The Five Minute Speech Sample as a measure of parental Expressed Emotion in the field of disability

Abstrac

The Family Assessment Measure III (FAM III) in an Italian sample. An exploratory study

The Family Assessment Measure III (FAM III; Skinner, Steinhauer & Santa-Barbara, 1995) is one of the most widely used family assessment tool at the international level. However, research supporting its use in the Italian context is lacking. In order to help to fill this gap, the main aim of this pilot study was to explore the use of FAM III in the Italian context. The questionnaire was administered to an Italian community sample of 1572 parents together with the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995), as a measure of parental stress. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were carried out. The 7-factor model showed the best fit. Internal consistency of FAM III showed acceptable values. Analysis of variance showed significant differences for age cohorts, few differences for parental role, and no effect for child\u2019s gender. The data collected for the Italian sample were compared with available data for the American sample showing few differences. Convergent validity was assessed investigating relationships between the FAM III and PSI-SF. Correlations revealed a good association between quality of family functioning and parenting stress as referred by parents. The FAM III appears to be a reliable tool for assessing Italian family functioning in different moments of the family cycle of life

The circle of security parenting and parental conflict: a single case study

The Circle of Security Parenting (COS-P) is an early attachment based intervention that can be used with groups, dyads, and individuals. Created in the USA and now used in many countries, COS-P is a visually based approach that demonstrates its central principles through videos of parent/child interactions. The core purpose of the COS-P is to provide an opportunity for caregivers to reflect on their child’s needs and on the challenges each parent faces in meeting those needs. Even though there is a wide range of clinical settings in which child/parent attachment is an important component of assessment there is limited empirical data on when and how attachment based interventions are appropriate for specific clinical profiles and contexts. The aim of this paper is to present a clinical application of COS-P in order to explore and reflect on some specific therapeutic tasks where it works and on some clinical indicators and contexts appropriate for its application. A single case study of a father, “M.” (43 years old) in conflict for the custody of his 5 years old daughter is reported. The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP), the Parenting Stress Index, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Parental Alliance Measure, were administered pre- and post-intervention. The clinical significance analysis method revealed that numerous changes occurred in the father. The AAP showed improvements in the level of agency of self. M. made gains in his capacity to use internal resources and to increase his agency of self. M. was classified as recovered in his perception of the child’s functioning and as improved in his parenting stress and parenting alliance with the mother. Considerations on specific contexts and clinical indicators for the application of COS-P are proposed

The FMSS as a measure of parental EE in the field of disability

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of research literature that has assessed Expressed Emotion (EE) with the Five Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) in parents of children with intellectual disabilities (ID). Very little attention has been paid to the parenting relationship in families in which a member has cognitive disabilities. The research that has been carried out has investigated interactive features by means of comparing groups of children with typical development and sample groups of at-risk and disturbed children. Specifically, the literature on Expressed Emotion in parents of children with intellectual disabilities is sparse. A study ofPsycINFO found eleven articles about EE in families of adults or childrenwith cognitive disabilities. In these studies, EE was measured by usingthe CFI or the FMSS

Effects of a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention for obesity on mental and physical components of quality of life: the mediatory role of depression

Summary. The current study investigates the effects of a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention for obesity on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Method: In this study, 92 adults with obesity were weighed and completed the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) at the baseline and at the end of a 3-month intervention. A repeated measures ANOVA, a series of hierarchical regressions and the statistical mediation analysis of Baron and Kenny were conducted. Results: a) Over 3 months, changes in weight and the mental and physical scales of the SF-36 and depression were all significant. b) The results indicate a significant mediation of changes in depression scores for the association between weight loss and enhancement on the General Health scale of the SF-36. Conclusion: Improvements to HRQoL from a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention seem to affect both the physical and mental components of the SF-36 score and to reduce depression, contributing to enhanced self-perceptions of well-being

The role of both parents’ attachment pattern in understanding childhood obesity

Within the research area on the determinants of childhood obesity, a relatively new approach is the use of attachment theory to explore the mechanisms underlying children’s obesity risk, especially considered as emotion regulation strategies in parent–child relationship. Feware the empirical researches that have addressed this issue.The empirical investigations have used self-report measures to assess adult attachment. In attachment studies, the use of interview methods and/or performance-based instruments is advised to evaluate the entire range of possible adult attachment patterns and comprehensively explain the emotional strategies, correlates, and consequences of individual differences in attachment system functioning. The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which both parents’ attachment patterns serve as self-regulative mechanisms related to childhood overweight/obesity by the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) in a sample of 44 mothers and fathers of children referred for obesity. Insecure attachment was found as a risk factor both for mothers and fathers. Also unresolved/disorganization was found to play a significant role in childhood obesity. The role of father’s attachment was explored and findings suggested considering it in etiology and treatment of childhood obesity

Parental Alliance and Family Functioning in Pediatric Obesity from Both Parentsʼ Perspectives

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the maternal and paternal specific contributions on the associations between family socioeconomic status, parental anthropometric factors, parental alliance and family functioning, assessed for mothers and fathers separately, through a case-control study with families of Italian youths with and without overweight/obesity. Methods: Ninety families with children aged 11-16 years (mean [M]=13.27 years; standard deviation [SD]=1.5) participated in the study. Half of the families included children with overweight/obesity (n=45). The youths’ and parents’ BMIs were measured and the former transformed in BMI z-scores. The mothers and fathers completed the Parenting Alliance Measure (PAM)1 and the Family Assessment Measure Version III General Scale (FAM-III).2 Results: higher levels of dysfunction in the parenting and family functioning of the mothers and fathers of the overweight/obese group were found. Socioeconomic status did not contribute significantly to the prediction of overweight and obesity in youth. Both maternal and paternal BMI were positively associated with youth overweight/obesity. The degrees of parental alliance perceived by both mothers (odds ratio .805 (95% CI .717-.904) and fathers (odds ratio .896 (95% CI .815-.984) predicted child’s weight status. The perception of poor parental and familial functioning by both parents contributed to the prediction of overweight and obesity in youth (mother: odds ratio 1.060 (95% CI 1.017-1.1060); father: odds ratio 1.061 (95% CI 1.014-1.110). Conclusion: The results support a strong effect of parental and family functioning on youth’s overweight/obesity from the father’s perspective. The importance of considering also the father’s perspective is discussed