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New Challenges for Research in Family Relationships and Child Well-Being
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New Challenges for Research in Family Relationships and Child Well-Being

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 17131

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Cristina Nunes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University Research Center in Psychology (CUIP), University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: at-risk family context assessment; family preservation; positive parenting; evidence-based interventions; well-being in children and adolescence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Family is the first and most important context in which children develop, shaping their well-being and outcomes as adults. Promoting the well-being and positive development of children is a political priority and a means to break the cycle of disadvantage for those growing up in adverse environments, as well as to enhance social cohesion. One of the main challenges for researchers and practitioners working with families is to know which forces, both negative and positive, drive and determine children’s well-being, how they interact among themselves and how to intervene effectively to minimise risk and strengthen internal and external resilience factors.

Family factors, including the quality of parenting and family relations, play a crucial role in children’s early lives and their developmental pathways, for better or for worse. Adequate parenting requires the coordination of parenting goals, styles and strategies to convey coherent expectations and values to their children, as well as the ability to communicate, cooperate and manage conflicts. Understanding how best to intervene to support parents is a key challenge. Thus, there is a strong need to expand our knowledge on how to reduce risk factors and to promote protective environments.

This Special Issue addresses this topic by inviting scholars to share their findings, perspectives and approaches, with the aim of promoting positive parenting, improving family relations and, ultimately, ameliorating child well-being. Qualitative or quantitative contributions from basic or applied research with the potential to advance the current knowledge in this field are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Cristina Nunes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • children
  • well-being
  • parenting
  • positive parenting
  • family relations
  • family support
  • evidence-based interventions
  • risk factors
  • protective factors

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 510 KiB  
Article
Factors Associated with Parenting Adaptability in Facing the First COVID-19 Lockdown: A Study on Portuguese Parents
by Ana P. Antunes, Silvana Martins and Ana T. Almeida
Healthcare 2023, 11(20), 2745; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11202745 - 16 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1297
Abstract
Parenting was drastically challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic as families complied with the consequent containment for sanitary and social reasons. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships among self-report measures (co-parenting, emotional experience and parental support network) and the employment [...] Read more.
Parenting was drastically challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic as families complied with the consequent containment for sanitary and social reasons. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships among self-report measures (co-parenting, emotional experience and parental support network) and the employment condition (teleworking parents and at-home parents with governmental leave aid) that might be associated with the everyday life change, and their contribution towards family’s daily routines during the first COVID-19 lockdown. A sample of 878 parents (90.2% mothers), aged from 21 to 61 years (39.58 ± 6.08), and mainly of Portuguese nationality (97.2%), was gathered through an online survey. Participants completed sociodemographic data and answered questions related to four positive parenting dimensions (Daily routines, Co-parenting, Emotional experience, and Support network) rating on a five-point Likert scale how much their behavior changed during the lockdown. Descriptive statistics and multilinear regression models were tested as well as a mediation model. The results showed that Emotional experience, Co-parenting, and Support network played an important role in family Daily routines, reinforcing that the first COVID-19 lockdown was lived differently by parents according to their employment conditions. Furthermore, the pathways model of factors associated with parental adaptability is suggestive that the direct effect of Emotional experience on Daily routines is partially mediated by Co-parenting and Support network. In line with previous studies on the complexity and dynamic ecology of parenting, the reported indicators showcase the interrelated facets of parenting and its corresponding support needs. Further, clear indicators for the design of family support interventions and family resilience enhancement to stressor events are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges for Research in Family Relationships and Child Well-Being)
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15 pages, 616 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Perceived Security in Childhood on Adult Self-Concept: The Mediating Role of Resilience and Self-Esteem
by Juan Carlos Martín Quintana, Pedro Francisco Alemán Ramos and Paula Morales Almeida
Healthcare 2023, 11(17), 2435; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11172435 - 31 Aug 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4331
Abstract
Secure attachment, developed through consistent relationships with attachment figures in childhood, is a crucial factor in fostering healthy interpersonal relationships and a positive self-perception. Part of the positive parenting approach and the theory of affect is taken as a basis to assess how [...] Read more.
Secure attachment, developed through consistent relationships with attachment figures in childhood, is a crucial factor in fostering healthy interpersonal relationships and a positive self-perception. Part of the positive parenting approach and the theory of affect is taken as a basis to assess how perceived security, as an indicator of secure attachment, predicts adult self-concept through the mediating effects of resilience and positive self-esteem. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and nonprobabilistic study was conducted with 383 participants. We unveiled significant positive associations between perceived security, self-concept, resilience, and positive self-esteem. Path analysis demonstrated that resilience and positive self-esteem sequentially mediate the relationship between perceived security during childhood and adult self-concept. Findings suggest that the ability to cope with adversity and personal acceptance underlie the impact of perceived security on self-concept. It is recommended to promote family intervention programs framed within positive parenting that focus on fostering secure attachment given its influence on adult life. It is also deemed essential to incorporate the promotion of resilience and self-esteem into programs aimed at youths, and adult role models can enhance their self-perception and resilience in the face of potential effects stemming from insecure parenting practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges for Research in Family Relationships and Child Well-Being)
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13 pages, 295 KiB  
Article
“I’m Afraid If This Goes Wrong… What Will Become of Me?”: The Psychological Experience of Grandparents in Pediatric Palliative Care
by Alexandra Jóni Nogueira and Maria Teresa Ribeiro
Healthcare 2023, 11(17), 2391; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11172391 - 25 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1447
Abstract
Portugal has been identified as the European country with the most rapid evolution of Pediatric Palliative Care provision, where approximately 7800 children have life-limiting conditions. This is a highly complex experience not only for the children and their parental caregivers, but also for [...] Read more.
Portugal has been identified as the European country with the most rapid evolution of Pediatric Palliative Care provision, where approximately 7800 children have life-limiting conditions. This is a highly complex experience not only for the children and their parental caregivers, but also for their healthy siblings and grandparents. The present descriptive-exploratory study seeks to contribute to the understanding of the psychological experience of life-limiting conditions in grandparents. A total of 19 families, consisting of 15 grandmothers and 4 grandfathers, completed a sociodemographic and clinical data sheet and a semi-structured interview was conducted in which they shared their testimony. The results of the thematic analysis highlighted an integrated view on 10 important dimensions in the grandparental experience and promoted creative responses by means of their own perspective. However, it has some limitations, such as the small sample size and the data collection procedure via telephone. The results contribute to the design of specific intervention methodologies in an ecosystemic approach and suggest further research to explore more protective factors and communication with health professionals. For psychological intervention, it is suggested considering the identification of individual and family resources that contribute to the activation of key processes in resilience and posttraumatic growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges for Research in Family Relationships and Child Well-Being)
14 pages, 1172 KiB  
Article
The Father’s Part: Influences of Paternal Psychopathology and Parenting Behavior on Child and Adolescent Well-Being
by Stefan Mestermann, Marie Arndt, Peter A. Fasching, Matthias W. Beckmann, Oliver Kratz, Gunther H. Moll, Johannes Kornhuber, Anna Eichler and on behalf of the IMAC-Mind-Consortium
Healthcare 2023, 11(15), 2119; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11152119 - 25 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2658
Abstract
Family influences on child quality of life (QoL) are increasingly understood. Parenting behavior and parent individual psychopathology are among the established predictors of offspring mental health. However, literature often addresses these factors as ‘parental’, lacking further gender-specific differentiation while predominantly studying maternal aspects. [...] Read more.
Family influences on child quality of life (QoL) are increasingly understood. Parenting behavior and parent individual psychopathology are among the established predictors of offspring mental health. However, literature often addresses these factors as ‘parental’, lacking further gender-specific differentiation while predominantly studying maternal aspects. Social and biological fathers are still underrepresented in family research. The aim of this study was to analyze paternal contributions to child well-being. A total of 197 father/mother-dyads gave a standardized self-report on parenting behavior and their own psychopathology at child primary school age (t1; 6–10 y). Ratings were compared mutually and associated with child self-rated QoL at t1 and adolescence (t2; 12–14 y). Fathers and mothers differed in psychopathology and most parenting behavior dimensions (positive parenting, involvement, responsible parenting, poor monitoring, and corporal punishment). Father psychopathology made a relevant predictive contribution to girls’ QoL at t2. Boys’ t1 QoL was significantly influenced by maternal parenting factors (positivity and corporal punishment). Compared to mothers, fathers are faced with different individual stressors; paternal parenting behavior is different, while fathers’ influences are significant, particularly for daughters. Father-addressed pre- and intervention programs in child psychotherapeutic treatment are of high relevance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges for Research in Family Relationships and Child Well-Being)
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16 pages, 534 KiB  
Article
Type of Family Support for Infant and Toddler Care That Relieves Parenting Stress: Does the Number of Children Matter?
by Xiumin Hong, Wenting Zhu and Sijie Zhao
Healthcare 2023, 11(3), 421; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030421 - 1 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2385
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the status and relationships between family support for infant and toddler care and parenting stress, and to explore differences related to the number of children in the families. We conducted a survey among 13,390 Chinese parents who [...] Read more.
The present study aimed to investigate the status and relationships between family support for infant and toddler care and parenting stress, and to explore differences related to the number of children in the families. We conducted a survey among 13,390 Chinese parents who were randomly sampled from six provinces of China. Descriptive analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and regression analysis indicated that (1) current family support for infant and toddler care in China is insufficient; (2) most Chinese parents reported moderate parenting stress, with the highest scores given for parental distress, followed by difficult child, and parent–child dysfunctional interaction; (3) the larger the number of children in the family, the less the family support for infant and toddler care, the greater the parenting stress; (4) there was a difference between the effects of family support for infant and toddler care on relieving parenting stress among families with different numbers of children. These findings indicate that different types of family support for infant and toddler care should be provided for families with different numbers of children, to ease parenting stress and promote the implementation of the government’s current fertility policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges for Research in Family Relationships and Child Well-Being)
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13 pages, 345 KiB  
Article
Parenting Sense of Competence: Psychometrics and Invariance among a Community and an At-Risk Samples of Portuguese Parents
by Cristina Nunes, Lara Ayala-Nunes, Laura Inês Ferreira, Pedro Pechorro, Délia Freitas, Cátia Martins and Rita Santos
Healthcare 2023, 11(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11010015 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3336
Abstract
Parenting sense of competence refers to parents’ perception about their ability to perform the parenting role, one of the key dimensions in family dynamics. This construct is even more important in families at psychosocial risk, where the exercise of parenting can be more [...] Read more.
Parenting sense of competence refers to parents’ perception about their ability to perform the parenting role, one of the key dimensions in family dynamics. This construct is even more important in families at psychosocial risk, where the exercise of parenting can be more challenging. The Parenting Sense of Competence scale (PSOC) is a self-report measure that aims to assesses one’s perceived efficacy and satisfaction with parenting. In this cross-sectional and instrumental study, we aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the PSOC among a Portuguese sample of community (n = 205) and at-psychological-risk (n = 273) parents. Participants completed the PSOC, the Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale, the Parenting Stress Index, and the Parenting Alliance Inventory. Results from confirmatory factor analysis showed that a two-factor revised model obtained the best fit, with some items being removed. Our data confirmed that the PSOC has good psychometric properties, with acceptable reliability and validity and measurement invariance across the community and the at-risk samples. Findings of this psychometric exploration provided evidence that the PSOC is a reliable measure of easy application and interpretation for assessing the perceived competence of Portuguese parents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges for Research in Family Relationships and Child Well-Being)
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