Effects of massage intervention on discharged premature infants’ weight,parental stress,and parent–child attachment: A randomized controlled trial

Infant massage enhances the growth and development of premature infants and promotes parent–child bonding. However, its effects on parental stress and parent–child attachment in premature infants, as well as gender differences thereof, remain unclear. In this randomized controlled trial, we used a repeated-measures design and included 61 premature infants (mean gestational age: 35.1 ± 1.5 weeks). Weight, parental stress, and parent–child attachment were measured at multiple time points: before massage and 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after commencing infant massage. The results revealed that the massage group infants had significantly higher weight gain than the control (no massage) group infants at all four time points. Moreover, parents in the massage group reported notably lower levels of stress than those in the control group, particularly in the parental distress and difficult children subscales. No significant between-group differences were observed in parent–child attachment. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between fathers and mothers in parental stress and parent–child attachment. However, fathers reported higher levels of distress than mothers at 4 and 12 weeks. In conclusion, infant massage led to increased infant weight and reduced parental stress over time, and differences between fathers and mothers were not significant, except fathers exhibiting higher levels of distress than mothers over time. Healthcare professionals should educate and support parents on infant massage before discharge of premature infants.     

To identify and limit the risks of neglect in orphaned students: Can France manage it?

Orphans' needs are barely identified, barely acknowledged, and barely treated notably in France. Yet, parental loss might generate specific needs associated with cognitive, relational/behavioral, and emotional difficulties. In turn, such difficulties are likely to give rise to lower academic achievement. In this theoretical paper, we argue that, due to the detrimental impact of parental loss on academic achievement, orphaned students should be considered as students with special educational needs. This is important to provide appropriate educational responses consistent with inclusive education. The present paper aims to identify different specific needs of orphaned children, as a way to limit neglect of orphans. We discuss various ways to reduce the risks of neglecting orphans in French schools by using Bronfenbrenner's ecological development model and propose avenues for relevant pedagogical responses.     

Parental divorce: long-term effects on mental health, family relations and adult sexual behavior

Specific long term effects of parental divorce were examined in a sample of 179 Icelanders, 20 to 30 years of age. The participants answered the Borromean Family Index, the Affect Balance Scale and a number of questions on sexual behavior and attitudes towards marriage and divorce. Results showed that compared to adults whose parents remained married, those of divorced parents reported more negative emotional experiences at the time of the study and had looser family ties. They also had greater number of short love affairs, had their first love affair at a younger age, had a greater number of sexual partners, and were younger at the time of their first sexual intercourse than adults whose parents remained married.     

情绪智力的代际传递：有调节的中介模型

为考察父母情绪智力对青少年情绪智力的代际传递效应,同时探讨情感温暖的中介作用以及同伴关系的调节作用,对644名初中生及其父母进行调查,由父母报告自身情绪智力水平,青少年报告父母情感温暖、同伴关系以及自身情绪智力水平。结果发现：（1）父母情绪智力显著正向影响子女情绪智力。（2）父母情感温暖在父母情绪智力与子女情绪智力之间中介效应显著。（3）同伴关系在父母情感温暖影响子女情绪智力的路径中起显著调节作用。     

Disentangling the Relations Between Different Components of Family Socioeconomic Status and Chinese Preschoolers’ School Readiness

Family socioeconomic status (SES) has been frequently linked to children’s early development. Treating SES as an aggregated variable has many issues, as different components of SES may relate to child outcomes through divergent mechanisms. The purpose of the study was to examine whether parents’ engagement in home learning activities and children’s participation in extracurricular activities (EAs) would function as pathways through which individual SES components related to children’s school readiness. A total of 588 families with preschool‐aged children were recruited from Guangdong province in China. Children’s receptive vocabulary, Chinese reading, and early math skills were individually assessed at three time points, and children’s social skills were rated by parents. Parents reported their engagement in home learning activities with children and their children’s participation in EAs. The results showed that all three components of family SES were related to multiple aspects of children’s school readiness, but through different pathways. Parental income was related to children’s school readiness through EA participation only; parental education and occupational status were associated with school readiness via both parental engagement and child EA participation. The findings suggest that considering SES components separately will produce a more nuanced understanding of the divergent pathways through which family SES may relate to children’s school readiness. Chinese government may provide parent education programs focused on cognitive stimulation for low‐SES families to promote children’s school readiness. Furthermore, the government needs to ensure children’s equal access to EAs to prevent increasing the developmental gap among children from discrepant socioeconomic backgrounds.     

“凭感觉”的热情与能力：社会认知内容的生理线索

热情与能力是解析社会认知的普适性框架,同现实情境中诸多要素存在着关联。与众多明显带有社会属性的要素相比,源自面孔或者颜色的视觉、声音的听觉、身体姿态的动觉、温度变化的肤觉等生理线索,也可以跟热情与能力的社会知觉产生关联,这个过程可能基于生理–社会的知觉联结假设或者知觉启动假设而发生。以生理–社会的知觉关系为切入点,热情与能力更能发挥解析具体情境的灵活性。侧重典型生理线索的挖掘、建立生理线索同热情与能力的组态关系,以及这种关系对社会性偏向的影响,将有助于推进热情与能力融入更为广泛的社会应用之中。     

Neuroticism and attachment insecurity as predictors of bereavement outcome

Adult attachment dimensions as well as the personality trait neuroticism have been shown to be related to psychological adjustment after bereavement. No investigations so far have studied the relative contribution of these constructs to grief and depression. In our study of 219 bereaved parents, the two adult attachment dimensions, attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, were compared to the personality trait neuroticism in predicting psychological adjustment. The attachment dimensions explained a unique part over and above neuroticism, but contrary to expectations, neuroticism explained more variance than attachment dimensions. Implications are discussed.     

Parental Dysphoria and Children’s Adjustment: Marital Conflict Styles,Children’s Emotional Security,and Parenting as Mediators of Risk

Dimensions of martial conflict, children's emotional security regarding interparental conflict, and parenting style were examined as mediators between parental dysphoria and child adjustment. A community sample of 262 children, ages 8–16, participated with their parents. Behavioral observations were made of parents’ interactions during marital conflict resolution tasks, which children later observed to assess their emotional security. Questionnaires assessed parents’ dysphoria, parenting, and children's adjustment. Structural equation modeling indicated that parental dysphoria was linked with child adjustment through specific and distinct mediating family processes, including marital conflict and parenting. Children's emotional security in the context of particular marital conflict styles also mediated relations between parental dysphoria and child adjustment problems, with similar pathways found for mothers and fathers. These pathways remained significant even after significant parenting contributions were considered.     

Impact of parentification on long-term outcomes among children of parents with HIV/AIDS

Stein, Riedel, and Rotheram-Borus reported in 1999 that early parentification predicted maladaptive outcomes of more emotional distress, substance use, and conduct problems among adolescents of parents with HIV/AIDS (PWH) 6 months later. The current study assessed the adolescents ( N =213) 6 years later to assess whether there were continuing negative effects of parentification, or, rather, if there were some positive outcomes. Although the premature assumption of parental roles had negative effects in the short term, we hypothesized that such skills may have been adaptive in the long run, especially in the case of adolescents with major stressors in their lives, including dying or ill parents, impoverished environments, and family instability. We found that early parentification predicted better adaptive coping skills and less alcohol and tobacco use 6 years later. In addition, early parentification was not associated with later emotional distress and dysfunctional parenting attitudes, including expecting role reversals in their own children.     

Childhood parental warmth and heart rate variability in midlife: Implications for health

The current study investigated high‐frequency heart rate variability (HF‐HRV) as a potential mediator between childhood parental warmth and later health and mortality outcomes. Participants were 1,255 adults (56.9% female). Childhood parental warmth was reported retrospectively at mean age 46; resting HF‐HRV was measured at mean age 57; cardiovascular health and self‐evaluated health were assessed at mean ages 57 and 63, and mortality records extracted at mean age 63. Results revealed a positive association between childhood parental warmth and resting HF‐HRV, as well as associations between higher HF‐HRV and reduced risk of having a later cardiovascular health problem and of mortality by age 63. Mediation analyses revealed a small significant indirect effect of parental warmth, through HF‐HRV, on cardiovascular health.