Multidimenional Assessment Of Parenting Across Three Developmental Stages

BACKGROUND: The primary aim of the current study was to create a new measure of parenting practices, constituted by items from already established measures in order to advance the measurement of parenting practices in clinical and research settings. The current study utilized five stages designed to select only the best parenting items, establish a factor structure consisting of positive and negative dimensions of parenting, meaningfully consider child developmental stage, ensure strong psychometric properties, and provide initial evidence for the validity of the final measure. METHODS: A total of 1,790 parents (44% fathers) were recruited online through Amazon\u27s Mechanical Turk for three cohorts: Stages 1 (N = 611), 2 (N = 615), and 3 (N = 564). Each sample was equally divided by child developmental stage: Young childhood (3 to 7 years old), middle childhood (8 to 12 years old), and adolescence (13 to 17 years old). Parenting items were selected and adapted from several well-established parenting scales. Measure development followed five rigorous stages using separate samples for each set of factor analyses as advocated by methodologists. Advanced statistical methods were employed for determining final factor structure (e.g., exploratory structural equation modeling - ESEM) and reliability (omega coefficient; longitudinal ESEM), as well as providing initial support for validity (e.g., latent curve modeling - LCM). RESULTS: Through a five-stage empirical approach, the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS) was developed, successfully achieving all aims. The MAPS factor structure included both positive and negative dimensions of warmth/hostility and behavioral control that were appropriate for parents of children across the developmental span. Seven out of eight MAPS subscales demonstrated excellent reliability (above .80). LCM analyses provided initial support for the validity of all MAPS subscales. DISCUSSION: Although the stages of the current study embody an empirical approach to scale development, it also has important theoretical aspects. The factor structure of the MAPS updates prior the theoretical conceptualization of parenting practices (Schaefer, 1959) in order to inform new research and applications. Future directions are discussed

Parental perceptions of technology and technology-focused parenting: Associations with youth screen time

In the present study we propose a model linking parental perceptions of technology to technology-related parenting strategies to youth screen time, and, finally, to internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. Participants were 615 parents drawn from three community samples of families with children across three developmental stages: young childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. The model was tested at each stage with the strongest support emerging in the young childhood sample. One component of parental perceptions of technology, perceived efficacy, was related to technology-related parenting strategies across developmental stages. However, the association of these strategies to child screen time and, in turn, problem behaviors, diminished as children increased in age. Implications for intervention are considered

Coparenting Experiences in African American Families: An Examination of Single Mothers and their Nonmarital Coparents

African American youth from single mother homes continue to be overrepresented in statistics on risk behavior and delinquency, a trend that many be attributed to father-absence, socioeconomic disadvantage, and compromises in parenting more typical of single than two-parent families. Yet, this risk-focused perspective ignores a long-standing strength of the African American community, the involvement and potential protective impact of extended family members in childrearing. This study describes the experiences of 95 African American single mothers and their non-marital coparents who participated in a study of African American single mother families with an 11 to 16 year old child. Specifically, the study examines: 1) the extent to which nonmarital coparents are involved in childrearing; 2) the relative levels of risk (i.e., depression, mother-coparent conflict) and protective (i.e., parenting) associated with maternal and coparent involvement; and 3) how similarly and/or differently coparent and mother variables operate with regard to youth externalizing problems. Findings reveal that a range of family members and other adults actively participate in childrearing in African American single mother families, coparents do not differ from mothers on certain study variables (i.e., depression and mother-coparent conflict) but do for others (parenting), and coparent involvement is associated with youth adjustment in ways that are similar to our more established understanding of maternal involvement. The potential clinical implications of the findings are discussed and future research directions are highlighted

Which type of parent training works best for preschoolers with comorbid ADHD and ODD? A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing generic and specialized programs

The present study examined whether the presence of comorbid ODD differentially moderated the outcome of two Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) programs in a sample of preschoolers with ADHD: One designed specifically for ADHD (NFPP: New Forest Parenting Programme) and one designed primarily for ODD (HNC: Helping the Noncompliant Child). In a secondary analysis, 130 parents and their 3-4 year-old children diagnosed with ADHD were assigned to one of the two programs. 44.6 % of the children also met criteria for ODD. Significant interactions between treatment conditions (NFPP vs. HNC) and child ODD diagnosis (presence vs. absence) indicated that based on some parent and teacher reports, HNC was more effective with disruptive behaviors than NFPP but only when children had a comorbid diagnosis. Further, based on teacher report, NFPP was more effective with these behaviors when children had a diagnosis of only ADHD whereas HNC was equally effective across ADHD only and comorbid ODD diagnoses. Comorbidity profile did not interact with treatment program when parent or teacher reported ADHD symptoms served as the outcome. Implications for clinical interventions are discussed and directions for future work are provided

Mindfulness in Parenting and Coparenting

Mindfulness has been established as a critical psychosocial variable for the well-being of individuals; however, less is understood regarding the role of mindfulness within the family context of parents, coparents, and children. This study tested a model examining the process by which parent dispositional mindfulness relates to parenting and coparenting relationship quality through mindful parenting and coparenting. Participants were 485 parents (59.2% mothers) from three community samples of families with youth across three developmental stages: young childhood (3 – 7 yrs.; n = 164), middle childhood (8 – 12 yrs.; n = 161), and adolescence (13 – 17 yrs.; n = 160). Path analysis using maximum likelihood estimation was employed to test primary hypotheses. The proposed model demonstrated excellent fit. Findings across all three youth development stages indicated both direct effects or parent dispositional mindfulness, as well as indirect effects through mindful parenting and mindful coparenting, with parenting and coparenting relationship quality. Implications for intervention and prevention efforts are discussed

Behavioral parenting interventions for child disruptive behaviors and anxiety: What's different and what's the same

This paper reviews the role of parents in behavioral interventions with children’s disruptive and anxiety problems. The evolution of interventions for these two types of problems differs, as has the role of parents in these interventions. In contrast to the central role of parents in the conceptualization and treatment of disruptive behaviors, parents have played a more varied and less prominent role in the conceptualization and treatment of children’s anxiety. Furthermore, the literature involving parents in the treatment of children’s anxiety indicates these interventions are more efficacious than control groups but not more efficacious than intervening with the child alone. Some limited evidence emerges for parenting as a mediator in the treatment of disruptive behaviors, but not of anxiety, where the role of parenting has rarely been measured. Implications for conceptualizing the role of parents in intervention programs for youth are discussed and directions for future research are delineated (e.g., collecting long term follow-up data, examine moderators of treatment response, develop programs for comorbid diagnoses)

The role of coparents in african american single-mother families: The indirect effect of coparent identity on youth psychosocial adjustment.

The majority (67%) of African American youth live in single-parent households, a shift in the family structure that has been linked to increased risk for both internalizing and externalizing problems behaviors. Although the majority of single mothers endorse the assistance of another adult or family member in childrearing, relatively little is known about who is engaged in this non-marital coparenting role (i.e., grandmother, father/social father, aunt, and female family friend) and how it relates to coparenting quality, maternal parenting, and youth psychosocial outcomes (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems). This question, which is critical to the advancement of family-focused programming for youth in these families, is addressed in this study. The participants examined in the current study were 159 African American single-mother child dyads. Adolescents' maternal grandmothers constituted the largest proportion of coparents in the sample (37.2%), followed by the mothers' female family friends (22.5%), adolescents' maternal aunts (12.7%), and adolescents' fathers/social fathers (11%). Differences emerged among groups of coparents in support and conflict with the mother. Specifically, grandmothers, aunts, and female family friends provided significantly more instrumental support than fathers. Furthermore, grandmothers and fathers had more conflict with the mother, both generally and specifically in front of the child, than aunts or female family friends. In turn, these differences were associated directly and indirectly through maternal parenting with internalizing and externalizing problems. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed

Harnessing innovative technologies to advance children's mental health: Behavioral parent training as an example

Disruptive behaviors of childhood are among the most common reasons for referral of children to mental health professionals. Behavioral parent training (BPT) is the most efficacious intervention for these problem behaviors, yet BPT is substantially underutilized beyond university research and clinic settings. With the aim of addressing this research-to-practice gap, this article highlights the considerable, but largely unrealized, potential for technology to overcome the two most pressing challenges hindering the diffusion of BPT: (1). The dearth of BPT training and supervision opportunities for therapists who work with families of children with disruptive behaviors and; (2). The failure to engage and retain families in BPT services when services are available. To this end, this review presents a theoretical framework to guide technological innovations in BPT and highlights examples of how technology is currently being harnessed to overcome these challenges. This review also discusses recommendations for using technology as a delivery vehicle to further advance the field of BPT and the potential implications of technological innovations in BPT for other areas of children’s mental health are discussed

Incorporating Mobile Phone Technologies to Expand Evidence-Based Care

Ownership of mobile phones is on the rise, a trend in uptake that transcends age, region, race, and ethnicity, as well as income. It is precisely the emerging ubiquity of mobile phones that has sparked enthusiasm regarding their capacity to increase the reach and impact of health care, including mental health care. Community-based clinicians charged with transporting evidence-based interventions beyond research and training clinics are in turn, ideally and uniquely situated to capitalize on mobile phone uptake and functionality to bridge the efficacy to effectiveness gap. As such, this article delineates key considerations to guide these frontline clinicians in mobile phone-enhanced clinical practice, including an overview of industry data on the uptake of and evolution in the functionality of mobile phone platforms, conceptual considerations relevant to the integration of mobile phones into practice, representative empirical illustrations of mobile-phone enhanced assessment and treatment, and practical considerations relevant to ensuring the feasibility and sustainability of such an approach

Technology-Enhanced Program for Child Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Development and Pilot Randomized Control Trial

Early onset Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBDs) are overrepresented in low-income families; yet, these families are less likely to engage in Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) than other groups. This project aimed to develop and pilot test a technology-enhanced version of one evidence-based BPT program, Helping the Noncompliant Child (HNC). The aim was to increase engagement of low-income families and, in turn, child behavior outcomes, with potential cost-savings associated with greater treatment efficiency