Family Stability Research Articles

Family in Challenging Circumstances: Ways of Coping

The aim of the thematic issue Family Supportive Networks and Practices in Vulnerable Contexts is to provide a cross‐national perspective on the current state of caregiving and support practices within family networks in Europe. The articles featured in this volume were selected from among the presentations made in 2021 at two conferences promoted by the research network Sociology of Families and Intimate Lives of the European Sociological Association (ESA RN13). Authors of the most promising, topical, and up‐to‐date research papers were invited to contribute to this thematic issue.

The association between child abuse and poor academic performance in public primary schools in urban Sudan

IntroductionChild abuse, sometimes referred to as child abuse and neglect, includes all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity. Child abuse with all its forms is under reported globally in developed and developing countries. The extent of the problem is difficult to ascertain since most of the victims remain silent thus, assessing its prevalence and effects on children is crucial.ObjectivesTo assess the association between child abuse with poor school performance considering related variables including family instability, home environment, and school environment.MethodsThis study included 504 participants: 168 cases and 336 controls. Controls were matched for age and gender. Both groups were tested for marital or family instability, home environment, school environment, peer and teacher maltreatment using bi-variate analysis. Test of significance of the result was estimated by confidence interval. Quantification of each factor effect and the interrelationships between all factors that affect academic performance was calculated using multivariate analysis by multiple logistic regressions.ResultsAfter controlling for confounding factors using a multivariate analysis model, the following was found: a significant increase in the risk of poor academic performance in children who were subjected to maternal physical neglect compared with children who were not (OR= 3.106: CI 95%=1.875-5.147), and in children subjected to maternal emotional neglect compared with children who were not (OR= 1.968: CI 95% = 1.200- 3.226). No association was found between maternal emotional/verbal or physical abuse and poor academic performance.There is a significant increase in the risk of poor academic performance in children subjected to paternal emotional verbal abuse compared with children who were not (OR= 4.534: CI 95% = 1.833 - 11.214), but the result illustrated no association between paternal physical abuse and poor academic performance.ConclusionsThe risk of poor academic performance is significantly higher in children exposed to frequent parental conflicts or physical abuse from teachers compared with children who were not. There is a significant increase in the risk of poor academic performance in children who experienced maternal physical and emotional neglect and paternal emotional/ verbal abuse. Higher levels of parental education, feeling safe at home, and feeling happy may be protective factors.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Father absence as a risk factor for child neglect and abuse: A biblical and multidisciplinary approach to transform broken families in the South African landscape

This paper aims to address father absence as a key contributory factor to child neglect and abuse and a cause of disrupted and unstable families by means of an explorative literature review. The study follows a biblical and multidisciplinary approach and collaboration between scholars from the fields of social work and theology in an effort to transform broken families. The Children’s Act, 38 of 2005, stipulates that children in need of care and protection refer to children who face social issues such as abuse, absent parents, and children who abuse alcohol and drugs, among other things. These children require adequate care, love, and security. A stable family or home environment can provide stability, security, and a caring environment where children can develop to become emotionally healthy and pro-social. God can transform families, especially the families of children who receive the ministry of his Word. The Scripture in Jeremiah 31 verse 29 proclaims: “The fathers have eaten a sour grape and the children’s teeth are set on edge”. This quote refers to the involvement of the father as the primary leading figure in the family. It illustrates that proper fathering has a much broader significance than just the biological production of children. South Africa has experienced rapid changes, including shifts in family composition. There are many broken relationships, and father absence is a salient issue. Countless numbers of children in the South African landscape are being raised without their biological fathers. Many experiences no fatherly presence at all as they lack an alternative figure. Children are often humiliated for being fatherless and many families are challenged by father absence, and this creates in children a sense of loss and confusion. Hence, the aim of this article to reciprocate to father absence as social ill from a biblical point of view and to suggest a transformative ecclesial praxis.

Biological populations as stationary distributions in the space of genotypes

In this work, we develop a new model describing population density distribution with respect to genotype considered as a continuous variable. The model represents a reaction-diffusion equation with a special drift term arising due to random mutations of the genotype. We prove the existence and stability of a continuous family of positive stationary solutions of this equation decaying at infinity. The minimal solution of this family resembles a normal distribution with over-exponential decay rate, while all other solutions have a polynomial decay. Furthermore, the minimal, quasi-normal, symmetric stationary solution is an obligatory ultimate destination for each evolutionary process starting with the realistic compact initial data.

Mental Health Screening for Korean Ukrainian Refugee Minors in the Republic of Korea: A Cross Sectional Pilot Study

Since February 2022, the Ukrainian refugee crisis has been highlighting mental health problems associated with trauma and distress. This study aimed to evaluate the mental health status of twenty-seven refugee minors (10 to 18 years old) who fled Ukraine and temporarily settled in the Republic of Korea (ROK). This cross-sectional survey study aimed to evaluate the mental health status of ethnic Korean Ukrainian refugee minors. The Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen—Youth Report (CATS), generalized anxiety disorder seven-item scale (GAD-7), and subjective unit of distress scale (SUDs) were used for assessment. A preliminary analysis indicated that 77% Ukrainian refugee minors were exposed to and experienced war-related trauma. They are at a relatively low risk of trauma symptoms, anxiety, and distress due to stable family and visa status and a comparably better environment in the ROK. Meanwhile, refugee teenagers showed higher rates of psychological distress compared with refugee children. This finding suggests that an early psychological interventions in a host country may be beneficial to prevent mental health issues in refugee minors.

Collective and Quasi-Local Modes in the Optical Spectra of YB6 and YbB6 Hexaborides with Jahn–Teller Structural Instability

The broad-band reflection spectra of YB6 and YbB6 hexaborides with Jahn–Teller instability of the boron cage have been measured at room temperature. An optical conductivity analysis has revealed, along with the Drude electronic components, heavily overdamped collective modes, which are notable in YB6 for high dielectric contributions, Δε = 2000–5700. The fraction of nonequilibrium charge carriers in YB6, which is at the boundary of structural instability in the hexaboride family, reaches 85–90%, whereas this fraction in doped YbB6 semiconductor is not higher than 25%. It has been shown that unlike the predictions of the topological Kondo insulator model, the surface “metallization” in Yb2+B6 crystals can be explained by additional doping of a surface layer with Yb3+ ions.

Machine learning-aided Genetic algorithm in investigating the structure–property relationship of SmFe12-based structures

We investigate the correlation between geometrical information, stability, and magnetization of SmFe12-based structures using machine learning-aided genetic algorithm structure generation and first-principle calculation. In parallel with structure generation inherited using the USPEX program, a pool of structures is created for every population using the sub-symmetry perturbation method. A framework using embedded orbital field matrix representation as structure fingerprint and Gaussian process as a predictor has been applied to ranking the most potential stability structures. As a result, the original structure SmFe12 with the well-known tetragonal I4/mmm symmetry is investigated with a parabolic dependence between formation energy and its magnetization by continuous distortions of the unit-cell lattice parameter and individual sites. Notably, a SmFe12 structure with I4/mmm symmetry is found with 7.5% increasing magnetization while keeping the similar formation energy with the most stable structures in this family. With SmFe11CoN family, structures with N interstitial position in the center of Sm and Fe octahedron show outperform all other structures in both ability of stabilization and remaining high magnetization of the original structure. Finally, further investigation using metric learning embedding space brings valuable insight into the correlation between geometrical arrangement, stability, and magnetization of this structure family.

Affiliation to a Social Group as a Preventive Factor in Suicidal Behaviors in Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Suicide is one of the most common causes of death in the population of children and adolescents. Available data show the continuous growth of this phenomenon and the ineffectiveness of prevention programs. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected young people's mental health, including an increased risk of suicidal behaviors due to limited direct contact with the school and peer groups in favor of the home environment. Therefore, the aim of this narrative review was to consider the risk factors and protective factors for suicidal behavior in the under-18 population, with a particular focus on the importance of belonging to a social group and building identification with it as a phenomenon protecting against suicidal behavior. Additionally, in this review, we evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected these relationships. The PubMed database was used in the search with the following keywords: suicide, suicide behaviors, child and adolescent suicide behaviors, group affiliation, family affiliation, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and the COVID-19 pandemic, with articles published between 2002 and 2022 analyzed. Research conducted to date indicates that both sustained and stable family and peer relationships, as well as a sense of identification and belonging, noticeably reduce the risk of suicidal behavior. Ethnic or cultural affiliation seems to have been particularly important during the isolation in the home environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it has been shown that while in lockdown, contact through social media with individuals' identification groups was associated with a reduced chance of emotional crises. Furthermore, regardless of cultural background, attachment to a particular group correlates with enhanced psychiatric state of children and adolescents. Thus, available data highlight the need for building and maintaining affiliations with suitable groups as a protective factor against suicidal behaviors.

Driving Forces on Household Solid Waste Management Behaviors: A Research for the City of Izmir, Türkiye

The proper solid waste recycling process starts at the houses with the attendance of the individuals. The presented study includes comprehensive research on the individuals’ shopping and waste generation behaviors, awareness of waste management issues, readiness and willingness for source separation, and their self-evaluation and self-annoyance about waste generation. The current study was conducted by administering a detailed questionnaire to 300 people in Zmir, Türkiye's third largest city. The relationships between the answers given and the main factors affecting waste production were determined statistically. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified the key drivers of public behavior associated with waste generation and separation at the source. Through environmental sensitivity, including proper waste management behaviors, age is discovered to be a significant factor. Family phenomena, including stable life and family budgets (32.58%), awareness of people about their inappropriate and disproportionate behaviors towards consumption and waste generation (21.28%), and the impositions of urban life (9.37%) were found to be the major factors influencing waste management habits.

The Aftermath of Death in the Continuing Lives of the Living: Extending ‘Bereavement’ Paradigms through Family and Relational Perspectives

While there is a significant interdisciplinary and international literature available on death, dying and bereavement, literature addressing responses to death is dominated by assumptions about individuality, framing ‘bereavement’ and ‘grief’ in terms of the inner psychic life of the individual. Scholarly literature tells us little about how the continuing aftermath of death is experienced in the everyday, relational lives of the living. Inspired by research from Majority Worlds, we consider literature that might enable a more ‘relational’ sociological approach, and explore what that might involve. We set out the potential for family sociology to provide an intrinsically (if variable) relational lens on the aftermath of death, along with examples of radical relational theorising more generally. We argue for a reframing and broadening of the dominant ‘bereavement studies’ of Minority Worlds towards a much-needed paradigm shift in understanding the continuing aftermath of death in the lives of the living.

Theorising fatherhood: challenges and suggestions

During the 1990s, the sociology of the family was vitalised by new and groundbreaking theories of modernity, identity, and the family. At this time the family was put forward as an example of how modern institutions and identities were transforming and changing. Concepts such as individualisation, choice biographies, and reflexivity brought new perspectives to family research. Parallel to this Raewyn Connell’s book Masculinities raised important questions about men’s lives and generated a renewed interest in theories of masculinities. Overall, these parallel theoretical tracks also brought new life to issues on fatherhood. Specifically, a collaborative approach gradually developed between critical studies on men and masculinities and research on fatherhood and fathering. Following a development from functionalist to contemporary theories on fatherhood, possibilities to theorise and redefine fatherhood will be explored. Using a multidimensional theoretical approach to fatherhood will facilitate making connections between the phenomenological (the body, subjectivity), and the sociocultural (welfare regimes, hegemonic structures) aspects of fatherhood. The article also argues that we might have to develop a new theoretical language that does not define acts, performativity and attitudes in terms of fathering/mothering.

Behind the mask: An introduction to the fiction of Anne-Claire Decorvet

Recognized in Switzerland by numerous prizes, Anne-Claire Decorvet's fiction has yet to make its mark abroad. With the exception of her biographical novel, Un lieu sans raison, inspired by the life of Marguerite Sirvins, it is set predominantly in and around Geneva, explores family and social instability, insanity and psychiatric care in the twentieth century. This article explores some of the distinctive and characteristic features of her writing with a view towards introducing her work to new readers.

Innovations in Evidence-Based Home Visiting Intended to Engage and Support Families Impacted by Opioid Use Disorder: Three Case Studies from Pennsylvania Pilot Programs

Pregnancy and early parenthood can be challenging transitional times for many families, especially those struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD). Over 8million children live with a parent with SUD and parental drug use has been attributed to rising rates of family instability and child welfare involvement (Lipari & Van Horn, 2017; AFCARS, 2020;). Community-based prevention programming for families with young children, such as evidence-based maternal and child home visiting (EBHV), may we well positioned to engage and support families impacted by the opioid epidemic through early childhood. This paper presents case studies to highlight promising practices for adapting EBHV models to families impacted by SUD from the perspectives of staff and administrators. Data from three pilot sites are presented as case studies. These sites were selected to represent the most innovative and developed adaptations to EBHV for families impacted by substance use from an implementation evaluation of state-funded pilot sites (N = 20) at existing home visiting agencies across Pennsylvania. Data reported here represent semi-structured interviews with 11 individuals. Data were coded to facilitators and barriers nodes to understand the process and impact of pilot implementation. Systems-level collaboration and coordination were key to serving a population already engaged in multiple systems. Engagement of substance use experts allowed home visitors to focus on delivery of evidence-based curricula supporting family stability and child development. External partnerships reduced stigma among home visitors. Across sites, staff struggled with the increased acuity of social complexity of the OUD population. Pregnancy and early parenthood are challenging transitional times for many families, especially those with OUD. Evaluation results demonstrate the promise of systems-based adaptations to community-based prevention programming for families with young children, such as maternal and child home visiting, to better support families impacted by SUD.

Gender and disruptions in family routines and stress amid COVID-19

BackgroundFamily scientists strongly purport that structured family routines are associated with family stability and identity and may mediate the individuals' positive developmental outcomes. Family routines enhance the predictability of ambiguous situations, promote members' cohesion, and provide security and warmth. Investigating adverse changes in family routines during COVID-19 can inform on support required by families from other larger systemic institutions.Theoretical backgroundHistorically, family routines have universally been a gendered realm, and the contributions of females have been salient in maintaining them. Established and gendered contributions pre-COVID-19 predicted who does what and how much in the household. After the spread of COVID-19, the gendered practice continued and, in many households, strengthened. Therefore, exploration of proximal processes in the microsystem, such as family routines through the Bioecological perspectives, may offer insights into the historical rationale and repercussions of the gendered division of household labor on individual family members, especially women, and in times of crisis, such as a pandemic.Purpose and methodThe health implications of COVID-19 led to restrictive mandates, including remote employment and education directives resulting in additional stress and uncertainty in carrying out daily routines. Thus, there is a need to explore whether restrictive mandates during COVID-19 changed specific family routines and gender outcomes. In the current study, we surveyed (online) 378 adult participants about changes (disruptions) in their family routines, perceptions of disruptions in routines, and perceived stress levels. The research questions are:(1) Does participants' gender continue to determine specific family routines?(2) What are participants' perceptions of disruptions in family routines, and do those responses to family routines differ significantly by participants' gender?(3) Are there significant gender differences in perceptions of stress among participants?Findings and conclusionsData analyses indicated that during COVID-19, both males and females were equally affected by changes in routines and had similar perceptions of disruptions and high-stress levels. However, item-level analyses indicate that females significantly spent more time on chores that would benefit others, whereas male participants spent more time on routines that would benefit them. Both males and females reported high-stress levels but differed in symptomatology. We provide a few selected narratives to supplement gender-based quantitative findings and establish descriptive evidence for differences in disruptions in routines and stress. In the end, implications for future practice and research are discussed.

Single Parenting: Impact on Child’s Development

Age-old societal beliefs are being challenged and constantly changing with urbanization, industrialization, and modernization, which have blurred the typical family gender roles and structure. The studies conducted 2 to 3 decades back showed that family instability can negatively affect children’s development. The absence or loss of one parent and conflicts between separated and divorced parents affect not only the child’s mental health but also the child’s physical health, overall growth, and future relationships. Single parents are often overburdened with the responsibilities of 2 parents, face social stigma, and lack social support, as a result they have difficulty spending time with their children. Hence children of single parents have poor academic performance, decreased social interactions, emotional and behavioral problems. Newer research has focused on the positive outcomes and protective factors that can steer the child towards better outcome. We need to focus on such protective and resilience-building factors to help the child adjust in the short and long run.

Young people lived experience of parental divorce with an emphasis on educational consequences

Background and Aim: Divorce has adverse effects on children and can have adverse effects on their mental and physical health. Also, divorce has negative effects on children's education. Based on this, the aim of the present study was to investigate the lived experience of young people from their parents' divorce, emphasizing the educational consequences. Methods: The present research method was qualitative with thematic analysis and applied in terms of purpose. The participants included high school students of Kurdish city in the academic year of 2022, who were selected purposefully. Some of the criteria for their selection were the experience of parental divorce and the desire to participate in the research. Also, the interviews were continued up to 14 cases based on the theoretical saturation criterion. For validity, face validity was used and for reliability, the agreement coefficient between coders was used, and the result of recoding was 0.86. For data analysis, manual coding method was used in the form of open, axial and selective coding. Results: The findings showed that 162 open codes, 13 core themes include: taunting by peers, blaming family, stigma of school environment, shame of divorce, family instability, children's cold heart, emotional void, reluctance to study, excessive study fatigue, drop in academic mentality, Change in academic priority, academic aspirations, lack of morale and vitality, weak self-confidence, increased isolationism and increased introversion and 6 optional themes including: social stigma, cultural challenges, emotional challenges, poor education, academic conflict and psychological consequences for the lived experience of young people. Parental divorce was identified with an emphasis on educational outcomes. Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be concluded that divorce creates different and negative challenges for children and their education, which cultural and educational planners of the country can reduce the negative effects of these effects by empowering them.

Crimes letais e o mercado ilegal de drogas no Brasil de 2006 a 2015: uma análise sob o ponto de vista da teoria da desorganização social e da teoria econômica do crime

Abstract Brazil has a high rate of homicide, whose increase in recent years seems to be closely related to the expansion of the illegal drug market. This study aims to analyze the role that socioeconomic factors (family instability, ethnic heterogeneity, unemployment rate, and average income) play in this escalation. The study uses pooled regression models and fixed and random effects, with panel data from 27 Brazilian states for the period 2006–2015. The results indicate that the illegal drug trade is positively correlated with the mortality rates in Brazil during 2006-2015. Furthermore, the results show family instability, ethnic heterogeneity, unemployment rate, and average income as crime enhancers. This research brings insights that help develop a better interpretation of Brazilian lethal violence: in the 1980s and 1990s, violence was mainly explained by economic factors. This study points to the fact that phenomena linked to social disorder are also correlated with the level of homicides in Brazilian states. Therefore, this paper contributes to the literature by incorporating other elements that suggest alternatives to mitigate violent crime in Brazil.

Analysis of Women's Empathetic Agreement -Making Skill by their Husbands: a Sample of Grounded Theory

Background and Aim: Today, maintaining a family not only requires knowledge but also requires its own skills. One of the skills can be empathetic agreement that it can be reached by men. The goal of present study was to analysis of empathetic agreement-making skills among married women by their husbands. Methods: This study was conducted using the social structuralism perspective method developed by Charms (2014). The study population included all married men who had succeeded in having happy and stable families and the sample consisted of 10 of these men who were purposefully selected from a homogeneous type based on entry and exit criteria. The research tool was a semi-structured interview. The duration of each interview was between 60 and 120 minutes. The data collected by Charms (2014) method were analyzed in three stages of initial coding, axial coding and final classification. Findings: The findings revealed three dimensions to the grounded theory: (1) what empathetic agreement- making is, (2) why empathetic agreement-making, and (3) how empathetic agreement-making. Conclusion: This grounded theory can be effective in facilitating family education for the success of men in married life, studies related to empathetic agreement-making and facilitating empathetic agreement-making in the field of family counseling and treatment, and divorce prevention.

Research on the practical dilemma and countermeasures of the construction of rural village civilization

In order to analyze the factors affecting the construction of rural rural civilization, the study takes A rural area as an example, through the construction of the evaluation index system of the construction of rural civilization, based on the entropy value method, the analysis of various economic indicators, the analysis of the factors affecting the construction of rural rural civilization from the evaluation results, and the evaluation results found,Economy, culture, technology, social stability and family stability are the factors affecting the construction of rural village civilization. It is necessary to continuously improve the overall cultural level of rural residents, which can be changed fromStrengthen the grassroots party building, consolidate the economic foundation, innovation publicity means and other aspects.

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Psychology of Saudi Technical College Students: Lessons and Tips

During COVID-19 pandemic, many countries around the world considered a health control measures in order to face the significant spread of infection. But these considerations were accompanied by a disruption in the daily routines of many higher education students. Our research aimed to study the impact of the Corona epidemic on the psychological state of the behavior of vocational and technical training students in Saudi Arabia. The professional training program differs from the university program by its direct link with the laboratories. Indeed, the majority of the modules have a practical aspect and it is difficult with current software to be studied remotely. Results showed a psychological impact of the pandemic in different proportions. This work notices a 27.6 of depression percentage, a percentage of anxiety of 23.7% and 15.1% of stress percentage. Compared to other countries, these values are relatively low. This led us to a second test to look for reasons that mitigated the crisis effects. The study found several positive factors like: 80% of the trainees had laptops, 88% of them had family stability and family support, 81% have a quiet study place at home, 75% are dedicated to studying and have not extra-time jobs and finally 91% of courses are available and recorded. Previous findings may be useful in the future by the international community so that necessary precautions will be taken in the event of a new similar pandemic wave.