Children's Perspectives (children + perspective)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Children's perspectives on their relationships with their nonresident fathers: influences, outcomes and implications

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 3 2004
Judy Dunn
Background:, Children's relationships with their nonresident fathers, and associations between these relationships, children's relationships with mothers and stepfathers, and the children's adjustment were studied in 162 children from single-parent and stepfamilies, selected from a representative community sample in the UK, studied at 2 time points two years apart. Method:, Children were interviewed about their relationships with their nonresident fathers, mothers and stepfathers; mothers reported on children's adjustment, and other family variables. Results:, Positive child,nonresident father relationships were correlated with (a) contact between child and father, (b) the quality of the mother,child relationship, and (c) the frequency of contact between the mother and her former partner. Conflict between child and father was correlated with conflict between child and mother, and child and stepfather. Child,nonresident father contact and relationships were stable over 2 years, and related to children's adjustment; these associations were stronger for children from single-parent families than for those with stepfathers, and for those whose mothers had been first pregnant as teenagers. Conclusions:, Associations between the quality of children's relationships with nonresident fathers and their adjustment need to be considered within the framework of the larger family system; child,father relationships are particularly important for children from ,high risk' families. [source]


Children's Expectations of Pain, Perceptions of Analgesic Efficacy, and Experiences With Nonpharmacologic Pain Management Strategies at Home Following Tonsillectomy

JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN PEDIATRIC NURSING, Issue 3 2007
Kimberly A. Sutters
PURPOSE.,To document children's (ages 6,15 years) descriptions of their pain management at home following tonsillectomy. DESIGN AND METHODS.,Audio-taped interviews of 80 children were transcribed and coded. Data for each response category were tabulated. RESULTS.,Children reported they had more pain after surgery than expected, the pain medicine helped to take their pain away, taking the pain medicine was associated with a negative response by some children, and cold liquids/food by mouth provided pain relief. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS.,Findings provide insight into children's perspective of pain management at home following tonsillectomy and methods for relieving their pain. [source]


Behavior and quality of life measures after anesthesia for tonsillectomy or ear tube insertion in children

PEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA, Issue 10 2010
KELLY HOWARD BSc (HONS)
Summary Background:, Past research examining the psychosocial impact of general anesthesia and day case surgery on children has been hampered by a lack of valid and reliable assessment tools. Aim:, The purpose of the current study was to assess the feasibility of using a well-validated scale (i.e. the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scales Version 4.0, PedsQL) in the perioperative setting and to establish changes seen in a sample of children having day case surgery when using this scale. Method:, Eighty-nine children (aged 3,12 years) scheduled for general anesthesia for day case tonsillectomy or ear tube insertions were recruited into a prospective study in Melbourne, Australia. Parents completed the PedsQL and the Post Hospitalization Behavioral Questionnaire (PHBQ), and children completed the PedsQL (child self-report) at baseline (preanesthesia), 7 days following anesthesia and 30 days following anesthesia. Results:, The response rate at day 7 and day 30 was modest but when returned the PedsQL and PHBQ had minimal missing data. On the PedsQL, parents rated children's physical functioning as worse at day 7 than at baseline but psychosocial functioning did not differ significantly from baseline. At 30 days, both physical and psychosocial functioning was rated by parents to be better than baseline levels. From children's perspective, there was little evidence of a change in their physical or psychosocial functioning on the self-report PedsQL at day 7, but by day 30 both physical and psychosocial functioning was above baseline levels. A similar pattern was observed on the PHBQ, with little difference in ratings of behavioral problems between baseline and day 7, but less behavioral problems reported at day 30 compared with baseline. Conclusions:, The PedsQL is feasible for use in the perioperative setting. Future studies should take into account the possibility that deterioration of psychosocial functioning is uncommon at 1 -month postsurgery compared to the preoperative baseline. [source]


Perceptions of child labour among working children in Ibadan, Nigeria

CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2006
F. O. Omokhodion
Abstract Background The adverse effects of child labour on the children's psychological development continue to raise concerns about this public health problem worldwide. Several views have been presented by child health authorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international agencies. Few studies have focused on the children themselves. This study sought to determine working children's perspective of child labour, its benefits and disadvantages and the working children's perceptions of themselves, and their aspirations for the future. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among working children in a large market in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered to all consenting children. Results A total of 225 children, 132 females and 93 males, participated in the survey. Their age range was 8,17 years. A total of 103 respondents (46%) were currently in school while 117 (52%) were out of school. Five respondents (2%) had never attended school. A total of 104 (46%) thought that children should not work. However, when asked about the benefits of working, 81 working children (36%) felt that work provided a source of income for them, 52 (23%) indicated that it was a way of helping their parents and 39 (17%) thought it was part of their training to be responsible adults. Bad company, ill health and road traffic accidents were the perceived ill effects of child labour. The majority of the children interviewed were aspiring towards artisan trades and very few towards professional or office jobs. A total of 106 (47%) children perceived themselves as less fortunate than their peers. Fifty-five children (24%) thought that child labour was a sign of deprivation. The perception that child labour is a sign of deprivation was more prevalent among child workers whose highest educational attainment was primary school, child workers who had worked for more than 6 months and those whose earnings were small. Conclusion We recommend that school education for children should be a priority even when the harsh economic realities in their families force parents to send them to work outside the home. [source]


YOUNG ADULTS' PERSPECTIVES ON DIVORCE Living Arrangements

FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 4 2000
William V. Fabricius
There is increasing consensus that the perspectives of children need to be taken into account in decisions made by divorcing parents and the courts and that young adults who have lived through their parents' divorces can be an important source of information about children's perspectives. In this study, the authors assessed the perspectives of 820 college adults from divorced families on the issue of children's living arrangements after divorce. Respondents wanted to have spent more time with their fathers as they were growing up, and the living arrangement they believed was best was living equal time with each parent. The living arrangements they had as children gave them generally little time with their fathers. Respondents reported that their fathers wanted more time with them but that their mothers generally did not want them to spend more time with their fathers. [source]


A critical analysis of UK public health policies in relation to diet and nutrition in low-income households

MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION, Issue 2 2006
Pamela Attree phd
Abstract Diet and nutrition, particularly among low-income groups, is a key public health concern in the UK. Low levels of fruit and vegetable consumption, and obesity, especially among children, have potentially severe consequences for the future health of the nation. From a public health perspective, the UK government's role is to help poorer families make informed choices within healthy frameworks for living. However, the question is , to what extent are such policies in accordance with lay experiences of managing diet and nutrition on a low-income? This paper critically examines contemporary public health policies aimed at improving diet and nutrition, identifying the underlying theories about the influences on healthy eating in poor families, and exploring the extent to which these assumptions are based on experiential accounts. It draws on two qualitative systematic reviews , one prioritizing low-income mothers' accounts of ,managing' in poverty; and the other focusing on children's perspectives. The paper finds some common ground between policies and lay experiences, but also key divergencies. Arguably, the emphasis of public health policy on individual behaviour, coupled with an ethos of empowered consumerism, underplays material limitations on ,healthy eating' for low-income mothers and children. Health policies fail to take into account the full impact of structural influences on food choices, or recognize the social and emotional factors that influence diet and nutrition. In conclusion, it is argued that while health promotion campaigns to improve low-income families' diets do have advantages, these are insufficient to outweigh the negative effects of poverty on nutrition. [source]


The significance of place in middle childhood: qualitative research from Wales

THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 4 2006
Jonathan Scourfield
Abstract The paper presents some key findings of qualitative research with older primary school children in Wales on their attachments to places and cultures. There is discussion of children's perspectives on the global, national and local arenas. We argue both that there are continuities with adult perspectives and that the children's views on place and identity need to be understood in the context of the social location of middle childhood. The study shows children making relatively little use of culturally-filled categories of local, national and global place-identifications. The differences they articulate are largely framed in terms of divisions between groups of people rather than in the characteristics of place, and generally related back to the self. [source]


Intimate partner violence and child abuse: a child-centred perspective

CHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 1 2010
Chris Goddard
Abstract A substantial body of literature assessing the impact of intimate partner violence on children and associations between intimate partner violence and child abuse now exists. Central to knowledge about these areas of practice and research is a robust, child-centred consideration of some of the more challenging conceptual issues they give rise to. In this paper, we aim to stimulate debate by presenting a critical, child-centred perspective on the intersection between intimate partner violence and child abuse. Initially, we provide the context for the review by presenting a brief overview of the literature. We then consider three central issues from a child-centred perspective. We discuss the language used to describe children forced to live with intimate partner violence, and the importance of hearing children's perspectives on their experiences of such conflict. Finally, we consider similarities and differences between the intimate partner violence and child abuse fields from a child-centred viewpoint. We conclude that increasing conceptual clarity around these issues will enhance research in the field, and ultimately improve interventions designed to protect children forced to live with intimate partner violence. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Assistive devices and cerebral palsy: the use of assistive devices at school by children with cerebral palsy

CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2009
I-C. Huang
Abstract Background Although the importance of providing disabled children with assistive devices has always been highlighted, most studies in the field of assistive device research seek the participation of adult users or adult carers. Accordingly, the opinions of young users themselves seem to be overlooked. To start to address the gap, this study aimed to understand the children's perspectives regarding device use in school and to explore the factors related to their device utilization in this setting. Methods Semi-structured interviews were adopted as the main data collection instrument. A total of 44 participants were involved, including 15 Taiwanese children with cerebral palsy, aged between 8 and 15 years, 15 mothers and 14 teachers. Results The interview results show a high frequency of device use in school which can be attributed to children's willingness, teachers' attitudes, mothers' support, physical environmental factors and device-related features. Conclusions The findings not only demonstrate the significance of child,environment interaction but also provide evidence that children's views may be different from those of adults because they are at a different developmental stage and act out different roles in their environment. [source]