Repressive Adaptive Style Across Ethnicities

There may be significant differences in coping styles across ethnicities. Previous research has suggested disparities in the number of individuals who utilize repressive adaptive coping style among cultural groups. Repressive adaptive style is a coping mechanism in which individuals report low distress levels while they actually experience high levels of stress. Developing an enhanced understanding of the prevalence of the utilization of repressive adaptive style in different ethnic groups is important for informing intervention techniques to better account for the cultural influences on mental health. The present study investigated the utilization of repressive adaptive style across American Indian (n?=?31), African American (n?=?53), and European American (n?=?48) children in the Midwest. The age range of the children was 10 to 13 years and 50.8% were male. Dependent measures included the Children’s Social Desirability Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. Results indicated significant differences in reports of anxiety between ethnic groups. Additionally, it was discovered that African American and European American children utilized repressive adaptive style more than American Indian children, albeit not significantly. Because of the high rates of suicide and emotional distress believed to be experienced by American Indian children this result is interesting. Continued research investigating protective factors, such as high levels of cultural identity and connectedness, is warranted.     

The Role of Ethnic Socialization,Ethnic Identity and Self-Esteem: Implications for Bi-ethnic Adolescents’ School Adjustment

Bi-ethnic adolescents of marriage migrant mothers in Korea are often encouraged to be “pure” Koreans for their adjustments and not given the opportunities to explore their ethnic identity or to learn about their mother’s culture of origin. Existing studies conducted with mono-ethnic minorities in other countries, however, do not support this belief. We tested a conceptual model on the role of ethnic socialization, ethnic identity and self-esteem on school adjustment among bi-ethnic adolescents in Korea based on social identity theory and theoretical models of ethnic socialization and ethnic identity. We used data from 2015 National Survey of Multicultural Families. The study sample consisted of 296 adolescents aged 9–18 who were born between Korean fathers and Vietnamese marriage migrant mothers. We used structural equation modeling to specifically examine the association between ethnic socialization in terms of parents’ linguistic socialization and adolescents’ school adjustment mediated by ethnic identity in the form of ethnic regard and self-esteem among bi-ethnic adolescents. The results verified the hypothesized model, showing positive relationships between linguistic socialization and ethnic regard, ethnic regard and self-esteem, self-esteem and school adjustment, and ethnic regard and school adjustment. Additionally, the results of bootstrapping test showed that the indirect effect of linguistic socialization on self-esteem through ethnic regard was significant. The indirect effect of ethnic regard on school adjustment through self-esteem was significant and the indirect effect of linguistic socialization on school adjustment via ethnic regard and self-esteem was also significant. These results shed light on the important role of ethnic identity fostered at home among bi-ethnic adolescents of marriage migrant mothers in Korea.     

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Father Engagement Questionnaire

While there has been increasing interest in promoting father engagement in parenting interventions for child wellbeing, both research and practice endeavors have been hindered by a lack of a measure of father engagement practices. This paper reports the development and evaluation of a comprehensive, practitioner-report measure of father engagement practices–—the Father Engagement Questionnaire (FEQ). Practitioners (N?=?589; 84.5% females; mean age?=?38.56) involved in delivering parenting interventions in Australia completed the FEQ, along with background demographics and questions regarding their own and organization’s practice. A separate sample of 28 practitioners completed the FEQ twice, with a two-week interim, to assess test–retest stability of the measure. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors corresponding to the measure’s five intended content areas: Confidence in Working with Fathers, Competence in Using Engagement Strategies, Perceived Effectiveness of Engagement Strategies, Frequency of Strategy Use, and Organizational Practices for Father Engagement. Each of these scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability and test–retest stability. As the five scales appear to be related but distinct, it is recommended that the FEQ is used as a multidimensional measure of father engagement. In terms of predictive validity, higher scores on the Confidence in Working with Fathers, Frequency of Strategy Use, and Organizational Practices for Father Engagement scales were associated with a higher likelihood of practitioner-reported father attendance. The results provide support for adequate psychometric properties of the FEQ as a research and clinical tool for assessing and monitoring father engagement practices.     

Lonely Adolescents and Their Best Friend: An Examination of Loneliness and Friendship Quality in Best Friendship Dyads

Friendship experiences have been shown to be important predictors of adolescents’ loneliness. The current study examined selection and socialization effects of loneliness within reciprocal best friendships, while controlling for friendship quality. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 884 adolescents (42.08% boys), making up 442 dyads, who were on average 13.51 years old (SD?=?1.37). Adolescents completed the peer-related loneliness subscale of the Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents as well as the Friendship Qualities Scale. A longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model, which accounts for the interdependencies in the data of best friends, suggested the presence of a selection effect for loneliness but no socialization effect. This finding within best friendships contrasts with studies on friendship networks where both selection and socialization were established.     

Veterans’ Offspring’s Personality Traits and the Intergenerational Transmission of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Following war and war captivity, many combat veterans and former prisoners of war (ex-POWs) may suffer from posttraumatic psychopathologies, and these may be transmitted to their offspring. Though there are considerable individual differences between offspring in this respect, the mechanisms underlying such differences remain unclear. The current longitudinal study examined the role that veterans’ offspring’s Big Five personality traits may play within this intergenerational transmission. One hundred and twenty-three dyads consisting of veterans (79 ex-POWs and 44 combat veterans) and their adult offspring were examined. Fathers’ posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and global psychiatric distress (GD) were assessed 30 and 35 years after the war, and offspring’s PTSS, GD, and Big Five personality traits were assessed 40 years after the war. Findings indicate that veterans’ psychopathologies were associated with those of their offspring. Furthermore, analyses revealed significant positive associations between offspring’s psychopathologies and their Neuroticism, and negative associations with their Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Finally, a mediation effect was found wherein the fathers’ PTSS and GD were related to their offspring’s Neuroticism levels, and the offspring’s Neuroticism was related to their PTSS and GD levels. These findings suggest that offspring’s personality traits may indeed play a role in the transmission of posttraumatic psychopathologies from veterans to their offspring, and may explain individual differences in this respect. Specifically, high levels of Neuroticism may place offspring at risk for secondary traumatization. Possible explanations and limitations are discussed, and future research directions are suggested.     

The Feasibility,Appropriateness, Meaningfulness,and Effectiveness of Parenting and Family Support Programs Delivered in the Criminal Justice System: A Systematic Review

Children whose parents are involved in the criminal justice system (CJS) are at increased risk of developing social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties and are more likely than their peers to become involved in the CJS themselves. Parenting behaviour and parent-child relationships have the potential to affect children’s outcomes with positive parenting practices having the potential to moderate some of the negative outcomes associated with parental involvement in the CJS. However, many parents in the CJS may lack appropriate role models to support the development of positive parenting beliefs and practices. Parenting programs offer an opportunity for parents to enhance their parenting knowledge and behaviours and improve relationships with children. Quantitative and qualitative evidence pertaining to the implementation and effectiveness of parenting programs delivered in the CJS was included. Five databases were searched and a total of 1145 articles were identified of which 29 met the review inclusion criteria. Overall, programs were found to significantly improve parenting attitudes; however, evidence of wider effects is limited. Additionally, the findings indicate that parenting programs can be meaningful for parents. Despite this, a number of challenges for implementation were found including the transient nature of the prison population and a lack of parent-child contact. Based on these findings, recommendations for the future development and delivery of programs are discussed.     

Pediatric and Adult Recommendations Vary for Sibling Testing in Cystic Fibrosis

Four to 5 % of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are diagnosed as adults and often have subtler symptoms. Their siblings are at genetic risk to also have a subtler disease state. Diagnostic testing is recommended for siblings of newly diagnosed infants, but recommendations are less clear for later diagnoses. This study explored sibling testing recommendations in pediatric and adult practice using a survey that was emailed to CF clinicians. There were 58 respondents. Results revealed that 82.5% of pediatric and 36.4% of adult care respondents reported always recommending diagnostic testing for siblings of a newly diagnosed patient. In adult care, another 33.3% reported recommending diagnostic testing if the sibling has symptoms. In pediatric care, whether the sibling had newborn screening was most influential. Most pediatric respondents prefer the sweat chloride test, while 40% in adult practice prefer familial mutation analysis. Perceived barriers included cost, insurance coverage and logistical concerns in both settings, parental emotional state in pediatrics, and concern making recommendations for someone who is not the patient in adult care. Genetic counselors may be able to meet familial needs in CF care, including sibling testing. Many newly diagnosed patients/families do not see a genetic counselor, especially in adult care. These data reveal opportunities for practice guidelines and standardization.     

A Two-Phase Approach to Developing SNAP: an iPhone Application to Support Appointment Scheduling and Management for Women with a <Emphasis Type="Italic">BRCA</Emphasis> Mutation

Professional organizations provide surveillance guidelines for BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA) carriers with intact breasts and/or ovaries to facilitate early cancer detection. However, literature indicates adherence to surveillance guidelines is inconsistent at best. Using the Messaging Model for Health Communication Campaigns framework, we undertook a two-phase formative research approach to develop an intervention to promote adherence to surveillance guidelines. Discussion groups identified preferred intervention format and function in phase I. Findings indicated carriers desired a phone application (app) to assist with surveillance management and appointment tracking. Thus, an iPhone app for carriers to track appointments based on published surveillance guidelines was developed. In phase II, we obtained feedback from BRCA carriers via a survey during a prototype demonstration at a regional conference. Participants in phase II wanted reminder capabilities and the ability to add and modify information fields. This feedback informed intervention modifications, resulting in the Scheduling Necessary Advised Procedures (SNAP) iPhone app currently being pilot tested by BRCA carriers throughout the USA.     

Health Survey of Adults with Neurofibromatosis 1 Compared to Population Study Controls

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic, autosomal dominant multi-organ disease characterized by susceptibility to tumor formation, changes in skin pigmentation, skeletal abnormalities, and neuropsychological deficits. Clinical studies have shown impaired health-related quality of life (HQoL) in adults with NF1. However, little is known about HQoL in non-clinical NF1 samples. We conducted a cross-sectional self-report survey of 142 persons with NF1 (M age?=?50.3 years, SD?=?12.0, range 32 to 80; 62.0% females) recruited from non-clinical settings. Several HQoL domains, including life satisfaction, mental health, sleep, pain, gastrointestinal problems, oral health, and social support, were compared between the NF1 sample and 46,293 controls from the HUNT3 population study. We also examined gender differences within the NF1 sample and predictors of HQoL. Compared to controls, the NF1 sample reported significantly poorer life satisfaction, mental health, sleep, and oral health, and more pain, gastrointestinal problems, comorbid diseases, and memory problems. Several HQoL domains were significantly correlated. Mental health was the only unique significant predictor of overall life satisfaction. Women with NF1 reported significantly more mental health, sleep, and pain problems than men with NF1. Mental health assessment and management should be integrated into clinical care of persons with NF1 to potentially improve their HQoL.