Family dynamics. An exploration of parental sensitivity and depressive symptoms among mothers and fathers of toddlers

In studies of maternal sensitivity, the influence of mothers’ depressive symptomatology has been consistently highlighted. Additionally, the relevance of both maternal and paternal sensitive responses to children’s development has been recognized. However, literature regarding the dynamics of the mother-father-toddler triad is scarce. This is particularly true when understanding how parental sensitivity may be bidirectionally shaped by both parents’ (i.e., mothers’ and fathers’ depressive symptomatology) and children’s characteristics (i.e., age). Hence, the present study aims to describe and analyse the associations between parental depression, paternal sensitivity and children’s socioemotional difficulties and age with mothers’ sensitive responses to highlight the appropriateness of considering fathers’ depressive symptoms and sensitivity to better understand the impact of maternal depressive symptomatology on mothers’ sensitivity. The participants included 80 Chilean mother-father-child triads in which all children were between 1 and 3 years of age and presented some degree of socioemotional difficulty. The results reveal no differences in maternal and paternal sensitivity or higher depressive symptomatology in mothers than in fathers. Additionally, while mothers’ depression was significantly associated with their sensitivity, this was not the case for fathers. Paternal depressive symptomatology was associated with the mother’s depression. Finally, paternal sensitivity emerged as a mediator between maternal depressive symptoms and sensitivity. This result calls attention to the use of paternal variables to understand how maternal depression impacts mothers’ sensitivity and to thus develop appropriate interventions that expand the scope of such impacts from the dyad to the triad.

From Love Jihad to Grooming Gangs: Tracing Flows of the Hypersexual Muslim Male through Far-Right Female Influencers

This article traces the transnational flows of constructions of the hypersexualized Muslim male through a comparative analysis of love jihad in India and the specter of grooming gangs in the UK. While the former is conceived as an act of seduction and conversion, and the latter through violent rape imaginaries, foregrounding both of these narratives are sexual, gender, and family dynamics that are integral to the fear of demographic change. Building upon these narratives, this study analyzes how influential women in Hindu nationalist and European/North American far-right milieus circulate images, videos, and discourses on social media that depict Muslim men as predatory and violent, targeting Hindu and white girls, respectively. By positioning themselves as the daughters, wives, and mothers of the nation, these far-right female influencers invoke a sense of reproductive urgency, as well as advance claims of the perceived threat of, and safety from, hypersexualized Muslim men. This article illustrates how local ideological narratives of Muslim sexuality are embedded into global Islamophobic tropes of gendered nationalist imaginaries.

‘Many pieces one family’: An elaboration of one family’s bereavement experiences

There has been considerable research on bereavement and the concept of continuing bonds. However, there is a distinct absence of research considering bereavement, continuing bonds and family dynamics post-bereavement. The paper reports on a study utilising a family systems approach combined with narrative methods, tools of conversation analysis and systemic theory. This integration of approaches is used to consider how one family offers an account of their experience of bereavement. An exploration of their conversation along with visual presentation in the form of button sculpts is employed. The findings support the suggestion that it is useful to consider bereavement experiences as part of a family system. Clinical implications of the research are outlined to consider how best to support bereaved families.

Tracking Infant Development With a Smartphone: A Practical Guide to the Experience Sampling Method

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced developmental researchers to rethink their traditional research practices. The growing need to study infant development at a distance has shifted our research paradigm to online and digital monitoring of infants and families, using electronic devices, such as smartphones. In this practical guide, we introduce the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) – a research method to collect data, in the moment, on multiple occasions over time – for examining infant development at a distance. ESM is highly suited for assessing dynamic processes of infant development and family dynamics, such as parent-infant interactions and parenting practices. It can also be used to track highly fluctuating family dynamics (e.g., infant and parental mood or behavior) and routines (e.g., activity levels and feeding practices). The aim of the current paper was to provide an overview by explaining what ESM is and for what types of research ESM is best suited. Next, we provide a brief step-by-step guide on how to start and run an ESM study, including preregistration, development of a questionnaire, using wearables and other hardware, planning and design considerations, and examples of possible analysis techniques. Finally, we discuss common pitfalls of ESM research and how to avoid them.

DINÁMICA FAMILIAR EN LA ADOLESCENTE EMBARAZADA DE LA COMUNIDAD DE LASSO-ECUADOR.

Introducción: el embarazo en la adolescencia es un problema de salud pública, que genera graves consecuencias personales, sociales y económicas. Objetivo: Determinar la dinámica familiar en la adolescente embarazada de la Comunidad de Lasso-Ecuador. Métodos: Estudio cuantitativo-cualitativo, transversal y descriptivo en una muestra no pirobalística por conveniencia de 12 adolescentes embarazadas, con sus respectivos padres, pertenecientes a la Comunidad de Lasso, de la Parroquia Tan cuchi, Cantón Latacunga, Provincia de Cotopaxi, Ecuador. Los datos se recolectaron mediante una entrevista semiestructurada y la aplicación de un test FF-SIL diseñado para evaluar la funcionalidad familiar en los adolescentes. Resultados Las adolescentes embarazadas no pertenecen a una familia funcional debido a la falta de afectividad y cohesión entre sus miembros, el (58.33%) de las adolescentes viven con sus padres forjando así vínculos afectivos de tal manera que conciernen a una familia moderadamente funcional, seguido del (33.33%) perteneciente a una familia disfuncional y en un (8.33%) no reflejan ningún vínculo familiar, por lo que se considera que su núcleo familiar es severamente disfuncional. De esta manera la falta de cohesión y comunicación de los padres se asocia a una conducta de riesgo alta en el desarrollo de las adolescentes. Conclusiones: Se evidenció que las adolescentes no cuentan con el suficiente apoyo familiar, desencadenando así una serie de conflictos, desconfianza y separación con los miembros de la familia. Por lo cual es muy importante mencionar que durante la adolescencia la comunicación y atención por parte de los padres adquiere relevancia en la dinámica familiar. Palabras Clave: Sexualidad; embarazo en adolescentes; dinámica familiar, padres. ABSTRACT Introduction: teenage pregnancy is a public health problem, which generates serious personal, social and economic consequences. Objective: To determine the family dynamics in the pregnant adolescent of the Community of Lasso-Ecuador. Methods: Quantitative-qualitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study in a non-pyro-ballistic convenience sample of 12 pregnant adolescents, with their respective parents, belonging to the Lasso Community, Tan Cuchi Parish, Latacunga Canton, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview and the application of an FF-SIL test designed to assess family functionality in adolescents. Results: The pregnant adolescents do not belong to a functional family due to the lack of affectivity and cohesion among its members, (58.33%) of the adolescents live with their parents, thus forging affective bonds in such a way that they concern a moderately functional family, followed of the (33.33%) belonging to a dysfunctional family and in a (8.33%) they do not reflect any family bond, for which it is considered that their family nucleus is severely dysfunctional. In this way, the lack of cohesion and communication of the parents is associated with a high risk behavior in the development of adolescents. Conclusions: It was evidenced that adolescents do not have sufficient family support, thus triggering a series of conflicts, distrust and separation with family members. Therefore, it is very important to mention that during adolescence, communication and attention by parents acquires relevance in family dynamics. Keywords: Sexuality; pregnancy in adolescence; family dinamics, parents.

Understanding the impacts of post-disaster relocation on family dynamics and resilience

Purpose The purpose of this study is to arrive at a conceptual roadmap that may be used to analyze the impacts of post-disaster relocation on a family’s dynamics and how this, in turn, affects their resilience to future disasters. Existing literature shows that the role of the family as a social unit is often overlooked in disaster research. Ultimately, this paper seeks to elevate the place of the family and its internal dynamics as a vital determinant of family resilience in a post-disaster relocation setting. Design/methodology/approach The study is a result of a systematic literature review of four interrelated topics, namely, families in disasters; post-disaster relocation; disaster resilience and family resilience. Findings The literature review resulted in an exploration of the experiences of families amidst post-disaster relocation. Such findings were linked towards potential impacts on family dynamics, which then resulted in the study’s proposed roadmap. Originality/value The study is a novel attempt at coming up with a conceptual framework that may guide future scholars in determining the effects of family dynamics on a family’s overall disaster resilience amid post-disaster relocation. It is hoped that the use of such a framework will guide policymakers in crafting institutional reforms that take into account family cohesion in disaster relocation efforts.

Living With Early-Onset Dementia in China: Through a Person-Centered Care Lens

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 35 dyads of persons with early-onset dementia (EOD) and their primary informal care partners to explore their dyadic experiences of living EOD in Shanghai, China. Many of them are in their 50s and still need to make familial, financial, and social commitments. They experienced significant disruptions of their "normal" family life and family dynamics, social stigma, and felt marginalized when there was very limited age-appropriate support for them. During COVID-19 pandemic, many persons with EDO and their care partners had decreased social networking opportunities, physical exercises and experienced an increased level of social isolation. The pandemic further complicated their family dynamics, relationships, and communications. Care partners used their strengths to adaptively deal with multiple challenges, cope with the stress, social isolation, and normalize their family life by facilitating collaborative work with persons with EOD.

Family Environmental Dynamics Differentially Influence Spoken Language Development in Children With and Without Hearing Loss

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether families of children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) are organized similarly to those of typically developing, typically hearing (TH) children and whether the dimensions of family dynamics and environment are related to spoken language development similarly in children with and without SNHL. Method: Primary caregivers of children with SNHL ( n = 63) or TH ( n = 65) completed the Family Environment Scale–Fourth Edition (FES-4) to assess multiple dimensions of family environment. Children's receptive vocabulary was assessed with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition, and their receptive language was assessed by an age-appropriate version of the Concepts and Following Directions subtest of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals and the Sentence Comprehension subscale of the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language–Second Edition. Principal component analysis was used to examine the dimensional structure of the family environment. Results: Three higher order components were derived from FES-4 subscales for both families of children with SNHL and with TH: Supportive, Controlling, and Conflicted. However, the composition of the factors themselves differed between the two groups. For the TH group, most family environment measures on the FES-4 were not associated with language outcomes. In contrast, for children with SNHL, families who were more supportive, less controlling, and less conflicted had children with better language skills. Conclusions: Three well-accepted dimensions of family dynamics and functioning apply to families of children with SNHL, but their composition differs from those of families with TH children. Family environmental dynamics were much more strongly associated with language outcomes in children with SNHL than in their TH peers. The spoken language development of children with SNHL, in particular, is better in families that provide high levels of support for each other and, in particular, low levels of control, disorganization, and conflict, reflecting the fragile nature of their spoken language development.