A Study on the Contribution of a Digital Community towards the Parental Ecosystem Transformation

A research study was conducted to identify digital communities' role and sphere of influence in a parenting ecosystem. This report provides an overview of the target segment needs assessment and digitalization of their physical communities and support systems. Primary research was done via telephonic calls and zoom interviews of pregnant and new mothers and couples. Forty participants took part in the study to share their experiences and pain points. In addition to this, a WhatsApp group of 350 participants was created to observe the engagement on a digital medium. The study helped us validate the need for a social support system beyond the existing physical network of the participants to reach out to others with similar or better parenting approaches. 70% of the participants have expressed their willingness to join digital parental communities. The findings have been helpful to understand the role of a digital society, which can enhance the offerings of parenting facilitators and support parents in implementing better parenting practices. Of the last 10-12 years, there has been a steady increase in regional parenting networks. As a result, we picked the impact and influence of digital parental networks on these women's lifestyles and how they have aided in the growth of a conscious and good parenting style as our research topic. The conclusion outlines the impact of these communities and the significant concerns that have arisen due to their increased use.

PARENTS’ SELF-COMPASSION AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF CHILD REARING PRACTICES

The issue of parents’ psychological well-being, parents’ ability to recognize their physical and emotional resources, ability to avoid exhaustion of those resources has become increasingly important. In this context parents’ self-compassion could be psychological resource for parents to implement positive parenting approaches and encourage positive contact with the child. The aim of this research was to examine whether there is an association between parents’ self-compassion and their perceptions of child rearing practices. Data were collected from 203 respondents in 2019. The results showed a statistically significant positive correlation (rs= .268 p < .01) between self-compassion and the Positive parenting indicators; statistically significant negative correlation (rs= -.214 p < .01) between self-compassion and Psychological control; statistically significant negative correlation (rs= -.192, p < .01) between self-compassion and Physical control. Keywords: psychological well-being, self-compassion, perceptions of child rearing

Tiger/Attachment/Helicopter Parenting

Many guides exist for how to practice the “best” parenting style and how to cultivate certain attributes in children. The scientific basis for these claims, however, is often lacking. This chapter describes and examines the evidence for five popular global parenting approaches (intensive or helicopter, tiger, attachment, old school, and free-range). A case example will be given for how the different styles might deal with a common child behavioral problem. The chapter then shifts to mapping these styles onto the way that researchers describe parenting styles, using the authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive categories. The evidence favoring the authoritative style is presented along with some “it depends” discussion of when other styles may also be considered. The question of when it might work best to parent in a manner that is consistent with one’s instinctive tendencies and when it might be important to take purposeful steps in the opposite direction will also be explored.

Gender Differences in Parenting of Early Adolescents in Viwandani Informal Settlement, Nairobi: a Qualitative Study

Background: Parenting in adolescence is gendered in many dimensions including communication, control, discipline and styles of parenting. Gendered parenting reinforces harmful stereotypical gender norms which can lead to gender inequalities in society. Gender inequalities put adolescent boys and girls at a heightened risk of poor SRH outcomesMethods: The study was conducted in an informal urban settlement, Viwandani, in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi. Focus group discussions were used to collect data from 48 parents of adolescents in grades 5 and 6 in two public day primary schools. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and uploaded to NVivo 12 for coding and thematic analysis.Findings: We found differences in parenting approaches based on the parent’s and/or adolescent’s gender. Based on parents’ gender, fathers had more differential parenting approaches for their sons and daughters while mothers were more consistent for both boys and girls. Fathers held different expectations for their adolescent girls and boys with respect to their roles and responsibilities presently and in the future. Based on the gender of the adolescent, boys had more freedom of movement than girls and girls were more likely to be engaged in SRH discussions with parents as compared to boys. There were also differences in the roles that mothers and fathers played in the family setting.Conclusion: Gender differences in parenting do exist along with male and female roles differing considerably within households. The disconnect in gendered beliefs between men and women implies a greater need to engage men in gender-equitable programming given they have been found to hold gender inequitable attitudes.

Transmission of Faith in Families: The Influence of Religious Ideology

The family and denominational factors influencing intergenerational religious transmission have been examined in a substantial body of work. Despite research identifying religious ideology as a salient aspect of American religion, however, its role in religious transmission remains unexplored. In this study, I use the National Study of Youth and Religion to test whether children’s worship attendance and centrality of faith in young adulthood differ based on whether their parents identify as religiously liberal, moderate, conservative, or none of these. I further test whether the strength of the relationship between parent and child religiosity differs between ideological groups. The primary finding is that religious transmission is stronger among children of religious conservatives than for any other group, while the other groups do not differ significantly from one another. These differences in transmission are largely explained by religious conservative parenting approaches, congregational involvement, and most importantly, more intensive religious socialization.

Dissociative identity disorder: a developmental perspective

SUMMARY Dissociation is a common and often overlooked symptom in traumatised children. Although there is a lack of a scientific consensus as to the nature of dissociation and very limited research about dissociative identity disorder (DID) in children, the authors have seen children given this diagnosis recently referred to their clinic and are concerned about this practice and the parenting approaches that have ensued. The diagnosis of DID in children may be rare or of doubtful validity, but repeated traumatic experiences of an interpersonal nature can have a profound effect on a child's identity, memory and self-organisation. Furthermore, abuse and neglect can increase the risk of dissociative symptoms. This brief article considers dissociation in post-traumatic stress disorder, then outlines developmental factors hypothesised to be associated with dissociation in childhood and early adulthood. It warns that clinicians should keep an open mind about how dissociation may manifest transdiagnostically, and concludes with recommendations for further research.

Exploring Parenting Influences: Married African American Fathers’ Perspectives

This qualitative study sought to understand married, resident African American fathers’ perceptions about parenting influences. Specifically, this study explored fathers’ perceptions about sources and/or experiences that informed their approaches and attitudes about parenting. Social learning theory, the modeling and compensation hypothesis, as well as literature on the intergenerational transmission of parenting served as theoretical frameworks. Eight fathers participated in semi-structured interviews. One main theme and four subthemes emerged from the data. Findings indicated that a number of influences including but not limited to experiences from their family of origin informed current parenting approaches and attitudes.