Parenting and social capital: promoting child mental health as a community

There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that parental social capital may be beneficial for the mental wellbeing of children. While the mechanisms underlying this association may not yet be clearly established, the strong association alone presents an argument for building parental social capital as a way of preventing and/or overcoming difficulties with their children’s mental health. However, in order to encourage the building of parental social capital, an understanding of the building process and what might contribute to its formation is required. This study explores the processes involved in building social capital amongst parents attending a peer-led parenting intervention group. Participants were 14 mothers who each attended the inner city-based group for parents of children aged 2-11 years. The mothers were interviewed about their experiences of attending the parenting group, and a critical realist grounded theory approach was used to develop a framework for understanding the process of building social capital within this context. Findings suggested that the following key processes were associated with building social capital: Personal Development, Making Connections, Feeling Safe, and Overcoming Differences. Each of these processes was facilitated by aspects of the intervention, as well as participant and facilitator attributes. These findings are described in detail, followed by suggestions for future research and implications for clinical intervention

Think Piece. From the Push of Fear, to the Pull of Hope: Learning by design

One of the benefits of getting older is gaining an overview of things. Over time, you obtain a clearer standpoint from which to view trends, patterns and changes. All too quickly, you also find yourself changing, from a young advocate, passionate about environmental education and keen to learn, to one of the old guard, still committed but possibly a bit wiser about the possibilities of and barriers to change. In my study at home, and immediately visible from my desk, are shelves full of reports, books, manuals which I’ve collected over a 30-year period. I ought to throw away – sorry, recycle – more than I do, but I’ve always been a bit of an archivist. It’s fascinating to look back at what we were saying 10, 20, 30 and more years ago. And I wonder how much has really changed, and how deeply we are imbued with and seduced by the Western idea of intellectual progress, so that ‘old ideas’ must by their nature, be less relevant, less insightful than ‘new ideas’.&nbsp

The development of multisensory body representation and awareness continues to 10 years of age: evidence from the rubber hand illusion

Recent research using the “rubber hand illusion” shows that the multisensory processes underlying body representations are markedly different in children of 4 to 9 years and adults. In representing the position of their own hand in external space, children of this age rely more on the sight of the hand, and less on its proprioceptively felt position, than adults do. The current study investigated when during later childhood the balance between visual and proprioceptive inputs reaches an adult-like weighting. After inducing the rubber hand illusion in 10- to 13-year-olds, we asked participants to point, with eyes closed, to the perceived position of their hand. We found that pointing responses reached adult levels at 10 to 11 years, showing that at this age children perceive hand location using an adult-like balance of sensory cues. We conclude that the multisensory foundations of the bodily self undergo a protracted period of development through early and mid-childhood, reaching an adult state by 10 to 11 years

U.S. Radio in the 21st Century: Staying the Course in Unknown Territory

This essay examines the development of the radio industry in the United States as it makes its way into the 21st century. Issues of regulation, technology, commerce, and culture are addressed