Adolescent Social Capital - An Intergenerational Resource?

Introduction: Social capital is a valuable asset that spawns multiple benefits, but little is known about its origins. This study narrows the gap by exploring the extent to which adolescents’ social capital is shaped by their parents’ social capital, the socioeconomic status (SES) of their families, or that of their neighbourhood. The study also explores which dimensions of adolescent social capital are most sensitive to intergenerational or socioeconomic influence.Methods: The study uses survey data gathered from adolescents aged 12–13 years and their parents (n = 167) in Southwest Finland. For the analysis, adolescents’ social capital was disaggregated into four dimensions: social networks, social trust, tendency to receive help, and tendency to provide help. For each dimension, the associations with the hypothesised predictors were analysed separately using structural equation modelling. Results: The results suggest that parents’ social capital is the most influential predictor to each dimension of adolescents’ social capital establishing stronger associations as compared to the other two predictors. However, it is not the parents’ actual social capital as they report themselves, but their offspring’s perception of their social behaviour. Family’s SES relates to young people’s reciprocal tendency and level of trust only indirectly through parents’ social capital. Conversely, a disadvantaged socioeconomic neighbourhood is directly negatively associated with adolescents’ level of trust and frequency of receiving help. Conclusions: This study suggests that social capital is distinctly, although not exclusively, an intergenerational resource. Parents are critical role models for adolescent children.

Impact of COVID-19 on resource families: Unique challenges and strengths

The emergence of COVID-19 forced significant adaptations for families worldwide. Children and youth in foster care and their caregivers or resource parents experience unique stressors. The current study aimed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and “Safer-at-Home” orders on resource parents in Los Angeles County. Resource parents (n = 648) were surveyed about COVID-19 concerns, positive impact and strengths, access to and helpfulness of provided resources, visits with birth parents, children joining their families during the pandemic, and transition to telehealth. Between one-third and half of resource parents with foster or foster-adoptive children in their home reported significant anxiety about issues such as getting infected, uncertainty about the future, and financial hardship. In contrast, most resource parents reported some perceived benefits, such as increased family closeness. The most helpful resource reported was video visitation by social workers. A quarter of resource parents experienced in-person birth parent visits. Developmentally, parents with a foster or fosteradoptive child 0–5 years old reported significantly more worries related to COVID-19, while those with children of multiple ages reported feeling less valued as a resource parent and expressed more concerns about children falling behind with school, mental health and developmental services, birth parent visits, and delayed reunification. Lastly, younger parental age, fewer foster children in the home, and the less negative impact from COVID-19 a resource parent reported having were associated with an increased likelihood of resource parents welcoming a child into their home. Implications for policy and recommendations for practice are discussed.

My child’s legacy: a mixed methods study of bereaved parents and providers’ opinions about collaboration with NICU teams in quality improvement initiatives

ObjectiveAlthough stakeholders’ participation in healthcare is increasingly recommended, bereaved parents are often excluded for perceived potential risks to them. The objective of this study is to describe the ongoing involvement and the perspectives of bereaved parents engaged in different types of activities in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and providers who work with them.Design/methodsMixed methods convergent analysis.SettingCanadian paediatric tertiary care university hospital.ParticipantsAll bereaved members of the resource parents group (n=8) and most providers who work with them (n=16) answered a satisfaction/needs questionnaires.ResultsSince 2011, eight bereaved parents were involved in a large number of activities mostly related to palliative care (research, education or clinical care initiatives). Three engaged in peer-to-peer support activities while the others preferred activities outside of clinical units and/or without direct interactions with other families. All of them reported that their participation had positive impacts, but two parents also reported a reactivation of traumatic experiences during a medical simulation activity. All participants expressed a desire for further collaboration. Motivation to contribute gravitated around two central themes: helping others and helping themselves. Many wanted to give back, help other families, improve the system and meet with providers who had cared for their child. All stated that this kind of involvement empowered them and gave meaning to their experiences. Providers and researchers all reported positive experiences, mainly due to the unique perspectives of bereaved parents who took part in their projects.Conclusion(s)With careful recruitment and supervision, some bereaved parents can become resource parents involved in different types of activities. It is important to understand the positive impacts this type of engagement can have on their healing process and to control the risks related to their participation. Research is needed to develop pertinent tools and measures to evaluate the outcomes and impacts of their participation.