-celebrities. This research is not final, and there are still many limitations in relevant cases, informants, and theories, so further research is needed to accommodate other new findings in parenting studies in millennial families of Islamism groups with a larger number of informants in Indonesia. Practical implications – This study shows that parenting practices carried out by parents are inseparable from religious ideology, which has an impact on parenting in early childhood. This study emphasizes that parenting practices in Muslim parents are not uniform, even in religiously homogeneous families. Originality/value – This study provides a new perspective in parenting studies because it examines from the perspective of parents’ religious ideology. Paper type Research paper

Islamic Child Parenting Practices and Muslim Family Resilience in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Literature Review

Purpose – This study explores the integration of Islamic values in child parenting practices and its impact on family resilience within Muslim families in Southeast Asia. The necessity of this research arises from the increasing interest in how religious teachings influence family dynamics and child development, providing a unique perspective on parenting in diverse cultural contexts. Design/methods/approach – A systematic literature review methodology adhered to the PRISMA guidelines. Databases such as Scopus, Google Scholar, Emerald, PubMed, Taylor &amp; Francis, Springer, and Semantic Scholar were searched using specific keywords related to Islamic parenting and family resilience in Southeast Asia. The study included peer-reviewed empirical research published between 2000 and 2024. From the results of the article selection, 39 articles were narrowed down and analysed to reveal various critical aspects of the research theme. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify, analyse, and report themes within the data. Findings – The review identified that integrating Islamic values into parenting practices significantly enhances family resilience, promotes interfaith tolerance, and supports children's moral development. Key themes included the implementation of wasatiyyah (moderation), character education based on Islamic teachings, and the role of community and cultural integration in parenting. However, challenges such as balancing cultural influences and addressing special needs within the context of Islamic parenting were also highlighted. Research implications/limitations – The study's limitations include the diverse cultural backgrounds of the families studied and the reliance on existing literature, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Future research should consider longitudinal studies and examine the role of community support, religious institutions, and modern technology in parenting. Practical implications – This study provides valuable insights into the role of Islamic values in enhancing family resilience among Muslim families in Southeast Asia. It highlights the importance of religious teachings in shaping parenting practices and offers recommendations for future research and practical applications. Originality/value – This is your opportunity to provide readers with an analysis of the value of your results. It is a good idea to ask colleagues whether your analysis is balanced and fair, and again, it is essential not to exaggerate. You can also conjecture what future research steps could be. Paper type Literature review

Early Childhood Intervention in North Macedonia – Parents’ Perspective

Early childhood intervention (ECI) should focus on building strong relationships with families, as this family-centered approach leads to improved developmental outcomes for children. This study examines ECI and support systems in the Republic of North Macedonia from the perspective of families of children with developmental delays or disabilities. A descriptive method was used, suitable for describing individuals, processes or situations as they unfold in nature, with no manipulation of variables. The research included a sample of 78 parents of children with developmental delays or disabilities. The findings indicate that when at-risk factors or disabilities are identified shortly after birth, ECI tends to be quick and efficient. Most services (71.4%) are provided in ECI centers, while 28.6% of families receive services at home. Some 53.8% of families reported covering the costs of all ECI services. By the age of three, 43.7% of children had been detected, diagnosed, and received some form of stimulation services or early rehabilitation treatment. The insights gained from this study may also be applicable in other countries with similar ECI systems.

Assessment of Health Literacy in Parents of Children With Familial Mediterranean Fever Using the Turkish Health Literacy Scale

Assessment of Health Literacy in Parents of Children With Familial Mediterranean Fever Using the Turkish Health Literacy Scale

Association Between Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences and Offspring's Risk of Suboptimal Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Previous reviews and meta-analysis have not adequately explored the impact of specific parental adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) subtypes on offspring's health. This updated systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between parental ACE subtypes and various offspring health outcomes. A comprehensive search was conducted in electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, WANFANG, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for studies published in English and Chinese from January 1, 1998, until July 18, 2023. Two independent reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed study quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effects model was applied to generate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). A total of 47 eligible studies were included in the final analysis. Overall, parental ACEs were significantly associated with several offspring's health outcomes, including preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), total developmental delay, social-emotional problems, and behavioral problems (total, externalizing and internalizing behaviors), with ORs ranging from 1.06 to 3.02. Specific subtypes of parental ACEs, such as household dysfunction, sexual abuse, and physical abuse (but not emotional abuse) were significantly associated with PTB. Household dysfunction was notably linked to delayed cognition ability in offspring. Parental sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and emotional neglect were significantly correlated with social-emotion problems, with the expception of household dysfunction. Regarding total behavioral problems, parental household dysfunction, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and peer bullying were all significantly associated with children's behavioral issues, except for emotional neglect. There is a positive correlation between parental household dysfunction, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, peer bullying, and neighborhood-related adversity and their children's externalizing behavior problems. These findings underscore the significant impacts of parental ACEs on multiple adverse health outcomes in children, with specific parental ACEs subtypes exerting unique effects. This highlight the significance of comprehending the intergenerational effects of different ACE subtypes, and emphasizes the urgency of interventions to address these issues.

The Impact of Emotion Network Density on Psychological Distress in Chinese Parents of Children with Autism: A Daily Diary Study.

Parents of children with autism often experience a wide range of emotions in their daily lives. However, previous research has primarily focused on average levels of emotional challenges, neglecting the significance of daily emotion dynamics that may underlie parental psychological functioning. This study adopted a dynamic network approach to examine the strength of temporal connections within and between various emotions-referred to as emotion network density-and further explore its impacts on parental psychological distress. Participants included 76 Chinese parents (M = 36.36 years, SD = 3.95 years; 58 mothers) of children with autism. Parents reported their psychological distress at baseline and then completed measures of daily emotions over a 14-day period. The densities of overall, positive, and negative emotion networks were estimated using the Multilevel Vector Auto-Regression model. The results indicated that higher densities of the overall and negative emotion networks were associated with increased stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in parents. Further analysis of network components showed that the in-strength of fear and guilt (i.e., their likelihood of being affected by other emotions) and the out-strength of anger and guilt (i.e., their capacity to influence other emotions) were positively related to parental psychological distress. However, neither the overall density of the positive emotion network nor its specific components showed a significant relationship with parental psychological distress. These findings highlight the importance of considering the daily dynamics of emotions, particularly negative emotions, from a network perspective to better understand the development of psychological distress in parents of children with autism.

Practitioners' Use and Acceptability of Time-Out.

Time-out is an empirically supported component of parenting interventions for child conduct problems; however, it is receiving increasing criticism among parents and some practitioners. This study aimed to investigate practitioners' use and acceptability of time-out for child conduct problems; examine whether perceived effectiveness and knowledge of evidence-based parameters of time-out implementation influence use and acceptability of time-out; and explore practitioners' perceptions about alternatives to time-out. One hundred and ten Australian and New Zealand practitioners who have worked with children and families completed an online survey investigating their use and acceptability of time-out for children with conduct problems. Results showed that 55.5% of the sample have used timeout, with 38.0% considered current TO users. Acceptability of the strategy varied, with some practitioners critical of time-out. Increased knowledge of evidence-based parameters of time-out implementation was associated with increased frequency of time-out use and acceptability, while perceived effectiveness was associated with increased acceptability only. Practitioners perceived a number of other parenting strategies as effective alternatives to time-out. These findings have important implications for improving practitioners' implementation of time-out with parents of children with conduct problems.

Cross-cultural validation in Greek and reliability of the Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System in children with cerebral palsy.

To investigate the reliability and validity of the Greek version of the Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS) in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The sample of the study included children with CP, aged 3-18 years and classified into Levels I-V of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Parents of children with CP and speech and language therapists (SLTs) with a minimum of 5 years of clinical experience were recruited. Inter-rater reliability (IRR) between SLTs and between SLT and parent was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Validity was evaluated by investigating the potential association between the EDACS and Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) and GMFCS, using ordinal logistic regression. One hundred twenty-one children with CP (mean age 8.2 ± 4.1), 72 males, GMFCS Levels I-V were included in the study. Ninety-one parents of children with CP (mean age 8.8 ± 4.2), 54 males and 8 experienced SLTs, assessed the eating and drinking abilities of the children. The IRR between SLTs was excellent (ICC = 0.94), and between SLTs and parents was high (ICC = 0.90). Both CFCS and GMFCS were positive predictors for EDACS. The Greek version of EDACS is a valid and reliable tool and it can be used to classify eating and drinking ability in Greek children with CP.

Introduction of a LAT gel and low-dose midazolam sedo-analgesia protocol for pediatric skin suture in the emergency department: simpler is better.

skin lacerations are one of the main causes of children's referral to the emergency department (ED). We introduced in our general ED a pediatric sedo-analgesia protocol (SAP) for suturing skin wounds using LAT gel, a local anesthetic solution of lidocaine, adrenaline and tetracaine, with or without low-dose oral midazolam according to patient's age, to improve the experience of laceration repair. Primary outcomes were improvement of suturing experience for ED operators (as a reduction in the desire to avoid the procedure) and of the adequacy of sedo-analgesia provided, investigated through two different surveys administered to the ED staff before and after the introduction of the SAP. Children's parents were asked about satisfaction with the sedo-analgesia provided. Data were collected prospectively. The analysis included 85 and 60 healthcare professionals involved in the suture of skin wounds in children, respectively before and after the introduction of our SAP. The introduction of the SAP reduced ED operators' stress and improved the entire suturing experience. The pre-post analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in the perceived adequacy of the provided sedo-analgesia (p < 0.0001) and a significant reduction of operators who would have avoided the procedure (p < 0.0001). The great majority of children's parents expressed a high level of satisfaction. The introduction of a LAT gel and low-dose oral midazolam SAP allows an improvement of both the sedo-analgesia provided and the ED operators' suturing experience of skin lacerations in children. Our SAP appeared to be safe and effective, with low cost and high tolerability.