Toward a Better Understanding of the Associations Among Different Measures of Father Involvement and Parenting Alliance

The variety of measurement methods used in fathering research to assess fathers’ involvement makes it difficult to summarize what we know about paternal involvement and its correlates and antecedents. Aiming to shed light on the potential consequences of using different measures of paternal involvement, this study examined: (a) the associations among three measures of father participation in parental activities, namely self- and mother-reported questionnaires and a father-completed time diary, and (b) their respective associations with a well-documented predictor of father involvement, i.e., parenting alliance. The sample included 80 parental couples with a 6-month-old child. Although moderate associations were found among measures of father involvement, only the maternal and paternal questionnaires were associated with parenting alliance. These results suggest that time diaries and questionnaires tap into different aspects of father involvement that can have distinct correlates and determinants. Better acknowledgment of the diverging results attributable to the use of different measurement approaches of father involvement is needed.

Family Functioning in Families of Adolescents with Mental Health Disorders: The Role of Parenting Alliance

This study primarily examined the predictive role of emotional and behavioral disorders in family cohesion and the moderating role of parenting alliance. Adolescents’ mental health issues are a major concern, with important implications for individuals and their families. However, the impact of mental disorders on family processes has been less widely studied. Participants in this study were 72 parents of adolescent beneficiaries of mental health services. Questionnaires assessed family cohesion, parenting alliance, and sociodemographic factors. Results indicated that emotional and behavioral disorders did not have an influence on family cohesion. They also suggested that parenting alliance may be a protective factor for family cohesion. This paper highlights the role of parenting alliance as a potential protective factor in positive family processes. These findings support the importance of focusing on the parental subsystem in therapy, and the need to incorporate a positive parenting perspective when working with these families.

Discrepancies in Parent Perceptions of Child Vulnerability in Youth With Spina Bifida

Objective This study aimed to describe informant discrepancies between mother and father reports of child vulnerability in youth with spina bifida (SB) and examine variables that were associated with these discrepancies. Methods Ninety-two parent dyads, with a child with SB (ages 8–15 years), were recruited as a part of a longitudinal study. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires assessing parental perception of child vulnerability (PPCV), as well as medical and demographic information, behavioral aspects of the couple relationship, parenting stress, mental health of the parent, and child behavioral adjustment. The degree to which there was a parenting alliance was assessed with observational data. Mother–father discrepancies were calculated at the item level. Results Findings revealed that greater father mental health symptoms, parenting stress, and child behavior problems were associated with “father high and mother low” discrepancies in PPCV. There were also lower scores on observed parenting alliance when there were higher rates of “father high and mother low” discrepancies in PPCV. Conclusions For families of youth with SB, discrepancies in PPCV where fathers perceive high vulnerability and mothers perceive low vulnerability may be a “red flag” for the presence of other parental and child adjustment difficulties. Findings are discussed in terms of the Attribution Bias Context Model and underscore the importance of including fathers in research on families who have children with chronic health conditions.

PARENTING STRESS DAN PARENTING ALLIANCE PADA IBU YANG MENJADI WARGA BINAAN PEMASYARAKATAN

Selama berada di lapas Ibu yang menjadi WBP harus berpisah dengan anak mereka dan tidak dapat mengasuh anak secara langsung, serta harus membangun hubungan dengan pengasuh anak mereka. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana gambaran parenting stress dan parenting alliance serta korelasi diantara keduanya pada Ibu yang menjadi Warga Binaan Pemasyarakatan (WBP). Pengukuran menggunakan Parenting Stress Index (PSI) dan parenting Alliance Measure (PAM). Total partisipan penelitian adalah 43 incarcerated mother. Analisa data menggunakan statistik deskriptif dan korelasi Spearman rho. Ibu yang menjadi WBP memiliki parenting stress yang cenderung rendah. Hal ini berarti meskipun berada di Lapas, para Ibu yang menjadi WBP memiliki sumberdaya yang cukup untuk dapat menjalankan tuntutan sebagai orang tua. Diantara tujuh dimensi pada parenting stress, hanya dimensi depression bernilai tinggi. Hal ini menunjukkan mereka Ibu yang menjadi WBP merasakan perasaan bersalah karena tidak dapat mengasuh anak secara langsung dan tidak merasa puas menjalankan peran sebagai orang tua. Ibu yang menjadi WBP memiliki penilaian yang tinggi terhadap parenting alliance yang dibentuk dengan pengasuh anak. Hal ini berarti mereka merasakan adanya komunikasi dan kerjasama, serta komitmen dari pengasuh anak. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa tidak terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara parenting stress dan parenting alliance pada Ibu yang menjadi WBP. Saran penelitian selanjutnya adalah tidak hanya mengukur Ibu yang menjadi WBP, tapi juga mengukur parenting alliance pada pengasuh anak, serta bagaimana penyesuaian diri anak terhadap perpisahan dengan ibu karena pemenjaraan.

Effectiveness of Structural–Strategic Family Therapy in the Treatment of Adolescents with Mental Health Problems and Their Families

Mental health problems during adolescence constitute a major public health concern today for both families and stakeholders. Accordingly, different family-based interventions have emerged as an effective treatment for adolescents with certain disorders. Specifically, there is evidence of the effectiveness of concrete approaches of systemic family therapy on the symptoms of adolescents and family functioning in general. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of other relevant approaches, such as structural and strategic family therapy, incorporating parent–child or parental dyadic measurement. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a structural–strategic family therapy with adolescents involved in mental health services and their families. For this purpose, 41 parents and adolescents who participated in this treatment were interviewed at pre-test and post-test, providing information on adolescent behavior problems, parental sense of competence, parental practices, parenting alliance, and family functioning. Regardless of participants’ gender, adolescents exhibited fewer internalizing and externalizing problems after the treatment. Parents reported higher family cohesion, higher satisfaction and perceived efficacy as a parent, and healthier parental practices (less authoritarian and permissive practices, as well as more authoritative ones). An interaction effect between parenting alliance and gender was found, with more favorable results for the mothers. In conclusion, this paper provides evidence of the usefulness of structural–strategic family therapy for improving family, dyadic, and individual facets in families with adolescents exhibiting mental health problems.