A meta-analytic investigation of the relationships between different dimensions of family strengths and personal and family well-being

Objective: Evaluate the relationships between five family strengths dimensions (commitment, communication, cohesion, coping & competence) and personal and family well-being. Background: Noted family strengths experts contend that families who describe themselves as strong share a number of broad qualities or traits. Family strengths are viewed as internal resources that are hypothesized to be related to enhanced personal and family well-being. Method: Meta-analysis was used to determine the effect sizes between different family strengths dimensions and both parent and family well-being. The meta-analysis included 14 studies (N = 3,491 participants) conducted in 10 countries. The focus of analysis was the sizes of effects between each family strengths dimension and both parent and family well-being and whether the strengths of relations between family strengths and well-being differed for each family strength dimension. Results: Publication bias analysis indicated no differences in the sizes of effects for peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed research reports. Each of the family strengths dimensions was significantly related to both personal and family well-being. The size of effect for the relationship between family strengths and family well-being was larger than that for personal well-being. The between type of family strengths dimension analyses showed that the size of effect between family competence and personal and family well-being was smaller than those for each of the other family strengths dimensions. Conclusion: The findings support the hypothesis that different dimensions of family strengths are important predictors of personal and family well-being. Results also indicated the strength of the relationship between family strengths and well-being differed between the five family strengths dimensions

Child studies through the lens of applied family social systems theory

The foundations of an applied family social systems theory for explaining the multiple determinants of child well-being, learning, and development, parenting beliefs, behavior and practices, and family well-being are described. The theory is derived from tenets of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and other social, family, and contextualized theories. The applied theory was used to develop an activity setting model of young children’s everyday learning opportunities and a family systems intervention practices model for ensuring parents and other caregivers have the time and psychological energy to provide young children with development-instigating and development-enhancing learning opportunities in the contexts of everyday family and community life. Results from three different lines of research are described which provide support for the applied systems model and the two associated intervention models. Results showed that different child characteristics, setting characteristics, parenting behavior and practices, family and social systems variables, and practitioner measures were empirically related to variations in child, parent, and family outcomes. There were also discernable pathways of influence between family systems intervention model practices, parenting practices, and child outcomes mediated by parent self-efficacy beliefs and parent well-being. The contributions of the theory, models, and research findings to child studies are described.Neste artigo descrevem-se os fundamentos de uma teoria aplicada dos sistemas sociais da família para explicar as múltiplas variáveis do bem-estar infantil, da aprendizagem e do desenvolvimento, das crenças parentais, do comportamento e das práticas e bem-estar familiar. A teoria deriva de princípios dos sistemas ecológicos de Bronfenbrenner e outras teorias sociais, familiares e contextualizadas. A teoria aplicada foi usada para desenvolver um modelo de configuração de atividades das oportunidades de aprendizagem quotidianas de crianças pequenas e um modelo de práticas de intervenção de sistemas familiares para garantir que os pais e outros cuidadores tenham tempo e energia psicológica para fornecer às crianças oportunidades de aprendizagem que estimulam e melhoram o seu desenvolvimento nos contextos da vida quotidiana da família e da comunidade. O artigo inclui resultados de três diferentes linhas de investigação que sustentam o modelo de sistemas aplicados e os dois modelos de intervenção associados. Os resultados mostram que as diferentes características da criança, assim como as do meio, os comportamento e as práticas parentais, as variáveis ​​dos sistemas familiares e sociais e as ações do profissional estão empiricamente relacionados com as variações nos resultados da criança, dos pais e da família. Foram igualmente identificadas vias de influência entre as práticas do modelo de intervenção dos sistemas familiares, as práticas parentais e os resultados da criança mediados pelas conceções de autoeficácia dos pais e pelo seu bem-estar. Descrevem-se as contribuições da teoria, dos modelos e dos resultados da investigação para os Estudos da Criança

Parent Perspectives of Desired and Experienced Child and Family Practices in the Early Elementary Grades

Knowledge of the types of school-based practices parents consider important for their children and themselves are the foundations for improving school-family relationships. Surveys were used to determine parents’ (1) desire for family-centered practices, individualized and developmentally appropriate child practices, and integrated and coordinated child and family practices in the early elementary grades, (2) the extent to which parents and their children experienced desired practices, (3) barriers and solutions to use of the practices, and (4) strategies and recommendations for promoting increased use of desired practices. Participants were parents of children with disabilities or developmental delays who previously participated in early intervention or preschool special education programs, or both, where the children were currently enrolled in grades K through 3 at the time data collection occurred. Findings indicated that the desire for targeted practices varied depending on the types of practices, the parents and children minimally experienced desired practices, and that barriers and solutions tended to be related to family-school relationships. Implications for improving school-family relationships and practices are described. Keywords: Family-centered, developmentally appropriate, inclusion, integrated, coordinated, desired practices, experienced practices, barriers, solutions DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-15-05 Publication date:May 31st 201

Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling of the Influences of Family-Centered Care on Parent and Child Psychological Health

Background. Family-centered care is now practiced throughout the world by physicians, nurses, and allied health care professionals. The call for adoption of family-centered care is based on the contention that the physical and psychological health of a child is influenced by parents' psychological health where family-centered care enhances parent well-being which in turn influences child well-being. We empirically assessed whether these relationships are supported by available evidence. Method. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect influences of family-centered care and self-efficacy beliefs on parent and child psychological health. Data from more than 2900 parents and other caregivers in 15 studies were used for the analyses. Results. Family-centered care had indirect effects on parent and child psychological health mediated by self-efficacy beliefs. Conclusion. The relationships posited in the literature about family-centered care were supported by the study results

Factors Associated with Head Start Staff Participation in Classroom-Based Professional Development

Factors associated with Head Start staff participation in a classroom-based professional development project to promote their use of evidence-based child learning opportunity practices and evidence-based responsive teaching procedures were examined in a study of 36 teachers and teacher assistants in 19 different classrooms. The factors constituting the focus of investigation included work climate, staff belief appraisals (career aspirations, personal motivation, Developmentally Appropriate Practices beliefs), staff receptiveness to the professional development training, staff judgments of the social validity of the practices constituting the focus of training, and staff background characteristics (age, education, years of experience). Results showed that Head Start staff members’ personal beliefs, receptiveness to the training, and their judgments of the social validity of the classroom practices constituting the focus of training were related to staff judgments of their participation in the training which in turn were related to their active engagement in learning to use the classroom practices. The implications of the findings for practice are described in terms of the need to use methods and procedures that actively engage staff in professional development opportunities

Early Childhood Practitioner Judgments of the Social Validity of Performance Checklists and Parent Practice Guides

Findings from three field tests evaluations of early childhood intervention practitioner performance checklists and three parent practice guides are reported. Forty-two practitioners from three early childhood intervention programs reviewed the checklists and practice guides and made (1) social validity judgments of both products, (2) judgments of the compatibility of the checklists and practice guides, and (3) suggestions for improving the intervention products and materials. Results showed that practitioner feedback and suggestions yielded valuable information for improving the products where changes made in response to the practitioners’ social validity ratings and suggestions from the first field test had discernible effects on judgments and feedback of revised products. The importance of striving to develop intervention products and materials that are judged as socially important and acceptable is described

A Meta-Analysis of Informal and Formal Family Social Support Studies: Relationships with Parent and Family Psychological Health and Well-Being

Background. Family social support from informal and formal social network members provide parents and other primary caregivers the time and psychological energy to carry out child-rearing responsibilities. Objective. Conduct a meta-analysis of family social support studies to evaluate the associations between informal and formal family social support and parent and family general health, depression, stress, and well- being. Method. Studies that used the Family Support Scale to measure informal and formal family support which included one or more scales measuring parents’ and other primary caregivers’ health and well-being were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The correlations between measures were used as the sizes of effect for the relationships between informal and formal family social support and four different health-related outcomes. Twenty-three studies including 26 independent samples of study participants (N = 2929) were included in the meta-analysis. Results. Informal family social support was related to all four outcome measures and formal family social support was related to 3 of the 4 outcome measures. The sizes of effect for the associations between measures were larger for informal compared to formal family social support. The relationships between both types of family social support and the outcome measures were also moderated by several child and parent background variables. Conclusion. Results showed that both informal and formal family social support were related to less negative and more positive parent and family psychological health and well-being

Developing Evidence-Informed Early Childhood Intervention E-Learning Lessons, Performance Checklists and Practice Guides

The foundations for the content, design, and preparation of early childhood intervention e-learning lessons, performance checklists, and practice guides are described. Methods and procedures described in the microlearning, professional development, early childhood intervention, expert performance, and product design literatures were used to develop an integrated framework for guiding product development. The framework includes six components based on research findings about the relationships between the integrated framework methods and procedures and how the confluence of research evidence informed the development of evidence-informed early childhood intervention products. The use of the framework is described and illustrated for two sets of e-learning lessons, performance checklists, and practice guides

Review of the effects of technical assistance on program, organization and system change

Findings from a synthesis of technical assistance models and frameworks were used to code the use of 25 core elements of technical assistance in studies and evaluations of implementation interventions to affect program, organization, and systems change. The 25 core elements were group into five components: preparation for the provision of technical assistance, development of a technical assistance plan, implementation of technical assistance, evaluation of the effects of technical assistance, and sustainability of technical assistance-facilitated changes. Results indicated that a subset of 11 core elements was related to between groups and between condition differences in the sizes of effect for program, organization, and systems changes. Results also showed that more intensive technical assistance was associated with larger sizes of effects compared to less intensive technical assistance and that particular combinations of practices were associated with the largest sizes of effect