Protective Factor For Children Research Articles

Child protection cases, one size fits all? Cluster analyses of risk and protective factors

BackgroundTo provide effective tailor made case management in Child Protection Services (CPS) a insight is needed into the specific characteristics of the target group. Using the ecological perspective of maltreatment, this study explored poorly known characteristics of the CPS population. ObjectiveTo distinguish CPS subgroups based on risk and protective factors enables tailor made case management that fits the specific needs of these subgroups. Participants and settingWe studied 250 Dutch CPS cases of family supervision by court order that had completed the LIRIK and Action Plan checklists in August 2014–March 2015. MethodsThis quantitative study analyzed risk and protective factors for children and parents reported in client files. Subgroups were identified by two-step cluster analyses. Chi-square analyses identified relations between parental risk subgroups and other groups. ResultsBuilding on the interplay between risk and protective factors on the levels of child, parent and environment, we found five distinct subgroups in the CPS population. The most vulnerable is parents with multiple problems (31%) or socio-economic problems (13%). Parts of both subgroup have limited protective factors. Parents with major life events (16%) or poor parenting (13%) are characterized by single-level problems. One subgroup (28%), the unaccepted, has no parental risk factors registered. ConclusionsStudying client files can lead to a better understanding of the healthcare needs of the CPS population. To develop and implement more effective case management requires constant dialogue between science, policy, and the experiences of both clients and professional.

Self-concept development of children in institutional care, alternative care types and biological family homes: Testing differential susceptibility

The first aim of the study was to examine the differences in self-concept development of children residing in institutions, care villages, group homes, foster care, or with biological families (low socioeconomic status [SES] and middle SES). The second aim was to investigate children’s susceptibility to these environmental variations from a differential susceptibility theory perspective tested by temperamental characteristics. Self-concept in three to five-year-old children was assessed using puppet interviews and parent/caregiver questionnaires. The results indicated that parent/caregiver reported self-concept scores for children residing in institutions significantly differed from that of the foster care and biological family groups. Care village group differed from both biological family groups, and group home differed from the middle-SES family group. Furthermore, the temperamental characteristics of children played a moderator role between care types and self-development. High perceptual sensitivity and high frustration levels were found as a protective factor for children in institutions compared to children in group homes, foster care, and family groups.

Contribution of family risk, emergent literacy and environmental protective factors in children\u2019s reading difficulties at the end of second-grade

It is well established that emergent literacy is a strong predictor of later reading difficulties, and that the home literacy environment plays an important role in the development of children’s preschool emergent literacy and oral language. Furthermore, reading difficulties runs in families and children with a family risk of reading difficulties tend to show delays in emergent literacy and might experience a less advantageous home literacy environment. This study examined whether family risk predicts children’s second-grade reading difficulties in a multifactorial model including both emergent literacy and environmental protective factors such as home literacy environment and parental level of education. Children were assessed for emergent literacy at the beginning of first grade, and were identified as having reading difficulties at the end of second grade if they performed below the national threshold in at least three of the subtests in reading and spelling. The multifactorial model suggested that children with family risk showed reading difficulties that could not be explained in terms of individual differences in emergent literacy, gender, interest in literacy, years in kindergarten, home literacy environment or parental education level. These findings highlight the advantages of using multifactorial models of reading difficulties that encompass different domains of genetic, cognitive-based and environmental factors. In sum, not only did we find family risk is associated with children’s literacy outcomes after 2 years of formal reading instruction, but we also identified possible modifiable factors that may benefit from interventions and lessen the likelihood of developing reading difficulties.

Community Health Workers and Social Proximity: Implementation of a Parenting Program in Urban Poverty.

Community health workers (CHWs) offer a potential means through which to mitigate many of the barriers to mental health services faced by minority youth and their families. The primary aim of the present study was to better understand a core feature of CHWs: their shared community membership with the population served, or social proximity. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with 16 CHWs implementing a school-based early intervention program in Latino and African American communities of urban poverty. The program promoted child and parent/caregiver engagement in schooling as a protective factor for children's mental health. Thematic analyses revealed three main themes defining social proximity: (a) experiences of parenthood or caring for children, (b) familiarity with and understanding of culture, and (c) experiences of life hardships and struggles. Additionally, the process of relating with parents/caregivers through shared experiences was the main theme to describe how CHWs leveraged their social proximity. CHWs' accounts illustrated how their experience of social proximity to the population served was central to how they engaged parents/caregivers in services, highlighting the importance of supporting and promoting CHWs' natural traits and lived experiences.

Ecological Approach to Academic Achievement in the Face of War and Military Violence: Mediating and Moderating Role of School, Family, and Child Characteristics

Based on the ecological-transactional model by Bronfenbrenner, this study tested the mediating roles of school, family, and child characteristics between academic achievement and both traumatic war experiences and stressful life events. It further examined which of these characteristics could protect academic achievement from negative trauma impacts. Participants were 303 Palestinian children (51.2% girls; age, M = 10.94 ± .50 years) and their parents. Standard tests measured children’s language and math achievements. Children reported on motivational beliefs, learning, and coping strategies; teachers’ practices and peer relationships; sibling relationships and parents’ scholastic involvement; and war trauma and stressful life events. Results showed that parental scholastic involvement and children’s motivation and learning strategies mediated between war trauma and academic achievement, whereas teachers’ practices, siblingship, and children’s motivation and learning strategies mediated the impacts of stressful life events on achievement. Good peer relationships and, marginally, parental scholastic encouragement functioned as protective factors for children’s academic achievement in war conditions.

On media violence and aggression.

On media violence and aggression.

Social Interactions between Teachers and Students: A Study Addressing Associations and Predictions

Abstract Interactions between teachers and students impact children’s academic and social learning. This study’s objective was to identify associations and predictions between variables concerning social educational skills, negative educational practices, behavior problems and the social skills of students differentiated by schooling, clinical indicators of behavior problems, and gender. A total of 283 children and their teachers from the public schools participated in the study, who answered questionnaires and participated in a semi-structured interview. Correlation and regression statistical analysis were performed. All the groups presented positive correlations between social educational skills, children’s social skills, negative educational practices, and behavior problems. Behavior problems and social skills presented predictive values among preschoolers. The aforementioned variables, together with positive and negative educational practices, presented predictive values among school children. The conclusion is that teachers can be a protective factor for children’s development, but this requires planning.

Importance of Childhood Psychological Wellbeing on Parental Divorce-Educational Level Relationship

Although there is consistent evidence of the negative effects of parental divorce on children’s educational level, the mechanisms and the protective factors that explain the consequences of divorce on children have not been clearly determined. This information is required in order to create effective policies and programs to help children through the divorce process. This study uses the longitudinal data from the British Birth Cohort Study 1970 and structural equation models to test whether family income, maternal supervision, and children’s psychological problems mediate the effect of parental divorce on children’s educational level and to what extent these variables are important protective factors for children through the divorce process. The main aim of this study, however, is to test the importance of children’s psychological well-being on the relationship between parental divorce and children’s educational level. Only two studies noted the importance of children’s psychological well-being theoretically, but were unable to measure it. This study demonstrates empirically that children’s psychological well-being is not a negligible mechanism and that this variable represents a very important protective factor for children of divorce, since the effect of psychological problems on educational level is significantly greater for children from divorced families than for those from intact ones. Although most family policies aimed at divorced families are targeted to improving family income, these findings reveal the need for governments to ensure that all children of divorce have access to programs and interventions designed to improve their psychological well-being.

Child protection in China: threats and opportunities

Since the inception of the Law on Protection of Minors in 1991, the Chinese government has increasingly emphasised child protection development by promulgating domestic legislation on children’s protection, and establishing policy and service delivery goals. This article critically appraises relevant academic literature, policy documents in relationship to the development of China’s child protection system. We found that although child protection policies exist, enforcement at local levels is characterised by sectorial fragmentation. There is a need to increase government-led initiatives in child protection, to strengthen the institution of family as a protective factor for children, to enhance professional competency and to develop innovative service delivery in partnership with civil society.

Teacher-child relationships and classroom-learning behaviours of children with developmental language disorders.

Children with developmental language disorders (DLDs) often struggle with classroom behaviour. No study has examined whether positive teacher-child relationships may act as a protective factor for children with DLDs in that these serve to enhance children's important classroom-learning behaviours. To examine the association between the quality of teacher-child relationships and teacher-rated classroom-learning behaviours of children with DLDs in both preschool and kindergarten. Longitudinal data were collected on 191 preschoolers (mean = 42.4 months of age, SD = 11.6 months) with DLDs in special education classrooms during preschool and in kindergarten. Teacher-child relationship quality was assessed in preschool, and children's classroom-learning behaviours were measured in preschool and kindergarten. Regression models were used to examine the relationship between teacher-child relationship quality and children's concurrent and future classroom-learning behaviours. Positive teacher-child relationship quality in preschool was associated with better classroom-learning behaviours in preschool and kindergarten for children with DLDs. Preschool teacher-child relationship quality characterized by low levels of conflict and high levels of closeness was associated with positive classroom-learning behaviours during preschool. Teacher-child conflict but not closeness was predictive of children's classroom-learning behaviours in kindergarten. These results suggest that the quality of the teacher-child relationship for children with DLDs during preschool is associated within their learning-related behaviours in the classroom both concurrently and in the subsequent year. Findings suggest that teacher-child relationships should be explored as a mechanism for improving the learning-related behaviours of children with DLDs.

Familial risk and sibling mentalization: Links with preschoolers' internalizing problems.

The current study explored whether older sibling mentalization moderated the relationship between familial risk for internalizing symptoms and the development of future internalizing problems in the younger siblings, referred to as target children. Data were collected on 397 older siblings at Time 1 (T1) when target children were newborn and their older siblings were on average 2.61 years old (SD = .75). Target children were on average 1.60 years old at Time 2 (T2). Internalizing problems were assessed via mother and partner reports. Familial risk was operationalized as the average of all older siblings' level of internalizing problems. Older sibling mentalization, indexed by internal state talk and reasoning, was observed and coded during a sibling pretend-play interaction at T2. Results revealed a significant interaction between familial risk of internalizing problems and older siblings' mentalizing abilities, showing that familial risk was related to target children's internalizing problems in the absence of sibling mentalization. Familial risk was not associated with target children's internalizing problems when siblings demonstrated mentalizing abilities. Findings support the need to consider sibling mentalization as a protective factor for children's internalizing problems. (PsycINFO Database Record

Longitudinal Associations of Parental Emotion Socialization and Children's Emotion Regulation: The Moderating Role of ADHD Symptomatology.

Theory and research suggest that parents' reactions to children's emotions play a critical role in teaching children effective emotion regulation (ER) skills, but no studies have directly examined the role that parent emotion socialization plays in the development of ER in children with ADHD. Gaining insight into the causes of impaired ER, particularly in youth with ADHD who are known to have poor ER, has important theoretical and translational significance. The present study is the first to longitudinally examine whether emotion socialization predicts later physiological and adult-reported measures of ER in children with and without ADHD. It also sought to determine if these relations are moderated by ADHD symptoms. Participants were 61 children (31 girls, 30 boys; M=10.67years, SD=1.28) with and without clinically significant ADHD symptoms. At Time 1, parent reports of emotion socialization and parent- and teacher-report of child ADHD symptoms were collected. At Time 2, child ER measures were collected based on parent- and teacher-report and physiological reactivity during an impossible puzzle and a social rejection task. Physiological measures included respiratory sinus arrhythmia and skin conductance level (SCL). Supportive parenting practices were associated with better parent-rated emotion regulation skills for all children and greater SCL reactivity for children with high ADHD symptoms. Non-supportive parenting reactions were associated with greater adult-rated emotional lability for children with high ADHD symptoms. Results highlight the importance of considering multiple aspects of ER, including physiological manifestations. Findings suggest that parents' use of adaptive emotion socialization practices may serve as a protective factor for children's ER development and may be particularly critical for youth with ADHD. Our findings support the use of interventions addressing parent emotion socialization to help foster better ER in children.

Resident Fathers' Positive Engagement, Family Poverty, and Change in Child Behavior Problems

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of fathers' positive engagement as a protective factor in the development of children's behavior problems and whether this buffering effect differs by family poverty status.BackgroundChildren who have behavior problems at early ages are more likely to show persistent behavior problems over time. Fathers' roles in the development and persistence of child behavior problems have been less investigated than mothers' roles.MethodLongitudinal survey data from 762 constant‐resident‐father families participating in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study were used. Mothers reported on children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems when the focal child was 5 and 9 years of age, and fathers reported on their frequency of positive engagement with children at child age 5. Data were analyzed using moderated moderation regression analyses.ResultsChildren living in greater family poverty at age 5 showed more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at age 9, but greater positive engagement by fathers weakened the association between family poverty and children's later behavior problems. Moreover, fathers' positive engagement appeared to disrupt continuity in internalizing behavior problems from early to middle childhood for children in families living below the poverty level.ConclusionFathers' positive engagement may serve as a protective factor for children's social–emotional development.ImplicationsEmphasizing fathers' positive engagement in prevention and intervention programs designed to lower children's risk for behavior problems may have potential value.

二胎环境下头胎儿童的气质、社会能力与父母教养方式关系综述

自从全面开放二胎政策实施以来，在面对家里有第二个孩子的家庭新环境下，头胎儿童对此出现的各种问题和状况已成为研究新热点。家庭是儿童早期社会化的重要场所，父母的教养方式、家庭的环境氛围等都是儿童早期社会能力习得的重要因素。父母成功协调其教养方式是头胎儿童面对同胞关系转型的关键，积极的父母教养方式对于困难型气质特征的儿童来说是一个保护因素，破坏性的父母教养方式会对头胎儿童的社会适应产生消极影响。困难型气质特征的头胎儿童更有可能在弟妹出生后产生反抗的心理，此类特征的儿童社会适应与社会互动能力较差。也有研究发现，弟妹的出生也有助于促长头胎儿童的亲和力和合作性行为，提高儿童的社会能力发展。 Since the implementation of the two-child policy, the problems and conditions of the first-born children have become a new hot spot when they face a second child in their family. Family is an important part in children’s early socialization; parental rearing and family atmosphere are the important factors of children's early social functioning acquisition. Successful co-ordination of parenting way is the key to the transformation of their children’s relationship to their siblings. Positive parental rearing way is a protective factor for children with difficulty temperament trait; destructive parental rearing way can negatively affect the social adaptation of the first-born children. Children with difficult temperament traits are more likely to develop resistance after the birth of a second child. These children are poor in social adaptation and social interaction. The study also found that the birth of a second child also helps to promote elective affinities and cooperative behavior for the first-born children, raising social ability for children.

The School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Primer for Social Workers.

The school-to-prison pipeline (STPP) refers to a path from the education system to the juvenile or adult criminal justice system. Over the past two decades, this path has grown significantly, and scholars attribute a myriad of contributing factors to this increase. Each factor has its own impact and consequences, which are covered in detail based on an extensive literature review and macro practice through Race Matters for Juvenile Justice. Prior to the STPP concept, education had largely been considered a protective factor for children and a route to success as opposed to a risk factor or track toward juvenile justice involvement. Staying in school and getting good grades were regarded as strategies that even at-risk students could use to overcome poverty, prejudice, and powerlessness. But since the 1990s, the approach to discipline in U.S. public schools has changed, and the effects of this change are only now becoming evident. This article explains the correlates of the STPP and its disparate outcomes, most notably for students of color; those with disabilities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students. The article concludes with implications for social workers in various settings and specific strategies for reducing the impact of the STPP.

Smartphone use is a risk factor for pediatric dry eye disease according to region and age: a case control study.

BackgroundIn 2014, the overall rate of smartphone use in Korea was 83 and 89.8 % in children and adolescents. The rate of smartphone use differs according to region (urban vs. rural) and age (younger grade vs. older grade). We investigated risk and protective factors associated with pediatric dry eye disease (DED) in relation to smartphone use rate according to region and age.MethodsWe enrolled 916 children and performed an ocular exam that included slit lamp exam and tear break-up time. A questionnaire administered to children and their families consisted of video display terminal (VDT) use, outdoor activity, learning, and modified ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score. DED was defined based on the International Dry Eye Workshop guidelines (Objective signs: punctate epithelial erosion or short tear break-up time; subjective symptoms: modified OSDI score) We performed statistical analysis of risk factors and protective factors in children divided into groups as follows: DED vs. control, urban vs. rural, younger grade (1st to 3rd) vs. older grade (4th to 6th).ResultsA total of 6.6 % of children were included in the DED group, and 8.3 % of children in the urban group were diagnosed with DED compared to 2.8 % in the rural group (P = 0.03). The rate of smartphone use was 61.3 % in the urban group and 51.0 % in the rural group (P = 0.04). In total, 9.1 % of children in the older-grade group were diagnosed with DED compared to 4 % in the younger-grade group (P = 0.03). The rate of smartphone use was 65.1 % in older-grade children and 50.9 % in younger-grade children (P < 0.001). The mean daily duration of smartphone use was longer in the DED group than controls (logistic regression analysis, P < 0.001, OR = 13.07), and the mean daily duration of outdoor activities was shorter in the DED group than controls (logistic regression analysis, P < 0.01, OR = 0.33). After cessation of smartphone use for 4 weeks in the DED group, both subjective symptoms and objective signs had improved.ConclusionsSmartphone use in children was strongly associated with pediatric DED; however, outdoor activity appeared to be protective against pediatric DED. Older-grade students in urban environments had DED risk factors (long duration of smartphone use), and a short duration of outdoor activity time. Therefore, close observation and caution are needed when older children in urban areas use smartphones.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12886-016-0364-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effects of ambient temperature on accident and emergency fracture admissions in England, 2007-2012

Introduction: Injuries display seasonality, indicating that weather factors such as temperature may have a direct or indirect effect. The aim of our study is to estimate region and age group-specific effects of ambient temperature on fracture admissions in England. Methods: We conducted a time-series regression of daily counts of emergency admissions for fracture (N=2,229,952) and daily mean temperature, separately by age group, region and season. We controlled for temporal factors including snow cover, and assessed lagged effects and effect modification by social deprivation. A national-level risk was estimated using a random-effects meta-analysis of the regional effects. Results: During summer, for children aged 0-15 the risk of fracture increased by 2.9% (95%CI: 2.3-3.4) for each 1°C increase in temperature, with a similar risk for adults and a lower risk for the elderly (0.7%; 95%CI: 0.1-1.2). During winter, decreasing temperature is a protective factor for children. The risk for adults and the elderly was 1.8% (95%CI 1.2-2.3) and 3.6 (95%CI: 2.8-4.4) for 1°C decrease, respectively. The majority of the temperature effect was observed on the day of exposure. The region-specific effects varied but showed no pattern between north and south. Conclusions: The effect of environmental temperature on fracture admissions in England varies by season and by age group. Children are more at risk during summer when temperature increases. Older age groups are more likely to be admitted in winter when temperatures drop. Our findings add to the limited evidence in the UK on the effect of temperature on injuries, and can be used to inform policies such as Heat Wave and Cold Weather plans by identifying additional risk groups during temperature extremes as well as injury prevention strategies.

Parent problem gambling: A systematic review of prevention programs for children

Parent problem gambling (PG) has pervasive adverse effects on children. These children experience considerable losses such as loss of trust, loss of safety and stability, as well as financial and emotional losses. They are at greater risk for maltreatment and mental health disorders, and they are also at risk for intergenerational transmission of PG. These children are two to four times more likely to develop PG than children of non-PG parents. To date, there has been a dearth of research examining the impact of parent PG on children, and even less research focusing on reducing risks in children of PG parents. The goal of this systematic review was to identify PG prevention programs for children and examine the types of prevention used and whether these programs target specific subgroups. Our search retained 16 studies examining PG prevention programs for children. Results indicated that all of the PG prevention programs in the selected studies are universal and do not target children of PG parents or any other specific subgroups. A large gap is the absence of secondary and tertiary PG prevention programs for children. Another gap is the lack of family focused prevention strategies which the substance use literature has shown to be the most effective form of prevention. Further research is needed on parent PG and ways of reducing risks and increasing protective factors in children and families. A public health framework must be adopted to delay onset, reduce risks and minimize consequences in children of PG parents.

The Role of Parents, Parenting and the Family Environment in Children's Post-Disaster Mental Health.

There is widespread support for the hypothesis that, post-disaster, children's mental health is impacted--at least in part--via the impact on parents, parenting, parent-child interactions, and the family environment. To some degree, the enthusiasm with which this hypothesis is held outstrips the evidence examining it. The current paper critically evaluates the empirical evidence for this hypothesis and concludes that although limited (both in terms of number of existing studies and methodological flaws), the extant literature indicates some parent-related variables, as well as some aspects of the family environment are likely to constitute risk or protective factors for children. Given that parenting is modifiable, it is proposed that the identified parent- and family-related factors represent important therapeutic targets, and a universal post-disaster parenting intervention (Disaster Recovery Triple P) is described.

Resilience in children of depressed parents – a systematic review of protective factors

IntroductionChildren of depressed parents have an increased risk of developing mental disorders. While there are various studies concerning a pathogenetic perspective, fewer studies examined factors that protect mental health of these children. Knowledge about protective factors is necessary to establish prevention projects.ObjectivesThis systematic review gives an overview of protective factors for mental health of children of depressed parents.MethodsDatabases PsycINFO, Embase, Medline, PSYNDEX, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and CINAHL were searched for relevant studies in German or English published until August 2014. Targets were epidemiological studies concerning protective factors for children up to the age of 21 years who have at least one depressed parent. Selection process and assessment of methodological quality of the studies were conducted by two reviewers using a checklist.ResultsOut of 3526 screened studies, finally thirteen studies were included. Efficient stress management strategies – in particular primary and secondary control coping – were identified as protective factors for mental health of affected children. Children's social competences as well as parental positive parenting skills also seem to have a protective impact. Restrictions to specific search terms, databases, and languages could have caused missing relevant studies with other characteristics. Limitations could also result from possible publication bias as well as methodological and qualitative differences regarding included studies.ConclusionsIn the context of prevention projects, children of depressed parents should be supported in adequately and efficiently coping with stress. Moreover, practitioners should aim at the promotion of social competences and the involvement of parents within prevention.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.