The influence of father positive parenting and involvement on children's mental health outcomes is underexplored in many sub-Saharan African countries, such as Uganda, despite research showing that fathers play a critical role in shaping their children's mental and emotional health outcomes. Most research on father involvement in parenting has been conducted in high-income countries in Western countries, and most research from Africa relies on mothers' reports. This study surveyed 236 Ugandan fathers raising children aged 6-17 years on their parenting and their children's mental health issues. Using the Mplus software, we conducted path analysis to predict child mental health symptoms (attention, internalizing, and externalizing) with father involvement and father positive parenting as independent variables while also controlling for the covariates. Results indicated that father involvement was negatively associated with attention problems (β = -0.28, p < 0.001), internalizing problems (β = -0.11, p = 0.02), and externalizing problems (β = -0.50, p < 0.001). Conversely, father's positive parenting had a small but statistically significant association with only internalizing problems (β = -0.11, p = 0.03). Further, we conducted exploratory analyses to examine whether marital status influenced these associations. We found that father involvement was negatively associated with externalizing and attention symptoms among married and unmarried fathers. Conversely, positive parenting was not significantly associated with internalizing, externalizing, or attention symptoms in either group. These findings suggest that greater father involvement may reduce behavioral and emotional issues in Ugandan children and thus emphasize the need to involve more fathers in parenting interventions.

"Un lazo que sigue": A survivor-informed, resilience-focused study of intergenerational childhood exposure to intimate partner violence among unaccompanied Central American mothers.

Discipline or distress? Examining the impact of harsh child discipline on learning outcomes among Bangladeshi children

While parenting style is a well-established correlate of adolescent aggression, prior research has rarely compared specific parenting behaviours across distinct proactive and reactive aggression profiles. The present study addressed this gap by integrating specific parenting behaviours and proactive and reactive aggression within both subgroup-based and variable-centred analytic frameworks. A total of 1,300 Chinese adolescents and their parents from four middle schools in Hong Kong completed questionnaires. Adolescents were classified into non-aggressive, reactive, proactive, and co-occurring reactive-proactive groups using a composite classification based on standardized parent- and self-reported aggression scores. Parenting was assessed at both the global style level (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) and the behaviour level (warmth and acceptance, reasoning and induction, democratic participation, physical coercion, verbal hostility, and non-reasoning or punitive discipline). Subgroup-based multivariate analyses of covariance were conducted to compare parenting patterns across aggression groups, followed by hierarchical regression models predicting proactive and reactive aggression from parenting variables. Subgroup-based analyses showed that, compared with non-aggressive adolescents, aggression groups generally experienced more maladaptive parenting patterns, especially higher authoritarian and permissive parenting. The proactive group reported the lowest levels of positive parenting, whereas the co-occurring reactive-proactive group showed the highest mean levels on several negative parenting dimensions, although overlap among aggression groups remained substantial. Variable-centred analyses further showed that parenting explained substantially more variance in parent-reported than in self-reported aggression. Across parent-reported models, permissive parenting, physical coercion, and non-reasoning or punitive discipline emerged as the most consistent positive correlates of both reactive and proactive aggression. Together, these findings suggest that parenting-aggression associations are overlapping but not uniform across adolescent aggression profiles. Compared with broad parenting styles, behaviour-level indicators provided a more specific account of the parenting practices associated with aggression. These results identify potentially modifiable family correlates that may help guide future longitudinal and intervention research on adolescent aggression.

Maternal childhood sexual abuse and perpetration of neglect: Exploring risk factors.

Well-being tends to decline during adolescence, and recent evidence documents that it also fluctuates within adolescents from day to day. Parents' use of positive behavior support is a well-established positive parenting strategy for promoting children's development, yet there is limited research investigating its implications during the adolescent developmental period. The current study evaluated the daily linkage between parents' use of positive behavior support and adolescents' well-being, and whether daily adolescent emotion regulation moderated these associations. This study included a sample of 135 parents (91.9% female; Mage = 47.65, SDage = 6.17) and their adolescents (54.8% female; Mage = 15.56, SDage = 1.16), who completed a 21-day daily diary protocol. Participants were recruited across the United States between 2022 and 2024. Multilevel model results indicated that daily variations in adolescent emotion regulation moderated the relation between parents' use of positive behavior support and adolescent well-being. Specifically, daily parents' use of positive behavior support was linked to better well-being only on days when adolescents reported lower emotion regulation. Our study provides novel support for a support needs perspective-that on days when adolescents are struggling more with managing their emotions, parents' use of positive behavior support is most beneficial for adolescent well-being. These findings highlight the importance of examining parenting effect heterogeneity at the daily timescale.

ABSTRACT This study investigates the relation between parenting styles and children's play behaviour in Taiwan and the United States. Using purposive sampling, 107 parent–child dyads were recruited from university-affiliated preschools (64 in Taiwan, 43 in the U.S.). Children's play behaviour was assessed via the Play Observation Scale (POS) over a three-month period, while parental discipline styles were measured using the Parenting Style Dimensions Questionnaire (PSD). Results revealed that American parents were more likely to adopt an authoritative style, while Taiwanese parents showed a stronger tendency towards authoritarian parenting. Additionally, American children engaged in more group play than their Taiwanese counterparts. While authoritative parenting showed no significant association with children's play, authoritarian parenting was moderately and negatively correlated with group play. Further, parental warmth/acceptance and punitive/irrational strategies emerged as significant predictors of children's group play behaviour. These findings highlight the culturally contingent associations between parenting styles and children's social play, underscoring the importance of parental warmth and disciplinary strategies in shaping early peer interactions.

There have been concerning trends in the prevalence of anxiety among young people worldwide in recent years. Research into the influence of family support and sociodemographic factors on anxiety in young people has been conducted in various countries. To investigate the influence of family support and sociodemographic factors on anxiety levels among young people in Semarang, Indonesia. This quantitative study used a cross-sectional approach and descriptive correlational design. The sample comprised 421 young people aged 16-18 years from four schools selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected via a sociodemographic questionnaire, the 'family' subscale of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. Statistical data analysis was conducted using Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test. About one third of participants (34%) experienced mild anxiety and about one half (52%) received good family support. Statistical analysis showed statistically significant associations between gender and anxiety (with girls more prone to anxiety than boys) and between family support and anxiety (family support being a protective factor for young people's mental health). These results can inform the development of targeted, gender-responsive interventions, including counselling, psychoeducation and emotional support. Integrating a gender perspective and fostering positive parent involvement may enhance the prevention, early detection and management of anxiety among young people.

Irritability is a core symptom and diagnostic criterion in several childhood psychiatric disorders. Research has documented bidirectional associations between child irritability and parenting practices; however, cultural variations in these associations remain underexplored.Using three-wave longitudinal data (N = 2,408) from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) in the United States, this study examined associations between child irritability, parenting behaviors (psychological aggression, physical assault, neglect, and non-violent discipline) and parenting stress across three racial-ethnic groups: non-Latine Black (n = 1,167; 605 males), non-Latine White (n = 614; 314 males), and Latine (n = 627; 316 males) using cross-sectional and temporal network analyses.Parenting behaviors and stress were associated with child irritability concurrently and longitudinally across groups. Results showed bidirectional effects between parenting behaviors/stress and child irritability across ages 3, 5, and 9, with more similarities than differences between groups. Physical assault and lower use of non-violent discipline predicted higher future child irritability (partial correlations = 0.03-0.18 for physical assault and 0.04-0.07 for non-violent discipline) across racial-ethnic groups.These findings suggest parenting interventions may be scalable across cultural contexts to promote positive child outcomes and well-being, though future work should elucidate culturally specific factors that inform tailored practices.

Adolescent cyberbullying victimization has emerged as a pressing global concern, with complex risk factors spanning across multiple ecological levels. However, few studies have systematically examined multilevel determinants using large-scale, cross-national data. Guided by socioecological theory, this study examined associations between adolescent cyberbullying victimization and a range of individual, family, school, and community-level factors using both linear regression and machine learning approaches. The study drew on data from the 2019 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, involving 22,478 adolescents (Mage = 15.45, SD = 0.55; 51.77% female) from 10 cities worldwide. Both analytical approaches consistently identified a set of variables associated with cyberbullying victimization, including gender, grade, smoking, drinking, sleep problems, family material well-being, family conflict, parent-child relationships, parental punishment, school bullying, school climate, school connectedness, teacher expectations, teacher support, peer deviance, friendship quality, neighborhood connectedness, and neighborhood safety. In addition, the Shapley additive explanation analysis highlighted several variables that were less prominent in the traditional regression models, including body mass index and school anxiety. Findings underscore the multifaceted and cross-system nature of cyberbullying victimization among adolescents. Effective prevention efforts should adopt a multilevel approach that addresses risk and protective factors across individual, family, school, and community contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The current study examined the effects of the After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools (ADAPT program), a parenting program for military families, in a subsample of deployed mothers from a larger randomized control trial. Multiple regression was used to examine both observed and self-reported parenting outcomes between intervention and control groups at 1-year follow-up. Drawn from a randomized controlled trial with 336 military families with 5-12-year-old children, the current sample included 56 deployed mothers (Mean age = 34.57years old; 64.3% were married; 87.5% Caucasians). Results indicated that deployed mothers showed improvement in observed positive parenting (β = .31, p = .01, SE = .32, d = .55) but no significant improvement in overall observed parenting, (β = .24, p = .08, SE = .13, d = .43), no significant reductions in observed harsh discipline (β = .19, p = .18, SE = .14, d = .08) and no significant increases in self-report of parental locus of control (β = - .05, p = .49, SE = .08, d = .25). These findings present the first evidence for the effectiveness of a parenting program for deployed mothers with school-aged children. Improvements in positive parenting are consistent with prior findings from the GenPMTO intervention framework. The lack of intervention effects on harsh discipline suggests that future interventions should consider the cultural meanings and functions of discipline within military contexts and how they may spill over into the home. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, study NCT03522610 on 02/16/2018.

Breaking the cycle: How maternal adversity shapes coercive parenting and physical harsh discipline among adolescent mothers in southern Brazil.

Disciplinary practices are strategies used by parents or caregivers to correct or guide children's behavior, often combining both aggressive and non-violent methods. In Honduras empirical evidence on these practices and their associated factor remains scarce. This study aims to identify disciplinary patterns in Honduran caregivers and explore associated sociodemographic factors with these patterns. Data were obtained from the 2019 Honduras National Demographic and Health Survey (ENDESA), which included a nationally representative sample of 16,182 caregivers of children aged 1-14years (M=7.5, SD=4.0). A cross-sectional design was used. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified disciplinary profiles based on 11 caregiver-reported behaviors, and multinomial logistic regression assessed associations with child and household characteristics. Analyses accounted for the complex sampling design. Four disciplinary profiles were identified: non-violent discipline (39.8%), low disciplinary control (28.4%), high control discipline (18.5%), and verbal with physical discipline (13.3%). High disciplinary control patterns were associated with younger child age, functional disability, lower socioeconomic status, and caregiver acceptance of physical punishment, whereas higher maternal education was protective. The coexistence of aggressive and non-aggressive practices highlights cultural ambivalence in child-rearing. Findings emphasize the need to strengthen positive parenting programs and public policies that promote non-violent discipline to ensure children's rights and well-being.

This study evaluates the efficacy of the Triple P Seminar Series, a low-intensity, population-based parenting intervention in enhancing self-regulation among Indonesian parents and their children. A two-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with 174 Indonesian parents of typically developing children aged 3–12. Self-regulation in parents and children, parenting practices, and child problematic behaviour were assessed at four-time points: baseline, post-intervention, three-month and six-month follow-up. Intent-to-treat was applied using linear mixed-model regression to evaluate intervention effects. Significant improvements in parent self-regulation and some domains of positive parenting practice over the 6 months were found. No significant differences were observed in child self-regulation and child misbehaviour across the conditions. Findings will contribute to the growing evidence on parenting interventions in non-WEIRD contexts and inform the potential of population-based parenting programs to promote self-regulation and positive parenting practices. This trial was pre-registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12623001009606). • An RCT tested Triple P seminars with Indonesian parents. • Parent self-regulation improved significantly over 6 months. • Parent - child relationship and parenting consistency increased. • No significant group differences in child self-regulation or misbehaviour. • Expands evidence on parenting programs in non-WEIRD settings.

Optimal early childhood development (ECD) is foundational for lifelong learning, health, and wellbeing. As children spend most of their early years at home, this setting represents a modifiable environment for enhancing ECD. As yet, there is little ECD research in Vanuatu. The first aim was to determine the proportion of children aged 24-59 months who are developmentally on track and the distributions of home responsive caregiving, early learning and sociodemographic factors. The second was to describe associations between these factors and child development, and the third was to identify factors that moderate these associations. Data were drawn from the 2023 Vanuatu Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, which included the Early Childhood Development Index 2030. Among 1154 eligible children, 68.2% were developmentally on track. Associations between ECD and 22 explanatory factors were tested using multiple linear regression. Adjusted analysis showed significantly better developmental scores among children with access to three or more books, two or more playthings, receiving three forms of positive parenting, experiencing adequate stimulation and responsive care from their mothers, fathers and nonparental caregivers. Higher development scores were also associated with older age, urban residence, the second highest wealth quintile, and living in the northeast Penama region. Findings difficult to interpret include that higher scores were recorded from children whose families justified domestic violence and those who experienced inadequate supervision. Null findings were reported for ten of the twenty-two factors. Moderation analyses explored how the associations between home factors and child development change depending on socio-demographic factors, with variations identified across sex, urbanicity and maternal education. For example, the associations between positive parenting and child development were stronger for girls than boys, urban than rural children, and children of mothers with lower versus higher education, suggesting positive parenting may play a more important role in supporting their development. Overall, these findings suggest key policy priorities, including improving access to books and toys, investing in parenting education to enhance home-based caregiving strategies and developmental support, and tailoring programs to regional and rural contexts.

Objective: To explore family factors and parenting practices associated with the use of physical violence by caregivers of children under four years of age in Santa Marta (Colombia). The study seeks to understand the early socialization dynamics that favor physical punishment, identify risk and protective factors, and provide evidence for designing positive parenting interventions with a contextual and rights-based approach. Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory study was conducted with 57 caregivers involved in programs run by the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF). Structured and validated surveys were administered to characterize sociodemographic variables, routines, emotional bonds, and disciplinary practices. Data analysis was performed using Jamovi software, with descriptive statistics and national and international ethical criteria. Results: 75.4% of caregivers acknowledged resorting to physical punishment, and 47.4% used aggressive verbal expressions. These behaviors were linked to economic precariousness, community violence (42%), and parental stress. Even with close relationships (94.7%), 30% of children exhibited challenging behaviors. Structured routines and support from family networks acted as protective factors. Conclusions: Physical violence against children reflects structural and emotional causes. Reducing it requires strengthening positive parenting, fostering emotional bonds, and coordinating intersectoral actions that alleviate family stress in vulnerable contexts.

Purpose Tourism futures studies are of increasing interest. However, they remain method-driven and fragmented, with little theoretical consolidation. This article develops the Tourism Futures Dynamics Theory (TFDT), a mesotheory that brings together foundational constructs from futures studies and tourism management. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual theory-building article. We review and select constructs from the parent disciplines tourism futures and tourism management based on their necessity, relevance and transferability. These are integrated into a coherent relational model, with entropy introduced as a novel construct in tourism futures to capture the tendency of tourism futures scenarios to decay unless sustained by energy input. From this model, theoretical propositions are derived to guide further research. Findings We identified five foundational constructs (time, space, agency, uncertainty and entropy) that collectively form the building blocks of tourism futures. TFDT positions entropy as the dynamic force that destabilizes scenarios unless countered by deliberate action. Scenarios emerge from the interaction of temporal perspectives (past, present and future), spatial contexts (physical and virtual) and agency (protagonists and antagonists), but require continuous energy to persist. Originality/value This study makes three main contributions to the literature. First, it identifies and justifies a set of foundational constructs for tourism futures studies. Second, it integrates these constructs into TFDT, the first explicit theoretical foundation of the field. Third, it introduces entropy as a novel construct in tourism futures that explains scenario instability and the energy required to sustain desired futures.

Nutrition-related health problems among children are on the rise worldwide; the majority of them can be prevented. We believe that parents play a key role in determining children's nutritional status through their feeding practices. This study aimed to determine the role of parenting styles, feeding practices, and their relationship to the nutritional status of the children (5-14 years). A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in all Paediatric wards, Teaching Hospital, Jaffna, among 431 children aged 5-14 years admitted for minor ailments and their parents. Data was collected using two self-administered questionnaires: the Parenting Style Questionnaire and the Child Feeding Questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were done using standard protocols. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Jaffna Ethical Review Committee (Ref: J/ERC/24/161/NDR/0324). Anthropometric measurements were taken, and the WHO Anthro Plus Survey Analyzer was used to determine the nutritional status. Data was analyzed using SPSS 25.0, and path analysis was conducted using SPSS AMOS 26.0. Among 431 participants, the mean age was 8.86 ± 2.65 years, and 53.8% were males and 46.2% were females. The majority of parents (87.9%) practiced authoritative parenting. The structural equation model showed χ² (180) = 308.6, p < 0.001; Comparative Fit Index > 0.95 (good fit); Tucker-Lewis Index > 0.9 (acceptable fit); Root Mean Square of Approximation < 0.05 (good fit). Authoritative parenting showed a significant positive correlation (p < 0.001) with Child feeding factors, including perceived responsibility, concern about child weight, pressure to eat, and monitoring. It showed a weak positive association with child nutritional status (r = 0.103, p < 0.05). The children were categorized into five groups: normal, underweight, overweight, obese, and stunted, with percentages of 57.5%, 18.5%, 13.7%, 10.2%, and 15.8%, respectively. Authoritative parenting is weakly associated with nutritional outcomes in children. Appropriate feeding practices also show a positive association with growth and development. These findings suggest the potential value of promoting positive parenting and educating caregivers on healthy feeding behaviors.

SYNOPSIS Objective. Professional training is crucial for ensuring fidelity when implementing parenting programs at scale. This study examined the quality of the ACT Raising Safe Kids Program’s online theoretical training for preparing facilitators for implement the program with fidelity in the public system as well as the sociodemographic and professional predictors of training engagement and certification outcomes (i.e. completion and certification). Design. 176 professionals from 24 cities in Brazil. The theoretical training was delivered online, and professionals implemented an in-person ACT group with families as part of the certification process. Pre- and post-training questionnaires assessed self-reported knowledge about the program’s contents, and fidelity and certification were evaluated through videorecorded observations of one ACT session. Sociodemographic and professional characteristics were also examined.Professionals reported increased knowledge of child development, positive parenting, violence prevention, and satisfaction with the theoretical training. Results. The mean total score on the fidelity checklist corresponded to 80% of the maximum possible score, reflecting a high level of fidelity among facilitators during their implementation. Younger age (under 35 years), female gender, previous experience with groups and families, and at least 2 years of service were related to enhanced engagement in completing the training and certification. Additionally, 80% of professionals who completed the practical certification process were certified based on an external observational assessment. Conclusions. The findings demonstrate the quality and scalability of the online training and validate an ACT training model capable of reaching professionals across geographically diverse regions of Brazil, with potential applicability to other countries.

Background: Research on the well-established association between maternal mental health problems and poorer child outcomes has focused on negative parenting behaviour and overlooked psychosocial stimulation as a potential mediating mechanism. Additionally, whether the same association exists for fathers has been understudied. Methods: We addressed these gaps using data from the nationally representative UK-based Millennium Cohort Study, including n = 15,623 children and their mothers (n = 14,922) and fathers (n = 12,408). Parental mental health and the home learning environment (HLE) were measured using the parent-reported Rutter Malaise Inventory at 9 months of age and the HLE Index at age 3, respectively. At 5 years of age, socio-emotional functioning was measured using the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and cognitive and language abilities were assessed directly using British Ability Scales subtests. Results: Structural equation modelling indicated that the HLE significantly mediated the negative associations between PMH and children’s cognitive abilities (mother: β = −0.01, 95% CI [−0.01, −0.01], p &lt; 0.001; father: β = −0.004, 95% CI [−0.008, −0.001], p = 0.025), socio-emotional functioning (mother: β = −0.01, 95% CI [−0.01, −0.01], p &lt; 0.001; father, β = −0.004, 95% CI [−0.007, −0.001], p = 0.022), and language skills (mother: β = −0.01, 95% CI [−0.01, −0.01], p &lt; 0.001; father: β = −0.005, 95% CI [−0.010, −0.001], p = 0.020). Conclusions: These findings support our hypotheses, with stronger associations identified for mothers than for fathers. The findings suggest that further research is needed on the impact of positive parenting, including the home learning environment, in the context of parental depression, using measurement instruments that provide insight in the quality of positive parenting.