Coparenting Supports in Mitigating the Effects of Family Conflict on Infant and Young Child Development

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-287
Author(s):  
Lisa S Negrini

Abstract Family conflict has a profound impact on infants and young children’s social–emotional and behavioral development. In work with infants and young children, it is critical to understand the ways in which conflict between coparents infiltrates the family system, creating less than optimum environments for young children. Current research suggests that children who are surrounded by family conflict lag behind in the development of social, emotional, and regulatory skills. Developing a clear understanding of the ways in which children need to be supported through solid coparental relationships is essential because young children’s sense of safety and security enables them to optimize their developmental capacities. This report and analysis of supports for coparenting also reviews the literature on the effects of coparental conflict on children. Considering the mother–father–child triangle and the benefits of coparenting to the young child, particularly in families in which conflict exists, enhances our work with families. An exploration of the opportunities for integrating coparenting supports into services for families is discussed, and a case for incorporating these strategies into treatment protocols is made. Recommendations for further research on the use of coparenting supports to buffer the effects of family conflict on infants and young children are proposed.

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karleen Gribble ◽  
Mary Peterson ◽  
Decalie Brown

Abstract Background Australia experiences a high incidence of natural emergencies and Australian governments have committed significant investment into emergency preparedness and response. Amongst the population groups most vulnerable to emergencies are infants and young children with their vulnerability centering around their specific food and fluid needs. For this reason, the World Health Assembly has urged all member states to develop and implement infant and young child feeding in emergency (IYCF-E) plans in line with international guidance. This study aimed to determine the degree to which Australia has complied with this direction by conducting an audit of Australian emergency plans and guidance. Methods Australian Federal, State/Territory and a sample of Local government emergency plans and guidance were located via web searches. Documents were searched for key words to identify content dealing with the needs of infants and young children. Plans and guidance were also searched for content dealing with the needs of animals as a comparison. Results While plans and guidance contained numerous pointers to the desirability of having plans that address IYCF-E, there was a dearth of planning at all levels of government for the needs of infants and young children. Guidance related to heat waves contained information that could prove dangerous to infants. No agency at Federal or State/Territory had designated responsibility for IYCF-E or children in general. This was in stark contrast to the situation of animals for which there was widespread and comprehensive planning at all levels of government with clear designation of organisational responsibility. Conclusions Lack of planning for IYCF-E in Australia places infants and young children at serious risk of adverse health consequences in emergencies. Australian Federal, State/Territory and Local governments need to take action to ensure that IYCF-E plans and guidance are developed and deployed in line with international standards. The pathway to successful integration of animal welfare plans provides a method for a similar integration of IYCF-E plans. Government health authorities are best placed to lead and be responsible for IYCF-E in Australia. National governments internationally should similarly take action to ensure that their youngest, most vulnerable citizens are protected in emergencies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 114-124
Author(s):  
George Kent

A recent book from the United States’ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was prepared “to collect, compare, and summarize existing recommendations on what and how to feed infants and young children from birth to 24 months of age” This review explores what its purpose might be.  


Author(s):  
Vanessa LoBue ◽  
Marissa Ogren

Emotion understanding facilitates the development of healthy social interactions. To develop emotion knowledge, infants and young children must learn to make inferences about people's dynamically changing facial and vocal expressions in the context of their everyday lives. Given that emotional information varies so widely, the emotional input that children receive might particularly shape their emotion understanding over time. This review explores how variation in children's received emotional input shapes their emotion understanding and their emotional behavior over the course of development. Variation in emotional input from caregivers shapes individual differences in infants’ emotion perception and understanding, as well as older children's emotional behavior. Finally, this work can inform policy and focus interventions designed to help infants and young children with social-emotional development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-698
Author(s):  
Immacolata Dall’Oglio ◽  
Francesca Marchetti ◽  
Rachele Mascolo ◽  
Patrizia Amadio ◽  
Orsola Gawronski ◽  
...  

Background Infants, young children, and their mothers are vulnerable in humanitarian emergencies. The health benefits of optimal breastfeeding practices in emergency settings have been demonstrated by many researchers. Infant and Young Children Feeding in Emergency guidelines illustrate a series of interventions to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding, but unfortunately, these recommendations are still scarcely applied. Research Aims (1) To review the literature describing the effectiveness of breastfeeding protection, promotion, and support interventions in humanitarian emergency contexts; (2) to describe the influence of interventions on breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and duration; and (3) to evaluate relevant mother and infant/child outcomes available in the literature. Methods PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Psychology Database, JSTOR, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Ovid were searched for articles that examined breastfeeding protection, promotion, or support interventions and the resulting outcomes without any time limits ( N = 10). Articles that did not include the interventions and related outcomes were excluded ( n = 1,391). Results Improved breastfeeding outcomes were reported in four (40%) papers, and three (30%) highlighted a behavioral change in infant and young child feeding practices following the implementation of the interventions. Increased knowledge about appropriate infant and young child feeding practices among mothers and humanitarian/health staff was reported in eight (80%) papers. However, outcomes were sometimes only generically reported, and some of the included papers had a low strength of evidence. Conclusion In the literature, there is a great dearth of studies evaluating the influence of interventions aimed at improving breastfeeding in emergency settings. More evidence is urgently needed to encourage and implement optimal breastfeeding practices.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 719-720
Author(s):  
Susan Jack ◽  
Kevanna Ou ◽  
Mary Chea ◽  
Lan Chhin ◽  
Robyn Devenish ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Sudhir Shankar Mane ◽  
Pranitha Reddy Chundi

Background: The objective of the study was to assess Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices using World Health Organization indicators in infants and young children attending immunization clinics. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was designed in a tertiary care hospital in an urban setup. Infant and young children from birth to 24 months attending immunization clinics were included. Main outcome measures were to assess IYCF Practices (8 Core and 7 Optional Indicators) and possible reasons for not practicing the same. Results: A total of 520 mothers attending immunization clinics were interviewed from June to July 2014. Mean age of the children was 32.5 weeks. 50.1% and 47.6% belonged to Hindu and Muslim religion respectively. Only 33.78% children were breastfed within one hour of birth. Among those who had not initiated breastfeeding within one hour of birth, 60.6% were not aware and the most common reason was caesarean section. In children older than 6 months, only 80% of children were exclusively breast fed for six months and the most common reason was insufficient breast milk. Only 72.5% of mothers introduced complementary foods from 6 to 9 months. Conclusions: The study shows poor IYCF practices in children attending immunization clinic at an urban tertiary care hospital. There is a clear knowledge gap among mothers. These faulty practices need to be addressed to improve feeding practices so as to maximize their benefits to the child. The study did not assess nutritional status of children. This would have been useful to see how inadequate IYCF practices were associated with nutritional status of the children. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1866
Author(s):  
Bibin Varghese ◽  
Mehul M. Gosai ◽  
Asha V. Patel ◽  
Akash Patel

Background: Suboptimal maternal–child nutrition leading to malnutrition is the major cause increasing morbidity and mortality from severe acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) among under two children. This research compares the infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in children with ALRI and children coming for routine immunization to find out the independent risk factors.Methods: The study was a hospital-based case control study. Infant and young children from 6 months to two years with ALRI admitted to the pediatric ward were studied as cases. Infant and young children of same age coming for routine immunization to the pediatric immunization clinic were studied as controls. Feeding patterns, socio-demographic, environmental and parenting factors were obtained from them in between May 2019 to April 2020.Results: Mixed feeding till 6 months (adjusted OR=34.191; 95% CI, 2.158–541.801; p=0.012), early initiation of complimentary feeding (AOR=30.389; 95% CI, 1.426–647.603; p=0.029), late initiation of complimentary feeding (AOR=28.696; 95% CI, 1.217–676.566; p=0.037) and inadequate amount of complimentary feeding (AOR=14.406; 95% CI, 1.898–109.371; p=0.010) were significant in multivariate analysis.Conclusions: Interventions to increase awareness of breastfeeding and complimentary feeding practices seldom reach lower sections of the society. Feeding visits, mother support groups and community projects to provide home based counselling on IYCF are needed to improve the situation.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1948 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 725-732
Author(s):  
C. ANDERSON ALDRICH

The problem of orderly and lawful behavior in young children has been faced realistically. It has been pointed out that infants and young children are influenced by two sets of codes: one, those prescribed by civilized man, and the other by their own inherent growth impulses. The characteristics of the two codes were mentioned, pointing out that the former were of recent origin, extremely variable in different geographic, cultural and even medical situations, and were imposed from without; and that the latter were of extreme antiquity, were on the whole consistent in every social set-up, and exerted their force from within the individual. It was shown that when the two systems regulating child behavior conflict, it is necessary either to train the child to ignore his growth urges in an effort to conform to social dictates or to modify these requirements. The growth demands cannot be changed. The methods by which a child can be made to conform are by persuasion, including example and guidance, or by corporal punishment, neither of which is a perfect method. Illustrations of many aspects of behavior in the young child in which conflict commonly is found were cited to give some idea of in how many respects young children may be confused or frustrated with resulting unapproved behavior. It was emphasized that much of this might be prevented by relatively unimportant changes in the man-made codes. It should be emphasized again that the whole purpose of this discussion is to make conformity to our laws possible and to insist that no child today can grow up doing entirely as he pleases. The adjustments called for are often merely those of timing, of demanding conformity at a later, more reasonable developmental stage.


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