Reports Of Family Functioning Research Articles

Psychological distress, employment, and family functioning during the COVID-19 outbreak among recent immigrant families in Israel: Moderating roles of COVID-19 prevalence.

Grounded in an ecodevelopment perspective, in the current study we examined unique and moderating effects of daily COVID-19 prevalence (social contexts) on effects of COVID-19 related risk and protective factors such as emotional distress (individual contexts) and employment (working from home and unemployment status; family contexts) on family functioning among 160 recent immigrant families in Israel. In general, results indicate several unique effects of COVID-19 related factors (such as COVID-19 emotional distress, unemployment, and remote work arrangements) on both parents' and adolescents' reports of family functioning. However, results indicated that there were more significant associations between COVID-19 factors (e.g., emotional distress and COVID-19 prevalence) and family functioning indicators with adolescents, than with parents. The effects of COVID-19 factors (e.g., emotional distress and remote work arrangements) were moderated by daily COVID-19 prevalence (new cases and deaths). We discuss ways in which interventionists can contribute to pandemic-related research to promote optimal family functioning among immigrant families.

The occurrence of internalizing problems and chronic pain symptoms in early childhood: what comes first?

Chronic pain and internalizing problems are characterized by concurrent associations but the directionality of this relationship in early childhood remains unclear. This prospective study aimed to investigate the bidirectional effect of chronic pain and internalizing problems and test the persistence of pain over time in a population-based sample of preschoolers. The study was embedded in Generation R, a large population-based cohort. Mothers of 3,996 children assessed their child's experienced pain and internalizing problems at 3 and 6years. At 3years, paternal reports were available too. Reports of family functioning, discipline practices and parental psychopathology were also collected. The prevalence of chronic pain was 2.7% (106) and 8.0% (294) at baseline and follow-up, respectively. The presence of internalizing problems at child age 3years predicted chronic pain at 6 years, for both maternal (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02,1.07, p < 0.001) and paternal (OR 1.03, 95%CI 1.00, 1.06, p < 0.05) internalizing problem reports, when adjusted for potential confounding factors. In contrast, chronic pain did not increase the likelihood of internalizing problems. The temporal relationship between chronic pain and internalizing problems appears to follow a largely unidirectional trend in early childhood, with internalizing problems increasing the likelihood of concurrent physical symptoms. Current understanding of the directionality of this relationship, highlights the importance for comprehensive assessment of psychiatric problems contributing to the manifestation of chronic pain.

Attachment and Parent-Adolescent Discrepancies in Reports of Family Functioning among Suicidal Adolescents

The current study examined parent-adolescent discrepancies in reports of family functioning and their relation to attachment styles, depressive symptomatology, and suicidal ideation in a diverse sample of adolescents (49.7% African American, 15.5% Hispanic/Latino, 28.7% White, 81.9% female). Participants were 129 adolescents (ages 12–18) and one caregiver (79% mothers). Adolescents had met inclusion criteria in a Randomized Clinical Trial for depressed and suicidal adolescents. Measures of family functioning, symptoms, and attachment styles were assessed at baseline prior to treatment. On average, adolescents reported less family cohesion compared to caregivers (t (127) = −3.01, p = 0.003) but similar levels of family conflict (p> 0.05). Polynomial regression models demonstrated that avoidant attachment styles with mother figures were associated with adolescent-reported family conflict when parents reported low family conflict (b = 0.79, SE = 0.24, p < 0.01). It is possible that avoidant attachment styles are linked to mistuned patterns of communication that in turn, enhance differing views of family conflict. Conversely, an avoidant attachment style may be maintained when adolescents perceive family conflict that is not validated by their caregiver. This study supports and extends previous findings that discrepant views of family functioning indicate problems in the parent-adolescent relationship. Findings are consistent with research demonstrating the clinical relevance of informant discrepancies beyond information obtained from only one respondent’s report.

Transactions within the family: Coparenting mediates associations between parents' relationship satisfaction and the parent-child relationship.

In the current study, we examined the potential for transactional relations among parents' marital satisfaction, coparental cooperation and conflict, and parent-child relationship satisfaction in a sample of 249 families with 2-3-year-old children. Using a novel multiwave design with frequent assessments to better capture transactional family processes, mothers and fathers were assessed across 5 waves with 2-month lags; mean age of the target children (53% girls) was 2.8 years (SD = 0.62) at baseline. Cross-lagged, multilevel structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses using an actor-partner interdependence modeling framework revealed coparental cooperation and conflict as likely mechanisms within the family system. Specifically, marital satisfaction from both parents was reciprocally linked to fathers' coparental cooperation over time, supporting transactional links between those two family subsystems. In addition, there were significant transactional links between both mothers' and fathers' coparental cooperation and father-reported parent-child relationship satisfaction across time, revealing within-parent and cross-parent mediation. Regarding coparental conflict, marital satisfaction from both parents was reciprocally linked to the same parents' reports of coparental conflict across time (i.e., actor effects). Furthermore, father-reported coparental conflict acted as a mediating or intervening mechanism between father-reported marital satisfaction and mother-reported parent-child relationship satisfaction (cross-parent mediation). Taken as a set, the findings supported coparental cooperation and conflict as significant links between marital functioning and the parent-child relationship. Findings build on a growing body of literature addressing the transactional associations embedded within the family system and highlight the importance of modeling the inherent interdependencies between mothers' and fathers' reports of family functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record

Mother-Child Discrepancy in Perceived Family Functioning and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes in Families Experiencing Economic Disadvantage in Hong Kong.

Though growing attention has been devoted to examining informant discrepancies of family attributes in social science research, studies that examine how interactions between mother-reported and adolescent-reported family functioning predict adolescent developmental outcomes in underprivileged families are severely lacking. The current study investigated the difference between mothers and adolescents in their reports of family functioning, as well as the relationships between mother-reported and adolescent-reported family functioning and adolescent developmental outcomes in a sample of 432 Chinese single-mother families (mean age of adolescents=13.7years, 51.2% girls, mean age of mothers=43.5years, 69.9% divorced) experiencing economic disadvantage in Hong Kong. Polynomial regression analyses were conducted to assess whether discrepancy in family functioning between mother reports and adolescent reports predicted resilience, beliefs in the future, cognitive competence, self-efficacy and self-determination of adolescents. The results indicated that adolescents reported family functioning more negatively than did their mothers. Polynomial regression analyses showed that the interaction term between mothers' reports and adolescents' reports of family functioning predicted adolescent developmental outcomes in Chinese single-mother families living in poverty. Basically, under poor adolescent-reported family functioning, adolescent development would be relatively better if their mothers reported more positive family functioning. In contrast, under good adolescent-reported family functioning, adolescents expressed better developmental outcomes when mothers reported lower levels of family functioning than those mothers who reported higher levels of family functioning. The findings provide insights on how congruency and discrepancy between informant reports of family functioning would influence adolescent development. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

The Relationship Between Family Functioning and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: The Role of Emotional Clarity.

Emotion regulation has been implicated in the etiology of depression. A first step in adaptive emotion regulation involves emotional clarity, the ability to recognize and differentiate one's emotional experience. As family members are critical in facilitating emotional understanding and communication, we examined the impact of family functioning on adolescent emotional clarity and depressive symptoms. We followed 364 adolescents (ages 14-17; 52.5% female; 51.4 % Caucasian, 48.6% African American) and their mothers over 2 years (3 time points) and assessed emotional clarity, depressive symptoms, and adolescents' and mothers' reports of family functioning. Emotional clarity mediated the relationship between adolescents' reports of family functioning and depressive symptoms at all time points cross-sectionally, and according to mothers' reports of family functioning at Time 1 only. There was no evidence of longitudinal mediation for adolescents' or mothers' reports of family functioning. Thus, family functioning, emotional clarity, and depressive symptoms are strongly related constructs during various time points in adolescence, which has important implications for intervention, especially within the family unit.

Family Adjustment and Parenting Stress When an Infant Has Serious Liver Disease

Parenting stress, problems in family functioning, and lack of fathers' engagement in treatment are associated with poor quality of life in children with chronic illnesses. The aim of the present study was to examine these characteristics in families of infants with serious liver disease in Australia, to inform the provision of mental health care for these families. From September 2009 to May 2013, 42 parents of infants recently diagnosed as having serious liver disease (defined as liver disease that may require transplantation in the future) completed questionnaires about family function, impact of the infant's illness on the family, parent stress symptoms, and fathers' engagement in the care of the child. Participants were recruited from 4 metropolitan children's hospitals in Australia. Parents reported psychological symptoms at similar rates to normative populations. Their reports of family functioning were significantly below mean scores in previously published populations with a medically ill family member (population mean 1.89; mothers mean 1.59; fathers mean 1.61, P < 0.001). Disruption to family roles was significantly correlated with psychological symptoms for mothers (r = 0.48, P < 0.01) and fathers (r = 0.31, P < 0.05). Greater helpfulness of fathers was correlated with lower depression in mothers (r = -0.35, P < 0.05), and fathers' anxiety was correlated with their increased engagement (r = 0.40, P < 0.01). When parents report the presence of psychological symptoms, symptoms are likely to be present in both parents and are associated with difficulties adjusting to disrupted family roles. Father engagement may be protective of mothers' mental health.

The Impact of Coexisting Emotional and Conduct Problems on Family Functioning and Quality of Life Among Adolescents With ADHD

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of self-reported emotional and conduct problems on family functioning and quality of life (QoL) among adolescents with ADHD. Method: The ADHD group (N = 194) was divided into the following groups: without additional emotional or conduct problems, with emotional problems, with conduct problems, and with both problem types. The cross-sectional study included parent and adolescent reports. Results: Adolescents with ADHD and both problem types reported significantly lower QoL and family functioning than all other ADHD groups. Parents reported better QoL for the ADHD group without additional problems, but similar family functioning for all groups. Conclusion: A higher level of coexisting psychiatric problems had a significant impact on adolescents’ reports of family functioning and QoL. However, coexisting problems showed no association with parent reports of family functioning. Adolescents with ADHD might add important information in clinical assessment.

How do Runaway Adolescents and their Parents Perceive the Family? Measurement Invariance in the Family Functioning Scale

Abstract Exploring perceptual discrepancies and how they affect family life may be particularly relevant when household dynamics have broken down to the point that a child runs away or is forced to leave the home. This study explored the sources of differences between parents’ and youths’ reports of family functioning and, more generally, illustrates how to perform confirmatory factor analysis methods to purge error due to measurement invariance. Basic concepts and methods that are often needed in social work research are described. Creating uni-dimensional and configurable invariant subscales resulted in improved significance for the Conflict subscale over traditional methods. All other subscales remained significantly different between parents and youths at all levels of invariance. Findings highlight the caution required in using any scale to measure the same construct for two different populations, such as parents and children.

How do Runaway Adolescents and their Parents Perceive the Family? Measurement Invariance in the Family Functioning Scale

Exploring perceptual discrepancies and how they affect family life may be particularly relevant when household dynamics have broken down to the point that a child runs away or is forced to leave the home. This study explored the sources of differences between parents’ and youths’ reports of family functioning and, more generally, illustrates how to perform confirmatory factor analysis methods to purge error due to measurement invariance. Basic concepts and methods that are often needed in social work research are described. Creating uni-dimensional and configurable invariant subscales resulted in improved significance for the Conflict subscale over traditional methods. All other subscales remained significantly different between parents and youths at all levels of invariance. Findings highlight the caution required in using any scale to measure the same construct for two different populations, such as parents and children.

Brief strategic family therapy versus treatment as usual: Results of a multisite randomized trial for substance using adolescents.

To determine the effectiveness of brief strategic family therapy (BSFT; an evidence-based family therapy) compared to treatment as usual (TAU) as provided in community-based adolescent outpatient drug abuse programs. A randomized effectiveness trial in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network compared BSFT to TAU with a multiethnic sample of adolescents (213 Hispanic, 148 White, and 110 Black) referred for drug abuse treatment at 8 community treatment agencies nationwide. Randomization encompassed both adolescents' families (n = 480) and the agency therapists (n = 49) who provided either TAU or BSFT services. The primary outcome was adolescent drug use, assessed monthly via adolescent self-report and urinalysis for up to 1 year post randomization. Secondary outcomes included treatment engagement (≥2 sessions), retention (≥8 sessions), and participants' reports of family functioning 4, 8, and 12 months following randomization. No overall differences between conditions were observed in the trajectories of self-reports of adolescent drug use. However, the median number of days of self-reported drug use was significantly higher, χ2(1) = 5.40, p < .02, in TAU (Mdn = 3.5, interquartile range [IQR] = 11) than BSFT (Mdn = 2, IQR = 9) at the final observation point. BSFT was significantly more effective than TAU in engaging, χ2(1) = 11.33, p < .001, and retaining, χ2(1) = 5.66, p < .02, family members in treatment and in improving parent reports of family functioning, χ2(2) = 9.10, p < .011. We discuss challenges in treatment implementation in community settings and provide recommendations for further research.

Mothers report more child-rearing disagreements following early brain injury than do fathers.

To investigate differences between mother's and father's perceptions of marital relationship quality, child rearing disagreements, and family functioning over the initial 18 months following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in early childhood relative to an orthopedic-injury comparison group. Participants included 147 parent-dyads of children with TBI (n = 53) and orthopedic injuries (OI; n = 94) who were between the ages of 3 and 7 years at injury. Family functioning, marital quality, and child-rearing disagreements were assessed shortly after injury and at 6, 12, and 18-month follow-ups, with ratings at the initial assessment completed to reflect preinjury functioning. Mixed model analyses were used to examine mother and father's reports of family functioning, marital quality, and child-rearing disagreements over time as a function of injury severity and parent gender. We found a significant Group x Gender interaction for ratings of love and parenting disagreements. As hypothesized, mothers of children with severe TBI rated the relationship as significantly less loving than did their partners, and mothers of children with both moderate and severe TBI endorsed more parenting disagreements than did their partners. However, fathers reported higher levels of family dysfunction than their partners, regardless of injury type or severity. Implications for treatment based on differences in mothers' and fathers' perceptions of family and marital functioning, and future directions for research, are discussed.

The Impact of Pediatric Chronic Pain on Parents' Health-Related Quality of Life and Family Functioning: Reliability and Validity of the PedsQL 4.0 Family Impact Module

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Family Impact Module (FIM), a parent self-report measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and family functioning, among parents of youth with chronic pain. Parents (N = 458) completed the FIM (Total Impact, HRQOL, and Family Functioning scales); parents and youth (N = 332) completed measures of pain catastrophizing, pediatric quality of life, and emotional/behavioral functioning. The FIM demonstrated strong internal consistency and item-total correlations. All FIM scales were positively associated with pain catastrophizing, functional disability, and emotional/behavioral problems; and inversely related to pediatric quality of life. Mothers reported significantly worse HRQOL than fathers. Mothers and fathers did not differ on reports of Family Functioning. HRQOL and Family Functioning did not differ as a function of pain diagnosis. The FIM appears to be a suitable measure of parent self-reported HRQOL and family functioning in pediatric chronic pain.

Pain, Fatigue, Family Functioning, and Attitude Toward Illness in Children with Juvenile Rheumatic Diseases

Pain and fatigue adversely affect the physical and psychosocial functioning of children with Juvenile Rheumatic Diseases (JRDs). Research investigating relations among disease severity and family functioning has produced mixed results. There is scant research examining the relations among illness attitudes and disease severity. Children (50 girls and 32 boys) with a JRD and their parents participated in this study. Parents completed a scale assessing family functioning and children completed information about their experience of pain and fatigue and attitude toward their illness. Regression analyses indicated that children experiencing more pain and fatigue were apt to hold negative attitudes toward their illness, and that parents reported lower family functioning when children were experiencing higher levels of fatigue. Research examining relations among child and reports of family functioning and children’s attitudes toward their illness will provide information for health care teams serving these children and their families.

Impact of Severity of a Child's Chronic Condition on the Functioning of Two-Parent Families

To examine the impact of the severity of a child's chronic condition on family functioning from the perspectives of mothers and fathers and to compare their reports with the functioning of families with healthy children. Mothers and fathers in two-parent families of 160 infants and 102 pre-adolescents with a wide range of chronic health conditions (noncategorical approach) completed standard self-report inventories. The families of children with chronic conditions functioned as well or better compared with normative data for families with healthy children. The only significant differences between mothers' and fathers' reports of family functioning were a greater negative impact on role performance reported by mothers of infants and pre-adolescents and a great negative impact on affective expression reported by fathers of pre-adolescents. Overall, very little of the variance in family functioning was explained by severity of the child's chronic condition in this sample of middle-class, two-parent families.

Severity of children's psychopathology and impairment and its relationship to treatment setting.

The study investigated the settings in which children and adolescents were treated to determine whether clinicians assigned individuals who had greater needs to more intensive treatment. Subjects were 603 children four to 16 years of age who visited a mental health treatment facility in Western Australia, where, as is the case throughout Australia, universal publicly funded health care is provided. DSM-IV criteria were used to make diagnoses, and clinicians assessed each child's level of impairment. The clinicians assigned the children to inpatient treatment, day treatment, or outpatient treatment, or they saw the child only for a psychiatric consultation. Measures included parents' and children's reports of children's psychopathology and parents' reports of family functioning, family life events, and parental mental health symptoms and treatment. Clinicians' ratings of impairment were highest for children assigned to the inpatient and day treatment settings. Parents' ratings of total psychopathology and of internalizing and externalizing symptoms were highest for children in the inpatient and day treatment settings. Parents' reports also indicated that family dysfunction and parental alcohol problems were most severe in the inpatient group. No differences in parents' mental health problems were found across treatment settings. Children with more severe psychopathology and more severe family dysfunction and parental problems were more likely to be provided treatment in the most costly and time-intensive treatment settings. The results provide empirical evidence for what many clinicians consider best clinical practice-to assign children and families to treatment settings appropriate to their level of impairment.

A Longitudinal Study of Hong Kong Adolescents' and Parents' Perceptions of Family Functioning and Well-Being

In this longitudinal study, the relationships between Hong Kong Chinese adolescents' and parents' discrepancies in their perceptions of family functioning and adolescents' psychological well-being were investigated via adolescents' and parents' reports of family functioning (N=378 families). Results showed that discrepancies in perceptions of family functioning between adolescents and parents were related to adolescents' feelings of hopelessness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, purpose in life, and general psychiatric morbidity at Time 1 and Time 2. Longitudinal and prospective analyses (Time 1 predictors predicting Time 2 criterion variables) suggested that the relationship between discrepancies in perceptions of family functioning and adolescents' psychological well-being are bidirectional. Adolescent-father and adolescent-mother discrepancies had similar effects on adolescents' psychological well-being. The negative impact of discrepancies among family members in perceptions of family functioning on adolescents' psychological well-being was greater for adolescent girls than for adolescent boys.

A Longitudinal Study of the Relationship between Family Functioning and Adolescent Psychological Well-Being

ABSTRACT Using children's and parents' reports of family functioning, this longitudinal study examines the relationships between family functioning and adolescent psychological well-being in a sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 378). Results show that family functioning based on ratings obtained from different sources was concurrently related to hopelessness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, purpose in life and general psychiatric morbidity at Time 1 and Time 2. Longitudinal and prospective analyses (Time 1 predictors predicting Time 2 criterion variables) suggest that the relations between family functioning and adolescent psychological well-being were bidirectional in nature. There was some evidence for gender differences in the strengths of association between family functioning and adolescent psychological well-being. Family functioning perceived by the adolescent, relative to family functioning perceived by the parents, was consistently found to have a stronger association with measures of adolescent psychological well-being.

The Relationship Among Childhood Sexual Abuse, Parental Alcoholism, Family Environment and Suicidal Behavior in Female College Students

This study investigated the relationship among childhood sexual abuse and parental alcoholism, retroscpective reports of family functioning, and having had a history of either suicidal ideation or suicide attempts. Subjects were drawn from a sample of undergraduate college women. Results demonstrated that the experiences of childhood sexual abuse and parental alcoholism independetly predicted higher levels of suicidality. In addition, subjects' reports of past family conflict were associated with higher levels of suicidality, whereas reports that families were cohesive, fostered expressiveness and indpendence, engaged in intellectual-cultural recreational opportunities, and emphasized moral-religous values were associated with decreased risk. Regression models were found useful in describing the joint effects of childhood adversity and family environment.

Intrainformant agreement and family functioning in depressed and nondepressed parents and their children

Abstract This investigation examined perceptions of family functioning, marital satisfaction, and parent-child bonding in 65 families (child, mother, father) with one or more depressed parents and 26 families with no depressed parent. Intrainformant agreement between offspring and their parents across family functioning measures was examined for the two proband groups. Results revealed more dysfunction in family adaptability, cohesiveness, and parent-child bonding and lower levels of marital satisfaction in the depressed as compared to the nondepressed proband group. Analyses of intrainformant data revealed no significant differences in levels of agreement between informants from the two proband groups for any of the raters. There was, however, significant agreement between informants in both proband groups. Thus, differential reports of family functioning are attributable to variations in perception of functioning, rather than to different levels of internal consistency in reporting across raters in depr...