Somatisation and functional impairment in adolescents: longitudinal link with mothers' reactions

Adolescents' somatisation (i.e., the psychological tendency to experience and report multiple physical complaints for which no definite medical cause can be found; SOM) and functional impairment (i.e., all bothersome aftermath of somatisation; FI) were studied in relation to mothers' protection, encouraging/monitoring, and minimisation of physical functional complaints. Besides main effects, interaction effects with other child and parenting characteristics were examined. A total of 990 adolescents and their mothers filled out questionnaires when the adolescents were respectively 12-13 (T1) and 13-14 (T2) years old. At T1, there was a significant relation between mothers' higher amounts of minimisation and adolescents' higher levels of SOM. Further, the link between mothers' higher levels of T1 minimisation and adolescents' higher amounts of T1 FI was significant, but not for adolescents with high levels of depressive mood. Longitudinal analyses revealed that mothers' reactions did not significantly predict adolescents' SOM/FI, nor did adolescents' SOM/FI significantly predict mothers' reactions. Practical implications are discussed

The association between parenting behavior and somatization in adolescents explained by physiological responses in adolescents

Introduction: This study adds to the knowledge on somatization in adolescents by exploring its relation with parenting behavior and the mediating/moderating role of physiological responses in adolescents to parenting behavior. Method: Eighteen adolescents with high and 18 adolescents with low somatization scores and their mothers completed a discussion task, from which observed parenting behavior scores were derived. Skin conductance in adolescents was measured before and during the discussion. Results: For adolescents with high levels of physiological responses, unadaptive parenting was related to a higher chance of high somatization scores. For low physiologically responsive adolescents, the relation between parenting behavior and somatization was not significant. Conclusion: Parenting behavior is not univocally related to somatization in adolescents, but the association depends on physiological responses in adolescents. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The Child Protection System in the Netherlands:Characteristics, Trends and Evidence

This chapter notes the characteristics, trends, and evidence of the child protection system in the Netherlands. It also expounds on the identification and processing of reports on child maltreatment such as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and neglect. The basic principles of child protection and youth care are prevention, de-medicalization and normalization, parenting skills improvement, the safety of the child-rearing environment, and family group plans. Prevention and early intervention through parenting support, which is offered on a municipal level, have higher priority to deterring more expensive and specialized care. However, the research found that solutions for psychosocial and maltreatment issues for children and families are difficult to achieve

The ethnic identity complexity of transculturally placed foster youth in the Netherlands

This study addresses the ethnic identity of transculturally placed adolescent foster youth with ethnic minority backgrounds in The Netherlands. We conducted qualitative interviews to provide insight into the lifeworlds of twenty foster youth. We found that constructing an ethnic identity was complex for these ethnic minority foster youth. The foster youth showed ethnic identity ambivalence, and contradictory messages about ethnicity by birth parents, foster parents, peers, and strangers contributed to this process. The foster youth also sometimes distanced themselves from their ethnic minority background whereby the intersection of their ethnic minority background and the background of being a foster child could play a role. Additionally, some foster youth told stories of longing for and belonging to their ethnic minority background, especially when birth parents and foster parents cooperated in ethnic socialization. Overall, contradictory and intersecting messages provided by birth parents, foster parents, and peers influenced the extent to which they experienced their ethnic identity as complex. Therefore, future studies should be conducted to provide more insight into these processes, so foster care agencies and foster parents can be trained to fulfill a more guiding role in the ethnic identity development of transculturally placed foster youth

The ethnic identity of transracially placed foster children with an ethnic minority background:A systematic literature review

BackgroundEthnic minority foster children are frequently placed in families with ethnic majority backgrounds. In the international literature these placements are most commonly called transracial placements.AimsWith this study, we aim to obtain an encompassing view of the empirical scientific literature on how transracial placements may affect the ethnic identity of foster children.Materials and methodsTo gain insight into the ethnic identity of transracially placed foster children and the way they are ethnically socialized, we conducted a systematic literature review. We thereby followed the guidelines of the PRISMA statement.ResultsTransracially placed foster children may experience higher fluctuations in their racial/ ethnic identity over time than adolescents with a minority background in the general population. They also seem to be prone to experience disconnection from, or on the contrary, connection with the birth network; and some transracially placed foster children struggle with societal messages they receive about minority ethnicity and race. They may have an increased awareness of their minority ethnic background because of different physical appearances between themselves and the foster family. Foster parents can play a pivotal role in these processes, since culturally competent foster parents may guide foster children in their ethnic identity development by being open towards children’s cultural minority background as well as being self‐reflective regarding their own cultural values and beliefs.DiscussionThe ethnic development of transracially placed foster children seems to be influenced by intersecting mechanisms of being in foster care and having a minority ethnicity. Although the selected articles assume that foster parents impact the ethnic identities of their ethnic minority foster children, none of them measured the impact of foster parents’ skills and knowledge on foster children’ s ethnic identity development directly.ConclusionBeing transracially placed impacts the ethnic identity of foster children. Foster parents need to be cultural competent to encourage their foster children’s ethnic identity development

Home-visiting interventions for families with complex and multiple problems:A systematic review and meta-analysis of out-of-home placement and child outcomes

Children growing up in families experiencing complex and multiple problems (FECMP) are at an increased risk of developing problems in multiple areas of life. A wide array of home-visiting interventions has been developed to address the complex care needs of these families. The aim of this study is to investigate out-of-home placement rates and child outcomes of these home-visiting interventions. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted using five scientific databases (PsycInfo, ERIC, SocIndex, MedLine, & Picarta). The systematic search of these databases yielded 8,377 hits. Forty-two publications reporting on 50 studies were included in the review. A random-effects survival curve meta-analysis model was estimated for out-of-home placement and random-effects meta-analysis models were estimated for children's behavioral problems and stressful experiences. Out-of-home placement increased from 7.5% at case closure to 24.3% one year after case closure. On average there was a moderate decrease in emotional and behavioral problems (d = 0.50) and stressful experiences (d = 0.50) during intervention, but considerable problems remained after case closure. More research is needed to investigate family and service characteristics that may explain heterogeneity in outcomes. Furthermore, there is a need to adopt a broader perspective in evaluations of home-visiting services by including outcomes related to the skills, development, and wellbeing of children

The relation between parenting stress and adolescents' somatisation trajectories: a growth mixture analysis

Objective: The impact of somatisation in adolescence is substantial. Knowledge on (predictors of) individual-level development of somatisation is necessary to develop tailored treatment. The current study assessed individual-level development of somatisation by means of latent mixed modelling. Parenting stress was included as a predictor of somatisation trajectory membership and within-trajectory variation. Methods: A total of 1499 adolescents and one of their parents (mostly the mother) agreed to participate. Questionnaires were administered when the adolescents were respectively 12-13 (T1), 13-14 (T2), and 14-15 (T3) years old. Adolescents reported on their somatisation, parents on their parenting stress. Results: Four individual somatisation trajectories were found: increased, long-term low, long-term high, and decreased. Higher early parenting stress (T1) significantly predicted less favourable trajectory membership (increased and long-term high). The relation between later parenting stress (T2 and T3) and somatisation depended on trajectory membership. For adolescents in the long-term high and decreased somatisation trajectories, lower T2 and T3 parenting stress was related to higher somatisation, while for adolescents in the long-term low and increased trajectories, higher T2 and T3 parenting stress was related to higher somatisation. Conclusions: The results support a general recommendation to prevent the onset of high levels of parenting stress. In addition, for families in which high levels of parenting stress already exist, clinicians should be aware of natural fluctuations in parenting stress, its associated features (e.g., aspects of overall care, like looking for professional help) and of the consequences this might have for the adolescent