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Family Variables (family + variable)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	55%
Psychology	44%

Selected Abstracts

Family, demographic and illness-related determinants of HRQL in children with brain tumours in the first year after diagnosis,

PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER, Issue 6 2009
Anthony Penn MBBCh, MRCPCH
Abstract Aims To evaluate the relationship between parent- and child-report Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) and demographic, tumour and family variables in children with a brain tumour in the first year after diagnosis and to identify determinants of HRQL at 12 months. Procedure Longitudinal prospective study: Semi-structured interviews took place approximately 1, 6 and 12 months after diagnosis. HRQL was measured using the self- and parent-report PedsQL 4.0 Total Scale Score. Tumour and treatment variables considered included tumour site and grade, hydrocephalus at diagnosis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Family variables included measures of family function, family support and family stress, the primary carer's coping strategies and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Univariate analyses were used at all three time points, and to identify potential early predictors of HRQL at 1 year. Regression analysis was then used to identify the most important determinants of HRQL at 1 year. Results Thirty-five patients completed the 12-month interviews. There were consistent significant negative correlations between concurrent family impact of illness and parent and self-report HRQL, and positive correlations between concurrent family support and parent-report HRQL. Treatment with radio- or chemotherapy correlated with child-report HRQL only at some time points. Multivariate analysis showed infratentorial tumour site, and poor HRQL at 1 month best predicted poor self- and parent-report HRQL at 12 months. Conclusion Children with infratentorial tumours and poor HRQL early after diagnosis tend to have poor HRQL at 1 year. While family factors are important modulators of concurrent HRQL, they do not appear important in predicting HRQL. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;53:1092,1099. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

The psychosocial impact of parental cancer on children and adolescents: a systematic review

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 2 2007
Tessa Osborn
Abstract This review aimed to identify (i) whether early stage parental cancer is associated with an increased risk of psychosocial difficulties amongst children and adolescents; (ii) which factors are associated with variations in psychosocial functioning amongst these children and adolescents. Searches of four electronic databases and the reference lists of relevant articles revealed 10 studies which satisfied the inclusion criteria for the first review question and thirteen studies for the second. Limitations in methodological quality and modest numbers of studies examining the same variables, restricted the conclusions which could be drawn. Overall, the evidence suggests that children and adolescents do not generally experience elevated levels of serious psychosocial difficulties compared to reference groups, but they are at a slightly increased risk for internalising type problems. Adolescent daughters appear to be the most negatively affected group. The prevalent use of measures of child psychopathology may be masking more context-specific problems and lower levels of distress. Family variables, especially family communication/expressiveness, are consistently associated with child/adolescent psychosocial functioning and there is suggestive evidence for the role of maternal depression/adjustment and parenting variables. There is little evidence that medical/treatment variables are important predictors of child outcomes. These findings have implications for identifying families with children most in need of support and indicating variables to target in interventions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Predicting Mother/Father,Child Interactions: Parental Personality and Well-being, Socioeconomic Variables and Child Disability Status

JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 1 2010
Laraine M. Glidden
Background, Child and parent characteristics as well as socioeconomic family variables can influence the quality of parent,child interactions. Methods, Coders rated parent behaviour from a video-taped 30-min family interaction in 91 families rearing children who were either typically developing or had intellectual/developmental disabilities. In addition, mothers and fathers completed NEO-FFI personality items as well as subjective well-being ratings. Results, Coder ratings were factor analysed, resulting in a four-factor parent behaviour inventory. The disability status of the children did not predict ratings on three of the factors, but parents of children with disabilities were perceived as less negative on one factor than parents of typically developing children. Extraversion, occupational status, and subjective well-being related to the child also predicted some parenting behaviours. Conclusions, Parenting a child with intellectual/developmental disabilities did not result in identifiably adverse outcomes for either mothers or fathers as determined by both behavioural and self-report measures. [source]

Expecting to Work, Fearing Homelessness: The Possible Selves of Low-Income Mothers,

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
Shawna J. Lee
We explored the content of possible selves of low-income mothers and the strategies they have to work on their possible selves. Positive expected possible selves focus on getting a job, making ends meet, and caregiving. Negative to-be-avoided possible selves focus on failing to make ends meet, losing (or not getting) jobs, and problems with mental health. Immediate social context,rather than demographic characteristics or global work,family variables,was associated with content of possible selves. Controlling for demographic and work,family variables, job-focused possible selves (and strategies to attain them) were more salient; and caregiving and mental-health-related possible selves were less salient to mothers in job-training programs vs. welfare offices. [source]

Theoretical Model for Conceptualizing Cross-Cultural Applications and Intervention Strategies for Parents of Children With Disabilities

JOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 4 2006
Lorraine Wilgosh
Abstract, Theoretical models should provide a framework to facilitate parents' developing effective life management strategies. This paper provides a brief overview of the research on parent effective life management and cross-cultural issues for families with a child who has disabilities. The authors note that the ability of image-making, meaning-making, and choice-making to facilitate outcome is clearly substantiated by research in the stress and coping literature. Using the parent transformational process model, the authors examined responses from 18 multicultural families to demonstrate how this model may go beyond description of relevant cross-cultural family variables in making sense of research findings and conceptualizing meaningful, and appropriate intervention strategies for families of children with disabilities. The authors conclude that rather than a linear process, it is quite likely that the critical questions that parents deal with at the diagnosis of their child reappear at other child and family markers, requiring a reworking of images and meanings and provision of a new range of choices. Professionals should be aware that parental adjustments to disability are not always linear, and thus use this awareness to not judge parents and to serve as catalysts for continued positive life management and transformation throughout the family life cycle. [source]

Family, demographic and illness-related determinants of HRQL in children with brain tumours in the first year after diagnosis,

Family context and young children's responses to earthquake

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 9 2007
Laura J. Proctor
Background:, Family context can affect children's vulnerability to various stresses, but little is known regarding the role of family variables on children's reactions to natural disaster. This prospective study examined the influence of predisaster observed parenting behaviors and postdisaster parental stress on young children's distress following an earthquake. Methods:, Participants were 117 two-parent families with a child age 4,5 at the initial assessment. The families experienced different degrees of impact from the earthquake. Pre-earthquake family context comprised observations of parents' positive and negative behaviors during a parent,child play task. Eight months after the earthquake, mothers reported symptoms of parental stress and children's distress. Results:, Earthquake impact and children's distress symptoms were moderately correlated (r = .44), but certain pre-earthquake parental behaviors moderated the relationship. The dose,response association between earthquake impact and children's symptoms did not hold for families in which fathers showed high levels of negative behaviors with daughters, or mothers showed low levels of positive behaviors with sons. In addition, results consistent with full mediation for boys (and partial mediation for girls) indicated that 86% of the total effect of earthquake impact on boys' distress (and 29% on girls' distress) occurred through the mediator of reported parental stress. Conclusions:, These findings demonstrate that young children's responses to an abrupt, negative environmental event, such as an earthquake, are influenced in part by the nature of the parent,child relationship prior to the event as well as by the responses parents exhibit following the event. [source]

Predictors of parent training efficacy for child externalizing behavior problems , a meta-analytic review

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 1 2006
Sandra M. Reyno
Background:, The differential effectiveness of parent training has led researchers to examine a variety of child, parent, and familial variables that may predict treatment response. Studies have identified a diverse set of child, parent psychological/behavioral and demographic variables that are associated with treatment outcome and dropout. Method:, The parent training literature was examined to isolate child, parent, and family variables that predict response to parent training for child externalizing behavior problems. A literature review was conducted spanning articles published from 1980 to 2004 of indicated prevention (children with symptoms) and treatment (children with diagnosis) studies. Meta-analyses were conducted to determine standardized effect sizes associated with the identified predictors. Results:, Many of the predictors of treatment response examined in this meta-analysis resulted in moderate standardized effect sizes when study results were subjected to meta-analytic procedures (i.e., low education/occupation, more severe child behavior problems pretreatment, maternal psychopathology). Only low family income resulted in a large standardized effect size. Predictors of drop-out resulted in standardized effect sizes in the small or insubstantial range. Conclusions:, Response to parent training is often influenced by variables not directly involving the child, with socioeconomic status and maternal mental health being particularly salient factors. [source]

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]