Abstract Background Postnatal depression is associated with poorer parenting quality, but there are few studies examining maternal-specific cognitive processes that may impact on parenting quality. ...In this study, we examined the impact of rumination on parental problem-solving effectiveness in dysphoric and non-dysphoric postnatal mothers. Methods Fifty-nine mothers with a infant aged 12 months and under, 20 of whom had a Beck Depression Score II (BDI-II) score ≥ 14, and 39 who scored less than 14 on the BDI-II were randomly assigned to either a rumination or distraction condition. Problem-solving effectiveness was assessed post-induction with the “Postnatal Parental Problem-Solving Task” (PPST), which was adapted from the Means Ends Problem-solving task. Parental problem-solving confidence was also assessed. Results Dysphoric ruminating mothers exhibited poorer problem-solving effectiveness and poorer confidence regarding their problem-solving compared to dysphoric distracting, non-dysphoric distracting, and non-dysphoric ruminating mothers. Limitations A self-report measure of depressed mood was used. Conclusions Rumination may be a key mechanism associated with both depressive mood and maternal parenting quality during the postnatal period.
COVID-19 pandemic has become a significant international public health problem. In addition to dealing with the pandemic’s impact on mental health, parents need to cope with specific changes in their ...routines caused by social distance measures. This study aimed to investigate common mental disorders (CMD) symptoms in Brazilian parents during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors. A total of 232 Brazilian parents ranging from 20 to 48 years old (
M
= 33.85; SD = 4.83) with children aged 1–36 months (
M
= 17.00; SD = 9,87) participated in an online survey. Parents answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4), and Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. Chi-square tests, correlations, and multiple linear regression were performed. Results showed that parents’ symptoms of CMD were negatively associated to perceived parental competence (
β
=− 0.130;
p
= 0.011) and family income (
β
=− 0.190;
p
= 0.024). Furthermore, perceived stress was the most related variable to parents’ symptoms of CMD (
β
= 0.618;
p
< 0.001), showing a positive association. The model explained 49.5% of the variation. Results suggest that lower family income may increase symptoms of CMD in Brazilian parents, which is a concern in a country of high social inequality. Parental sense of competence may be a relevant protective factor. Interventions targeting parental competence and stress reduction should be considered to address the mental health impacts of the pandemic.
Using a vignette methodology, two studies examined the impact of sexual orientation and gender role orientation on heterosexuals' attributions of parental competence and adoption suitability. ...Previous research (in domains other than parenthood) has repeatedly shown that lesbians and gay men are especially discriminated against if they transgress traditional gender roles. In Study 1, participants (N = 404) were sequentially presented with the 2 partners of a lesbian, gay, or heterosexual couple who desired to adopt a child. In terms of gender role orientation, the target couple was described as heterogeneous: One of the partners was described as feminine-communal and the other as masculine-agentic. In Study 2, participants (N = 516) were simultaneously presented with both partners of a lesbian, gay, or heterosexual adoption-seeking couple: The target couple either had a heterogeneous (as in Study 1) or a homogeneous gender role orientation (i.e., both partners were described as feminine-communal or masculine-agentic). Studies 1 and 2 consistently showed that parental competence and adoption suitability attributions depended on target gender role orientation alone. Feminine-communal partners (Study 1) and couples (Study 2) were perceived as more competent in parenting and more suitable for adoption than masculine-agentic targets; gender role heterogeneous couples fell in-between. Unexpectedly, attributions were independent of target sexual orientation and gender role conformity. Apparently, in times of growing acceptance of sexual orientation diversity and the general ideal of involved parenting, feminine communion outrivals masculine agency when it comes to the evaluation of prospective parents.
Mittels Vignettenansatz wurde in zwei Studien der Einfluss der sexuellen und Geschlechterrollenorientierung auf die Zuschreibung von elterlicher Kompetenz und Adoptionseignung untersucht. In vorherigen Studien konnte wiederholt gezeigt werden, dass Homosexuelle insbesondere dann diskriminiert werden, wenn sie gegen traditionelle Geschlechterrollen verstoßen. In Studie 1 (N = 404) wurden den Versuchspersonen nacheinander die Partner eines lesbischen, schwulen oder heterosexuellen Paars vorgestellt, das ein Kind adoptieren möchte. Das Paar wurde hinsichtlich der Geschlechterrollen als heterogen beschrieben-ein Partner als weiblich-kommunal, der/die andere als männlich-agentisch. In Studie 2 (N = 516) wurden beide Partner gleichzeitig vorgestellt; das Paar hatte entweder eine heterogene (wie in Studie 1) oder homogene Geschlechterrollenorientierung (d.h. beide Partner wurden als weiblich-kommunal oder männlich-agentisch beschrieben). Studien 1 und 2 zeigten konsistent, dass die Zuschreibung von elterlicher Kompetenz und Adoptionseignung lediglich von der Geschlechterrollen-orientierung abhing. Weiblich-kommunale Partner (Studie 1) bzw. Paare (Studie 2) wurden als kompetentere Eltern wahrgenommen und dementsprechend als geeigneter für eine Adoption. Erwartungskonträr spielte die sexuelle Orientierung keine Rolle für die Zuschreibung von elterlicher Kompetenz und Adoptionseignung. Offensichtlich kommt es-in Zeiten zunehmender Akzeptanz von Homosexualität sowie involvierter Elternschaft-auf weiblich konnotierte kommunale (vs. männlich konnotierte agentische) Qualitäten an, wenn es um die Beurteilung künftiger Eltern geht.
Public Significance Statement
The present research, conducted in Germany, suggests that heterosexuals' judgment of prospective parents' competence and adoption suitability depends on target gender role orientation alone-but not on target sexual orientation (lesbian vs. gay vs. heterosexual). Given the growing acceptance of sexual orientation diversity and the ideal of involved parenting, feminine communion outrivals masculine agency when it comes to the evaluation of prospective parents, irrespective of their sex or sexual orientation.
Cilj je ovoga rada bio istražiti koncept svjesnosti u roditeljstvu (engl. mindful parenting) s obzirom na njegovu strukturu, povezanost s konceptom usredotočene svjesnosti (engl. mindfulness) i ...doživljajem roditeljstva, te ispitati razlikuju li se majke i očevi djece različite dobi u svjesnom roditeljstvu. Jedan od ciljeva ovoga istraživanja bio je
validirati hrvatsku verziju Upitnika svjesnog roditeljstva (McCaffrey, 2015), za koji je autorica utvrdila da se sastoji od dva faktora – roditeljske samoefikasnosti i usmjerenosti na dijete. Stoga se u istraživanje krenulo od pretpostavke da će podaci prikupljeni na uzorku naših roditelja također potvrditi dvofaktorsku strukturu Upitnika. Također, pretpostavka je bila da će majke iskazati višu razinu svjesnosti u roditeljstvu u odnosu na očeve, da će usredotočena svjesnost biti značajan prediktor svjesnog roditeljstva, kao i pozitivno
iskustvo s vlastitim roditeljima u djetinjstvu. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo ukupno 515 roditelja (320 majki i 195 očeva) koji su ispunili Upitnik općih podataka, Kratku skalu iskustva s vlastitim roditeljima, Skalu usredotočeno svjesne pažnje i svjesnosti, Upitnik svjesnog roditeljstva te Skalu roditeljske kompetentnosti. Rezultati su pokazali da podaci prikupljeni ovim istraživanjem bolje pristaju modelu svjesnog roditeljstva s pet faktora: usmjeravanje pažnje na dijete s prihvaćanjem, empatično razumijevanje djeteta, roditeljska samoefikasnost, roditeljska svjesnost te ne-reaktivnost. Nadalje, pokazalo se da majke više usmjeravaju pažnju na dijete te iskazuju višu razinu empatičnog razumijevanja u odnosu na očeve. Utvrđena je značajna povezanost svjesnog roditeljstva s percepcijom roditeljske kompetentnosti i zadovoljstva dok se, suprotno očekivanjima, usredotočena svjesnost na intrapersonalnoj razini nije pokazala značajnim prediktorom svjesnosti u roditeljstvu. Pozitivno iskustvo s vlastitim roditeljima tijekom odrastanja značajan je prediktor svih dimenzija svjesnog roditeljstva.
The aim of this study was to explore the concept of mindful parenting with regard to its structure, its relation to the concept of mindfulness and parenting experience. The study also aimed at exploring whether parents of children at different age express differences in mindful parenting. One of the aims of this study was to validate the Croatian version of the Mindfulness in Parenting Questionnaire (McCaffrey, 2015) that consists of two factors - Parental Self-efficacy and Being in the moment with a child. Therefore, we hypothesised that data collected in this research would also confirm the two-factor structure, as obtained in the original validation. Furthermore, it was hypothesised that mothers would show a higher level of mindful parenting than fathers and that mindfulness and positive experience with their own parents in childhood would be significant predictors of mindful parenting. A total of 515 parents (320 mothers and 195 fathers) participated in the study and filled out General data questionnaire, Short scale of Mindful attention awareness scale (MAAS), Mindfulness in parenting questionnaire (MIPQ) and Parenting sense of competence scale. The results showed that the five-factor model fits better to data collected in this research with factors being focusing attention to the child with acceptance, empathic understanding of the child, parental self-efficacy, parental awareness, and non-reactivity. Furthermore, it has been shown that mothers are more empathetic and more focused on the child than fathers. Finally, significant correlations between mindful parenting and dimensions of parental sense of competence were obtained. Contrary to the expectations, mindfulness as an intra-personal characteristic did not prove to be a significant predictor of mindful parenting. One of the most important predictors of all the dimensions of mindful parenting was positive experience with their own parents during childhood.
Parental sense of competence is one of the central dimensions targeted on psychosocial interventions aimed at supporting at‐risk families. Researchers and practitioners need reliable instruments to ...assess the parental role adapted for these families. Although the parental sense of competence (PSOC) scale has been frequently used to assess this construct, there is still no adapted version for Portuguese parents. In this study, the reliability, validity and factor structure of the PSOC scale is examined with a clinical sample of 146 mothers from at‐risk families receiving psychosocial interventions for family preservation from Child Protective Services. Results show that the Portuguese version of the PSOC measures three distinct constructs with acceptable psychometric properties: efficacy, dissatisfaction and controllability. As expected, the obtained factors were significantly and positively related to parenting alliance and family cohesion, and negatively associated with parenting stress. In sum, the proposed Portuguese version shows reliability and validity evidences to measure three relevant dimensions of parental self‐evaluation, and it constitutes a cost‐ and time‐effective instrument suited for at‐risk mothers.
The migration experience could influence parental competence perception in immigrant parents. Within this framework the current work focuses on immigrant parenthood and whether a family's migratory ...path could lead parents to feel less competent in their parental roles. The aim of the present study is to analyze perceptions of parental competence and family routines among immigrant and Italian parents during the middle childhood stages. The results showed that immigrant parents perceive themselves as more competent than Italians. Immigrants also attribute more importance to the dimension of relational and regulatory routines in daily family life than do Italian parents. Professionals can use these findings to better understand how best to enhance practices and strategies appropriate to the complexity of these intercultural contexts.
Drawing upon Foucault's concepts of power, this article shows how a course given to parents whose children are in foster-care encourages a particular form of self-management—most notably, that their ...internal dialogues must be altered so that the parents can view themselves as people in control of their behaviour who are in a position to choose new behaviour. The article is based on a qualitative study conducted in Norway and centres on the support and development of participants in the course. Study results show increased self-confidence and self-respect in the participants, both as individuals and as parents. In addition, significant benefits were stated as finding that they could verbalise and describe difficult events and emotions, experiencing being 'normal' within a group and receiving feedback. From the perspective of child protective services, dialogue with parents is central, as it not only commits clients to specific behaviours, but—more importantly—commits them to a particular inner dialogue about parenthood. The course can be seen as a management tool in which the parent's 'self' becomes the central object, seeking to contradict the conventional conception of parents with children in foster-care as having nothing to contribute to their children's upbringing.
Background. The need for psychological and pedagogical support for families in the upbringing of hearing-impaired children makes it imperative to develop innovative methods and an effective 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. e 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 pa- rental competence resulting from the psychological and pedagogical support for these families. Results. The 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. The emotional component was represented by the absence of difficulties 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. The 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 significant. Conclusion. A model for psychological and pedagogical support of families in the upbringing of hearing-impaired children was developed, tested, and found to be effective.
Child development may be subject to forms of motor, physical, cognitive and self-representation impairments when complex congenital heart disease (CHD) occurs. In some cases, inadequacy of both ...self-representation as well as the family system are displayed. It seems to be important to search the likely internal and external resources of the CHD child, and the possible connections among such resources, which may help him/her to manage his/her own risk condition. The research project inquires the possible resources related to the self-representation and self-esteem levels of the CHD child, and those related to maternal self-perception as competent mothers. A group of 25 children (mean age = 10.2; SD=1.8) suffering from specific forms of CHD, and a group made up of their relative mothers (mean age = 38.2; SD=5) were studied. The tools used were the Human Figure Drawing, to investigate child body-related self-representation; the TMA scale (Self-esteem Multidimensional Test), to investigate the child's self-esteem; and the Q-sort questionnaire, to assess how mothers perceived their maternal competence. Data concerning the likely correlations between the child's self-representation and the maternal role competence show that positive correlations between some indicators of maternal competence, specific aspects of CHD children's self-representation (mothers' emotional coping and children's self-image adequacy) and self-esteem (mothers' emotional scaffolding and children's self-esteem at an emotional level). By detecting the occurrence of specific correlations among resources of both child and mother, the study provides cardiologists with information that is useful for building a relationship with the families concerned, which would seem to enhance the quality of the process of the cure itself.
PDF
