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Participation in high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) benefits children and society. Policy recognition of this manifests through government subsidy strategies to increase ECEC access in the years immediately preceding school. Yet despite this action, many children do not receive the recommended amount. This study utilizes a mixed-methods design to investigate ECEC participation barriers and facilitators in three Australian communities. Parents and service providers completed online questionnaires (45 parents, 63 providers) and semi-structured interviews (21 parents, 16 providers). Results showed that issues related to both direct (e.g., fees) and indirect (e.g., travel) costs are particularly important barriers for families, and are well-recognized by providers. A range of factors were also considered important for facilitating participation (e.g., effective promotion of the benefits linked to high-quality play-based learning in formal settings, professional training of staff). Findings demonstrated the ecological complexity of participation. Strategies to address barriers and harness facilitators are required across multiple levels. Highlights: Participation in high-quality early childhood education benefits children. Many children do not receive the recommended dose of early childhood education. Parents and providers see various participation costs as important barriers. Providers may underestimate barriers relating to maternal role beliefs. Promotion of child benefits and staff training may facilitate participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research, in Western countries, links parental mood and parenting styles with child outcomes including emotional and behavioural adjustment. However, the effects of cultural differences, particularly between Australia and Indonesia on such linkages have not been adequately addressed in the existing literature. This cross-cultural study aims to examine the relationship between perceived parental mood, parenting styles, and child emotional and behavioural adjustment among both Australian and Indonesian parents. Using an online survey, a total of 436 parents (125 Australian and 311 Indonesian parents) with at least one typically developing child between the age of 3 and 9 years participated in this descriptive, exploratory study. Results indicated that in comparison to Australian parents, Indonesian participants reported greater anxiety symptoms, lower levels of depression, and more use of an authoritarian style in parenting. Similar patterns in the associations of observed variables were found between different cultural groups. High levels of parental stress and less use of authoritative parenting were revealed to be predictors of child emotional and behavioural problems while the authoritative parenting style was the predictor for child competencies within both cultures. This study provides evidence for the inconsistency between cultural preference in parenting style and the predicted factors for child outcomes. Highlights: This is one of the few studies that directly compares parenting across a Western (Australian) and an Asian (Indonesian) culture. Despite cultural differences, the high use of authoritative parenting and low use of authoritarian parenting styles were associated with higher child competencies in both Australia and Indonesia parenting. Indonesian parents were more likely to use authoritarian parenting than Australian parents but also reported lower levels of depressive symptomatology. This suggests a cultural difference in the association between parenting style and depressive symptoms. Parent's poor parental moods (depression and anxiety) are consistently associated with parenting styles and child adjustment within Western cultures; however, the links are less clear for Asian countries potentially due to cultural acceptance of and high use of authoritarian parenting. Culturally differences and norms play a role in parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective parenting self-regulation is purported to promote positive parent and child mental health and behavioural outcomes. This study aimed to develop and validate a brief and easy-to-administer measure of parents' perceptions of their self-regulation related to parenting. In the absence of any specific quantitative means to measure this construct, we developed a 16-item self-report scale in an Australian context for clinical and research use. The scale measures global beliefs about self-efficacy, personal agency, self-management, and self-sufficiency, thought to constitute parent self-regulation perceptions. Based on existing literature, we developed an initial 71-item scale which we subsequently tested in a representative sample of Australian parents (220 mothers, 80 fathers) recruited by random digit telephone dialling. With a strong theoretical framework, confirmatory factor analysis with adequate fit supported a final 16-item, four-factor scale as hypothesised entitled 'Me as a Parent' (MaaP). Three-month test-retest reliability was demonstrated with a subset of the sample ( n = 126). Further development of the MaaP, its potential for clinical and research use, and future assessment and validation through field-testing is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents of gender variant children currently receive conflicting information concerning how to respond to their child's gender variance. This conflict arises from divisions within the academic literature between what are referred to as either reparative or affirmative approaches to working with gender variant children. The current paper reports on a scoping study designed to understand the support experiences of Australian parents of gender variant children, together with their attitudes towards gender variance. The study was mixed methods in design, including both quantitative and qualitative information gained from 61 parents of gender variant children. The major findings of the project indicate that a formal diagnosis of gender variance appears to facilitate support towards gender variant children and their parents. The study also found conflicting experiences of contact with healthcare professionals, with some participants reporting positive and supportive experiences and others reporting negative interactions with professionals. Finally, the study found that there were gender differences in relation to parental responses, namely that fathers were less supportive of their child's gender variance. As such, the paper indicates room for improvement in relation to healthcare professionals working with gender variant children and their families, together with insight into the experiences of parents for this group of young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]