Introducing, Researching, and Disseminating the Incredible Years Programmes in Wales

A case study reviewing the establishment of the evidence-based Incredible Years programme in Wales, describing the rationale for selecting the programme, the outcomes achieved in Wales, and the influence on policy leading to a Wales-wide dissemination strategy. The UK context features a growing trend towards evidence-based anti-violence services and significant increases in funding for early intervention. Factors that contributed to the success of this project included careful selection of a programme with evidence, establishing a local evidence base for it, ensuring that information was disseminated to government and service providers, and the need to build in a sustainability plan. The biggest challenge, lack of leader time and resources to deliver the programme effectively, is explored and solutions from Wales, including leader feedback surveys and manager training days are described

Attachment, behavior problems and interventions

This paper puts forward an explanation for the frequent co-occurrence of attachment and behavior problems in children and the implications of this for interventions; presents preliminary evidence that some behaviorally based parenting programs reduce child behavior problems through two separate, but mutually reinforcing, processes—improved attachment relationships and increased parental use of behavior management techniques; and suggests next steps for the field to improve outcomes for those children who, without interventions that addresses both relationship building and behavior management, are at risk of significant long-term difficulties

Hunger in Vulnerable Families in Southeastern Europe: Associations With Mental Health and Violence

Background: Hunger can influence healthy development of children and has been shown to be associated with other determinants of child health, such as violence within the family and maternal (mental) health problems. Whilst the majority of research has been conducted in high-income countries with vulnerable populations, less is known about the circumstances in low-and-middle-income countries. This study explored the experience of hunger in vulnerable families in three Southeastern European countries, and simultaneously examined relationships with four sets of risk factors—lack of financial, mental, familial, and social resources. Methods: Families (N = 140) were recruited for a parenting intervention targeting child behavioral problems. Baseline data was collected on hunger, socioeconomic characteristics, mental health and wellbeing, family violence (i.e., child maltreatment and intimate partner violence), and social and emotional support. Univariate and multivariable risk factors of hunger were examined cross-sectionally with regression models. Results: Overall, 31% of families experienced at least one form of hunger in the last month. Worse family functioning, current intimate partner violence, and more instances of child neglect showed univariate associations with family hunger. In hierarchical analysis, five risk factors remained significantly associated with the experience of hunger: lower adult educational, literacy level, emotional support, more children in the household and higher scores on parental depression, anxiety, and stress. Conclusions: Hunger in Southeastern European families, among families with children showing elevated behavioral problems, was associated with more family violence, but specifically poorer mental health and less emotional support above and beyond socio-structural strains. Adapting parenting interventions to support the primary caregiver in getting more access to emotional support may potentially also change hunger and its association with health and violence. However, this hypothetical pathway of change needs explicit testing

Screen use: Its association with caregiver mental health, parenting, and children's ADHD symptoms

Objective: The aim was to examine the relationship between caregiver's mental health (parental psychological distress, and parenting stress), dysfunctional parenting (lax or overreactive parenting), and the screen media use in understanding attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms of children within an integrated model framework. Background: Familial factors and screen use have shown to be significantly related to ADHD in children. However, theoretical models of the role of family environment, screen use, and ADHD have rarely been tested jointly, and little is known about these associations in southeastern European middle-income countries (MICs). Method: Data from 835 primary caregivers (92% biological mother, 4% biological father, 3% grandmother or grandfather, 1% other) of children (2 to 9 years) from three MICs were analyzed using path analyses, and models were tested for generalizability across education levels and marital status using multigroup analyses. ADHD-related symptoms were assessed with a structured clinical interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents–Parent Version [MINI-KID-P]) and the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL). Results: Whereas screen use was directly associated with ADHD symptoms across measures, a significant indirect effect of lax parenting on attentional problems via screen use was found only for the CBCL parent report. The final models were tested using multigroup analyses across education levels and marital status with no significant differences. Conclusion: Investments in resource and capacity building for children's primary caregivers that target lax parenting and limiting of screen use may impact children's attentional problems across educational levels and married and nonmarried caregivers