Marital transitions. A child's perspective

Effectiveness of Theraplay in Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Bereaved Siblings of Children with Cancer

Background: Sibling relationships are very significant relationships, and their termination due to death will have profound long-term effects on the life of the surviving children. Objectives: The purpose of the current study was to determine the effectiveness of theraplay on internalizing and externalizing problems in bereaved siblings. Methods: This study was carried out using a single-subject multiple baseline design with follow-up. The statistical population included siblings and mothers of children aged 6 - 10 years who were on treatment at Mahak Pediatric Cancer Hospital and died one or two years ago. From this population, four mother-child pairs were selected as the study sample by convenience sampling. Each mother-child pair participated in 15 theraplay sessions once a week (45-min sessions). The assessments were carried out using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at baseline and in the intervention sessions and follow-up. Visual analysis of graphic displays of level, Reliable Change Index (RCI), and clinical significance were used to analyze the data. Data analysis and drawing the graphs were performed in Microsoft Excel 2016. Results: The results of the visual and quantitative data analysis showed a significant reduction in the four participants' internalizing problems during therapy. The reduction in the scores of this subscale in participants 1, 2, and 3 continued into the follow-up period and was noticeable. The results also showed that theraplay reduced the externalizing problems of most participants. A large proportion of these results persisted into the follow-up period. Conclusions: Theraplay appears to effectively reduce the internalizing and externalizing problems of bereaved siblings.

Children's experiences after the unintended birth of a sibling

This study examines whether children with a younger sibling whose birth was unintended experience larger declines in the quality of their home environment and larger increases in behavioral problems than children whose younger sibling's birth was intended. We use data from the NLSY79 to estimate cross-lag regression models that assess changes in the home environment and children's behavioral problems after the birth of a sibling (intended or unintended). Results are consistent with our hypotheses, finding that, indeed, unintended births have negative spillover effects. Compared with children whose sibling's birth was intended, both boys and girls whose sibling's birth was unintended experienced larger declines in the quality of their home environment, and boys had larger increases in behavioral problems. We also find some unexpected evidence that mistimed births may have larger negative effects than unwanted births. This deserves further research, and we offer some possible explanations that could guide those investigations.

Support during labour: first-time fathers' descriptions of requested and received support during the birth of their child

OBJECTIVE

to explore how first-time fathers describe requested and received support during a normal birth.

DESIGN

qualitative research design. Ten first-time fathers were interviewed during the first postpartum week. Individual open-ended interviews were used to explore the fathers' descriptions, and the interviews were analysed using qualitative analysis.

SETTING

a labour ward at one hospital in a south-western county of Sweden in November and December 2006.

PARTICIPANTS

first-time fathers who had experienced a normal birth at the hospital during the study period.

FINDINGS

the support described is presented as one main theme, 'being involved or being left out', which included four underlying categories: 'an allowing atmosphere', 'balancing involvement', 'being seen' and 'feeling left out'.

KEY CONCLUSIONS

fathers perceived that they were given good support when they were allowed to ask questions during labour, when they had the opportunity to interact with the midwife and their partner, and when they could choose when to be involved or to step back. Fathers want to be seen as individuals who are part of the labouring couple. If fathers are left out, they tend to feel helpless; this can result in a feeling of panic and can put their supportive role of their partner at risk.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

the results of this study could initiate discussions about how health-care professionals can develop support given to the labouring couple, with an interest in increasing paternal involvement.

Family transitions and later delinquency and drug use

Changes in the family structure can be very disruptive to adolescents who live in those families. This article examines the impact of the number of family transitions on delinquent and drug-using behavior. Specifically, the effect of family transitions is hypothesized to be mediated by problems within the family, school, and peer settings. A sample of 646 boys (73%) and girls (27%) taken from a longitudinal panel study of high-risk adolescents are used to examine these hypotheses. For girls, little support is found for the direct or the indirect effect of family transitions on delinquent behavior or drug use. For boys, however, both forms of problem behavior are influenced by family transitions directly and indirectly through changes in, and problems with, peer associations. The findings suggest that during times of family turmoil, the friendship network of adolescent male children is also disrupted, leading to an increase in associations with delinquent others and, in turn, an increase in problematic behaviors.

A prospective study of the consequences of marital disruption for adolescents: predisruption family dynamics and postdisruption adolescent adjustment

This study employed data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine the consequences of marital disruption for youth prospectively. Using a diverse sample of 6,416 youth, we examined pre- and postdisruption group differences among youth in subsequently disrupting and continuously intact homes. We also examined the extent to which predisruption family dynamics (e.g., marital discord) accounted for both pre- and postdisruption group differences in youth functioning and examined the interaction between level of marital discord and marital disruption. Group differences in adjustment emerged at both time-points and were better explained by family-level variables than by marital disruption. Further, level of marital discord interacted with marital disruption, predicting differential youth outcomes. The implications of these findings for understanding and explaining the heterogeneity of divorce outcomes are discussed.

The Relationship Between Maternal and Child Mental Health in Mexican Immigrant Families

Depression is a leading cause of disability in the United States, with Mexican immigrant women reporting depression rates higher than the national average. The purposes of this study were to describe mental health symptoms in a sample (n = 182) of Mexican immigrant mothers and their relationships to child mental health, family functioning, and acculturation. Over one third of the mothers reported depression and anxiety symptoms above standardized cutoffs while 31% of the children scored in the depressed range. Of those children with high depression scores, 51% also had a mother with high depression and anxiety scores. Boys' depression scores were related to maternal reports of family functioning and stress, while girls' depression scores were related to maternal reports of depression, anxiety, and stress. Maternal mental health symptoms were associated with family functioning but not with acculturation. These data indicate that poorer maternal mental health and family functioning is associated with greater stress in Mexican immigrant children.

CHILDHOOD UNPREDICTABILITY, SCHEMAS FOR UNPREDICTABILITY, AND RISK TAKING

The present paper describes a conceptual model of possible antecedents, markers, and consequences of unpredictability schemas, and outlines empirical support for the model. Early experiences, especially those pertaining to one's family, are the basis for the development of an unpredictability schema. To date, an unpredictability schema has been measured indirectly with scales that tap a variety of interrelated beliefs. Measures of such beliefs show associations with risk taking. An unpredictability schema, thus, may be an overlooked factor in risk-taking behavior. The present model takes a multidisciplinary approach and makes two major contributions. First, it integrates psychological constructs that have not previously been linked. Second, it clarifies existing relationships among background characteristics and risk-related outcomes. Implications for prevention and intervention programming are discussed.

Parental functioning and children's adjustment in families of divorce: a prospective study

This paper prospectively examined relations between marital status, predivorce parenting practices, and children's adjustment, using data from the New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS). Prospective analyses of children's predivorce adjustment indicated that neither boys nor girls showed more problematic behavior prior to parental separation, and only boys had more difficulties after divorce. However, parents of to-be-divorced families reported more difficulties in childcare practices before divorce than did parents of always-married families. Parenting difficulties in to-be-divorced families were found consistently for boys but not for girls. Results suggest that the difficulties found among boys after divorce may be linked with parenting problems that begin before divorce.

Uses and implications of the contextual approach to child custody decisions

Child custody litigation signals parental conflicts that have serious implications for a child's long-term development. The authors describe a family systems approach to child custody decision making--the contextual approach, derived from contextual family theory. A case study analysis and pilot study illustrate the use of the approach with a small group of families who turn to the legal system to resolve custody or visitation disputes. The findings suggest the approach's usefulness in helping families create alternatives to continued disputation. The findings also reinforce the need for further research to test the preventive potential of the approach in reducing returns to court.