Evaluating facilitators' challenges administering a program building on existing strengths in families facing difficulties

The primary objective of this study was to understand the challenges faced by 12 facilitators (9 women and 3 men) of the Strengthening Families Program (SFP) implemented in the Adélard-Dugré and Jean-Nicolet neighbourhoods of Trois-Rivières, Quebec. This objective was operationalized as the following question: How did facilitators manage to buy in to, and align themselves with, program principles while avoiding an expert stance and remaining focused on participating families' strengths? This question has not been investigated before in connection with the SFP program. This study was conducted between 2011 and 2014, and relied on semi-annual group interviews. The results indicate that facilitators' first step was to acknowledge their expectations. Once they had accomplished this, they were able to let go and distance themselves from an expert stance. This allowed them to recognize the benefits flowing from application of the program's principles, and understand how they could repurpose their expertise for intervention with program participants. Facilitators also came to realize that they had developed strong relationships with the families and better understood the latter's realities. Finally, this article explores the implications of the results, both for practice (in terms of program compliance) and research (in terms of program evaluation).

Evaluation of the Acceptability of a Prenatal Program for Women With Histories of Childhood Trauma: The Program STEP

Background: Childhood trauma would negatively affect pregnant women's mental health and would have intergenerational repercussions. However, there is a paucity of prenatal interventions specifically designed for women exposed to childhood trauma. The study aims to evaluate the acceptability of STEP, a manualized group intervention designed for pregnant women having experienced early life adversity. Methods: The acceptability of STEP was assessed in four phases. In Phase 1, six experts evaluated whether the program activities were pertinent and trauma sensitive. In Phase 2, three parents read the intervention manuals and evaluated whether they considered each session relevant, interesting, and clear. In Phase 3, the program was briefly presented by phone to 309 pregnant women from the community. Women were inquired about their interest in the program, and the reasons for their lack of interest were assessed. In Phase 4, 30 pregnant women exposed to childhood trauma participated in the program and completed anonymous satisfaction questionnaires after each session. Psychological distress was also measured before and after the program. Results: All activities were rated by independent experts as highly pertinent, adequate, and sufficiently safe to be offered to pregnant women. Parents who read through the intervention manuals also considered that the sessions were relevant, clear, and interesting. About half of the pregnant women from the community showed interest in the program. Participants reported very high levels of satisfaction and a significant decrease in psychological distress during the program. Conclusions: Our findings show a high level of convergence among various indicators of program acceptability.

How societal responses to COVID-19 could contribute to child neglect

BACKGROUND

The ecosystemic approach to children's needs demands a cohesive response from societies, communities, and families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the choices societies made to protect their community members from the virus could have created contexts of child neglect. With the closure of services and institutions, societies were no longer available to help meet the needs of children.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to examine parents' reports on the response their children received to their needs during the COVID-19 crisis.

METHODS

During the period of the spring 2020 lockdown, 414 parents in the province of Quebec, Canada, completed an online questionnaire about the impact of the crisis on the response their children received to their needs.

RESULTS

Compared to parents of younger children, parents of older children reported less fulfillment of their child's needs in three measured domains, namely cognitive and affective, security, and basic care needs.

CONCLUSION

These results are discussed in light of the policies and the resources societies have put in place during the crisis to help families meet the needs of their children. Societies must learn from this crisis to put children at the top of their priorities in the face of a societal crisis. Thoughtful discussions and energy must be given to ensure that, while facing a crisis, the developmental trajectories of children are not sacrificed.

Beyond new public management: Empowering community-based organisations

AIMS

To describe how new public management practices, a global public service management trend, and a provincial community of practice, a group of people who learn from each other by interacting on an ongoing basis, affected a group of 240 community-based organisations.

METHODS

We conducted a holistic single case study of 240 grassroots, community-based organisations called Family Resource Centres in the province of Québec, Canada. Data was collected from 36 research interviews, 6 years of participant observation, institutional documents and a research journal, and analysed qualitatively.

RESULTS

New public management practices foster social injustice and endanger the integrity of the community-based organisations, whereas the provincial community of practice empowered them to fight back deleterious new public management practices and reclaim their identity.

CONCLUSION

A provincial community of practice allowed 240 independent community-based organisations in Québec, Canada to become empowered on a macro level while remaining faithful to their small scale community orientation. We hope this model can serve as an example of alternatives to current (new public) management practices.

The protective role of mentalizing: Reflective functioning as a mediator between child maltreatment, psychopathology and parental attitude in expecting parents

BACKGROUND

Childhood maltreatment impacts parenting and has intergenerational consequences. It is therefore crucial to identify clinically responsive resilience-promoting factors in pregnant women and expecting men with history of childhood maltreatment. Mentalization, or reflective functioning, appears as a promising concept to understand risk and resilience in the face of childhood maltreatment.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the multivariate relationship between exposure to childhood maltreatment, reflective functioning, psychological symptoms and parental attitude in expecting parents.

METHODS

Two hundred and thirty-five pregnant women and 66 expecting fathers completed self-report assessment measures of childhood trauma, reflective functioning, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, parental sense of competence and antenatal attachment. Twenty-eight percent (n = 85) of the community sample reported personal histories of childhood maltreatment.

RESULTS

Structural equation modeling indicated that reflective functioning (a) partially mediated the association between childhood maltreatment and psychological symptoms during pregnancy and (b) independently predicted participants' perception of parental competence and psychological investment toward the unborn child.

CONCLUSION

Overall, this study provides empirical evidence of the protective role of reflective functioning during the prenatal period in parents with histories of childhood maltreatment.

Transformando um Mundo Selvagem: Ajudando Crianças e famílias em Face à Negligência na Província de Quebec, Canadá

A Negligência é um problema social complexo, com graves consequências para o cumprimento das necessidades de uma criança, pelos adultos que compõem a família da criança e da rede social - não só pais, mas outros adultos que entram em contato com a criança (incluindo profissionais). Os sistemas de proteção da criança tem dificuldade em identificar e criar programas de atendimento pela complexidade das relações sociais envolvidas.  Na verdade, eles apresentam uma tendência a concentrar-se sobre as deficiências dos pais em relação à sua responsabilidade para com os seus filhos. Este artigo descreve a fundamentação teórica de um modelo ecossistêmico e de desenvolvimento que tem como base os serviços integrados de negligência infantil em Quebec, no Canadá. Também descreve os componentes e atividades que visam operacionalizar esse modelo ecossistêmico e o modelo de desenvolvimento de negligência infantil.

Development of a prenatal program for adults with personal histories of childhood abuse or neglect: a Delphi consensus consultation study

INTRODUCTION

Pregnancy and the birth of a child present particular challenges for adults with personal histories of childhood abuse or neglect. However, few prenatal interventions address the specific needs of this population. This research aims to determine a list of actions that should be achieved during group interventions designed for expectant parents who experienced childhood trauma.

METHODS

Fifteen stakeholders representing nine different Quebec health care and community organizations that work with families and/or trauma survivors participated in a Delphi process in two rounds. In round 1, three project leaders identified, from clinical and empirical literature, a set of 36 actions relevant for expectant parents who experienced childhood trauma. Using an anonymized online survey, stakeholders coded how important they considered each action and whether they were already conducting similar interventions in their clinical setting. Stakeholders subsequently participated in a one-day in-person meeting during which they discussed the pertinence of each action, proposed new ones and refined them. This was followed by a second anonymized online survey (round 2). A consensus was reached among the stakeholders regarding a final list of 22 actions.

RESULTS

Two central clusters of actions emerged from the consultation process: actions aiming to support mentalization about self and parenthood, and actions aiming to support mentalization of trauma.

CONCLUSION

The Delphi process helped to identify what should be the core of a prenatal intervention targeting adults who experienced childhood trauma, from the viewpoint of professionals who will ultimately deliver such a program.

PRÁTICAS PROFISSIONAIS QUE SILENCIAM A VIOLÊNCIA INTRAFAMILIAR CONTRA CRIANÇAS E ADOLESCENTES

RESUMO Objetivo: identificar, a partir do discurso dos profissionais que trabalham em serviços de proteção a crianças e adolescentes, práticas que silenciam a violência intrafamiliar. Método: estudo qualitativo, realizado com 15 profissionais, sendo seis enfermeiros, dois psicólogos, dois médicos, dois agentes comunitários de saúde, dois conselheiros tutelares e um assistente social. Os dados foram coletados entre novembro de 2013 e março de 2015, utilizando entrevistas semiestruturadas. Para o processo de organização, análise e interpretação dos dados foi utilizada uma matriz teórica construída a partir da Etnografia Institucional e a técnica de análise foi a textual discursiva. Resultados: foram identificadas três categorias: O agir reducionista frente à violência intrafamiliar contra criança e adolescentes; Os encaminhamentos como transferência da responsabilidade de proteger; A exclusão do agressor do processo de intervenção. Conclusão: as práticas desenvolvidas pelos profissionais deste estudo podem contribuir para a reincidência da violência intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes, colocando em evidência as fragilidades dos serviços que compõem a rede de proteção infanto-juvenil. Diante disso, este estudo propõe refletir sobre novas formas de agir frente à violência intrafamiliar, com vistas a assegurar que crianças e adolescentes tenham seus direitos garantidos.

Professionals and interfamily violence against children and adolescents: in between legal and conceptual precepts

OBJECTIVE

To identify the conceptions of professionals regarding interfamily violence against children and adolescents.

METHOD

A qualitative study conducted with 15 professionals who had taken children and adolescents under their care as a result of interfamily violence. Data were collected between November, 2013, and March, 2015, through semi-structured interviews. Data were organized and analyzed using the Textual Discourse Analysis technique.

RESULTS

The professional discourse highlighted that some legal aspects regarding the handling of interfamily violence against children and adolescents are neglected; an omission supported by the justification of professionals to preserve the family. We highlight the confrontation between the concept of family as a caregiver and the family that commits violence against children, in addition to the positioning of professionals, which does not include the family or the aggressor in the intervention process in facing situations of interfamily violence attended to by the services.

CONCLUSION

Acting against interfamily violence requires professionals to do away with some pre-established concepts in ordee to put the actual needs of victims and families into evidence.

OBJETIVO

Identificar, com base no discurso dos profissionais, suas concepções a respeito da violência intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes.

MÉTODO

Estudo qualitativo, realizado com 15 profissionais, que tiveram sob seus cuidados crianças e adolescentes atendidas em decorrência da violência intrafamiliar. Os dados foram coletados entre novembro de 2013 e março de 2015, por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas. Os dados foram organizados e analisados utilizando a técnica de Análise Textual Discursiva.

RESULTADOS

O discurso dos profissionais colocou em evidência que alguns aspectos legais em relação ao manejo da violência intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes são negligenciados, omissão respaldada pela justificativa dos profissionais de preservar a família. Destaca-se o confronto entre a concepção de família como cuidadora e a família que violenta os filhos, além do posicionamento dos profissionais, os quais não incluem a família e o agressor nos processos de intervenção frente às situações de violência intrafamiliar atendidas nos serviços.

CONCLUSÃO

Atuar frente à violência intrafamiliar requer do profissional romper com algumas concepções preestabelecidas para colocar em evidência as reais necessidades de vítimas e famílias.

Organization of professional practices against intrafamily violence against children and adolescents in the institutional context

Objective

to analyze based on the practitioners' discourse, the way they organize their practices confronting situations of intra-family violence against children and adolescents.

Method

qualitative research carried out with 15 professionals who work in social and health services located in the southernmost of Brazil. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, performed at the participants' workplace. We used a theoretical matrix to analyze the data, based on Institutional Ethnography and the technique of discursive textual analysis.

Results

the practitioners' practices developed in situations of intra-family violence against children and adolescents are organized on the basis of: power relations that take place in services that respond to violence situations; routines instituted to meet the demands of care in services; and the interplay between the conception of violence as a public health problem and the conception of violence as a social problem.

Conclusion

the way these practices are organized is reflected in actions that are not protective against situations of intra-family violence against children and adolescents.

Protocol for evaluation of the continuum of primary care in the case of a miscarriage in the emergency room: a mixed-method study

BACKGROUND

In Quebec (Canada), nearly 20,000 pregnancies end in miscarriage, and the majority of the miscarriages are dealt with in an emergency unit. Although there are studies documenting the effects of this type of grief on mental health, men's experiences are much less discussed than those of women. Similarly, no study has evaluated best practices in terms of service continuity, from emergency care to community resources. The aim of this study is to better understand the relationships that exist between the organization of emergency room and primary care health services for women presenting with miscarriage, on the one hand, and the positions and experiences of women and men within these services, on the other.

METHODS

The general objective of this mixed-method study can be broken down into three methodological sections. Focus 1. Institutional discourses and practices. This section is structured as a multiple case study of the mandates of five participant institutions. The study will involve (a) a documentary analysis; (b) a quantitative survey (N: 200) and (c) group interviews (N: 75) with caregivers and emergency unit managers. Focus 2. Women's and men's experiences of miscarriages and the institutional response. This section includes (a) a survey (N: 232) and (b) individual interviews (N: 80) designed to identify best practices in emergency involving women and their partners in each area. Focus 3. This section will integrate the information furnished by the first two sections in order to create an ethnographic overview of the situation.

DISCUSSION

This innovative project will provide answers to critical questions on how to improve the effectiveness and quality of interdisciplinary and multisectoral interventions to promote the mental health and psychosocial well-being of couples having experienced a miscarriage. It will have a material effect on the organization of emergency services and of the primary care pathway for women experiencing a miscarriage and for their partners.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not applicable. This study involves a retrospective view of usual health care interventions. This study is not a clinical trial that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes.

Expérience paternelle et problèmes intériorisés de jeunes enfants en situation de précarité : le point de vue des pères

Cadre de la recherche : Dans un article précédent (Kettani et Zaouche-Gaudron, 2012a), nous avons montré que les problèmes intériorisés tels qu’évalués par les pères sont plus importants chez les jeunes enfants en situation de précarité que chez les jeunes enfants de familles plus aisées.

Objectifs : L’objectif est ici d’interroger la part de l’expérience paternelle dans l’explication du lien entre la précarité et les conduites intériorisées des jeunes enfants.

Méthodologie : L’échantillon est constitué de 187 pères d’enfants âgés de 2 à 6 ans, qui ont renseigné une série de questionnaires évaluant les conduites intériorisées de l’enfant, l’expérience paternelle (engagement paternel, stress paternel et sentiment de compétence paternelle) et la situation socio-économique (revenu familial, conditions de logement, statut d’emploi du père et perception de l’aisance financière).

Résultats : Les résultats révèlent que les enfants qui vivent en contexte de précarité présentent plus de problèmes intériorisés que les enfants de familles plus aisées. Les pères quant à eux s’engagent auprès de leurs enfants autant que les pères qui ne connaissent pas de difficultés socio-économiques. En revanche, ils éprouvent un niveau de stress plus élevé et un sentiment de compétence paternelle plus faible, qui expliqueraient une grande partie des problèmes intériorisés des enfants. Il apparaît également que la perception paternelle de la contrainte financière joue un rôle plus important dans l’explication des problèmes intériorisés des enfants que des mesures plus objectives de précarité.

Conclusion : La perception paternelle de la situation socio-économique ainsi que le vécu de la paternité évalué à travers le sentiment de compétence et le stress paternel expliquent mieux les problèmes intériorisés des enfants que la situation de précarité en elle-même.

Contribution : Dans le cadre de l’intervention, ces résultats soulignent l’importance de prendre en considération les dimensions subjectives de la précarité ainsi que les affects liés au rôle paternel, pour favoriser l’épanouissement des pères ainsi que l’ajustement socio-affectif des enfants de familles défavorisées.

The Father Friendly Initiative within Families: Using a logic model to develop program theory for a father support program

The transition to fatherhood, with its numerous challenges, has been well documented. Likewise, fathers' relationships with health and social services have also begun to be explored. Yet despite the problems fathers experience in interactions with healthcare services, few programs have been developed for them. To explain this, some authors point to the difficulty practitioners encounter in developing and structuring the theory of programs they are trying to create to promote and support father involvement (Savaya, R., & Waysman, M. (2005). Administration in Social Work, 29(2), 85), even when such theory is key to a program's effectiveness (Chen, H.-T. (2005). Practical program evaluation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications). The objective of the present paper is to present a tool, the logic model, to bridge this gap and to equip practitioners for structuring program theory. This paper addresses two questions: (1) What would be a useful instrument for structuring the development of program theory in interventions for fathers? (2) How would the concepts of a father involvement program best be organized? The case of the Father Friendly Initiative within Families (FFIF) program is used to present and illustrate six simple steps for developing a logic model that are based on program theory and demonstrate its relevance.

Marital satisfaction and quality of father-child interactions: the moderating role of child gender

The authors aimed to investigate the prospective links between normative variation in fathers' marital satisfaction and the observed quality of father-toddler interactions, as well as the moderating role of child gender in these associations. Sixty-three fathers reported on their marital satisfaction when their children were 15 months of age, and were observed interacting with their child at 18 months. The results suggested that marital satisfaction was positively associated with the quality of father-son interactions, while no relations emerged among fathers of girls. These findings reiterate the importance of marital relationships for the quality of fathers' parenting, while reaffirming previous suggestions that the role of child gender in the marriage-parenting connections requires further investigation.

Psychosocial factors associated with paternal postnatal depression

BACKGROUND

While maternal postpartum depression is a well-known phenomenon, paternal postnatal depression has been less studied. It is known that paternal postnatal depression impacts on children's and families' development, affects marital satisfaction and affects the economic health of industrialized countries. The aim of this study was to identify the psychosocial factors associated with paternal postnatal depression.

METHODS

A descriptive-correlational study was conducted with a sample of fathers of infants (average age: 11 months) who were breastfed exclusively or predominantly for at least 6 months, comparing psychosocial factors in fathers with (n: 17, 8.2%) and without a positive score for depression on the EPDS scale (n: 188). Psychosocial factors were assessed through questionnaires.

RESULTS

Depression in fathers of breastfed infants is associated with the experience of perinatal loss in a previous pregnancy, parenting distress, infant temperament (difficult child), dysfunctional interactions with the child, decreased marital adjustment and perceived low parenting efficacy. Multivariate analysis suggests an independent effect of psychosocial factors such as parenting distress, quality of the marital relationship and perceived parenting efficacy on paternal depression.

LIMITATIONS

The sample focused on fathers of breastfed infant, since breastfeeding has become the feeding norm, and this should be taken into account when considering the generalization of findings.

CONCLUSION

These findings emphasize the need to consider a set of psychosocial factors when examining fathers' mental health in the first year of a child's birth. Health professionals can enhance parenting efficacy and alleviate parenting distress by supporting fathers' unique experiences and addressing their needs.

Perceptions des professionnels de leurs pratiques auprès des parents de jeunes enfants

Cette étude vise à décrire les croyances et les perceptions des intervenants de leurs pratiques professionnelles et à examiner la nature des relations entre leurs croyances, leurs perceptions des parents ainsi que les principes et les pratiques qu’ils adoptent. Une étude quantitative descriptive et corrélationnelle effectuée auprès de 203 intervenants révèle un modèle de l’engagement des professionnels dans les soins et les services à l’égard des parents de jeunes enfants. Lorsque les intervenants adoptent des principes d’empowerment, ils perçoivent les parents qu’ils côtoient plus positivement et réussissent à mettre en place des pratiques professionnelles collaboratives auprès des parents de jeunes enfants en contexte de vulnérabilité.

L’expérience paternelle entourant la naissance sous l’angle du discours social

Dans ce texte, j’aborde la question de l’expérience du père lors de la période entourant la naissance d’un enfant de manière à introduire les quatre articles faisant partie de ce dossier. Dans un premier temps, une mise en contexte sociohistorique est proposée. Cela permettra d’abord de situer les préoccupations actuelles à propos des pères, de l’identité paternelle et de l’engagement paternel et ensuite de montrer que ces préoccupations sont directement liées aux transformations récentes de la famille et des identités au sein des sociétés occidentales. Dans un deuxième temps, l’idée que les pères, tout autant que les mères, vivent une expérience personnelle lors de la période entourant la naissance de leur enfant sera présentée de façon à mettre en relief ses origines (d’où vient cette idée que les pères ont une expérience de cette transition à la paternité?) ainsi que la forme de discours social qui y est rattaché (comment parle-t-on de cette expérience paternelle?) en particulier à l’intérieur des contextes professionnels et institutionnels qui servent à procurer des soins et des services périnataux. Le texte se termine par une brève description du contenu des quatre articles.

Portrait de paraprofessionnelles oeuvrant auprès de familles en situation difficile : leurs motivations et leur profil d’engagement

Cette étude basée sur une perspective ethnographique porte sur les motivations et les besoins d’encadrement des paraprofessionnelles oeuvrant auprès de familles ayant des conduites négligentes. Seize paraprofessionnelles et quatre responsables ont été rencontrés lors d’entrevues semi-structurées et d’observations participantes. Les résultats démontrent trois grandes motivations (valorisation, soutien et relation avec la famille aidée) ainsi que quatre profils d’engagement basés sur la nature de la relation et les attentes face à la famille aidée. Quelques avenues en lien avec les motivations et l’encadrement sont abordées, notamment l’importance à accorder à l’entourage des paraprofessionnelles ainsi que les avantages et les inconvénients de chaque profil.

Processos que sustentam a resiliência familiar: um estudo de caso

A resiliência é considerada como uma trajetória construída gradativamente, a partir de uma seqüência de processos proximais, desde o início da vida. Este estudo objetiva identificar processos vivenciados no plano familiar e individual que possibilitam às famílias enfrentar os desafios em sua vida de maneira positiva. Estudo de caso desenvolvido com uma família exposta a múltiplas adversidades, utilizando uma abordagem sustentada nos princípios de avaliação e desenvolvimento de forças familiares. Os dados obtidos entre 2005-2007, através de entrevistas, foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo. Os principais processos evidenciados refletem a capacidade do pai responder às necessidades dos filhos; criar um espaço relacional que permite a expressão do potencial dos filhos; aceitar ajuda no exercício de seus papéis; realizar atividades mutuamente gratificantes entre eles. Destaca-se o papel da sensibilidade do pai em relação às necessidades dos filhos.

Modeling Parents and Nurses' Relationships

Over the past 20 years, the transition to parenting has been widely investigated as much in nursing as in psychology. The challenges of this developmental period, such as developing parenting efficacy, and the resources available to one or both parents have been explored. Different factors have been found to influence parents' perceived efficacy, such as the quality of social support, the quality of the marital relationship, and the level of stress and anxiety. Little attention has been paid, however, to the influence of nurses' relationships with parents on parents' development of parenting efficacy, especially with multiparous parents. This information is needed to better understand nurses' contribution to parenting development. A model of the primary variables of interest—perceived parenting efficacy, critical events, and nurses' collaborative and help-giving practices—is presented.

Le stress parental chez les mères d’enfants d’âge préscolaire : validation et normes québécoises pour l’Inventaire de Stress Parental

Les qualités métrologiques d'une version française du Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1983 ; Loyd et Abidin, 1985) sont examinées à partir d'un échantillon de 122 mères québécoises ayant un enfant d'âge préscolaire. Les résultats indiquent que l'inventaire de stress parental possède des indices de consistance interne équivalant à ceux obtenus avec l'échantillon américain. Cependant, les échantillons québécois et américain diffèrent pour 7 sous-échelles sur 13 ainsi qu'au niveau du score du domaine de l'enfant et du score de stress total. Les mères québécoises rapportent des scores plus élevés. L'analyse factorielle des sous-échelles supporte la présence d'une structure hiérarchique constituée d'un facteur général de stress parental et de deux facteurs spécifiques : le domaine de l'enfant et le domaine du parent. Le score du domaine du parent varie selon le niveau socio-économique et le statut conjugal de la mère. L'âge de la mère est négativement corrélé au score du domaine de l'enfant. Le niveau d'agressivité/hyperactivité de l'enfant, tel que perçu par l'éducatrice en classe, est positivement corrélé au score de la sous-échelle Difficulté à accepter les caractéristiques de l'enfant et de la sous-échelle Distraction et hyperactivité de l'enfant. Des normes sont présentées afin de tenir compte des différences observées entre l'échantillon québécois et l'échantillon américain.

The transition to fatherhood: the role of formal and informal support structures during the post-partum period

The transition to fatherhood is a period in an individual's life that calls upon his/her adaptive capacities. The quality of social support available to parents is an important factor in their adjustment to their new role. The purpose of this correlative study among 160 first-time fathers and 160 first-time mothers in Quebec, Canada was to determine which sources of support are most valued by mothers and fathers during the post-partum period, the characteristics of this support and to examine the nature of the relationships between perceptions of social support, parenting efficacy and parental anxiety. Multivariate analyses revealed that, for these parents, social support did not act as a protective factor for perceived parenting efficacy. However, nurses' care-giving practices contributed to parents' perceptions of support and to their perceptions of parenting efficacy.

Devenir père : un portrait des premiers moments*

Problème. Les pères sont engagés, en période postnatale, dans la construction de leurs perceptions d’efficacité parentale. Pourtant, on en sait peu sur ce qui aide les pères à construire leurs perceptions d’efficacité. De même, l’apport des premiers événements de la transition à la paternité dans l’expérience paternelle est méconnu. Objectif. 1. Identifier les perceptions des pères primipares des événements critiques de la période postnatale. 2. Examiner la contribution de ces événements à la construction des perceptions d’efficacité des pères primipares. Méthode. Une étude descriptive quantitative auprès de 160 pères d’un premier enfant. Résultats. Les pères primipares ont une expérience riche et diversifiée durant les premiers moments de leur transition à la paternité. L’alliance parentale et une faible anxiété contribuent aux perceptions d’efficacité de ces pères.

Perceived parental efficacy: concept analysis

AIMS

This paper describes a concept analysis carried out to remove some of the ambiguity surrounding the conceptual meaning of perceived parental efficacy and to distinguish it from related concepts such as parental confidence and parental competence.

BACKGROUND

Constructing parental efficacy is a crucial step for family members after the birth of their first child. For some authors, perceived parental efficacy is a motor for adequate parental practices. Confusion about the definition and measurement of this concept has hindered both psychology and nursing practice and research. Concept delineation and concept clarification are required in order to further the development of the concept of perceived parental efficacy.

METHODS

A literature search using a variety of online databases yielded 113 articles between the years 1980 and 2000. The final sample (n=60) consisted of 30 articles from two disciplines: nursing and psychology. A content analysis of the literature was done using Rodger's evolutionary concept analysis method.

FINDINGS

Content analysis of the literature yielded four contributors to perceived parental efficacy: positive enactive mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion and an appropriate physiological and affective state. Perceived parental efficacy can thus be defined as 'beliefs or judgements a parent holds of their capabilities to organize and execute a set of tasks related to parenting a child'.

CONCLUSION

This conceptual analysis has allowed perceived parental efficacy to be distinguished from parental confidence and parental competence. Both nursing and psychology research, practice and education will benefit from a more precise and delineated concept.

From risk to psychosocial resilience: conceptual models and avenues for family intervention

This paper aims to compare the structuralist and phenomenological approaches to psychosocial risk and propose an integration of those two perspectives. The first section defines the concepts of risk, vulnerability, protection, and resilience from a structuralist perspective. The second section describes the concepts of experience of vulnerability and experience of resilience from a phenomenological perspective. The last section proposes a comprehensive model of intervention for at-risk families.

A longitudinal study of the effects of chronic maltreatment on children's behavioral and emotional problems

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present longitudinal study was to examine the links between chronicity of maltreatment and child behavioral and emotional problems.

METHOD

Forty-nine maltreated children (32 victims of continuous, or chronic, maltreatment; 17 victims of transitory maltreatment) and their mothers were evaluated in their homes three times over a period of 6 years: at the time of recruitment (T1), 3 years following the initial evaluation (T2) and 6 years following the initial evaluation (T3). The home visits were designed to obtain longitudinal assessments of different types of behavioral and emotional problems in the children, and of the mothers' self-reported potential for abuse to help determine the chronic/transitory aspect of the maltreatment situation. Child Protection Services (CPS) files were also consulted at each assessment time in order to obtain more accurate information regarding the chronic/transitory aspect of the maltreatment situation.

RESULTS

The results show that over time the victims of chronic maltreatment (Chronic group; CH) had significantly more emotional problems (i.e., Anxiety/Depression) than those victims of transitory maltreatment (Transitory group; TR). There was also a tendency for CH children to exhibit more aggressive behavior and social withdrawal problems than the children in the TR group. Furthermore, at T3, the proportion of children in the CH group showing a clinical level of behavior problems in general was significantly higher than in the TR group.

CONCLUSIONS

The study confirms that there are differences among maltreated children in levels of behavior and emotional problems and shows that chronicity must be taken into consideration in order to identify more clearly the impact of maltreatment on the child. Chronically maltreated children appear to be at high-risk for developing clinical levels of problems. The results also suggest that intervention efforts resulting in an improvement of the family situation (i.e., reduction or elimination of maltreatment), also lead to an improvement in the behavior of children.

Fathers’ Perceptions of the Immediate Postpartal Period

PURPOSE

To describe the perceptions of first-time fathers regarding critical moments of the immediate postpartum period.

DESIGN

Qualitative study.

SETTING

Data were collected through semistructured interviews with the fathers, using the critical incident technique; this was done in their home, within the first 12 days following the birth of their child.

PARTICIPANTS

Sample consisted of 13 first-time fathers.

RESULTS

A qualitative analysis allowed for the identification of five domains, five categories, and 12 subcategories of critical incidents within the first 96 hours of the postpartum period. The five domains of incidents relate to self and others: as individuals, as a couple, and as parents in relationship with the environment and with the nursing personnel. On the basis of a combined score of fathers' presence on the maternity ward, we were able to define three subgroups. All groups of fathers were sensitive to interactions with their baby and with the nurses. Highly involved fathers reported not feeling supported by the hospital environment policies in regard to engaging in behaviors that could favor their involvement with their baby.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased awareness of fathers' experiences during the immediate postpartum period will enable nurses to respond more effectively to the fathers' needs.

Childhood adversity, parental stress, and depression of negligent mothers

The objective of this study was to identify major childhood events that were experienced by negligent mothers matched with non-negligent mothers as well as to define the existing link between those events, depression of the mother and parental stress. The sample was composed of 80 French-speaking Canadian families. The measures used were the Parental Stress Index (Abidin, 1983), the Psycho-Social Interview (Ethier et al., 1989) and the Beck Depression Inventory (1961). The results have shown an extreme level of parental stress and a high level a depression for negligent mothers. The negligent mothers had a history of placements, violence and sexual abuse, but they did not differ from control mothers for parental breakups and nonavailability. We have also shown a significant link between childhood events, depression, and parental stress even more so for the control group than for the negligence group. The results are discussed in the perspective of attachment theory.