Caregivers' Ability (caregiver + ability)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Supervision and training in child care: Does reflective supervision foster caregiver insightfulness?,

INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010
Elita Amini Virmani
The goal of this study was to explore the effects of reflective and traditional supervision and training on caregiver insightfulness. Caregiver insightfulness, or caregiver ability to understand "motives underlying the child's behavior in a complete, open, and accepting way" (D. Oppenheim, D. Goldsmith, & N. Koren-Karie, 2004, p. 352) was assessed at two time points with 21 new caregivers at two university-based childcare sites. Trends suggest that caregiver insightfulness was relatively stable while increased levels of components of caregiver insightfulness over a period of approximately 2.5 months were positively associated with reflective supervision and training. These findings suggest that encouraging caregivers to reflect on their interactions with the children in their care fosters caregivers' ability to see from the child's perspective in an open and accepting way. [source]


Caregiver Depressive Symptoms and Observed Family Interaction in Low-Income Children with Persistent Asthma

FAMILY PROCESS, Issue 1 2008
MARIANNE CELANO PH.D.
This study examined the relationship between caregiver depressive symptoms and observed parenting behaviors and family processes during interactions among 101 urban, low-income Africtan American families with children with persistent asthma. Caregivers (primarily female) were assessed on four dimensions (i.e., warmth/involvement, hostility, consistent discipline, relationship quality) in three videotaped interaction tasks (loss, conflict, cohesion). The results indicated that increased depressive symptoms were significantly associated with lower warmth/involvement and synchrony scores and greater hostility scores during the loss and conflict tasks. In the total sample, the highest levels of hostility and the lowest levels of warmth/involvement were found for the conflict task; nevertheless, caregivers with moderate/severe depressive symptoms showed a significantly greater increase in hostility from the loss to the conflict task than caregivers with minimal/mild depressive symptoms. The findings highlight the salience of considering task content in family observational process research to expand our understanding of depressed and nondepressed caregivers' abilities to modulate appropriately their behaviors and affect across various family interactions. Implications for improving asthma management for low-income children with persistent asthma are discussed, including the utility of multidisciplinary interventions that combine asthma education with family therapy. RESUMEN Síntomas de depresión en los responsables de los niños e interacción familiar observada en niños de familias de bajos ingresos que padecen asma crónica Este estudio examinó la relación entre los síntomas de depresión de los responsables de los niños y los comportamientos paternos y dinámicas familiares observados durante interacciones entre 101 familias afronorteamericanas, urbanas y de bajos recursos, con niños que padecen asma crónica. Los responsables de los niños (la mayoría mujeres) fueron evaluados en base a cuatro criterios: calidez/implicación, hostilidad, disciplina constante, y calidad de la relación) en tres tareas de interacción grabadas en cinta de video (pérdida, conflicto y cohesión). Los resultados demostraron que el aumento de los síntomas de depresión estaban relacionados de forma significativa con una menor puntuación en calidez/implicación y comprensión mutua, y una mayor puntuación en hostilidad durante las tareas de pérdida y conflicto. En la muestra total, los mayores niveles de hostilidad y menores niveles de calidez/implicación se encontraron en la tarea de conflicto; sin embargo, los responsables con síntomas de depresión de moderados a severos mostraron un aumento mucho mayor de la hostilidad, de la tarea de pérdida a la de conflicto, que los responsables con síntomas de mínimos a leves. Los resultados enfatizan la importancia de considerar el contenido de la tarea en la investigación observacional de familias para aumentar nuestra comprensión de las habilidades de los responsables de los niños, con o sin depresión, con el fin de modular de una manera apropiada su comportamiento y afecto en diferentes interacciones familiares. Las medidas para mejorar el control del asma en niños que padecen asma crónica y provienen de familias de bajos ingresos están en debate, incluida la utilidad de intervenciones multidisciplinarias que combinen formación sobre el asma con terapia familiar. [source]


Supervision and training in child care: Does reflective supervision foster caregiver insightfulness?,

INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010
Elita Amini Virmani
The goal of this study was to explore the effects of reflective and traditional supervision and training on caregiver insightfulness. Caregiver insightfulness, or caregiver ability to understand "motives underlying the child's behavior in a complete, open, and accepting way" (D. Oppenheim, D. Goldsmith, & N. Koren-Karie, 2004, p. 352) was assessed at two time points with 21 new caregivers at two university-based childcare sites. Trends suggest that caregiver insightfulness was relatively stable while increased levels of components of caregiver insightfulness over a period of approximately 2.5 months were positively associated with reflective supervision and training. These findings suggest that encouraging caregivers to reflect on their interactions with the children in their care fosters caregivers' ability to see from the child's perspective in an open and accepting way. [source]


Caregivers' experiences of interaction with families expecting a fetally impaired child

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 3 2004
Hanna Maijala MNSc
Background., On the basis of earlier research, caregivers' actions when interacting with clients should be developed. However, nursing research has focused little attention on the interaction between caregivers and families expecting a fetally impaired child. Aim., The study aimed at generating a practical family nursing theory of caregivers' interaction with families expecting a malformed child. Methods., A grounded theory study was undertaken at Tampere University Hospital in Finland in 1999,2000. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews with 22 (n = 22) nurses and doctors. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method. Results., The interaction process starts when a caregiver informs the parents of the fetal impairment. The process is influenced by caregivers' attitude towards issues related to the family's life situation. Caregivers' views of their job, and of human coping and cultural attitudes towards these issues are also of importance. These factors account for their goals in the interaction, which, in turn, underlie their actions. When the caregiver's interpretation is that the family accepted the help provided, the outcome of the interaction is satisfaction with having been able to help. Correspondingly, in the case of an opposite interpretation, the caregiver experiences strain caused by inadequacy of the help he/she is providing. The core of interaction consists of two dimensions: gaining strength and losing strength in relation to impairment issues. Conclusions., Caregivers' views of helpful interaction were consistent with earlier research on the subject, but the findings of this study showed that more attention should be focused on the family as a whole. Furthermore, caregivers rarely criticized their own actions, thus their interaction skills should be upgraded by focusing on systematic self-assessment through training. Nursing research deepening our understanding of why interaction fails is warranted. Relevance to clinical practice., The study results can be used in the family nursing practice as tools in reinforcing the caregivers' ability to helpful interaction with families expecting a fetally impaired child. The results may enhance caregivers' systematic self-evaluation and conscious use of the self. [source]


Responding to the Needs of Children and Families After a Disaster: Linkages Between Unmet Needs and Caregiver Functioning

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2010
Ryan P. Kilmer
Disasters may negatively influence caregivers' ability to respond to the needs of their families. In this context, service organizations' response to families' needs may affect caregivers' symptoms and parenting. Interviews were conducted with caregivers affected by Hurricane Katrina approximately 1 year (T1; N = 68) and 2 years posthurricane (T2; N = 52). Caregivers reported high levels of service needs and unmet needs for themselves and their child(ren) and family at both time points. Regression analyses indicated that after accounting for hurricane exposure: (a) child unmet service needs significantly contributed to T1 caregiver distress, (b) caregiver service needs and child unmet needs were associated with higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms, and (c) caregiver unmet needs related to greater strain at T1. At T2, after accounting for T1 scores, service need variables did not contribute to distress or posttraumatic stress symptoms. Caregiver strain at T1 and T1 child service needs were associated with greater T2 strain. These findings highlight the importance of extending the availability of services beyond the initial postdisaster recovery period to better meet the needs of caregivers and families. [source]