Family Research Research Articles

Croatian Migrant Families: Local Incorporation, Culture, and Identity

So far, Croatian migrant families have been predominantly studied within the scope of theoretical questions oriented toward ethnicity and their role as the guardians of ethnic/national identity. Going beyond the ethnic lens of those studies, the article focuses on an exploration of family structures and the social functioning of wider kinship networks in the migration context as well as an understanding of how migrants conceive of ethnic/national identity. By highlighting the complex entanglements of traditional family patterns (patrilocality, seniority, and gender roles), transnational kinship networks and “a little tradition of ethnic/national identity” held by migrants, this article seeks to establish autonomous research into family processes among Croatian migrants and to make a rapprochement between classical anthropological research of family and kinship and migration studies.

BEXCIS: Bayesian methods for estimating the degree of the skewness of X chromosome inactivation

BackgroundX chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an epigenetic phenomenon that one of two X chromosomes in females is transcriptionally silenced during early embryonic development. Skewed XCI has been reported to be associated with some X-linked diseases. There have been several methods measuring the degree of the skewness of XCI. However, these methods may still have several limitations.ResultsWe propose a Bayesian method to obtain the point estimate and the credible interval of the degree of XCI skewing by incorporating its prior information of being between 0 and 2. We consider a normal prior and a uniform prior for it (respectively denoted by BN and BU). We also propose a penalized point estimate based on the penalized Fieller’s method and derive the corresponding confidence interval. Simulation results demonstrate that the BN and BU methods can solve the problems of extreme point estimates, noninformative intervals, empty sets and discontinuous intervals. The BN method generally outperforms other methods with the lowest mean squared error in the point estimation, and well controls the coverage probability with the smallest median and the least variation of the interval width in the interval estimation. We apply all the methods to the Graves’ disease data and the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research data, and find that SNP rs3827440 in the Graves’ disease data may undergo skewed XCI towards the allele C.ConclusionsWe recommend the BN method for measuring the degree of the skewness of XCI in practice. The R package BEXCIS is publicly available at https://github.com/Wen-YiYu/BEXCIS.

The procreative identities of men in same‐sex relationships choosing surrogacy: A new theoretical understanding

AbstractThe growing visibility of same‐sex two‐parent families and the increased use of surrogacy have expanded LGBT parenting scholarship to include experiences of gay and other men in same‐sex relationships. Yet, even with the growth of research over the past decade on gay and other sexual minority men's parenting experiences, such studies are still undertheorized. The purpose of this article is to conceptualize an enhanced family theory model that addresses the evolution of the procreative identities of men in same‐sex relationships who decide to have children via surrogacy. This framework will identify the unique issues and factors that support same‐sex partnered men's (a) procreative consciousness; (b) procreative responsibility; and (c) procreative transitioning, including barriers that may exert a long‐term impact on fathers in same‐sex relationships. As scholarship on fatherhood among gay, bisexual, and other men expands, the development of a family studies model that examines surrogacy trajectories in the context of men's same‐sex relationships, from considerations of procreation to post‐birth experiences, can enhance family studies theory and research.

Screening, cloning and functional characterization of key methyltransferase genes involved in the methylation step of 1-deoxynojirimycin alkaloids biosynthesis in mulberry leaves.

The novel C-methyltransferase, MaMT1, could catalyze the conversion of piperidine to 2-methylpiperidine, which may be involved in the methylation step of DNJ biosynthesis in mulberry leaves. Mulberry (Morus alba L.) is a worldwide crop with medicinal, feeding and nutritional value, and 1-deoxynojirimycin ((2R, 3R, 4R, 5S)-2-hydroxymethyl-3, 4, 5-trihydroxypiperidine, DNJ) alkaloid, a potent α-glucosidase inhibitor, is its main active ingredient. Our previous researches clarified the biosynthetic pathway of DNJ from lysine to Δ1-piperideine, but its downstream pathway is unclear. Herein, eight differential methyltransferases (MTs) genes were screened from transcriptome profiles of mulberry leaves with significant differences in DNJ content (P < 0.01). Subsequently, MaMT1 (OM140666) and MaMT2 (OM140667) were hypothesized as candidate genes related to DNJ biosynthesis by correlation analysis of genes expression levels and DNJ content of mulberry leaves at different dates. Functional characterization of MaMT1 and MaMT2 were performed by cloning, prokaryotic expression and enzymatic reaction in vitro, and it showed that MaMT1 protein could catalyze the conversion of piperidine to 2-methylpiperidine. Moreover, molecular docking confirmed the interaction of MaMT1 protein with piperidine and S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), indicating that MaMT1 had C-methyltransferase activity, while MaMT2 did not. The above results suggested that MaMT1 may be involved in the methylation step of DNJ alkaloid biosynthesis in mulberry leaves, which is a breakthrough in the analysis of DNJ alkaloid biosynthetic pathway. It is worth mentioning that the novel MaMT1, annotated as serine hydroxymethyltransferase, could rely on SAM to perform C-methyltransferase function. Therefore, our findings contribute new insights into the research of DNJ alkaloid biosynthesis and C-methyltransferase family.

Gene-Based Methods for Estimating the Degree of the Skewness of X Chromosome Inactivation.

Skewed X chromosome inactivation (XCI-S) has been reported to be associated with some X-linked diseases, and currently several methods have been proposed to estimate the degree of the XCI-S (denoted as ) for a single locus. However, no method has been available to estimate for genes. Therefore, in this paper, we first propose the point estimate and the penalized point estimate of for genes, and then derive its confidence intervals based on the Fieller’s and penalized Fieller’s methods, respectively. Further, we consider the constraint condition of and propose the Bayesian methods to obtain the point estimates and the credible intervals of , where a truncated normal prior and a uniform prior are respectively used (denoted as GBN and GBU). The simulation results show that the Bayesian methods can avoid the extreme point estimates (0 or 2), the empty sets, the noninformative intervals () and the discontinuous intervals to occur. GBN performs best in both the point estimation and the interval estimation. Finally, we apply the proposed methods to the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research data for their practical use. In summary, in practical applications, we recommend using GBN to estimate of genes.

BEYOND THE PUBLIC HEALTH NARRATIVE: ABSTINENCE-ONLY EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES

This research studies the intention and endeavour of Christian-based organizations, namely the Family Research Council and Family Policy Alliance in disseminating the notion of sexuality in American society. This research utilizes a narrative analysis strategy and employs the following steps: 1) close reading the collected documents; 2) categorizing the recurring patterns of narratives using sociological perspective and cultural reproduction theory; 3) drawing a conclusion on the intention and efforts of Family Research Council and Family Policy Alliance in spreading the knowledge of sexuality. Using the narratives of aspirations and tensions which surrounds sexuality, this study shows that Family Research Council and Family Policy Alliance uphold Christian values as the organization's foundation and attempt to secure those principles in the ‘sex-saturated society.’ To accomplish the mission, Family Research Council and Family Policy Alliance promote abstinence-only education and oppose comprehensive sex education, arguing that comprehensive sex education holds liberal values that threaten the sanctity of the heterosexual relationship. This research demonstrates that Family Research Council and Family Policy Alliance, as Christian-based organizations, strive to preserve the conservative values that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Genome-Wide Identification and Functional Analysis of Lysine Histidine Transporter (LHT) Gene Families in Maize.

Amino acid transporters (AATs) are essential membrane proteins that transfer amino acids across cells. They are necessary for plant growth and development. The lysine histidine transporter (LHT) gene family in maize (Zea mays) has not yet been characterized. According to sequence composition and phylogenetic placement, this study found 15 LHT genes in the maize genome. The ZmLHT genes are scattered across the plasma membrane. The study also analyzed the evolutionary relationships, gene structures, conserved motifs, 3D protein structure, a transmembrane domain, and gene expression of the 15 LHT genes in maize. Comprehensive analyses of ZmLHT gene expression profiles revealed distinct expression patterns in maize LHT genes in various tissues. This study's extensive data will serve as a foundation for future ZmLHT gene family research. This study might make easier to understand how LHT genes work in maize and other crops.

Detection of Parent-of-Origin Effects for the Variants Associated With Behavioral Disinhibition in the MCTFR Data.

Behavioral disinhibition is one of the important characteristics of many mental diseases. It has been reported in literature that serious behavioral disinhibition will affect people’s health and greatly reduce people’s quality of life. Meanwhile, behavioral disinhibition can easily lead to illegal drug abuse and violent crimes, etc., which will bring great harm to the society. At present, large-scale genome-wide association analysis has identified many loci associated with behavioral disinhibition. However, these studies have not incorporated the parent-of-origin effects (POE) into analysis, which may ignore or underestimate the genetic effects of loci on behavioral disinhibition. Therefore, in this article, we analyzed the five phenotypes related to behavioral disinhibition in the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research data (nicotine, alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence, illicit drugs, and non-substance use related behavioral disinhibition), to further explore the POE of variants on behavioral disinhibition. We applied a linear mixed model to test for the POE at a genome-wide scale on five transformed phenotypes, and found nine SNPs with statistically significant POE at the significance level of 5 × 10−8. Among them, SNPs rs4141854, rs9394515, and rs4711553 have been reported to be associated with two neurological disorders (restless legs syndrome and Tourette’s syndrome) which are related to behavioral disinhibition; SNPs rs12960235 and rs715351 have been found to be associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, skin cancer and type I diabetes, while both SNPs have not been identified to be related to behavioral disinhibition in literature; SNPs rs704833, rs6837925, rs1863548, and rs11067062 are novel loci identified in this article, and their function annotations have not been reported in literature. Follow-up study in molecular genetics is needed to verify whether they are surely related to behavioral disinhibition.

Family Social Capital in Family Business: A Faith-Based Values Theory

When this study was initiated in 2008, the concept of family social capital was new to the family business discipline. This paper summarizes in-depth qualitative research grounded in owning family experience to understand the nature and source of owning family social capital. Exploratory research began with roundtable discussions among family business owners, advisors, and researchers to understand how owning families sustain positive relationships characteristic of family social capital. These discussions revealed that some family business owners rely on their family faith to sustain and establish ethical norms. A follow-up review in the family studies literature revealed that many families rely on family faith practices and faith-based narratives to reinforce ethical norms that strengthen family relationships. Based on these findings, researchers developed hypotheses to guide additional research. Four owning families affiliated with different Christian denominations participated in in-depth qualitative research that supports hypotheses. Interviews and archival data revealed very similar faith-based practices, beliefs, and values across the four owning families. And additional qualitative evidence indicated positive connections between values-based family social capital and family owner succession, business performance, and community support. Theoretical relationships derived from qualitative data are summarized in a Faith-Based Values Theory of Family Business.

Families of Origin: The Experience of Parents of Single Military Members

Enlisting in the military is a career choice that impacts the entire family unit. Many research studies have examined the effect of military life on spouses and children of military members; however little research to date has examined the experience of parents of adult children, especially for those of single Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members. Given that many military members are often younger and not yet in stable romantic relationships, parents are often a primary source of emotional and instrumental support. Building on military family research, the current study was conducted to gain a greater understanding of parents’ experiences upon the enlistment of their adult children and adjustment to their military career. Parents of single CAF members’ experiences were examined through a series of semi-structured interviews and focus groups in seven major Canadian cities. The study group consisted of 55 participants with a mean age of 56 years. Thematic analysis was employed to identify common themes across interviews and focus groups. Results suggest that parents often experience fear and worry over their children’s wellbeing, loss of control, and uncertainty. They strive to maintain connection to their adult children and provide emotional, instrumental, and financial support. Over time, many parents are able to develop increased resilience and adjustment to their children’s careers, in part due to the development of military connections, informal and formal support, and adaptive coping methods. The findings are discussed in relation to improving parental resilience and how the CAF may best support them.

Creating a Holistic Model of Heterosexual Marriage Wellbeing Mechanisms

The links between marital relationship well-being and multiple life outcomes, including health, finances, career, living conditions, and happiness, are repetitively endorsed in academic studies. These outcomes are far-reaching and broadly representative, so it is perhaps surprising that there are limited publicly available, evidence-based models of marital wellbeing mechanisms to aid couples in trouble or to educate families, professional helpers, or policy makers in their decision-making processes. The goal of this study was to isolate the generic properties of marital health and understand their operation - investigating the precedents, antecedents and maintenance of adult romantic relationship happiness, stability and general marital well-being, including how these constructs self-organise and co-relate, how outcomes emerge, and how we might therefore potentially alter these outcomes. Over the last 40 years thousands of studies have been carried out to determine the factors that contribute to marital satisfaction and endurance. Nonetheless, to this point in history little has been done to synthesise these multiple factors into an overarching model of marital wellbeing. For this study, pre-existing theories and research findings pertinent to marriage and relationships were sought out using a scoping review, collating more than 24,000 research articles. The multi-grounding process extricated categories from the scoping review for the model development. Prominent pertinent theories were discovered, and their premises were explored, compared, and inter-relationships were considered in the model development process. Given the prevalence and primacy of marriage partnerships across most societies and given the individual importance and the societal impact that these partnerships have, this model has significance for individuals, therapists, family therapy lecturers and researchers, policy makers and even societal and business leaders.

Perspective: Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Family-Focused Practice With Parents With Mental Illness and Their Families.

The goal of this perspective piece is to suggest challenges to family-focused practice with parents with mental illness and their children that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss implications for practice, policy, and research that will benefit from rigorous study in the future, as we sift through lessons learned. The impact of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of people around the world has been documented. Common adaptations in service delivery have included a shift to telehealth and digital tools. The pandemic has posed challenges to practice across the EASE Framework components for family-focused practice (i.e., Engage, Assess, Support, and Educate) for both parents/families and practitioners. Governmental policy and funding responses will be critical to addressing the impact of stresses, disruptions and losses endured during the past months. Pandemic experiences and consequences have implications for research measures, methods, and outcomes, given the dramatic changes in people's lives and the contexts in which they live. The shift to research implementation in virtual environments has resulted in challenges in maintaining confidentiality, and the privacy and security of data. As we move forward, it will be important to acknowledge the remaining uncertainty about the future and accommodate the profound changes in family life, professional practice, and research implementation related to the pandemic in our efforts to demonstrate the effectiveness of positive lessons learned while developing new approaches for dealing with the negative consequences of the pandemic.

517 Understanding Distinctions in the Implementation of Learning Health System (LHS)

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The LHS concept has been promoted as a means for health systems to improve quality, safety, efficiency and equity. NAMs definition has been widely adopted, but is broad and has led to variation in how LHS is operationalized. Drawing on a taxonomy developed through a review of literature, we developed a tool that shows how LHSs are implemented in practice. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The LHS Implementation Assessment Tool (LHS-IAT) will indicate which forms of work are being carried out by a health system that purports to operate a LHS. LHS-IAT is based on the LHS Consolidated Framework (LHS-CF); which was developed through a qualitative analysis of LHS literature. LHS-CF contains 38 primary elements’ and 56 secondary elements’ that have been associated with the LHS construct. These elements are organized into 5 bodies of work• (e.g.; translating evidence into practice) and 4 enabling conditions• (e.g.; supportive culture). LHS-IAT assesses whether a health system operating as an LHS is implementing each of the key elements in LHS-CF. The usefulness of LHS-IAT will be demonstrated by applying the tool to 5 LHSs that have been described in the literature. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: LHS-IAT produces a quantitative profile for any given health system operating as a LHS; each LHS element is assessed as either emphasized; otherwise present; or absent. With this information, we create profiles for each implementation of LHS, using spider graphs. Systems that emphasize different elements will have different shapes for their spider graphs. Based on our initial coding of publications, we expect at least 4 distinct profiles within our sample, reflecting differences in emphasis on factors such as: continuous improvement practices, adoption of internally and externally tested interventions, research conducted to address patient care issues prioritized by institutional leaders, investigator-initiated research, clinician-engaged research, and engagement of patients and families. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The LHS-IAT will show differences in how health systems are translating the LHS concept into practice. This will allow for a shared language for those studying and/or implementing LHS. With the ability to map out an approach, health system leaders will have a tool to clarify intent and gain consensus as to which LHS model they want to implement and invest in.

Assessing the risk between vaccination status and infections within COVID-19 families in Spain

Background: It's unclear whether vaccination individuals against SARS-CoV-2 protects family members in the same way. Objective: The assessment of risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission from index cases with COVID-19 breakthrough infection in completely vaccinated patients to fully vaccinated family members. Methods: From February 1 to November 30, 2021, an observational, longitudinal, and prospective research of families with one primary case of COVID-19 breakthrough infection was done in a general medicine practice in Toledo, Spain.Results: Thirteen primary cases of COVID-19 breakthrough infection in 13 families with at least one other family member were included, of which 9 were positive secondary cases (sick) and 8 were negative partners (healthy) properly vaccinated. Being a woman, being over 45 years old, being a social-health professional, being an ethnic minority, and having chronic conditions all increased the likelihood of developing COVID-19 in fully vaccinated contacts and main cases. Although vaccination 2ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 had a higher effectiveness than BNT162b2 mRNA, none of these risk or protective factors were statistically significant.Conclusion: Young women, social health workers, ethnic minority groups, and people with chronic diseases are the completely vaccinated contacts with the highest risk of having COVID-19, after primary cases also vaccinated in the family, in Toledo (Spain), when the delta variant became dominant but before the rise of omicron.

Age composition of young children and parental well-being in Japan

ABSTRACT Prior research suggests that raising young children is a stressful stage of childcare, but it remains unclear how the age composition of young children is related to parental well-being. This study examines variations in parental well-being between men and women in Japan, with a special focus on the age composition of young children. Using the 2018 National Family Research of Japan data, we estimated ordinary least-squares regression models to investigate differences in well-being among (1) parents only with infants, (2) parents with infants and preschool children, and (3) parents with one child going to school. The roles of support from spouse, own parents, and parents-in-law were also tested. We found that women report significantly lower levels of well-being when they raise preschool-age children compared to those with school-age children. The effects of raising young children remain strong, even after controlling for familial support. Men’s well-being does not vary by the age composition of children. Our results show that the preschool age is the most challenging stage of childcare for Japanese women, but their well-being improves as the child gets older. This finding suggests the importance of providing institutional support to women with young children, such as flexibility concerning parental leave.

‘Never time to do anything well’: mothers’ reported constraints during a pandemic

ABSTRACT Mothers’ perceptions of mothering could potentially influence several aspects of their home and work commitments. This study explores how mothers perceive their mothering experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic via 18 in-depth interviews. The authors use constraint theory and negotiation frameworks to discuss how family communication processes and perceptions of mothering are related within the context of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Findings demonstrated how working from home increased perceptions of family tensions, especially with the lack of home/work separation. Throughout the narratives, participants describe specific constraints at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural levels, as well as how they were negotiated. This study extends past research centering mothers within the context of family communication, specifically through the rich experiences described by participants on work and home balance and provides directions for future research while discussing practical implications for family and gender issues researchers.

I have to hold it together: Trauma in law enforcement couples

AbstractObjectiveGrounded in secondary traumatic stress theory, this study explored the impact of work‐related traumatic stress on law enforcement couples.BackgroundStudies exploring the impact of traumatic stress on law enforcement couples are limited. Such studies suggest that when traumatic stress impacts law enforcement professionals, their spouses often experience secondary traumatic stress and serve in a supportive role after trauma exposure.MethodSemistructured dyadic interviews were conducted with law enforcement couples (N = seven couples, 14 participants) using transcendental phenomenology.ResultsThree themes emerged within the data that captured the essence of law enforcement couples' experiences of traumatic stress: (a) the stressful nature of the law enforcement profession, (b) the impact of work‐related traumatic stress on the couple relationship, and (c) protective factors and resilient coping characteristics.ConclusionThe impact of work‐related traumatic stress manifested in couple's communication, role responsibilities and parenting, and commitment to the relationship and the profession. The impact of work‐related traumatic events differed for the law enforcement professional and their spouse based on the type of traumatic event. Overall, work‐related traumatic stress led couples to engage in a meaning‐making process and activation of resilient couple coping characteristics.ImplicationsGiven the significant impact that work‐related traumatic stress has on the law enforcement couple dyad, couple and family therapy services are needed for law enforcement professionals and their spouses. Couple and family therapists, family researchers, and other professionals working to promote healthy couple and family relationships should inquire about how couples adapt to traumatic stress and reinforce use of resilient coping characteristics.

COVID-19 and relationship quality: Emotional, paid work and organizational spheres

This study contributes to the growing literature on the repercussions of the COVID- 19 pandemic for family functioning, with a special focus on couples’ relationship quality. We advance an analytical model that emphasizes the role of three main stressors of relationship quality during the pandemic: namely, emotional, paid work-related and organizational stressors. To outline such an approach, we analyze whether the onset of the pandemic – and the home confinement that followed – has reduced relationship quality in France, Italy and Spain using survey data collected in April 2020.We show that relationship quality decreased for a non-negligible part of the population, and that this result was driven mostly by the emotional stressor. These negative effects on relationship quality appeared to be relatively stable across genders, different levels of network support and countries; which suggests that the severity of the lockdown measures outweighed the traditional moderating factors usually accounted for in family research.

Metabolic syndrome and underlying genetic determinants-A systematic review.

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of heritable and related traits which has been associated with a range of pathophysiological factors including dyslipidaemia, abdominal obesity, increased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hypertension. The documented genetic basis of the metabolic syndrome include several chromosomal positions, numerous candidate gene-associated polymorphisms, different genetic variants, which are linked to the syndrome either as a trait or entities mainly linked to metabolic process. Additionally, the latest findings related to the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms, microRNAs, sporadic variants, non-coding RNAs, and assessing the role of genes in molecular systems has enhanced our understanding of the syndrome. Considerable work has been done to understand the underlying disease mechanisms by elucidating its genetic etiology. Nonetheless, a common shared genetic cause has not been established to clarify the coexistence of their components and further investigation is required. While mostly neglected and rarely known, hereditary predisposition needs to be studied, including with the current defective phenotypic condition descriptions. Metabolic syndrome is a multi-faceted characteristic with abundant properties and the condition can arise from interactions between environmental variables such as physical inactivity, caloric obesity and genetic susceptibility. Although there is support for genetic determinants from family and twin research, there is still no recognised genomic DNA marker for genetic association and linkages with quite a long way off potential for clinical application. In the present review efforts have been made to through light on the various genetic determinants with large effects that underlie with the association of these traits to this syndrome. The heterogeneity and multifactorial heritability of MetS, however, has been a challenge towards understanding the factors underlying the association of these traits.

Articles Published in the Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal in 2020

Family and Consumer Sciences Research JournalVolume 50, Issue 3 p. 261-263 Announcement Articles Published in the Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal in 2020 First published: 21 March 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12432Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume50, Issue3March 2022Pages 261-263 RelatedInformation