Browsing by Subject "parenting"

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Adolescent Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Parental Support, and Family Resilience
(2016-05) Bohlinger, Anna
This mixed-methods study explored parental experiences of support and family strengths when a child had engaged in nonsuicidal self-injury. Twenty parents participated in a quantitative web survey, and 5 went on to complete follow-up qualitative interviews. Parents reported adequate levels of global social support as measured by the Social Provision Scale and the Social Support Questionnaire. Specifically, they reported high levels of perceived ability to guide and nurture in their significant relationships. However, affective and instrumental support from adult peers was more difficult for these parents to perceive and access. Qualitative interviews added depth and richness to these findings; parents reported challenges in accessing support due to difficulties in finding other parents who had also had a child with similar problems. At the same time, they described many strengths in their family systems, including role flexibility, healthy boundaries, connectedness, and positive meaning-making. Implications for future research and clinical work are discussed in conclusion.
Associations Between Maternal Anxiety, Infant Attention and Amygdala Development in the First Three Years of Life
(2024-07) Lasch, Carolyn
The overarching aim of this dissertation was to better understand how socially salient information biases rapid visual orienting in infants and toddlers, and if this bias is associated with other early correlates of later anxiety diagnoses, including infant temperament, maternal anxiety, and amygdala volume. This study represents an important contribution to the literature focused on early development of attention biases and their associations with later anxiety, especially as it incorporates measures of neurodevelopment, caregiver psychopathology, and infant temperament to better understand overlapping and interacting risk factors for later-emerging anxiety. Both aims primarily utilize a sample of data from the Baby Connectome Project, taking advantage of accelerated longitudinal sampling to characterize attention orienting and amygdala development in the first three years of life. Aim 1 decomposed traditional measures of attention orienting bias into two separate measures (attention facilitation and orienting cost) to more precisely examine how socially salient stimuli such as fearful faces relate to vigilance and orienting in early development, and how visual competition may moderate these biases. Associations between early correlates of anxiety (infant temperament and maternal anxiety) and orienting biases were also examined. Findings indicated some unexpected associations, mainly reduced biases in infants with more anxious temperaments, and in infants with higher-anxiety mothers. Findings also highlighted the degree to which stimuli in “competition with” (i.e., co-presented with) fearful stimuli can moderate orienting biases for infants with and without early risk factors for attention biases and anxiety. Aim 2 examined if and how attention orienting biases (attention facilitation and orienting cost), infant temperament, and maternal anxiety were reflected in right amygdala volume development in the first three years of life. Findings revealed that infant mean reaction time (but not attention biases scores) was associated with right amygdala volumes, such that infants with slower reaction times showed more rapid amygdala volume growth. Additionally, infant and toddler temperament were associated with larger right amygdala volumes over the 0- to 3-year period. These findings highlight very early associations between temperamental risk factors for later anxiety and altered neurodevelopment in regions associated with later anxiety. Taken together, these findings suggest that early risk factors for anxiety (especially infant temperament) have early-emerging associations with biased attention orienting and atypical neurodevelopment. Future studies are needed to extend these findings by examining possible complimentary effects in the right visual hemifield, investigating attention orienting biases in later developmental periods, and further elucidating possible associations between infant attention orienting biases and amygdala resting-state functional connectivity.
Construction and Cross-Cultural Validation of Parenting Regulatory Focus Scale
(2019-08) Zhou, Xiang
Based on regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997), parenting regulatory focus (PRF) refers to the motivations – promotion based or prevention based – behind child-rearing behaviors. Across three studies, I sought to construct and cross-culturally validate a new PRF Scale that measures parenting motivations. In the initial scale validation (Study 1), a convenience sample was collected at the Minnesota State Fair (N = 856) to identify the number of factors and reduce scale items associated and to establish the preliminary psychometrics properties. In Study 2, a two-step tiered MTurk sampling was used to validate the PRF Scale with a more diverse parent sample (N = 497). I specifically tested the internal and test-rest reliability, two-factor structure, and construct validity of the PRF Scale. In Study 3, the psychometric properties of the translated PRF Scale were first demonstrated in a Chinese parent sample (N = 356). By pooling the U.S. (Study 2) and Chinese samples (Study 3), measurement invariance (i.e., configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance) was established through multi-group confirmatory factor analysis between countries. These three studies demonstrate the psychometrics of the new PRF Scale and its contribution as an effective tool to understand individual differences in parenting motivation.
The Cost of Raising Children
(St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota Extension Service, 2002) Bauer, Jean W.; Rettig, Kathryn D.
Breaks down the monthly costs associated with child rearing. Includes tables and matrices for determining your specific budget.
Enseñando a Crecer : Una Guía Para Padres
(Minneapolis, MN: Children’s Hospitals and Clinics; St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota Extension Service., 2004-06) Stoppa, Patricia
The purpose of this booklet is to educate parents on how to use discipline in a positive way while raising their children.
The Influence of Parent Alcohol Use During Adolescence on Adult Antisocial Behavior
(2023-04) Hanson, Alexandra
Antisocial behavior in adolescents and young adults is a serious and prevalent problem, making research into prevention of antisocial behavior critical. Parenting interventions have been identified as a promising avenue for intervention for antisocial behavior development. In this study, I use data from Project Alliance, a longitudinal study of families in the United States, to examine whether parent alcohol use frequency while their child is an adolescent (ages 16-17) is associated with the development of antisocial behavior into adulthood (ages 26-30). In addition, I examine whether parental monitoring behaviors and family conflict during adolescence mediate the relationship between parent alcohol use and future antisocial behavior. I also examine whether parental messaging about substance use abstinence moderates the relationship. Results indicated that above-average parent alcohol use during adolescence explains a small but significant proportion of variance in child antisocial behavior 10 years later. Neither parental monitoring nor family conflict mediated the relationship, and parental messaging about substance use abstinence did not moderate the relationship. This study presents preliminary evidence that parent alcohol use while their child is an adolescent may impact child development of antisocial behavior into adulthood.
The Intersections and Phenomenology of Heterosexual Transnational Interracial and Interethnic Couples Parenting in the United States
(2016-08) Hawkins, Blendine
Over a million people migrate and resettle in the United States every year. Subsequent to the diversification of the US population, is a rising rate in intermarriage. Juxtaposed with the increasing prevalence of intermarriage is historical restrictions and continued antipathy of such marriages and the families that they build. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological design, this study explores how heterosexual transnational interracial/interethnic couples experience their partner and parent roles as they are impacted by their racial/ethnic, national, and gender identities. Six couples were interviewed, with a total of 18 interviews; each partner separately and then together with in-depth questions about how their family and context informed their identities and roles, and how they navigated the intersections of their relationship as transnational interracial, interethnic parents and partners. Two analytical processes were conducted. Within-group analyses resulted in findings uniquely salient for each couple, and across-group analyses resulted in themes that emerged from all the couples’ narratives, and the two correlated. Despite the diversity of the couples, there were significant connections between them. The couples spoke of two intersecting processes, one internal and the other external for how they interacted and navigated their different values, each other, and other systems in their lives. The ways in which each partner constructed their identities and roles were interlocked with their partner’s identity and role construction process as well. Implications for future research and clinical recommendations and discussed.
Librarianship & Parenthood: A Balancing Act
(2018-10-11) Hoehn, Jamie; Youngbauer, Matthew; Kramer, Jacquie; Riegelman, Amy
[presentation at Minnesota Library Association Conference] The obstacles to libraries becoming “programmed to lead” may seem daunting, but some librarians have additional challenges and responsibilities that can make library work even more difficult: Families. With a focus on information, networking and support, this session will identify potential implications of combining librarianship and parenthood. The speakers will explore the concept of the “baby penalty,” career mobility, gender dynamics, self-identity and the ideal of a more inclusive workplace. In addition to a panel presentation, the session will include time for small-group discussion; come prepared to share with, and listen to, your peers. This session will be a safe place for parents to speak openly, honestly and respectfully about their experiences and the everyday realities of balancing professional and personal responsibilities.
Mindfulness and Parenting in Military Families
(2014-08) Nerenberg, Laura
With the growth of literature on mindfulness and more recently, mindful parenting, there is ample cause to suggest the importance of mindfulness in the context of parenting, along with an emerging body of evidence suggesting that mindfulness/mindful parenting may be related to parenting practices and children's functioning. However, a basic association between parent mindfulness and parenting practices has not yet been solidly established. The goal of this study was to examine the association between mindfulness and parenting practices, using a comprehensive measure of parents' mindfulness and observational measurement of parenting practices. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques were employed to address ambiguities related to conceptualization and measurement of mindfulness apparent in the field of mindfulness research, and structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques were used to assess the associations between parent mindfulness, parent internalizing psychopathology, parenting practices, and children's behavior problems. Results of this study support the hypothesis that mindfulness in parents is multidimensional and relates to certain parent and family characteristics. However, results did not support the expected associations of mindfulness in parents with parenting practices or child functioning. Nevertheless, though the current study did not reveal clear links between parents' mindfulness and parenting practices, it may serve as a useful step in refining methods for studying mindfulness in parents for future research.
Mothers with a Dual Identity: Examining Treatment Outcomes and Risk Pathways for Deployed Mothers in the ADAPT and ADAPT4U Studies
(2022-06) Cheng, Cheuk Hei
There has been growing interest in understanding the post-deployment outcomes of deployed mothers, a growing subgroup within the military population. Despite growing research on military families in the last two decades, limited research has been conducted on mothers who deploy. Prior qualitative literature has suggested elevated risk encountered by deployed mothers, due to their dual identities of being a mother and a service member, but few quantitative studies have been conducted to support the qualitative findings. Also, no research has investigated the effectiveness of parenting interventions for deployed mothers. Study 1 employed a multiple regression approach to examine intervention outcomes (observed parenting and self-reported parental efficacy) at one-year follow up of After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools/ADAPT among deployed mothers. Results showed that deployed mothers showed improvement in observed positive parenting but no significant reductions in coercive parenting and no increases in parental efficacy. Study 2 explored the deployment risk pathways, based on the Military Family Stress Model, among deployed fathers, deployed mothers, and non-deployed mothers. Using a multi-group analytical approach, deployed fathers were compared with deployed mothers, while non-deployed mothers were compared with deployed fathers. Indirect pathways from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms to child outcomes via parenting were examined and compared among groups. Results showed that risk pathways were significant among deployed fathers and non-deployed mothers, but not deployed mothers. Group differences on indirect pathways were found, indicating that deployed fathers and non-deployed mothers had higher magnitude risk pathways than deployed mothers. Post-hoc analyses identified that among deployed mothers, military sexual trauma (MST), rather than PTSD symptoms, had indirect effect on child outcomes via parental efficacy. These findings highlight the importance of examining coercive discipline in providing interventions among deployed mothers. The second study highlighted the importance of military sexual trauma in affecting post-deployment adjustment among deployed mothers.
Profiles of Parental Mental Health and Children’S Academic Coping
(2020-06) Fiat, Aria
Academic coping moderates the relationship between academic stress and children’s social, emotional, and behavioral functioning (Grant et al., 2003). Parent psychopathology affects children’s coping, but minimal research has explored the relationship between other facets of parent mental health and children’s academic coping. Moreover, most research studying the interplay between parent mental health and children’s coping has taken a variable-centered approach. This study conducted person-centered analyses to derive latent classes of parents based on how they respond and adapt to stressful life events, then examined how the classes differentially relate to children’s academic coping. Participants were 115 adults with children between the ages of 5 and 15 in the mid-western United States. Data were collected using the parent report form of the Response to Academic Stress Questionnaire (RSQ-AS; Connor-Smith et al., 2000), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1994), the Life Challenges Scale (LCS; Sullivan et al., 2019), and a single-item life satisfaction scale (MIDUS, 1995). Results of Latent Profile Analysis— using indicators of life satisfaction, stressful life events, perceived helplessness, and perceived self-efficacy—indicated that a 3-class solution provides the best fit empirically and conceptually. The automatic 3-step approach (Asparouhov & Muthén, 2013) was performed to examine socioeconomic factors related to class membership, as well as to examine the association between parent group membership and children’s responses to academic stress. Results indicate that income and education were weakly associated with parent membership in two of the groups. Further, parent group membership was significantly associated with children’s primary control coping, disengagement coping, and involuntary disengagement. This study adds to the literature on children’s coping in response to academic stress, suggesting that there are certain profiles of parents based on indicators of subjective wellbeing and perceived stress that relate to children’s functioning in school, above and beyond stressful life events. The implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.
Redefining the Word Gap from a Cumulative Risk Perspective
(2018-06) Lease-Johnson, Erin
In 1995, Betty Hart and Todd Risley published findings that young children from low-income backgrounds will hear 32 million fewer words than their more affluent peers by the time they turn four years old. Historically, this “word gap” has solely been identified as a function of socioeconomic status – or more specifically, family income. Multiple studies across a variety of developmental domains, however, have demonstrated that the accumulation of multiple risk factors in early childhood is a stronger predictor of adverse outcomes than any single predictor alone. The purpose of this study was to explore the connection between cumulative risk factors and early home language environments, particularly the rate of adult-child language interactions. The sample included 113 infants and toddlers ranging from 1 month to 44 months of age (M = 23, SD = 9.41) as well as their primary caregivers. Participants completed a demographic survey and a daylong audio recording of their home language environment using LENA technology – which automatically aggregates the total number of adult words spoken to the child (AWC) and the number of conversational turns (CT) between the child and an adult. The findings support that the accumulation of risk factors beyond income accounts for a significantly greater proportion of variance than income alone. Moreover, when combining poverty into the aggregated risk score, the greatest difference in AWC and CT scores occurs between zero and four risk factors. Implications for future directions are discussed.
Weight stigma: Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations with disordered eating and weight-related health behaviors in an ethnically/racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of adolescents and young adults
(2022-07) Hooper, Laura
This dissertation used a health equity lens to examine whether experiencing weight teasing is associated with disordered eating behaviors (DEBs), health behaviors, and weight status in an ethnically/racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of youth. It also investigated whether positive family/parenting factors are protective for DEBs in youth who experience weight stigma. 1,534 Project EAT 2010-2018 participants were surveyed as adolescents (Mage=14.4 years) and eight years later. Participants were asked about weight-stigmatizing experiences (e.g., weight teasing). Outcomes included DEBs (e.g., unhealthy weight control behaviors, chronic dieting, binge eating), health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, sleep duration, nutrition habits), and weight status. Regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and weight status. Interaction terms and stratified models assessed whether family/parenting factors buffered DEB risk in adolescents who experienced weight stigma. Experiencing weight teasing was significantly associated with higher prevalence of DEBs and high weight status, cross-sectionally during both adolescence and young adulthood, and longitudinally. Effects of weight teasing were similar across ethnic/racial and socioeconomic subgroups. Black Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and youth from low socioeconomic backgrounds had higher prevalence of weight teasing, DEBs, and high weight, when compared to their respective counterparts. There was evidence that positive family/parenting factors operate as effect modifiers in cross-sectional relationships between weight stigma and DEBs, although these factors were primarily protective for adolescents who did not experience weight stigma. Findings provide evidence that weight teasing is a risk factor for DEBs and high weight status, and that BIPOC youth and youth from low socioeconomic backgrounds are disproportionately affected by weight teasing, DEBs, and high weight status, suggesting weight-stigmatizing experiences may create barriers to health, especially for youth who are already underserved. Positive family/parenting factors did not entirely offset the effects of weight stigma on DEBs, which may reflect the strength of weight stigma as a risk factor for DEBs. Published guidelines provide recommendations for how to decrease weight stigma experienced by youth. Future research should build upon these guidelines and include qualitative, solutions-oriented methods aimed at understanding how families, healthcare providers, and policymakers can decrease weight stigma and its effects on diverse populations of youth.

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Browsing by Subject "parenting"