US Parents Research Articles

Trajectories of US parents’ divisions of domestic labor throughout the COVID-19 pandemic

Trajectories of US parents’ divisions of domestic labor throughout the COVID-19 pandemic

Parents’ differential trait, mental state, and coping talk about White and Black child storybook characters

AbstractLimited literature has examined parents’ unsolicited trait, mental state, and coping talk about media characters by race as they co‐view with their children. We observed 195 US parents describing an illustrated depiction of racialized social exclusion for their child (53% male; Mage = 5.46 years; 60% White) in their home setting. Families discussed a Black child being excluded by White children or a White child being excluded by Black children. Parents’ victim, emotion, personality, and coping talk about the excluded child were coded. Parents were more likely to use victim talk (e.g., “she's being excluded”) and emotion talk (e.g., “she's sad”) when the excluded child was Black and were more likely to use personality talk (e.g., “she's shy”) when the excluded child was White. We further explored parents’ demographic, personal, and neighborhood correlates with their trait, mental state, and coping talk. White parents with greater levels of egalitarian attitudes used more victim talk and coping talk (e.g., “she should go play with them”) about the White excluded child. Being more politically conservative was associated with White parents using more coping talk about the Black excluded child. White parents living in predominantly Black neighborhoods were less likely to use victim talk toward the Black child. BIPOC parents showed more nuanced patterns. These findings suggest that parents’ unsolicited racial messaging varies by racial identification, sociodemographic characteristics, and neighborhood context.

Effects of parental childhood cultural health environment on children’s influenza and COVID-19 vaccination status

Most studies examining factors associated with pediatric influenza (flu) and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination uptake focus on parental demographics. We examined whether the childhood cultural health environment (CHE) of parents (measured by self-reported regular attendance at doctor and dentist visits during childhood) was associated with flu and COVID-19 vaccination of their children. Using 2023 survey data from 397 US parents and causal inference methods, we estimated the average causal effect of parental CHE on flu vaccination rates (0.16 [95 % confidence interval: 0.06,0.27]) and COVID-19 (0.14 [95 % confidence interval: 0.04,0.24]), indicating that if all parents had attended regular doctor/dentist visits as children, flu and COVID-19 vaccination rates in children would be 16 % and 14 % higher, respectively, than if none had. Our findings suggest that early life exposure to medical and dental care has significant and lasting effects on the health of individuals and families.

Parents’ cultural beliefs about maladaptive behavior in young children: A comparison across two cultures

Parents’ cultural beliefs are associated with their children’s socialization and development. Researchers have examined these associations through the lens of parents’ ethnotheories, which refer to parents’ implicit beliefs about children’s developmentally appropriate behavior. In contrast to prior work focused on parents’ ethnotheories of desirable behaviors and qualities, there has been a considerable lack of research examining ethnotheories about children’s maladaptive behavior. In this article, we address this gap in knowledge by examining cultural differences and similarities in Spanish and American parents’ beliefs about the causes of children’s maladaptive behaviors. A semi-structured interview was used to assess parents’ causal attributions of children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a sample of 50 parents from the United States and 51 parents from Spain. Results revealed that US parents made more attributions to children’s internal states, social learning, and power motives than Spanish parents for externalizing behaviors. Conversely, Spanish parents made more attributions to attention seeking and material gains than US parents for the same behaviors. There were no cross-cultural differences in attributions for internalizing behaviors. Parents had strikingly different theories of children’s disruptive behaviors than they did for children’s internalizing behaviors. Differences in parents’ explanatory styles may reflect and maintain broader cultural differences between Spain and the United States. This study lends evidence to the growing literature on the relevance of parents’ ethnotheories in the context of child development and extends it to the topic of parental attributions regarding maladaptive child behaviors.

The impact of an eco-score label on US consumers' perceptions of environmental sustainability and intentions to purchase food: A randomized experiment.

Front-of-package labels indicating a product's environmental footprint (i.e., eco-score labels) offer promise to shift consumers towards more sustainable food choices. This study aimed to understand whether eco-score labels impacted consumers' perceptions of environmental sustainability and intentions to purchase sustainable and unsustainable foods. US parents (n = 1,013) completed an online experiment in which they were shown 8 food products (4 sustainable and 4 unsustainable). Participants were randomized to a control (n = 503, barcode on product packaging) or eco-score label group (n = 510, eco-score label on product packaging). The eco-score label was color-coded with a grade of A-F based on the product's environmental footprint, where "A" indicates relative sustainability and "F" indicates relative unsustainability. Participants rated each product's environmental sustainability and their future likelihood of purchase. We used multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models and examined moderation by product category and sociodemographic characteristics. The eco-score label lowered perceived sustainability of unsustainable products by 13% in relative terms or -0.4 in absolute terms (95% CI -0.5, -0.3; p<0.001). The eco-score label increased perceived sustainability of sustainable products by 16% in relative terms or 0.6 in absolute terms (95% CI 0.5, 0.7, p<0.001). Effects on purchase intentions were smaller, with a 6% decrease for unsustainable products (p = 0.001) and an 8% increase for sustainable products (p<0.001). For unsustainable products, the effect of eco-score labels on sustainability perceptions was greater for older adults, men, participants with higher educational attainment, and participants with higher incomes. For sustainable products, the effect of ecolabels on sustainability perceptions was greater for those with higher educational attainment. Eco-score labels have the potential to direct consumers towards more sustainable products. Future studies should investigate eco-score label effectiveness on behavioral outcomes.

Parental Monitoring of Early Adolescent Social Technology Use in the US: A Mixed-Method Study

Parental monitoring of digital media use evolves throughout childhood and adolescence and become increasingly important when autonomy seeking on social technologies emerges during early adolescence. We investigate a survey cohort of 248 US parents of early adolescents and their parental media monitoring behaviors (i.e., restrictive, active, deference), the family context (i.e., closeness and parent technoference), and perceptions of child’s problematic internet use. Using an explanatory mixed methods approach, the results of this study reveal that restrictive parental monitoring of adolescents’ digital media use is positively associated with child’s problematic internet use. However, active and deference monitoring are not associated with early adolescent problematic internet use and positively associated with family contexts. Familial closeness and technoference are consistent negative and positive correlates, respectively, of perceived problematic use among early adolescents. Qualitative interviews with a subset of 31 parents reveal while most parents report restrictive behaviors, multiple techniques (e.g., active, surveillant, and deference) are also leveraged when navigating their child’s online behaviors. Parents tended to converge on the same types and reasons for restrictive monitoring of media, whereas for other approaches the reasons behind their decision-making were quite divergent. The implication of this study is that parental media monitoring behaviors during early adolescence are rapidly evolving and not confined to a singular strategy, often related to prevention of or intervention on their child’s online behavior patterns. Understanding the family dynamics and parent involvement of adolescent’s digital media use remains critical in prevention of child’s problematic behaviors and promotion of positive online behaviors.

COVID-19 vaccination attitudes, values, intentions: US parents for their children, September 2021

ObjectivesTo compare vaccine-related attitudes and values of parents of children 2–17 years old to other adults, examine intentions to vaccinate their children, and identify factors associated with intending to vaccinate children. MethodsA nationally representative survey was conducted in September 2021 (just before the EUA for children 5–11 years old) using Ipsos KnowledgePanel, a probability-based web panel. The survey measured COVID-19 vaccination status, intentions, attitudes, values, and trust in public health authorities among US adults. Scale response options to survey items were dichotomized, and cross-tabulations and logistic regressions were performed. ResultsParents had lower odds of reporting being vaccinated against COVID-19 than other adults even after adjusting for associated sociodemographic characteristics such as age (aOR: 0.66; 95 %CI: 0.50–0.87). The most prevalent parental concerns about COVID-19 vaccines included the speed of their development (88 %), potential side effects (78 %), suspicion of government (77 %), and suspicion of pharmaceutical companies (72 %). Fewer than half (42 %) of parents intended to vaccinate their children 5–11 years old, while 38 % were uncertain and 20 % were unlikely to ever vaccinate their children. Vaccinated parents had higher odds than unvaccinated parents of intending to vaccinate their children (OR: 675.51; 95 %CI: 106.46–4286.12). Discussions with healthcare providers who encouraged COVID-19 vaccination were positively associated with intent to vaccinate children (OR: 11.29; 95 %CI: 2.60–49.02). ConclusionsWe found parental vaccination and conversations with providers were positively associated with intent to vaccinate children. Decisions about childhood vaccination need to be supported by healthcare providers and a public health system that makes vaccine access and related information equitable and accessible. Vaccination-related decision making should be guided by healthcare providers and provide information about safety and risk to children.

Surveying Cross-Cultural Parenting Styles During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Within Turkish and US Parents in the Context of Stress and Prior Knowledge of Child Development

Surveying Cross-Cultural Parenting Styles During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Within Turkish and US Parents in the Context of Stress and Prior Knowledge of Child Development

Schooling, Skill Demand, and Differential Fertility in the Process of Structural Transformation

Demography and structural transformation are interrelated, and depend critically on education. At the turn of the twentieth century, US parents began having fewer children while increasing educational investment per child. This quantity-quality tradeoff facilitated job reallocation from the low-skilled agricultural sector to the high-skilled nonagricultural sector. This transformation is examined in a heterogeneous agent model with a nondegenerate human capital distribution, focusing on how fertility and education decisions affect structural transformation. The result shows that the quantity-quality decisions account for up to approximately one-third of the decline in the agricultural employment share. (JEL E24, I21, I26, J11, J13, J24, N31)

Awareness of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Among US Parents: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Little is known about parental awareness of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare but severe sequela of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Via a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of US parents conducted via Ipsos KnowledgePanel from October to November 2021, we used bivariate and multivariable analyses to describe and identify demographic variables associated with parental knowledge of and attitudes toward MIS-C and to examine associations with perceived coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and susceptibility. Response rate was 64.2% (3230/5034). Thirty-two percent of respondents had heard of MIS-C. After adjustment, higher educational level (compared to high school degree; some college: odds ratio [OR], 2.00 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.44-2.77]; bachelor's degree or higher: OR, 3.14 [95% CI, 2.26-4.35]), being a healthcare worker (OR, 1.82 [95% CI, 1.37-2.42]), having a child with a chronic medical condition (OR, 1.62 [95% CI, 1.22-2.14]), and experience with more severe COVID-19 (OR, 1.46 [95% CI, 1.14-1.86]) were associated with MIS-C awareness. Respondents with a child aged 12-17 years were less likely to be aware of MIS-C compared to those without (OR, 0.78 [95% CI, .63-.96]), as were male respondents (OR, 0.56 [95% CI, .46-.69]) and respondents aged 18-34 years (OR, 0.72 [95% CI, .54-.94]) compared to those aged 35-44 years. Awareness of MIS-C was associated with higher perceived COVID-19 severity and susceptibility (regression coefficients, 0.18 [95% CI, .10-.25], P < .001; 0.19 [95% CI, .11-.28], P < .001, respectively). This survey highlights the need to increase parental awareness of MIS-C. Future studies should explore how education regarding MIS-C as a complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection could improve understanding of pediatric disease severity and susceptibility.

Parental Perceptions and Usage of Unlicensed Cannabidiol Products in Children With Anxiety and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Data evaluating the use of unlicensed cannabidiol (CBD) products for the treatment of -symptoms associated with anxiety and neurodevelopmental disorders in children are limited despite increasing -product availability. The objectives of this study are to quantify the usage of unlicensed CBD products among pediatric patients diagnosed with anxiety and neurodevelopmental disorders and compare the -perceptions of CBD between parents who administer a CBD product to a child and parents who do not. A survey containing 31 items was designed after pretesting with pediatric health care professionals. The refined survey was distributed using Qualtrics Panels to a representative sample of US parents of a child 7 to 18 years of age diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and/or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Responses were analyzed with descriptive -statistics and compared using a χ2 or Mann-Whitney U test. Of the 518 completed surveys, 162 parents (31.3%) reported the administration of an unlicensed CBD product to a child with ADHD, ASD, and/or GAD. The highest prevalence of use was found in the West geographic region and among children diagnosed with GAD or with 2 or more diagnoses (i.e., ADHD, ASD, GAD). Parents who administered CBD products had more positive views of product safety and higher -perceived community support for usage. Nearly one-third of parents have administered an unlicensed CBD product to a child with ADHD, ASD, and GAD. Health care providers should assess pediatric patients for CBD use and be prepared to engage parents in conversations regarding the safety of these products.

Awareness and Knowledge of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition.

Assessing awareness and knowledge of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition (Guidelines), released in 2018, is important for monitoring factors that contribute to increasing physical activity. We estimated prevalence of awareness and knowledge of the adult aerobic guideline (≥150min/wk of moderate-intensity equivalent aerobic physical activity preferably spread out over a week) among adults (n = 3471) and of the youth aerobic guideline (≥60min/d of mostly moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity) among a subset of parents (n = 744) from a nationwide sample of US adults in the 2019 FallStyles survey. We estimated odds ratios using logistic regression, adjusting for demographic and other characteristics. Approximately 1 in 10 US adults and parents reported being aware of the Guidelines. Only 3% of adults knew the correct adult aerobic guideline. The most common responses were "don't know/not sure" (44%) and "30minutes a day, 5 or more days a week" (28%). Among parents, 15% knew the youth aerobic guideline. Awareness and knowledge tended to be lower with lower education and income. Limited awareness and knowledge of the Guidelines suggest communication about the Guidelines could be strengthened, especially among adults with low income or education.

Parental Factors Associated With Intentions to Initiate a Family-Based Pediatric Weight Management Program.

Background: Childhood obesity can be addressed through family-based pediatric weight management; however, treatment enrollment in the United States is low. This study aimed to identify parental factors associated with intentions to initiate a family-based pediatric weight management program. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from an online panel of US parents with at least one 5- to 11-year-old child identified as likely to have overweight or obesity. Participants viewed a video about a hypothetical family-based pediatric weight management program, rated their 30-day initiation intentions for that program, and answered additional related questionnaires. Results: Participants (n = 158) identified as White/Caucasian (53%) or Black/African American (47%), were primarily female (61.4%) and married/cohabitating (81.6%) with children who were predominantly girls (53.2%) and, on average, 9-year-olds. Higher parents' perception of program effectiveness predicted initiation intentions (p < 0.001), while concern for their child's weight and parent depression and anxiety levels did not. Higher initiation intentions and perceived program effectiveness were reported by Black/African American participants (p < 0.01) and those with at least a bachelor's degree (p < 0.01) compared to White/Caucasian participants and those without a bachelor's degree, respectively. Initiation intentions were higher for those with greater financial security (p = 0.020) and fewer than three children in the home (p = 0.026). Participants endorsed initiation barriers of time constraints (25%), possible lack of enjoyment for the child (16.9%), and lack of family support (15%). Conclusions: Future program enrollment efforts may need to focus on strategies to increase perceived program effectiveness, although further research is needed that measures actual enrollment in real-world contexts.

Associations between parental dispositional attributions, dismissing and coaching reactions to children’s emotions, and children’s problem behaviour moderated by child gender

ABSTRACT This study examined whether parents’ attribution of their child’s emotions (internalizing, externalizing) to dispositional causes is associated with children’s problem behaviour (internalizing, externalizing). The mediating roles of parents’ emotion-dismissing and -coaching reactions and the moderating role of child’s gender was also examined. Participants were 241 US parents with a child (43% girls) between the ages of 5 and 7. Parents were presented with vignettes in which a gender-neutral child displayed internalizing and externalizing emotions and were asked to imagine their own child in the vignettes. Subsequently, parents indicated whether they attributed the child’s emotion to dispositional causes and the likelihood of reacting in an emotion-dismissing and -coaching way in each situation. Child problem behaviour was measured using the CBCL. Results show that parental dispositional attributions were associated with child internalizing and externalizing problems, and this association was consistently mediated by emotion-dismissing reactions. The association between parental dispositional attributions and emotion-dismissing, as well as its indirect effect on child internalizing problems, was stronger for boys than for girls, whereas the indirect effect via emotion-coaching was stronger for girls than for boys. Thus, the parental attribution process seems to be different for boys and girls.

Parental compliance and reasons for COVID-19 Vaccination among American children.

COVID-19 vaccination rates among children have stalled, while new coronavirus strains continue to emerge. To improve child vaccination rates, policymakers must better understand parental preferences and reasons for COVID-19 vaccination among their children. Cross-sectional surveys were administered online to 30,174 US parents with at least one child of COVID-19 vaccine eligible age (5-17 years) between January 1 and May 9, 2022. Participants self-reported willingness to vaccinate their child and reasons for refusal, and answered additional questions about demographics, pandemic related behavior, and vaccination status. Willingness to vaccinate a child for COVID-19 was strongly associated with parental vaccination status (multivariate odds ratio 97.9, 95% confidence interval 86.9-111.0). The majority of fully vaccinated (86%) and unvaccinated (84%) parents reported concordant vaccination preferences for their eligible child. Age and education had differing relationships by vaccination status, with higher age and education positively associated with willingness among vaccinated parents. Among all parents unwilling to vaccinate their children, the two most frequently reported reasons were possible side effects (47%) and that vaccines are too new (44%). Unvaccinated parents were much more likely to list a lack of trust in government (41% to 21%, p < .001) and a lack of trust in scientists (34% to 19%, p < .001) as reasons for refusal. Cluster analysis identified three groups of unwilling parents based on their reasons for refusal to vaccinate, with distinct concerns that may be obscured when analyzed in aggregate. Factors associated with willingness to vaccinate children and reasons for refusal may inform targeted approaches to increase vaccination.

A comparison of the experiences, challenges and coping strategies for parents of children with autism residing in the United States and The Arab World

Most research on autism has targeted White Americans. Although challenges and coping mechanisms are present for all parents, some aspects are influenced by culture. This study aims to compare the experiences, challenges and coping strategies for parents of children with autism residing in the US and Arab countries. A survey, available in both English and Arabic, was posted electronically on social media support groups for parents of children with autism in Arab countries and the US. The survey covered experiences, challenges and coping strategies for raising a child with autism spectrum disorder. 165 surveys were collected from 15 Arab countries and 235 surveys were collected from 32 US states. On a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being highest satisfaction, US parents reported a higher satisfaction for the overall diagnostic process with median score of 3.0 compared to 2.5 for parents in Arab countries. Parents in both countries reported information seeking/self-education about autism and acceptance and/or religion as the 2 most valuable coping strategies. Lower satisfaction with all aspects of the diagnosis process was found among parents in Arab countries compared to those residing in the US. Lack of community support for Arab parents was also a more significant challenge compared to US parents. With such poor community support for Arab parents, it is pivotal to expand upon initiatives that minimize the stigma and shame associated with an autism diagnosis to ultimately reduce challenges and allow for better parental experiences.

Child Cognitive Development and Parent Roles: A Preliminary Comparison of Moroccan Parents to United States and United Kingdom Benchmarks

There is a dearth of research examining what parents in MENA region know about children’s brain development and the type of activities they engage their young children at home to promote their cognitive development. This article describes and compares the views and behaviors of parents with children 0–6 years old from Casablanca, Morocco, the US, and the UK on early parental engagement. Seventy-eight Moroccan parents were compared to 1066 US/UK parents. The study utilizes survey data and explores parents’ understanding of and support for their children’s early cognitive development. Results reveal that more than fifty percent of Moroccan parents do not see themselves as having an impact on brain development until after the first year of their child’s life compared to 10% of US parents, in part because they believe that babies’ capacity for learning in the earliest years is limited. Yet Moroccan parents reported higher frequencies of teaching their young children letters and numbers and reading a book to them than US parents. These differences in at-home teaching practices may reflect the higher percentage of US/UK children who participate in early learning programs outside their own homes; such programs are not culturally accepted in Morocco. The belief that there is little capacity for learning in children’s earliest years among Moroccan parents may minimize parents’ motivation to function as their child’s first teacher in the absence of early education programs. Policy implications and interventions are discussed concerning ways to change parents’ knowledge and beliefs to motivate early learning activities.

Social Media Use Among Parents and Women of Childbearing Age in the US.

Many parents and pregnant women in the US use social media to access health-related information. Estimates of current use of different platforms among these populations are needed. We used data from a 2021 Pew Research Center survey to describe use of commercial social media platforms by US parents and US women aged 18 to 39 years. Most US parents and women of childbearing age use YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, with most engaging daily. Understanding social media use patterns can help public health professionals, health care systems, and researchers reach selected populations with evidence-based health information and health promotion programs.

Parents’ attitudes towards the content of sex education in the USA: Associations with religiosity and political orientation

ABSTRACT While most parents support their adolescents receiving school-based sex education, there is variability in which sex education topics receive the most support from parents. Conservative political orientation and greater religiosity have been independently associated with parents’ lack of support for school-based sex education; however, no studies have examined the intersection of these two factors. The three goals of this study were to: 1) identify how specific sexual education topics cluster together to form content areas; 2) examine if religiosity and political orientation are uniquely associated with these content areas; and 3) examine if political orientation moderates the relationship between parents’ religiosity and their perceived importance for the specific sex education content areas. Participants were a national sample of 881 US parents. The sex education topics clustered into three content areas: Factual Knowledge (e.g., STI transmission), Practical Skills (e.g., how to access condoms), and Pleasure and Identity (e.g., pleasurable aspects of sex). Politically conservative and more religious parents reported the lowest perceived importance for each content area. Importantly, these main effects were qualified by a significant interaction: parents who reported both political conservativism and high levels of religiosity reported the lowest perceived importance for these three content areas being taught.

Parental Reasons for Engaging in or Avoiding Weight Talk With Children.

Parental weight talk with children can have negative consequences; yet, it is not well understood why parents engage in it and if demographic differences exist. Utilizing the extant qualitative literature, we developed two scales to quantitatively examine parental reasons for engaging in and avoiding weight talk. An Internet sample of 408 US parents (64% mothers; 34% White, 33% Black, and 32% Hispanic/Latinx) completed the scales. Parents cited concern for their child's health as a primary reason for weight talk, whereas avoidance stemmed from not wanting their child to be weight-obsessed. White and Hispanic vs. Black parents, and parents with experienced weight stigma, were more likely to cite personal struggles with body weight as reasons to both engage in and avoid weight talk. Fathers vs. mothers were more likely to cite protecting their child from weight-based bullying as a reason for weight talk. Understanding these parental motivations can inform health interventions.