Parenting in place : The reception centre as the spatial context for laying the foundations for asylum-seeking children's healthy development

Brain architecture is shaped by early childhood experiences, which thus affect future physical and mental health. These experiences consist primarily of parenting, intertwined with environment. The mental health of migrants has received much attention in research; however, early childhood experiences and the spatiality of parenting have largely been ignored. This study examines asylum-seeking parents' perceptions of parenting their 2-6-year old children, focusing on the spatial context of the reception centre. We conducted 26 semi-structured interviews among parents in three reception centres in Finland. The results show that parenting was challenged by all three dimensions of place: location, locale and sense of place. The findings indicate that for parents, the reception centre is an essential factor interacting with parenting, enabling or impeding caregiving. These findings are discussed from the viewpoints of transnationalism, insufficient children's spaces and activities and lost sense of place. We urge policy-makers to improve the spatial context for parenting in reception centres by ensuring adequate children's spaces and activities, including opportunities for early learning, privacy of the family, parents' social support and possibilities for establishing everyday routines. We suggest that these improvements would have far-reaching beneficial implications for the healthy development and future mental health of asylum seeking children.Peer reviewe

The effect of the severity of parental alcohol abuse on mental and behavioural disorders in children

Many studies have shown that children of alcohol abusing parents have a higher risk for mental and behavioural disorders compared to other children. Using a retrospective population-based cohort study, based on health care and social welfare registers that include children born in Finland in 1997 and their biological parents, we evaluated whether the severity of parental alcohol abuse is related to these disorders in children. We examined (1) differences in the incidence of mental and behavioural disorders over time among the children of parents with no alcohol problems, parents with less severe alcohol problems and parents with severe alcohol problems, and (2) associations between mother’s and father’s alcohol abuse and children’s risk of disorders. Children were followed up until the age of 15. A diagnosis of mental or behavioural disorders during the follow-up was received by 15.4% of the boys and 9.0% of the girls. Both less severe alcohol abuse (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.14–1.61) and severe alcohol abuse (HR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.11–1.49) in mothers increased the risk of these disorders in their offspring. The corresponding figures among fathers were HR = 1.19, 95% CI 0.92–1.54 and HR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.02–1.32. Our results indicate that both maternal alcohol abuse and paternal alcohol abuse, regardless of severity, are associated with an increased risk of mental and behavioural disorders in children. It is crucial for professionals working with children to pay attention to all children whose parents have any alcohol abuse problems.Peer reviewe

Parent- and teacher-reported long-term effects of parent training on child conduct problems in families with child protection and other support services : a randomized controlled trial

Background: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the long-term effectiveness of the Incredible Years(R) (IY) Parenting Program in modifying children's externalizing problems among families in Child Protection Services (CPS) and using other special support services. We also examined whether parent-reported effects of the IY(R) generalize to the daycare/school setting as reported by teachers. Methods: Participants in the study were 3-7-year-old children with behavioural problems (N = 102 at baseline, N = 89 at one-year follow-up). Participants were randomized to intervention (N = 50) and control groups (N = 52) after the baseline assessment. The intervention group received 19-week IY(R) Parenting Program. The effectiveness of the intervention was analyzed using linear mixed model. Results: Our previously reported pre-post intervention effects on CBCL (Child Behavior Checklist) and ECBI (Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory) were not sustained to the one-year follow-up. Child conduct problems decreased from baseline to follow-up in both intervention and control groups. The positive changes were not observed at daycare/school from baseline to post-intervention or to the one-year follow-up, and there were no significant differences in changes between the groups. Conclusions: Evidence-based parenting program IY(R) seems to be an effective intervention for child conduct problems in the short term in families in the CPS context, but sustaining the positive effects and generalizing them to the daycare/school context are challenging.Peer reviewe