1,720,989 research outputs found
The Three-Plague Nature of COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Women and Children and Exposure to Violence
No full textAlone With the Kids: Tele-Medicine for Children With Special Healthcare Needs During COVID-19 Emergency
No full textSupporting Parenting at Home-Empowering Rehabilitation through Engagement (SPHERE): Study protocol for a randomised control trial
No full textIntroduction Infants with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDs) show emotional, cognitive and sociointeractive dysregulation dramatically impacting on caregiving behaviour. Early video-feedback interventions (VFIs) are effective in promoting sensitive parenting, which in turn supports infants' development, even in case of ND. In the light of limited resources of the healthcare systems, technological advances in telemedicine may facilitate the delivery of VFI to a greater number of families of infants with ND. To date, no study has implemented a telemedicine VFI (TVFI) for families of infants diagnosed with ND. Methods and analysis The Supporting Parenting at Home-Empowering Rehabilitation through Engagement project is a randomised controlled trial aimed at assessing the effectiveness of an early family-centred TVFI parenting support on dyads with infants diagnosed with ND. It includes two arms (TVFI vs Booklet Psychoeducational Intervention) and three assessment phases: T0, baseline; T1, immediate postintervention; T2, 6-month follow-up. Ethics and dissemination This study is funded by the Italian Ministry of Health and was approved by the Ethics Committee (Pavia). Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international scientific conferences. Trial registration number The study protocol has been also registered on NIH Clinical Trials (protocol code NCT04656483; Pre-results)
Editorial: Neural and Epigenetic Factors in Parenting, Individual Differences and Dyadic Processes
Full text link: Human parenting is a fundamental educational context including complex caregiving tasks finalized to nurture and protect young children [...]
Video-Feedback Interventions to Support Parents of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
No full textInfants with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDs) show emotional, cognitive, and socio-interactive dysregulation that dramatically impacts parents’ caregiving behaviors. Early video-feedback interventions (VFIs) are effective in promoting sensitive parenting, which in turn supports infants’ development, even in the case of NDs. In the light of limited resources of the healthcare systems, technological advances in telecare may facilitate the delivery of VFI to a greater number of families of infants with ND. To date, no study has tested the effectiveness of a telecare VFI (TVFI) for families of infants with this clinical condition. The first part of the present chapter presents the state of the art in the use of VFIs to support parents of children with NDs and evidence about its effectiveness in promoting both parents and children’s health. The second part of the chapter presents the Supporting Parenting at Home-Empowering Rehabilitation through Engagement (SPHERE) project, an ongoing randomized control trial aimed at assessing the effectiveness of an early family-centered TVFI for parents of infants diagnosed with ND, providing insights and future directions from both a research and clinical point of view
The porridge-like framework: A multidimensional guidance to support parents of children with developmental disabilities
No full textParents of children with developmental disabilities face many daily challenges that can lead to emotional and affective problems, difficulties in caregiving, and partial mental representations about themselves and their children. The multi-faceted nature of these parents’ needs requires a multi-component approach that should include the analysis of priority support goals and the planning of tailored therapeutic actions. Despite different types of validated interventions are available, the choice of the most appropriate strategy to pursue a family-centered approach to support parents of infants with developmental disabilities is not obvious. In this scenario, we propose a multi-dimensional model, the porridge-like framework of parenting. It considers three interrelated domains in parents' experience – affective (A), behavioral (B), and cognitive (C) aspects – that are intertwined with the specific degree of the child's impairment (D). This ABCD model may provide professionals with pragmatically valid guidance to plan and deliver family-centered healthcare interventions. By covering the multi-dimensional nature of parenting challenges, it provides clinicians with conceptual categories to recognize the specific needs and to choose the most suitable therapeutic action to address them. In addition, it aims to promote an ethical approach to family-centered rehabilitation for children with developmental disabilities, maximizing the potentials of a collaborative assessment approach
Flexibility and organization in parent-child interaction through the lens of the dynamic system approach: A systematic review of State Space Grid studies
No full textThe dynamic systems (DS) theory has been previously applied to the regulatory processes that characterize the parent-child dyad. These processes provide infants with adequate flexibility to respond and adapt to environmental stimulations and sufficient stability to develop and maintain coherent self-organization. The State Space Grid (SSG) tool was specifically developed to provide graphical representations and quantitative assessments of different measures of dyadic flexibility and organization. During the last 20 years, the SSG has been increasingly adopted in research projects. The present review provides a comprehensive and integrated discussion of the SSG literature about parent-child interaction so far. The literature search was conducted on PubMed and Scopus and 16 studies were selected. Results showed that flexibility allows dyads to manage interactive perturbations, leading the system to a new possible equilibrium and promoting better child outcomes. Studies suggested a developmental trend in organization with a reduction of dispersion at an older age, that was associated with better child functioning. Significant individual differences emerged for child and caregiver sex. In sum, this review confirms the potentials of SSG to depict flexibility and organization constructs in parent-child dyads from a genuine DS perspective. Future SSG studies on atypical and at-risk parent-child populations are needed to bridge the gap between DS research and clinical practice
Stability of maternal postnatal bonding between 3 and 6 months: Associations with maternal mental health and infant temperament
No full textMaternal bonding is key for infant development and well-being. Research to date focused on prenatal bonding experience, with fewer studies looking at the postnatal period. Moreover, evidence suggests significant associations among maternal bonding, maternal mental health, and infant temperament. The joint impact of maternal mental health and infant temperament on maternal postnatal bonding remains unclear, with limited research reporting longitudinal data. Hence, the present study aims (1) to explore the impact of maternal mental health and infant temperament on postnatal bonding at both 3 and 6 months of age, (2) to explore postnatal bonding stability from 3 to 6 months, and (3) to determine which factors are linked with 3-to-6-month changes in bonding. At the infants' 3 months (n = 261) and 6 months of age (n = 217), mothers provided measures of bonding, depressive and anxious symptoms, and infant temperament via validated questionnaires. At 3 months, higher levels of maternal bonding were predicted by lower levels of anxiety and depression in the mothers and by higher infants' regulation scores. At 6 months, lower levels of anxiety and depression predicted higher levels of bonding. Moreover, mothers showing decreases in bonding were characterized by 3-to-6-month increases in depression and anxiety, as well as increased reported difficulties in regulation dimensions of infant temperament. This study highlights the impact of both maternal mental health and infant temperament on maternal postnatal bonding in a longitudinal sample and could offer useful information for early childhood prevention and care
A systematic review of human paternal oxytocin: Insights into the methodology and what we know so far
No full textWith the consolidation of fathers’ engagement in caregiving, understanding the neuroendocrine and hormonal mechanisms underlying fatherhood becomes a relevant topic. Oxytocin (OT) has been linked with maternal bonding and caregiving, but less is known about the role of OT in human fatherhood and paternal caregiving. A systematic review of methods and findings of previous OT research in human fathers was carried. The literature search on PubMed and Scopus yielded 133 records. Twenty-four studies were included and analyzed. Significant variability emerged in OT methodology, including laboratory tasks, assessment methods, and outcome measures. Fathers’ OT levels appear to increase after childbirth. OT was significantly correlated with less hostility and with the quality of paternal physical stimulation in play interactions, but not with paternal sensitivity. Fathers’ and children's OT levels were significantly correlated in a limited subset of studies, intriguingly suggesting that cross-generational OT regulation may occur during the early years of life. This study highlights relevant issues and limitations of peripheral OT assessment in human subjects, especially in fathers. Although the study of paternal neuroendocrinology appears promising, coping with these issues requires dedicated efforts and methodological suggestions are provided to guide future advances in this field
- …
