scholarly journals Family Function and Child Adjustment Difficulties in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11136
Author(s):  
Sarah Foley ◽  
Farzaneh Badinlou ◽  
Karin C. Brocki ◽  
Matilda A. Frick ◽  
Luca Ronchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Adjustment ◽  
International Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Disruption ◽  
Household Chaos ◽  
Adjustment Difficulties ◽  
Related Family ◽  
Parent Distress ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Parent Child

To estimate specific proximal and distal effects of COVID-19-related restrictions on families on children’s adjustment problems, we conducted a six-site international study. In total, 2516 parents from Australia, China, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America living with a young child (Mage = 5.77, SD = 1.10, range = 3 to 8 years, 47.9% female) completed an online survey between April and July 2020. The survey included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and family risk factors (parent distress, parent–child conflict, couple conflict, and household chaos) as well as a scale to index COVID-19-related family disruption. Our analyses also included public data on the stringency of national restrictions. Across the six sites, parental responses indicated elevated levels of hyperactivity, conduct, and emotion problems in children from families characterized by heightened levels of parent distress, parent–child conflict, and household chaos. In contrast, increased peer problems were more strongly related to COVID-19-related social disruption and stringency measures. Mediation models demonstrated that associations between COVID-19 social disruption and child difficulties could be explained by parental distress. Taken together, these results suggest that although the experience of the pandemic differed across countries, associations between COVID-19-related family experiences and child adjustment difficulties were similar in their nature and magnitude across six different contexts. Programs to support family resilience could help buffer the impact of the pandemic for two generations.

scholarly journals The impact of fathers’ military deployment on child adjustment. The support needs of primary school children and their families separated during active military service: A pilot study

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Pexton ◽  
Jacqui Farrants ◽  
William Yule
Keyword(s):  
Parental Stress ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Child Adjustment ◽  
Military Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Military Deployment ◽  
Adjustment Difficulties ◽  
The Impact

Background: Although direct exposure to war-related trauma negatively impacts children’s psychological well-being, little is known about this impact within the context of parental military deployment to a combat zone and ‘indirect’ experience of the effects of armed conflict. This study investigates the impact of father’s military deployment to Afghanistan on child well-being in primary schoolchildren and compares measures of adjustment with a matched group of children with fathers deployed on military training (non-combat) deployment. Method: Data were collected within primary schools in 2011–2012 from 52 children aged 8–11 years with fathers deploying to Afghanistan ( n = 26) and fathers deploying on military training ( n = 26) via self-completion of questionnaires assessing symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and levels of self-esteem. Data were collected in both groups, at pre-, mid- and post-parental deployment. Class teachers and parents (non-deployed) completed a measure of child behaviour and parents completed a measure of parenting stress and general health. Results: Unexpectedly child adjustment difficulties were not significantly raised in children whose parents deployed to Afghanistan. Ratings of behavioural difficulties and depression were low in both groups. However, clinically elevated levels of anxiety and stress symptoms were reported by both groups of children at each stage of deployment. No associations between parental stress, parental mental health and child adjustment were found. Conclusion: High levels of children’s anxiety and stress reported during fathers’ active military service warrant further investigation. Implications for school and health monitoring and CAMHS community liaison work are discussed.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 on child welfare-involved families: Implications for parent–child reunification and child welfare professionals

2021 ◽  
pp. 251610322110452
Author(s):  
Abbie E. Goldberg ◽  
David Brodzinsky ◽  
Jacqueline Singer ◽  
Patience Crozier
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Child Welfare Workers ◽  
Child Welfare Professionals ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Virtual Visits ◽  
Welfare Workers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Parent Child

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children and parents involved in the child welfare system and the professionals working with these families. Using survey data collected August–September of 2020, this mixed-methods study examined the perspectives of 196 child welfare-involved professionals (77 attorneys, 99 caseworkers, and 20 therapists) in the United States about the impact of COVID-19 on parents of origin, children, foster parents, and child welfare professionals. Particular attention was paid to the implications of COVID-19 and associated challenges for parent–child contact and reunification. With respect to professional stresses, more than half of participants worried about their own personal safety and health amidst COVID-19, and more than three-quarters expressed concerns about the safety and well-being of child welfare-involved families. Participants, especially attorneys, expressed concerns about parent–child contact and disruptions to reunification. In-person parent–child visits had all but ceased during the early part of the pandemic, and participants identified barriers to effective virtual visits, including lack of foster parent oversight, technology issues, and children’s developmental stage and/or lack of engagement. Attorneys were especially critical of the cessation of in-person visits and viewed this as a serious threat to child-parent bonds and reunification. Participants, especially child welfare workers, voiced concerns about children’s mental health and educational outcomes amidst the pandemic. Findings have implications for attorneys, child welfare workers, and other practitioners who directly and indirectly interface with child welfare-involved families.

scholarly journals Nursing Study Abroad: A New Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
O'Hara PB
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
International Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Nurse ◽  
Defining Moment ◽  
Studying Abroad ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Study Abroad Program ◽  
The Impact

The impact of International Study Abroad has recently been studied. The data from more than 3,400 respondents shows that studying abroad is usually a defining moment in a person’s life and continues to impact their life for years after the experience (IES Abroad Adelaide, 1992). Many nursing programs here in the United States do not have the flexibility in their nursing curriculum for study abroad, and the State Board of Nursing does not allow for nursing courses to be transferred in from other countries. This article will describe a Nursing Study Abroad program that was set up in Ireland for 3 weeks. Nursing students in this 4 year Traditional BSN program were able to obtain 6 credits (3 credits for their English Elective and 3 credits for their Nursing Elective) as well as experience 2 clinical observation days shadowing an Irish Public Health Nurse. A comprehensive description of the nursing study abroad program and the benefits associated with it will be provided.

“Look at me!” Parental use of mobile phones at the playground

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dafna Lemish ◽  
Nelly Elias ◽  
Diana Floegel
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
The United States ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Mobile Phone Use ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Device Use ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Parent Child

Research suggests that parent–child communication is rapidly changing as a result of the massive adoption of mobile devices and their penetration into interpersonal interaction within the family. Accordingly, this study aims to develop a more nuanced understanding of the impact of mobile device use on the quality of parent–child interaction in early childhood, based on ethnographic observations of 60 families at two playgrounds in the United States. The research findings suggest that parental behavior can be classified along a continuum of high engagement, divided engagement, and disengagement, often dependent upon whether and how parents use their mobile phone. Though mobile phones were not the only distracting factor during playground visits, their use was more highly correlated with parents’ disengagement from their children as compared to other distractors. Parents’ mobile phone use also corresponded to two main consequences for their children: safety concerns and emotional concerns, both resulting in missed opportunities for social learning. The results of this study call for closer attention to parental uses of mobile phones in public spaces.

scholarly journals Digital Preservation and Copyright: An International Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
June M. Besek ◽  
Jessica Coates ◽  
Brian Fitzgerald ◽  
Wilma Mossink ◽  
William G. LeFurgy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
International Study ◽  
Digital Preservation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Digital Material ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Review Current

The aim of the International Study on the Impact of Copyright Law on Digital Preservation was to review current copyright and related laws and their impact on digital preservation, as well as to make recommendations to help libraries, archives and other preservation institutions sustain digital works. Study partners are based in Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. The study found that, in many cases, digital works are not being preserved in a systematic way. This is partly because digital preservation entails more difficult copyright issues than preservation of non-digital material. All the surveyed countries have some form of exception for preservation activities. However, there is inconsistency in the details between the countries’ laws and uncertainty in how they apply in the digital environment. None of the countries surveyed have a uniform national system yet for collecting digital materials. Technological protection measures and licensing arrangements may, in some cases, present significant practical barriers to preservation. Current approaches to address these barriers are ad hoc and include requesting permissions from individual rights holders and some use of model licence terms that permit preservation. Moreover, as yet, there are no effective solutions to the general issue of orphan works. Recommendations of the study include suggestions for drafting national policies and adapting laws to allow digital preservation to be undertaken as necessary, in accordance with international best practice standards, and for promoting national systems for the collection of digital materials by relevant state and national collecting institutions.

Demonstrating Nutrient Cost Gradients: A Brooklyn Case Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 244-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Karp ◽  
Gary Wong ◽  
Marguerite Orsi
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Caloric Density ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Introduction: Foods dense in micronutrients are generally more expensive than those with higher energy content. These cost-differentials may put low-income families at risk of diminished micronutrient intake. Objectives: We sought to determine differences in the cost for iron, folate, and choline in foods available for purchase in a low-income community when assessed for energy content and serving size. Methods: Sixty-nine foods listed in the menu plans provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for low-income families were considered, in 10 domains. The cost and micronutrient content for-energy and per-serving of these foods were determined for the three micronutrients. Exact Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparisons of energy costs; Spearman rho tests for comparisons of micronutrient content. Ninety families were interviewed in a pediatric clinic to assess the impact of food cost on food selection. Results: Significant differences between domains were shown for energy density with both cost-for-energy (p < 0.001) and cost-per-serving (p < 0.05) comparisons. All three micronutrient contents were significantly correlated with cost-for-energy (p < 0.01). Both iron and choline contents were significantly correlated with cost-per-serving (p < 0.05). Of the 90 families, 38 (42 %) worried about food costs; 40 (44 %) had chosen foods of high caloric density in response to that fear, and 29 of 40 families experiencing both worry and making such food selection. Conclusion: Adjustments to USDA meal plans using cost-for-energy analysis showed differentials for both energy and micronutrients. These differentials were reduced using cost-per-serving analysis, but were not eliminated. A substantial proportion of low-income families are vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies.

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