Modern parenting is characterized by numerous changes which make the parental role not only fulfilling but also very demanding and stressful. In the process of adjustment to the parental role, some ...personality characteristics of parents can function as protective or risk factors for subjective parental adjustment (parental burnout and competence) and for parental behavior. Therefore, the aim of this research was to test the mediating role of parental burnout and competence in the relationship between personality characteristics of parents (neuroticism and tendency towards parenting perfectionism) and parental neglect of children and violence towards children, while controlling for some sociodemographic variables. A total of 1025 parents from Croatia (90% mothers) participated in the research. Using SEM, two competing models (“i.e.,”, partial vs. full mediation) were tested. The obtained results clearly indicated better fit of the partial mediation model to the data. It was determined that parental burnout and competence had a partial mediating role in the relationship between personality characteristics of parents and their tendency towards child neglect and violence. Higher levels of neuroticism and parenting perfectionistic concerns contribute to increased parental burnout. Furthermore, a higher level of parental burnout contributes to a higher level of parent reported violence and neglect towards the child. Also, parents who are more emotionally stable and have higher standards regarding oneself as parent (self-oriented parenting perfectionism) and a lower tendency to be self-critical in one’s parenting role (perfectionistic concerns), with greater perceived parental competence, are less susceptible to being violent against their children.
Highlights
Some parents can experience feelings of burnout in the parental role due to reinforced parental demands.
This research points to the constructs of parental burnout and competence as determinants of (in)adequate parental behavior.
Higher levels of neuroticism and parenting perfectionistic concerns contribute to increased parental burnout.
Findings suggest that perfectionism concerns over mistakes can harm children by increasing parental neglect and violence towards children.
The purpose of the article is to continue the analysis of the dynamics of the life styles and wellbeing of Russian parents. The article presents foreign research directions of studying the influence ...of the ideology of intensive parenting on the well-being of parents, the lifestyle before the birth of the child/ children, the composition of children by gender, the external similarity of children and parents, the selfassessment of the fulfillment of their parental role, the marital/partner status of parents. It is shown that according to the data of ESS–2018 and RLMS HSE–2019, in the age group of 30–44 years, statistically not significantly more fathers are happy and satisfied with life than their peers who do not have children. No differences were found in these variables between mothers and their peers without children. To analyze the dynamics of parental well-being, sub-samples of parents were formed, regardless of their age and place of residence, according to the criterion of whether they have minor children, according to representative samples of the RLMS HSE. In 2004, this sub-sample was 2,270 parents, in 2008 – 2,220, and in 2019 – 2,645. Subsamples for these years are formed based on the ability to compare data on identical indicators. The analysis of the data shows that from 2004 to 2019, the share of fathers and mothers who are satisfied with their lives and assess their health as good, as well as satisfied with their work in general, their pay, and their professional growth opportunities, increased. For parents who drink alcohol, as well as those who are satisfied with their financial situation, there is almost no change, there are fewer smokers among fathers, but not mothers. According to the RLMS HSE–2019 data, there are more well-off people among married parents, less among never-married mothers and widows, as well as among divorced fathers and mothers. More fathers and mothers with special education are satisfied with life and work, much less of them smoke incomparison with those with secondary education. It does not depend on the level of education of alcohol consumption by parents, satisfaction with the financial situation and the assessment of health. In conclusion, it is proposed to revise the concepts in official documents on family policy, in statistics and in the media in relation to parents and children in non-normative families. The author emphasizes the relevance of developing educational programs for various categories of parents and future parents, and improving their competence.
La calidad de vida familiar (CdVF) es considerada el objetivo último de la intervención en Atención Temprana (AT) y un indicador de la calidad de estos servicios. La eficacia de los programas de AT ...debe objetivarse considerando este constructo junto con otros resultados familiares, además de los relativos al progreso del menor. A este efecto, el presente estudio analiza la CdVF y la confianza y competencia parental de 43 familias españolas de niños y niñas de 0 a 6 años en AT, y examina el rol predictor y mediador de la confianza y competencia parental en la CdVF. Se lleva a cabo un estudio transversal, correlacional y descriptivo. Las medidas utilizadas son la Everyday Parenting Scale (versión modificada) y la escala Con-Fam de competencia parental en AT. Asimismo, se utiliza la Escala de Calidad de Vida de las familias en Atención Temprana (FEIQoL). Los resultados indican una percepción aceptable de CdVF, así como de confianza y competencia parental de las familias. Existe una fuerte relación directa entre la confianza y competencia parental y la CdVF. Se encuentra que características de servicio de AT como un mayor número de profesionales se relacionan con una menor confianza y competencia parental, una peor percepción del funcionamiento del niño y, en consecuencia, menos CdVF. Se presentan implicaciones para futuros estudios y prospectiva para los servicios.
The contemporary parenting challenge of regulating children’s screen time became even more difficult during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The current research addresses the characteristics of ...this challenge and explores mothers’ perceptions regarding their children’s screen use, through two consecutive studies. Study 1 included 299 mothers of elementary school children, who were asked to complete questionnaires regarding their children’s screen habits. Mothers were also asked about their own attitudes towards screens, as parents, and about their personal feelings of frustration and guilt. Study 2 replicated this procedure among a new sample of 283 mothers who also completed validated scales assessing their sense of parental competence and authority style. Retrospective reports of mothers indicated that, during the lockdown, entertainment use of screens increased by 73% among 4
th
–6
th
graders and by 108% among 1
st
–3
rd
graders. Educational use increased by 86% in both age groups. Mothers’ guilt increased as well and was predicted by children’s entertainment use (but not educational use), after accounting for demographic variables and mothers’ attitudes. Other factors, such as parenting style and having at-least one child with a diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), were associated with entertainment use (regardless of the COVID-19 lockdown). Factors that were found to moderate the lockdown effect were mothers’ attitudes towards screens and parental confidence. The findings are discussed in the context of parents’ efforts to regulate their children’s screen use.
Highlights
Children’s screen time is a major parenting challenge today.
Children’s screen use for entertainment and educational purposes increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mothers’ guilt also increased but was associated only with entertainment use of screens.
The increase in entertainment use was moderated by mothers’ attitudes and parental confidence.
Parents may derive insights from this study regarding their own parental approach.
The study was conducted with 104 mothers (average age 32.5 years, SD 6.1) of preterm infants (very and moderately preterm but still healthy) to monitor the perceived maternal role competence from the ...time of hospitalisation to post-discharge, in order to define an intervention program to support mothers during this transition. A targeted Q-Sort tool (Maternal Competence Q-Sort in preterm birth) was applied at two different times as a self-observation tool for parenting competence in neonatology. A tendency towards dysregulation of the maternal role competence was detected, mainly in terms of low self-assessment and was found to worsen during post-discharge, particularly with regard to caregiving ability. This study suggests the importance of accompanying parenting competence in preterm birth conditions, not only during hospitalisation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) but also following discharge in order to promote the development of premature infants. This paper reports in the last part a specific integrated psychoeducational intervention program (psychologist and nurses), which we defined precisely in light of the suggestions offered by the study data on perceived maternal competence created with the Q-sort.
Early experience of emotional communication contributes to the attachment between mother and infant and has an impact on the child’s neurological, social, and emotional development. By applying music ...therapy activities aimed at parent-child interaction, it is possible to create experiences in which the mother and child share the rhythm, tempo, melody, and pitch of their voices, what are all intrinsic elements of the early attachment process. The aim of this paper was to explore the possibility of applying music therapy in promoting maternal attachment and self-perceived parental competence in mothers at risk. The study was conducted on a sample of three mothers and their infants who were enrolled in a music therapy program once a week for 10 weeks. Before and after conducting music therapy, the mothers completed the Maternal Postnatal Affection Scale and the Parental Sense of Competence Scale. The obtained results indicate the positive outcomes of music therapy in enhancing maternal attachment in mothers at risk as well as the level of selfperceived competence in parental role. Music therapy intervention can be integrated as a therapeutic approach aimed at enhancing attachment in the mother-infant dyad and at fostering parental competence in mothers at-risk.
Using a vignette approach, two studies examined the impact of three factors on judgments of parental competence: target parents’ sexual orientation, gender, and parenting behavior. According to the ...aversive prejudice framework, people should express their subtle prejudice against lesbian and gay parents when the latter show detrimental parenting behavior––that is, when devaluation is easy to rationalize. Samples of 170 and 290 German heterosexual participants each were presented with a parent-child conflict situation. In Study 1, the child threw a public tantrum during a restaurant visit; in Study 2, the children wanted to play outside instead of doing their homework. Irrespective of target gender, lesbian and gay parents were judged as equally or even somewhat more competent than heterosexual parents. In both studies, parents who responded in an authoritative way received the most positive evaluation of parental competence, whereas parents who responded in an authoritarian way received the most negative evaluation. In neither study, however, there was a significant interaction between parents’ sexual orientation and parenting behavior. That is, contrary to hypothesis, lesbian and gay parents did not receive more negative evaluation than heterosexual parents when responding in a comparatively negative, authoritarian or permissive way. Such interaction could also not be found when additionally considering participants’ levels of homonegativity or social desirability. The discussion centers on the increasing acceptance of same-sex parenthood as well as the high appreciation of authoritative parenting in contemporary Germany.
Highlights
How do parents’ sexual orientation, gender, and parenting style influence judgments of parental competence?
Study participants did not express overt or subtle prejudice against lesbian or gay parents.
Irrespective of sexual orientation or gender, authoritative parents were judged most positively.
Permissive parents ranked middle, authoritarian parents were judged most negatively.
The emotional intelligence of parents and parental competence become two premises of effective parenting. This study contributes to the understanding of how parents' emotional intelligence exerts its ...effect on both their parenting style and parenting competence. The present research also sought to identify the factors that determine the level of parental competence. The research method used is the questionnaire-based survey. The research sample, represented by 610 respondents, was determined by the sampling strategy based on convenience, respectively by the snowball method. The results indicated that the emotional intelligence of parents is associated with an increased level of parental competence (r = 0.24,
< 0.001), and 15% of the variability of parental competence is determined by the level of parental emotional intelligence (R = 0.38,
< 0.00, R
= 0.15). It was demonstrated that 6% of the variability of parental competence is determined by the level of parents' self-esteem (R = 0.24,
< 0.001, R
= 0.06). The emotional intelligence and self-esteem of the parents contribute to the development of a high level of parental competence, while the level of education of the respondents according to this research partially influences the development of parental competence. Despite the fact that a high educational level of parents is assumed to give them access to quality information, the Barnum effect is experienced regardless of educational level. According to the field of parenting, the Barnum effect refers to consulting non-scientifically validated sources and trusting information that responds to parents' wishes, but not to children's educational needs.These results highlight the role of parents' emotional intelligence on the growth and education of children, but also the usefulness of training programs in the field of parenting with the aim of training parents in the necessary skills for effective parenting.
Adopting a developmental psychopathology (DP) perspective, the present study systematically reviewed the quantitative literature on positive functioning and outcomes in parents experiencing ...homelessness. Studies were identified from PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science using an exhaustive list of key terms. Of 3443 total studies screened, 219 were inspected, 176 were excluded, and 43 were included. Included studies fell into three outcome categories: the ability to function well personally (cope effectively, meet basic family needs, experience reduced psychopathology); dyadically (demonstrate positive parenting practices and promote child adjustment); and contextually (exit episodes of homelessness and avoid shelter re-entry). Results also reflected personal, dyadic, and contextual independent variables associated with each positive outcome category. Many parents experiencing homelessness display positive outcomes, and many factors support positive functioning. Future research should replicate these findings and examine multilevel parental functioning to help bridge the gap between the DP theoretical perspective and the quantitative evidence for parental resilience as a process.
•Quantitative studies on parental positive functioning in homelessness are reviewed.•Results are presented by personal, dyadic, and contextual factors and outcomes.•Findings are limited by a small number of studies and methodological shortcomings.•Nevertheless, many parents display positive functioning despite homelessness.•More research needs to replicate findings and build on the existing literature.
Background. Te need for psychological and pedagogical support for families in the upbringing of hearing-impaired children makes it imperative to develop innovative methods and an efective model of ...interaction between the family and a special needs educational institution, to improve parental competence. Objective. To study the psychological content of parental competence (its cognitive, value-motivational; emotional and behavioral components) and to evaluate parental competence through psychological and pedagogical support for families in the upbringing of hearing-impaired children. Design. Eighty-seven families with hearing-impaired children from a special needs educational institution in Kursk, Russian Federation, participated in the experimental study. Te researchers took measurements at two time points, baseline and followup. At baseline, we made a diagnostic assessment of the psychological content of parental competence. At followup, we evaluated the development of parental competence resulting from the psychological and pedagogical support for these families. Results. Te cognitive component was characterized by predominant unanimity between the parents in the upbringing of hearing-impaired children, and a partnership relationship in communicating with them. Te emotional component was represented by the absence of difculties in understanding the causes of the children’s emotional state and an orientation towards the child’s emotional state during interactions or physical contact. Terminal values (such as health, happy family life) and instrumental values (such as responsibility, honesty) were predominant in the value-motivational component. Te behavioral component displayed a predominance of the authoritative style in upbringing, whereby parents realized their important role in the development of a child’s personality and recognized the right of children to self-development. At the same time, the authoritarian style was still signifcant. Conclusion. A model for psychological and pedagogical support of families in the upbringing of hearing-impaired children was developed, tested, and found to be efective.
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