Family education and support for families at psychosocial risk in Europe: Evidence from a survey of international experts

First published online: 11 October 2018There is overwhelming consensus among policy makers, academics, and professionals about the need to support families in their childrearing tasks. Consequently, European countries have been encouraged to develop family support interventions aimed at guaranteeing children's rights, targeting particularly those children in situations of psychosocial risk. While a certain amount of evidence exists regarding how family support is generally delivered in certain European countries, with a particular focus on parenting initiatives, this paper aims to take existing evidence one step further by providing an updated review focusing on two core components of the Council of Europe's Recommendation on Positive Parenting: families at psychosocial risk as the target population, and family education and support initiatives as the delivery format. The scope of the study was therefore broad, in both geographical and conceptual terms. An online survey was conducted with experts from 19 European countries to gather information regarding how they perceive family education and support initiatives for families at psychosocial risk. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed by computing frequencies/percentages and by following a thematic synthesis method, respectively. The results revealed both similarities and disparities as regards provider profiles, intervention characteristics, and quality standards. Practical implications are discussed, such as the need to diversify initiatives for at‐risk families in accordance with the tenets of progressive universalism, the ongoing need for an evidence‐based, pluralistic approach to programmes, and the skills and qualifications required in the family support workforce. This study constitutes a first step towards building a common family support framework at a European level, which would encompass family support and parenting policies aimed at families at psychosocial risk.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España EDU2013‐41441‐

Improving child development from family preservation services: How can we explain change in families participating in parent education and support programs?

Desde el convencimiento de que las intervenciones familiares constituyen una herramienta valiosa para promover el desarrollo infantil, están aumentando las propuestas legales e institucionales a favor de desarrollar programas de formación y apoyo familiar; es decir, propuestas de intervención psicoeducativa con padres y madres dirigidas a promover la parentalidad positiva. Entre los criterios que permiten discriminar la calidad de estos programas se encuentra el disponer de un cuerpo teórico fundamentado que explique cómo mejoran las familias gracias a la intervención. En este artículo se pretende llevar a cabo una revisión del cambio conseguido con los programas de formación y apoyo familiar desarrollados en el ámbito de la preservación familiar, es decir, en situaciones de riesgo psicosocial. Además, en este trabajo se reflexiona acerca de las implicaciones de un modelo comprehensivo de cambio y se describen las características metodológicas que deben cumplir los programas de formación y apoyo familiar en el ámbito de la preservación familiar en base a los supuestos descritosLegal and institutional proposals enhancing family education and support programs are increasing, based on relevance of family interventions in order to promote child development. This is psychoeducative interventions for parents aimed at improving positive parenting are nowadays increasing. A solid theoretical approach explaining change in families after intervention is a quality criterion for family education and support programs. In this paper a theoretical model for explaining family change in family education and support programs is presented specifically concerning family preservation services interventions, this is, concerning at-risk situations. Also consequences for program design are discussed, and methodological characteristics of family education and support programs in family preservation services following these theoretical models are described

The Human Amygdaloid Complex: Cellular Architecture and Dopaminergic Innervation

The human amygdaloid complex (AC) is associated with the perception of fear and consequent anxiety‐related behaviors, apart from other functions ranging from attention to memory and emotion. The AC is composed of several regions with specific cytoarchitectures, chemistry, and connections that encode different aspects of fear. Detailed understanding of AC cell composition is basic to determining whether cell number alterations coincide with neurological and psychiatric pathologies associated to anxiety imbalances, as well as with changes in brain functionality during aging. Here, we describe quantitative data gathered applying stereological methods to human AC tissue; the amounts of neurons, glial and endothelial cells, as well as of various interneuron subsets that populate the AC regions were noted and compared with those collected in the AC of non‐human primates and rodents. This chapter also addresses the dopaminergic innervation of the AC, which exerts a modulatory effect over the intrinsic AC network and is critical for reward‐related learning and fear conditioning. This innervation is twice as abundant in the main output nuclei as in the principal entry nuclei of the human AC, and this irregularity may indicate functional variations between these entry and output amygdaloid territories

The role of psychosocial stress on a family-based treatment for adolescents with problematic behaviors

The stressful life events experienced by adolescents with problematic behaviors, should be considered for implementing effective interventions. This study aimed to examine the adjustment of adolescents with problematic behaviors, and to assess the effectiveness of a family-based treatment, namely Scene-Based Psychodramatic Family Therapy (SB-PFT), according to different stress profiles. Ten SB-PFT sessions, over 17 trials were implemented. Stressful life events and adolescent adjustment were evaluated at pretest and posttest, for the SB-PFT participants (n = 104 adolescents) and a control group (n = 106). The adolescents were categorized into three profiles depending on the nature of the stressors: family stress profile, individual and family stress profile, and low stress profile. The individual and family stress group showed worse adjustment. Effectiveness analyses revealed improvements in SB-PFT participants’ emotional intelligence, but not in anger and hostility. Furthermore, adolescents with low and family-related stress profiles showed enhancements in parent attachment. In conclusion, interventions involving adolescents with problematic behaviors must be tailored to the stressful life events experienced. Specific treatments should be used alongside SB-PFT, when adolescents are met with individual-related stress. Nevertheless, SB-PFT seemed to promote emotional intelligence and parent attachment, particularly in adolescents with problematic behaviors that experienced only family stressors.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad EDU2013-41441-PMinisterio de Educación, Cultura y Deportes FPU Program-311

Evaluation of the Implementation of Two School-based Drug Prevention Programmes in Andalusia: Dino and Prevenir para Vivir

Este artículo presenta la evaluación de la implementación de los programas de prevención de drogodependencia Dino y Prevenir para Vivir, ampliamente utilizados en el sistema educativo andaluz. El desconocimiento por parte de la Administración educativa de las características y condiciones de la aplicación de ambos programas en Andalucía, junto a la necesidad de conocer si estos programas se ajustan a los indicadores de eficacia de este tipo de intervenciones, hacen de este estudio una interesante investigación educativa. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 250 centros educativos encargados de la implementación del programa Dino y por 192 centros del programa Prevenir para Vivir. Los participantes en el estudio completaron un cuestionario ad hoc que evaluaba las características de implementación de ambos programas así como el grado de satisfacción con los mismos. Los resultados pusieron de manifiesto que los programas estaban siendo desarrollados mayoritariamente por los profesores de los centros, quienes mostraron un nivel de satisfacción medio-alto con ellos. Según la revisión empírica realizada, podríamos decir que esta aplicación presenta aspectos tanto positivos como negativos. Como aspectos fuertes, destacan la existencia en la mayoría de los centros de una planificación coordinada previa a la realización del programa, su aplicación en horario de fácil acceso para el alumnado y el desarrollo de temas relacionados con habilidades para la vida cotidiana. Como puntos débiles, podemos señalar la falta de una evaluación previa a la implementación, la escasa formación específica de los responsables de la aplicación del programa y la baja implicación de las familias. En suma, el estudio aporta datos significativos acerca de cuáles son los aspectos de la implementación de los programas Dino y Prevenir para Vivir que deben ser promovidos por parte de la Administración pública o de los propios centros educativos para mejorar su eficacia.This article focuses on the evaluation of two school-based drug prevention programs, Dino and Prevenir para Vivir, both of which are widely applied in Andalusian schools. The scientific interest of this study may be traced to (1) the need to find indicators of the effectiveness of these programmes and (2) the lack of information about the application conditions and application characteristics of both Andalusian programmes. The study sample consisted of 250 schools running the Dino programme and 192 schools applying the Prevenir para Vivir programme. Study participants filled in an ad hoc questionnaire assessing different characteristics of programme application and their degree of satisfaction with the programmes. The results showed that the programmes were applied primarily by teachers, who reported a high-to-middle satisfaction level. In the light of empirical review, implementation presented both positive and negative aspects. The strengths were that, in most schools, there was coordinated planning prior to programme application, the programmes were applied at times when students had easy access and contents related to daily life skills were included. The weaknesses, on the other hand, were a lack of process evaluation before implementation, a lack of specific training for the people in charge of programme implementation and low family involvement during programme application. To summarize, this study provides important data about the specific aspects of implementation that government agencies or schools themselves could address to improve the effectiveness of Dino and Prevenir para Vivir

Adult learning processes in non-formal education contexts

La compresión de los procesos de aprendizaje durante la adultez requiere considerar tanto el contexto de aprendizaje como las características personales de los aprendices. En este marco, el estudio que se describe en este artículo explora los procesos de aprendizaje adulto en contextos no formales siguiendo el modelo de Kolb (1984), a la vez que se analiza su variabilidad en función de diferentes características personales de los participantes. Los resultados obtenidos confirmaron la existencia de una importante variabilidad en las formas de aprender de los adultos participantes en la investigación, y mostraron que algunas características personales como las condiciones socio-laborales y la trayectoria personal de riesgo guardaban relación con las diferencias observadas. El papel de estas características personales, así como de otras variables relacionadas con los adultos como aprendices, es discutido, a la vez que se destacan importantes implicaciones metodológicas a tener en cuenta cuando se planifican experiencias educativas no formales con personas adultas.It is necessary to evaluate the learning conte xt and individual characteristics of learners to understand the adult learning process. In this study , adult learning processes at non-formal situations according to Kolb ́s model (1984) are described, considering its variability according to individual characteristics. Variability in adult learning processes was found, with socio -laboral conditions and risk trajectories playing a relevant role. These results are discussed, and methodological implications for planning adult learning experiences are highlighted

Participación y dinámica socio-política de género en los municipios españoles

En esta ponencia se presentan algunos resultados del proyecto “Género, Participación y Sistemas Locales de Bienestar” financiado por el Instituto de la Mujer en convocatoria pública, dentro del Plan Nacional de I+D+I (2006).Más concretamente, nos centraremos en el análisis comparado de casos llevado a cabo entre asociaciones de mujeres y una muestra representativa del resto de asociaciones en 5 municipios españoles. A través de los resultados de una encuesta realizada a las asociaciones y de entrevistas en profundidad a representantes y responsables locales, se analiza el papel del movimiento de mujeres en los sistemas locales de bienestar, y en particular el de las organizaciones de mujeres en la canalización de la demanda de servicios con dimensión de género

Effectiveness of structural-strategic family therapy in the treatment of adolescents with mental health problems and their families

Mental health problems during adolescence constitute a major public health concern today for both families and stakeholders. Accordingly, different family-based interventions have emerged as an effective treatment for adolescents with certain disorders. Specifically, there is evidence of the effectiveness of concrete approaches of systemic family therapy on the symptoms of adolescents and family functioning in general. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of other relevant approaches, such as structural and strategic family therapy, incorporating parent–child or parental dyadic measurement. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a structural–strategic family therapy with adolescents involved in mental health services and their families. For this purpose, 41 parents and adolescents who participated in this treatment were interviewed at pre-test and post-test, providing information on adolescent behavior problems, parental sense of competence, parental practices, parenting alliance, and family functioning. Regardless of participants’ gender, adolescents exhibited fewer internalizing and externalizing problems after the treatment. Parents reported higher family cohesion, higher satisfaction and perceived efficacy as a parent, and healthier parental practices (less authoritarian and permissive practices, as well as more authoritative ones). An interaction effect between parenting alliance and gender was found, with more favorable results for the mothers. In conclusion, this paper provides evidence of the usefulness of structural–strategic family therapy for improving family, dyadic, and individual facets in families with adolescents exhibiting mental health problems

Factorial structure of PSOC (Parental Sense of Competence) scale with a sample of mothers from family preservation services

En este artículo se examina la estructura factorial de la escala Parental Sense of Competence (PSOC, Johnston & Mash, 1989) con una muestra de madres usuarias de dispositivos públicos de protección social por razones de preservación familiar. Los resultados confirman parcialmente la estructura original en dos subescalas, pero ponen de manifiesto la conveniencia, con este tipo de población, de realizar algunas adaptaciones. En concreto, en este trabajo proponemos una versión reducida de 10 ítems con dos subescalas: la percepción de eficacia como progenitor y la controlabilidad en la tarea educativa.Factorial structure of the Parental Sense of Competence scale (PSOC, Johnston & Mash, 1989) is examined in this article, with a sample of mothers from family preservation services. Data analyses confirm the original two-subscale structure, but also suggest some adaptations with this population. Specifically, a 10-item shorter version is proposed in this paper, composed of efficacy and controllability subscales concerning competence as a parent

The DSM-5 Limited Prosocial Emotions subtype of Conduct Disorder in incarcerated male and female juvenile delinquents

The aim of the present study was to analyze the relevance of the DSM-5's Conduct Disorder new Limited Prosocial Emotions (CD LPE) specifier in incarcerated juvenile delinquents. A sample of 201 males and 98 females from the Juvenile Detention Centers managed by the Portuguese Ministry of Justice diagnosed with Conduct Disorder (CD) was used. Results showed that male juvenile delinquents with the CD LPE specifier scored higher on callous-unemotional traits (CU), general psychopathic traits, psychopathy taxon membership, self-reported delinquency, and crime seriousness, and lower on prosocial behavior and social desirability, while female juvenile delinquents with the CD LPE specifier scored higher on callous-unemotional traits (CU) and general psychopathic traits, and lower on prosocial behavior. Significant associations for both genders were found between the CD LPE specifier and age of crime onset and first problems with the law