Family roles and routines after pediatric liver transplantation: Implications for quality of life and beyond

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93668/1/j.1399-3046.2012.01775.x.pd

Introduction to The Special Issue: Advances in Methods and Measurement in Family Psychology

This special issue presents a collection of reports that highlight recent advances in methods and measurement and also shed light on the complexity of family psychology. The importance of theory in guiding solid family science is evident throughout these reports. The reports include guides for researchers who incorporate direct observation into their research protocols and the ever-expanding field of tele-health interventions. Advanced analytic approaches are offered in the areas of grid sequence analysis, latent fixed-effects models, and the Factors of Curves Model (FOCUS). These sophisticated analytic approaches may be applied to advance systemic thinking in family psychology. The last set of articles illustrate how complex and innovative methodologies are applied to address important societal issues. Work experiences and marital relationships in African American couples address the importance of spillover effects in contemporary families. The creation of biobehavioral plasticity index has the potential to inform gene x environment contributions to family functioning. Finally, the unique methodological issues that are particularly germane to the diverse nature of stepfamilies and nonresident fathers are addressed. We hope that readers of this special issue will return to these reports as resources and examples of theory-driven methods and measurements

Critical Parenting’s Role in Asthma Severity: How Does A Child\u27s Emotional Adjustment Matter?

OBJECTIVE: Research shows that children with asthma are at risk for behavioral maladjustment, particularly internalizing symptoms (McQuaid et al., 2001), and that negative parenting behavior compromises child mental and physical health (Lim et al., 2011). However, pathways of effect are not clear. This study examined the relation between critical/harsh parenting and child asthma severity. A model was tested to assess whether children’s internalizing symptoms mediate the relation between maternal rejection/harshness and asthma severity. METHODS: 215 children with asthma (ages 5-12) and their families participated. Mothers reported child internalizing symptoms (CBCL) and functional asthma severity (CHAS); a Pediatric Pulmonologist reported lung function via spirometry results. Maternal criticism was observed in a 15-minute family activity; harsh/critical behavior was coded on a 1-5 scale. RESULTS: We conducted bootstrapping analyses, with 5000 samples, to examine the indirect effect of maternal rejection/criticism on pulmonary functioning via child internalizing symptoms, while controlling for child age, SES, and adherence, using the PROCESS SPSS Macro (Hayes, 2013). The estimate of the indirect effect between maternal rejection/criticism and objective lung functioning was supported, with a point estimate of -.03 (SE = .02; 95% CI = -.0846 to -.0007). However, the estimate of the indirect effect between maternal rejection/criticism and subjective/parent-reported lung functioning was not supported. CONCLUSION: Results support a theorized pathway, in which critical parenting indirectly affects a child’s lung functioning by increasing his/her internalizing symptoms (Wood et al., 2007). These findings only apply to objective physiological measures of asthma severity, perhaps suggesting a unique way that internalizing symptoms may impact lung functioning. Proposed psychological interventions include helping families understand connections between emotional and physical well-being, reducing critical parenting behavior, and treating child internalizing symptoms.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1004/thumbnail.jp

Where they live, how they play: Neighborhood greenness and outdoor physical activity among preschoolers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Emerging empirical evidence suggests exposure to "green" environments may encourage higher levels of physical activity among children. Few studies, however, have explored this association exclusively in pre-school aged children in the United States. We examined whether residing in neighborhoods with higher levels of greenness was associated with higher levels of outdoor physical activity among preschoolers. In addition, we also explored whether outdoor playing behaviors (e.g., active vs. quiet) were influenced by levels of neighborhood greenness independent of demographic and parental support factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Higher levels of neighborhood greenness as measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was associated with higher levels of outdoor playing time among preschool-aged children in our sample. Specifically, a one unit increase in neighborhood greenness increased a child's outdoor playing time by approximately 3 minutes. A dose-response relationship was observed between increasing levels of parental support for physical activity (e.g., time spent playing with children) and child outdoor physical activity (p < 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Consistent with previous studies, neighborhood greenness influences physical activity behavior. However, for preschoolers, parental involvement may be more critical for improving physical activity levels.</p

Longitudinal changes in home food availability across the first 3 years of life and associations with family context predictors

BackgroundThere is limited research tracking changes in home food availability during the first 3 years of life and whether the family context influences these changes.ObjectiveThis study examined changes in and predictors of home food availability across the first 3 years of life.DesignThis study utilized longitudinal data from the STRONG Kids2 birth cohort from the target child at 6 weeks to 36 months postpartum.ParticipantsMothers of 468 children were surveyed at 6 weeks, 3, 12, 24, and 36 months postpartum.MethodsHome observations were completed by trained research assistants to complete the presence of foods in the home. The primary outcomes were the availability of 10 food groups and scores from the Home Food Inventory (HFI), including dairy (regular fat), dairy (reduced fat), processed meats, other meats and non-dairy protein, savory snacks, vegetables, vegetables (no potatoes), and three obesogenic scores. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to examine changes in the HFI food groups and obesogenic scores over time. Multilevel regressions were conducted to examine whether the presence of an older sibling, entry into childcare, and mother’s return to full-time work were associated with the HFI.ResultsSignificant changes were detected for dairy (regular fat), other meats and non-dairy protein, savory snacks, vegetables, vegetables (no potatoes), and all obesogenic scores across time. A linear trend occurred for most HFI groups, however, the third obesogenic score (without milk and cheese) was highest at 3 months, declined at 12 months, and then slowly increased from 12 to 36 months years. The presence of an older sibling was a consistent predictor of the HFI groups over time. Entry into childcare was only associated with the availability of processed meats.ConclusionThe availability of food types shift as children age and their dietary needs alter. It is important to consider the whole family context such as the presence of older siblings whose dietary needs may differ from younger children. Future efforts are warranted to consider changes in food availability among diverse samples and different family structures

Transdisciplinary PhD programmes produce more high-impact publications and foster increased collaborations

Traditional doctoral programmes require students to gain in-depth knowledge in one subject area. Transdisciplinary programmes aim to foster synthesis across disciplines and focus on translating research findings into real-world solutions, helping students to develop a professional disciplinary identity that is enhanced by multidisciplinary methods and theories. Anna-Sigrid Keck, Stephanie Sloane, Janet M. Liechty, Barbara H. Fiese, and Sharon M. Donovan designed a structured doctoral programme focused on transdisciplinary research and compared students’ publication patterns to students in traditional programmes. While rates of productivity were broadly similar, citation rates were found to be higher for transdisciplinary students, as were indicators of collaboration such as co-authorship

The Evolving Family Mealtime: Findings From Focus Group Interviews With Hispanic Mothers

Background: Background: Given the protective effects of shared family mealtimes and the importance of family in the Hispanic culture, this context should be explored further to determine how it can be leveraged and optimized for interventions. Objective: Objective: This study aimed to explore contextual factors associated with family mealtimes in Mexican and Puerto Rican families. Methods: Methods: Sixty-three mothers participated in 13 focus group interviews across four states. Thematic analysis was used to analyze transcripts. Results: Results: Sixty-three mothers participated in the focus group interviews. Seven overarching themes were identified through the thematic analysis. Themes reflected who was present at the mealtime, what occurs during mealtime, the presence of television, the influence of technology during mealtime, and how mealtimes have changed since the mothers were children. Conclusions: Conclusions: Hispanic mothers may be adapting family mealtimes to fit their current situations and needs, keeping the television and other devices on during mealtimes, and making additional meals for multiple family members to appease everyone\u27s tastes. All of these are areas that can be incorporated into existing culturally-tailored obesity prevention programs to help families lead healthier lives

Burden of treatment for chronic illness: a concept analysis and review of the literature

Context Treatment burden, the burden associated with the treatment and management of chronic illness, has not yet been well articulated. Objective Using Rodgers' (1989, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 14, 330–335) method of concept analysis, this review describes the ways in which treatment burden has been conceptualized to define the concept and to develop a framework for understanding its attributes, antecedents and consequences. Methods Leading databases were searched electronically between the years 2002 and 2011. To ensure the review focused on actual observations of the concept of interest, articles that did not measure treatment burden (either qualitatively or quantitatively) were excluded. An inductive approach was used to identify themes related to the concept of treatment burden. Main results Thirty articles, identified from 1557 abstracts, were included in the review. The attributes of treatment burden include burden as a dynamic process, as a multidimensional concept, and comprising of both subjective and objective elements. Prominent predisposing factors (antecedents) include the person's age and gender, their family circumstances, possible comorbidity, high use of medications, characteristics of treatment and their relationship with their health-care provider. The most dominant consequences are poor health and well-being, non-adherence to treatment, ineffective resource use and burden on significant others. Furthermore, many of these consequences can also become antecedents, reflecting the cyclic and dynamic nature of treatment burden. Conclusion The findings underscore the need for researchers and health-care professionals to engage in collaborative discussions and make cooperative efforts to help alleviate treatment burden and tailor treatment regimens to the realities of people's daily lives