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A changing view of children, accelerated by the Convention of the Rights of the Child (UN in Convention on the rights of the child, UN Doc. A/RES/44/25, 1989, http://www..ohchr.org/english/law/pdf/crc.pdf) has shifted the landscape of child and family research over the last few decades. Once viewed with low credibility and operating outside the interpretive framework of adult researchers, the rights-bearing child is increasingly recognized not only as having the capacity but also the right to participate in research. More recently, this movement has transitioned from the direct engagement of children as research participants—now considered commonplace, although less so for those who are structurally vulnerable—to the involvement of children in research design, review, conduct, and dissemination. Yet, both practical and ethical challenges remain. While children have the right to participation, they also have the right to protection. In this commentary, we set out to: (i) lay forth epistemic, child rights, and child sociology arguments for doing research about, with and by children and youth; (ii) recount our own journey of including children and youth in research to demonstrate the unique knowledge and insights gained through these approaches; and (iii) offer lessons learned on how to engage children and youth in research, including the involvement of structurally vulnerable groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 50 years, extensive research has been published on the parent–child relationship and parenting. However, there are very few examples where young children are at the centre of attention for describing family dynamics, relationships and conflicts. This study aimed at addressing this research and knowledge gap through exploring the emotional and relational experiences of preschool children whose parents attended a universal parenting programme. Seventeen preschool children aged 3–6 were interviewed, using an emotion-focused, pictorial-based computer assisted interview method. The children's descriptions of their family relationships were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The children described negative interplay within the families in rich detail, especially experiences where conflicts with parents escalated and were left unresolved. Moments of positive family interactions were described as well, but they were heavily overshadowed by the narratives containing negative parenting. The children also described compensatory behaviours, such as looking for comfort from siblings or pets. The narratives in this study gave a unique insight into the emotional and relational domestic context of children in families seeking universally offered parenting support. Given adequate tools and support, children as young as 3 or 4 years old could provide extensive information about their lives. We urge future research examining parenting or family interventions to include the children's perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on refugee children being vulnerable to develop mental health problems, particularly post-traumatic stress. Topics include social relationships including the number of friends and quality of friendship appear to play an important protective role; and engaging host country children with the topic of refugee children's needs.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a well-established instrument for measuring social and behavioural problems among children, with good psychometric properties for older children, but less validity reports on pre-schoolers. In addition, there is a knowledge gap concerning fathers as informants. The present work is one of the few validity studies to include preschool teachers and the first on preschool children where fathers are included as separate informants. In this study, SDQs were collected from a large community sample (n = 17,752) of children aged 3-5, rated by mothers, fathers, and preschool teachers and analysed using confirmatory factor analysis. Our results revealed acceptable fit for all informant groups and measurement invariance across child gender, child age, and parental education level. Our findings suggest good construct validity of the SDQ for a non-clinical preschool population and imply that it may be used for assessing child behaviour problems from different informant perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, a total of 35,369 unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) sought asylum in Sweden. In a previous study of 208 URMs, we found that 76% screened positive for PTSD. This study aimed to (1) evaluate the indicated prevention program Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) in a community setting and describe the program’s effects on symptoms of PTSD and depression in URMs; and (2) examine participants’ experiences of the program. The study included 10 groups. Methods for evaluation included the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-8) and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale Self-report (MADRS-S) at baseline and at post-intervention. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 participating URMs to elicit their experiences. Pre- and post-measures were available for 46 participants. At baseline, 83% of the participants reported moderate or severe depression and 48% suicidal ideation or plans. Although more than half (62%) of the participants reported negative life events during the study period, both PTSD (CRIES-8) and depression (MADRS-S) symptoms decreased significantly after the intervention (p = 0.017, 95% CI − 5.55; − 0.58; and p < 0.001, 95% CI − 8.94; − 2.88, respectively). The qualitative content analysis resulted in six overall categories: social support, normalisation, valuable tools, comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness when the youth described their experiences of the program, well reflecting TRT’s program theory. Overall, results indicate that TRT, delivered in a community setting, is a promising indicated preventive intervention for URMs with PTSD symptoms. This successful evaluation should be followed up with a controlled study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate relationship satisfaction in parents of children with nocturnal enuresis and put it in context by comparisons with normative data. The secondary aim was to investigate the potential differences in feelings of incompetence in the parenting role and parental conflict among parents of children with enuresis of varying severity. Parents (n = 52) of 41 children with enuresis aged between 6 and 12 years participated. The questionnaire consisted of five components: demographic background, The Dyadic Adjustment Scale, The Swedish Parent Stress Questionnaire, The Parent Problem Checklist, and The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. Normative data was used to provide an age- and gender-stratified sample, with adequate distribution and representation of both sexes and all ages. This sample consisted 1411 parents of 1411 children aged 6-9 years. Parents of children with enuresis reported similar relationship quality as a representative sample of parents with children of the same age. The parents' report of feeling of incompetence and parental conflict were similar among children with enuresis of varying frequency. Mothers reported more problematic areas related to child rearing than fathers. This study shows that to have a child with enuresis doesn't necessarily affect the parents' feeling of competence or the quality of the intra-parental relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the authors reflect on the programme of research on refugee minors' mental health in Sweden to map trauma support onto the shifting landscape of seeking refuge in the country. Topics include the number of unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) among the asylum seekers in Sweden, the possible effects of seeking refuge during war and conflict on the mental health of the refugees, and the community intervention called teaching recovery techniques (TRT).

Triple P is a parenting program that aims to prevent behavioral, emotional, and developmental problems in children. Because Triple P is a new parenting program in Sweden, it is important to see how parents felt about the intervention. The aim of this study was to find out why parents of preschool children chose to participate in Triple P in Sweden, what they thought of the Triple P curriculum, and how the program related to their parenting philosophy in general. This is a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with seven mothers and three fathers who participated in Triple P. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analysed using Malterud's method of Systematic Text Condensation. Parents chose to participate in Triple P for several reasons: they wanted to learn more about the intervention; they had specific problems that they sought help for; or they felt encouraged to participate due to advertisements and recommendations from friends. Of the Triple P curriculum, the participants especially enjoyed the 'directed discussion' technique, the positive reinforcement sections, and the instructions on how to communicate effectively with their child by staying calm, close, and maintaining eye contact. It was important for many of the parents to feel validated and respected, and they liked having discussions with the preschool teacher rather than being told what to do. Parents in this Swedish sample generally liked and selectively used the strategies they learned from participating in Triple P, depending on how well these fit with their own parenting experiences and philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By reviewing the literature, we looked at how parental leave policies in Sweden have influenced two well-defined areas of early father involvement: participating in parental leave and at visits/activities at the Child Health Centers. Sweden has one of the most comprehensive and egalitarian parental leave policies in the world, permitting parents to take 480 days off of work, receive 80% of their pay for the first 15 months, and divide their leave however they see fit, barring that both parents receive 2 months of parental leave that is exclusive to them. Additionally, fathers are permitted to take the first ten working days off to be at home with his family. Most parents, especially mothers, use parental leave throughout their infant's first year. During the parents' time off from work, nearly all Swedish parents (95-99%) utilize the Child Health Centers between 11 and 13 times during the infant's first year of life. The Child Health Centers help to monitor a child's growth and development, provide parenting support, immunizations, health education, health screenings, and provide referral sources if the child has any special needs. However, fathers only use 22% of all parental leave days. Studies have pointed out that fathers may not use parental leave because of corporate, maternal, and financial attitudes. Despite the Child Health Centers' policy of including both parents, fathers do not utilize the Child Health Centers to the same extent as mothers. Research has shown that fathers may not use Child Health Centers as they are mainly only open during normal working hours, they are dominated by females (staff and mothers), and many conversations during the child's first year are directed towards mothers. Barriers for why father involvement is lower than mothers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]