Dyadic adjustment and parenting stress in internationally adoptive mothers and fathers: the mediating role of adult attachment dimensions.

Previous research has shown that a positive marital functioning represents a resource in adoptive families, leading to a decrease in parenting stress, but little is known about the factors mediating such a relationship. This study aimed to explore whether adult attachment avoidance and anxiety mediate the effect of dyadic functioning on parenting stress in 90 internationally adoptive couples (mothers and fathers) who had adopted a child (aged 3–10 years) in the last 36 months. Participants completed self-report measures of dyadic adjustment, adult attachment, and parenting stress. A series of path analyses supported the mediation hypothesis, but differentially for mothers and fathers. Among mothers, there was a direct and negative relationship between dyadic adjustment and parenting stress. In addition, a better dyadic adjustment was related to lower levels of attachment anxiety, which in turn were associated with less parenting stress. Among fathers, increased dyadic adjustment was related to lower levels of attachment avoidance, which in turn were associated with reduced parenting stress. These findings suggest the importance of including both mothers and fathers in adoption research. Adoptive parents could benefit from specific interventions aimed at reducing attachment avoidance and anxiety by supporting parental sense of competence and involvement for mothers and fathers, respectively

Mental Health among Former Child Soldiers and Never-Abducted Children in Northern Uganda

The present study aimed to evaluate posttraumatic stress symptoms, psychological distress, and emotional and behavioral problems in former Ugandan child soldiers in comparison with civilian children living in the same conflict setting. Participants included 133 former child soldiers and 101 never-abducted children in northern Uganda, who were interviewed about exposure to traumatic war-related experiences, posttraumatic stress symptoms, psychological distress, and emotional and behavioral problems. Results indicated that former child soldiers had experienced significantly more war-related traumatic events than nonabducted children, with 39.3% of girls having been forced to engage in sexual contact. Total scores on measures of PTSD symptoms, psychological distress, and emotional and behavioral problems were significantly higher among child soldiers compared to their never-abducted peers. Girls reported significantly more emotional and behavioral difficulties than boys. In never-abducted children, more mental health problems were associated with experiencing physical harm, witnessing the killings of other people, and being forced to engage in sexual contact

Parents’ concepts of the successful school child in seven Western cultures

Although children’s school success is a parental goal in most cultures, there is wide cultural variation in the qualities that parents most wish their children to develop for that purpose. A questionnaire contained forty-one child qualities was administered to 757 parents in seven cultural communities in Australia, Italy, theNetherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and theUnited States. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted separately within each sample and results revealed both similarities and differences across the seven samples. The factor structures showed considerable similarity: four domains of characteristics (Cognitive Qualities, Social Qualities, Negative temperament, and Good Characters) were identified in each sample as strongly influencing children’s success in school. However, parents differed across the seven cultural communities in the importance they attributed to these factors. The results also reveal some culturally unique patterns in parents’ concepts of the successful schoolchild; the seven samples were differentiated by distinctive associations of individual qualities around the four common domains. These results offer new insights for incorporating perspectives from other cultures into our own concepts of what qualities are most important for children’s success in school, and how educators can be cognizant of differing cultural perspectives represented by the families whose children are their students

Parental experiences of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic: differences between seven European countries and between children with and without mental health conditions

The aim of the present study was to examine parental experiences of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic in families with or without a child with a mental health condition across Europe. The study included 6720 parents recruited through schools, patient organizations and social media platforms (2002 parents with a child with a mental health condition and 4718 without) from seven European countries: The United Kingdom (n=508), Sweden (n=1436), Spain (n=1491), Belgium (n=508), the Netherlands (n=324), Germany (n=1662) and Italy (n=794). Many parents reported negative effects of homeschooling for themselves and their child, and many found homeschooling to be of poor quality, with insufficient support from schools. In most countries, contact with teachers was limited, leaving parents with primary responsibility for managing homeschooling. Parents also reported increased levels of stress, worry, social isolation, and domestic conflict. A small number of parents reported increased parental alcohol/drug use. Some differences were found between countries and some negative experiences were more common in families with a child with a mental health condition. However, differences between countries and between families with and without a mental health condition were generally small, indicating that many parents across countries reported negative experiences. Some parents also reported positive experiences of homeschooling. The adverse effects of homeschooling will likely have a long-term impact and contribute to increased inequalities. Given that school closures may be less effective than other interventions, policymakers need to carefully consider the negative consequences of homeschooling during additional waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics

Impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on mental health and future orientation among young adult asylum seekers in Italy: A mixed-methods study

The COVID-19 outbreak caused a worldwide health emergency which disproportionately affected migrants and ethnic minorities. Yet, little is known about the psychosocial effects of the pandemic among refugees and asylum seekers. This study used a convergent parallel mixed-method design to explore knowledge and opinions concerning COVID-19 and the impact of lockdown on perceived mental health and future orientation among 42 young adult asylum seekers residing in northeastern Italy. Participants took part in individual interviews comprising both qualitative and quantitative questions. Qualitative reports were analyzed using thematic content analysis, whereas descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests were computed on quantitative data. Results indicated that most participants were correctly informed about the nature, origin, and spread of COVID-19, expressed moderate or high satisfaction concerning the clarity of communication about safety measures, and followed them most of the time. Worries about family in the home country, loneliness, fear for own and loved ones' health, and concerns about delays in the asylum application were the most frequently mentioned stressful events. Psychological and physical distress significantly increased, and positive future orientation significantly decreased during the lockdown. However, participants also emphasized the usefulness of instrumental support from social workers and exhibited a resilient attitude characterized by the acceptance of uncertainty, sense of connectedness, and positive outlook. Overall, findings suggest that the current emergency may exacerbate psychological vulnerabilities of asylum seekers due to continued existential uncertainty. Thus, individual and contextual assets should be strengthened to promote psychosocial adjustment and coping resources in the context of the pandemic

Il parenting nelle famiglie migranti

In questo capitolo si discutono alcune problematiche inerenti la valutazione della genitorialità nelle famiglie migranti, che possono incidere sulla costruzione di una relazione con queste famiglie e sulla qualità delle informazioni raccolte attraverso la somministrazione di test o questionari. Tali strumenti spesso non riflettono adeguatamente le competenze e le risorse psicologiche del bambino immigrato e delle sue figure di accudimento. Le modalità di parenting nelle famiglie migranti vengono concettualizzate secondo una prospettiva ecologica che tiene conto delle molteplici influenze ai diversi livelli del contesto sociale. In questa prospettiva, le cure genitoriali sono considerate come risposte adattive alle particolari circostanze che le famiglie immigrate si trovano ad affrontare nell’incontro con un nuovo contesto socioculturale. L’acculturazione viene definita come il processo attraverso il quale si verifica l’adattamento culturale. Secondo il modello di Berry, l’esito del processo di acculturazione è determinato dalla misura in cui le famiglie immigrate e quelle autoctone ritengono importante mantenere la propria identità culturale e/o valorizzare le relazioni con altri gruppi culturali. L’autore ha descritto quattro strategie di contatto culturale: integrazione, assimilazione, separazione ed emarginazione. Vengono descritte alcune problematiche connesse all’assessment multiculturale, evidenziando l’utilità di un approccio multimetodologico e multi-informant per ridurre al minimo le potenziali fonti di distorsione; inoltre, si sottolinea l’importanza di sviluppare un’adeguata competenza culturale. Si presentano alcuni strumenti per l’assessment delle strategie di acculturazione nelle persone migranti, suddividendoli in tecniche quantitative (questionari) e qualitative (intervista, osservazione partecipante, genogramma, mappatura dei campi sociali transnazionali), e vengono discussi i principali vantaggi e limiti associati a ciascun approccio

Psicologia, cultura e sviluppo umano

Questo libro presenta un panorama aggiornato degli studi e dei metodi utili a chi intende occuparsi di tematiche culturali in psicologia e, in particolare, in psicologia dello sviluppo. Lo scopo principale \ue8 di fornire strumenti di conoscenza e tecniche di studio e rilevazione di dati per la formazione di psicologi, insegnanti, e operatori dei servizi sociali e sanitari che si trovano ad affrontare il problema dell\u2019incontro con culture diverse da quella italiana. Il libro si articola in tre parti. Nella prima vengono descritti i modelli teorici generali e i due approcci principali nel campo che ci interessa: la psicologia transculturale, o cross-culturale, e la psicologia culturale vera e propria. La seconda parte \ue8 rivolta in modo specifico a chi intende raccogliere informazioni di prima mano, poich\ue9 presenta i metodi e le tecniche di indagine pi\uf9 frequentemente usate sia in psicologia transculturale, sia in psicologia culturale. Nella terza parte vengono presentate le informazioni pi\uf9 recenti sui temi dello sviluppo cognitivo, sociale e affettivo del bambino in culture diverse