Associations between early family environment and ideal number of children

Childhood family is vital for the formation of fertility preferences and attitudes towards family life. Yet previous studies mainly focused on structural aspects of the family, whereas the role of perceptions of one's family in relation to fertility preferences remained largely understudied. This study examined how different aspects of the early family environment (i.e. relationships with parents, happiness in childhood, parental conflicts, family resources, as well as family structure) are related to the ideal number of children reported in adulthood. Using representative cross-sectional survey data from the Finnish Family Barometer 2015, the sample comprised men and women aged 20-45 with and without children. Poisson regression models indicated that a higher number of siblings was associated with a higher ideal number of children, whereas living in a single-parent household and overall negative perceptions of parents were related to a lower ideal number of children independent of various socio-demographic characteristics. Further analyses showed that these family characteristics were associated with the ideal number of children mainly among childless people but not among parents. The findings suggest that the early family environment is related to the formation of the ideal number of children, especially for childless people.

From parentification to parenthood: caregiving responsibilities in childhood and childbearing desire in young adulthood

INTRODUCTION

Childbearing and childrearing challenge parents' physical, social and emotional capacities. Childbearing motivations and desires are indicators of person's psychological readiness to meet these challenges and to establish a healthy bond with the child. Yet, much uncertainty still exists on how childbearing motivations and desires develop in the life course and to what extent early experiences in the family of origin contribute to their development.

OBJECTIVE

The overall goal of the present study was to understand the relationship between early caregiving responsibilities (i.e. childhood parentification) in the family of origin and childbearing motivations and the desire to have a first child.

METHODS

In the cross-sectional design study, childless Polish adults (N = 384; 20-35 years old) completed a set of self-report measures. Different dimensions of parentification experienced in childhood were measured retrospectively using the Parentification Inventory, and childbearing-related variables were assessed using the Childbearing Questionnaire. Data were analysed using mediation analyses.

RESULTS

We found that past experiences of parent- and sibling-oriented parentification were positively associated with the desire to have a child, and these relationships were fully mediated by positive childbearing motivation. Further, our results showed that satisfaction with childhood caregiving responsibilities positively predicted childbearing desire, and this effect was partially mediated by positive and negative childbearing motivation.

CONCLUSION

Individuals' early caring activities, especially when they evoke feelings of satisfaction and appreciation in the child, may play an important role in shaping childbearing motivations and desires that underlie their future reproductive behaviours.

Participation of adults with cognitive, physical, or psychiatric impairments in family of origin and intimate relationships: a grounded theory study

BACKGROUND

How adults with disabilities perceive participation has received little attention. Our purpose was to formulate a grounded theory on participation, based on the subjective experience of adults with cognitive, physical, or psychiatric impairment(s), and to identify barriers, facilitators, and support needs concerning participation in different areas of life. We aimed to explore whether the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ratified by Switzerland in 2014, and its principles are being met. Here we report on the main category and focus on the participation areas 'family of origin' and 'intimate relationships.'

METHODS

In a qualitative, grounded theory study, we conducted problem-centered interviews with 23 adults with cognitive, physical, or psychiatric impairments (30-53 years; 11 men, 12 women), with different housing (on their own, assisted living, with parents) and work situations (primary vs. secondary labor market) in nine German-speaking Swiss cantons.

RESULTS

Participation can be understood as a continuum that extends on a horizontal level (from participation is restricted to participation takes place) and a vertical level (separative setting vs. inclusive setting). In separative as well as in inclusive settings, diverse levels of participation are possible. Many participants were stuck in an 'in-between' area between separative and inclusion-oriented settings. In the family of origin, there was a thin line between fulfilling relations that enhance participation and conflictual relations and overprotective parenting that limit participation. In intimate relationships, opportunities for participation were limited overall. Many interviewees were single. Social environment and family of origin (e.g., parents) can enable and facilitate intimate relationships and sexual contacts but can also be an important barrier.

CONCLUSIONS

Participation can be understood as a continuum. Participation restrictions exist in separative as well as in inclusive-oriented settings, also in the areas of family of origin and intimate relationships. Participation barriers must be torn down in separative as well as in inclusion-oriented settings. Trajectories to inclusive settings should be facilitated. Families with children with impairment(s) should be supported from early on to create the best possible participation possibilities for the (adult) person with impairment(s) and to support the family of origin itself.

Fewer Siblings, More Wealth? Sibship Size and Wealth Attainment

This study examines the association between sibship size and wealth in adulthood. The study draws on resource dilution theory and additionally discusses potentially wealth-enhancing consequences of having siblings. Data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP, N = 3502 individuals) are used to estimate multilevel regression models adjusted for concurrent parental wealth and other important confounders neglected in extant work. The main results of the current study show that additional siblings reduce wealth by about 38%. Parental wealth moderates the association so that sibship size is more negatively associated with filial wealth when parents are wealthier. Birth order position does not moderate the association between sibship size and wealth. The findings suggest that fertility in the family of origin has a systematic impact on wealth attainment and may contribute to population-level wealth inequalities independently from other socio-economic characteristics in families of origin such as parental wealth.

Vulnerable parenting among mothers with substance abuse in their family of origin: a cross-sectional comparative study of mothers in an infant and toddler program

Objective

To investigate whether women raised in a family with substance abuse constitute a particularly vulnerable group of patients in an infant psychiatry setting and to identify the risk factors of suspected parental malfunctioning in women referred to treatment in an infant and toddler intervention program.

Background

A history of family substance abuse can severely disrupt the caretaking abilities of parents in ways that can have far-reaching consequences, and children growing up with insufficient parental care may incorporate this deficiency into their own parental behavior.

Methods

In total, 126 mothers completed self-report questionnaires assessing their substance abuse and health problems as well as problems in their family of origin. The index group was defined as women who reported substance abuse in their family of origin (n = 35). The comparison group was defined as women who denied substance abuse in their family of origin (n = 91).

Results

Symptoms of depression and anxiety were overrepresented in the total group of mothers compared with the Swedish norm. The index group had experienced parental divorce and traumatic life events more often and reported earlier substance abuse of their own. They had significantly more depression and ADHD symptoms and were more often single parents. All these factors can have a negative influence, separately or in combination, on the ability to practice sensitive parenting.

Conclusions

Female offspring of substance-abusing parents are an especially vulnerable group of patients. To prevent the intergenerational transmission of alcohol and drug abuse, it is important to identify parents with specific needs and to administer targeted treatment and support at primary health care centers and child psychiatric clinics.

Sexual Issues in Treating Trauma Survivors

The effect of interpersonal trauma on sexuality can be profound. The field of sexual trauma is complex empirically and clinically, with contradictory theories and conflicting data. Research definitions and treatment protocols for child sexual abuse are very imprecise. There are no firm, empirically proven guidelines for treating men and women who have been sexually abused as children or adolescents. Overt sexual abuse (OSA) in children and adolescents is defined here as molestation, rape, or incest. Research has shown that OSA may, but does not necessarily, lead to sexual dysfunction in adulthood. The effects of OSA are worsened by concurrent types of family of origin abuse, such as emotional abuse or physical abuse. One factor that seems related to the varying impact of OSA on adult sexuality is the patients’ family of origin experience with nonsexual Milestones of Sexual Development. Without positive experiences with touch, trust and empathy, the ability to relax and be soothed, and power, the effects of OSA are potentiated and complicated. Sexuality is embodied, so experiences with touch are particularly important when working with OSA. A three-color Body Map technique which assesses stored associations to touch is provided. The concept of developmental sexual trauma (DST) is introduced as a way to label traumagenic family events which potentiate OSA or negatively effect sex but which are not explicitly sexual in origin. Strategies to assess and treat OSA are reviewed. Body Maps are recommended to assess and treat sexual trauma.