Differential effects of maternal- and paternal-adolescent attachments on friendship security and intimacy

The present study examined the differential contributions of adolescent-reported maternal and paternal attachment anxiety and avoidance on friendship security and intimacy. Participants were 776 Canadian adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 years (M = 15.18, SD = 1.58) who provided ratings of their perceived attachment avoidance and anxiety towards their mothers and fathers and responded to measures of friendship security and intimacy. Findings showed that maternal and paternal attachment avoidance and not anxiety negatively predicted friendship security. Moreover, maternal attachment avoidance was negatively associated with friendship intimacy. Multigroup analyses showed that security was negatively predicted by maternal anxious attachment for junior high school boys and girls. Additionally, paternal avoidant attachment was negatively associated with friendship intimacy for junior high school boys and girls. These findings highlight the unique effects associated with maternal and paternal attachment on specific friendship features and underscore the importance of the role of fathers in adolescence.     

The experiences of gender diverse and trans children and youth considering and initiating medical interventions in Canadian gender-affirming speciality clinics

Abstract

Background: Canadian specialty clinics offering gender-affirming care to trans and gender diverse children and youth have observed a significant increase in referrals in recent years, but there is a lack of information about the experiences of young people receiving care. Furthermore, treatment protocols governing access to gender-affirming medical interventions remain a topic of debate.

Aims: This qualitative research aims to develop a deeper understanding of experiences of trans youth seeking and receiving gender-affirming care at Canadian specialty clinics, including their goals in accessing care, feelings about care and medical interventions they have undergone, and whether they have any regrets about these interventions.

Methods: The study uses an adapted Grounded Theory methodology from social determinants of health perspective. Thirty-five trans and gender diverse young people aged 9 to 17?years were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews through the specialty clinics where they had received or were waiting for gender-affirming medical interventions such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery.

Results: Young people felt positively overall about the care they had received and the medical interventions they had undergone, with many recounting an improvement in their well-being since starting care. Most commonly shared frustrations concerned delays in accessing interventions due to clinic waiting lists or treatment protocols. Some youth described unwanted medication side-effects and others said they had questioned their transition trajectory at certain moments in the past, but none regretted their choice to undergo the interventions.

Discussion: The results suggest that trans youth and gender diverse children are benefiting from medical gender-affirming care they receive at specialty clinics, providing valuable insight into their decision-making processes in seeking care and specific interventions. Providers might consider adjusting aspects of treatment protocols (such as age restrictions, puberty stage, or mental health assessments) or applying them on a more flexible, case-by-case basis to reduce barriers to access.     

Are babies sensitive to the context of acute pain episodes? Infant distress and maternal soothing during immunization routines at 3 and 5 months of age

Ninety‐three healthy full‐term Italian infants were observed longitudinally at 3 and 5 months during routine vaccinations. Mothers' behaviour was also observed. Participants were divided into two cohorts depending on procedure of inoculation (the first cohort, n=44, showed more distress; the second cohort, n=49, showed less distress). Results indicate that babies' different levels of behavioural distress correspond to mothers' different soothing strategies. Maternal proximal soothing at 3 months predicts faster infant quieting at 5 months, but concurrent and predictive effects of maternal proximity are apparent only when level of baby distress is not too high. The study confirms the view that young babies are sensitive to the overall context of acute pain episodes, including medical procedure and maternal soothing. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emotional and behavioural problems in children dealing with maternal breast cancer: a literature review

ABSTRACT

A significant number of breast cancer survivors are living with their minor children. In this review we investigated the impact of maternal breast cancer on children. A literature search conducted through PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and CINAHL yielded 26 relevant studies, which documented a variety of effects. Evidence has been presented that dealing with maternal breast cancer can cause uncertainty, anxiety and depression in children, but may also lead to enhanced social and academic performance. The risk of problems in these children is reported to be associated with both low parental affective responsiveness and excessive parental involvement. Internalising child problems were shown to be linked with maternal depression and family dysfunction, and externalising problems with family dysfunction and communication problems. Some of these problems may be modified by interventions for supporting these families, which should be designed to include both parents and children, and also the healthcare personnel.     

“Am iz kwiin” (I’m his queen): Combining interpretative phenomenological analysis with a feminist approach to work with gems in a resource-constrained setting

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on working with gems using a feminist approach to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in a resource-constrained setting. The research explores the experiences of maternal disclosure of HIV to children of HIV positive mothers in Kingston, Jamaica. A feminist approach helps recognise power imbalances within research relationships and the women’s lived experiences. We present three “gems” which illuminate women’s lived experiences and explore how popularised representations of women’s sexuality and mothering influence disclosure discourses. We use emotion work as a conceptual resource to structure the women’s narratives and challenge existing policy discourses, which arguably represent disclosure within a binary, rationalist, decision-making framework. This article adds to global literature on maternal HIV disclosure and problematises policy discourses by bringing into relief the emotion work women engage in when deciding if and how to communicate their HIV status to their children. It adds to the body of research using IPA, particularly in resource-constrained settings where IPA has thus far had little application.