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Copyright of Journal of Arab Studies in Education & Psychology is the property of Association of Arab Educators and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Antecedentes: En Chile, la estadística poblacional reporta 259.069 recién nacidos vivos anualmente, corregidos para el año 2001, de los cuales, 6% son prematuros. Este grupo presenta la más alta morbimortalidad neonatal, requiere prolongadas hospitalizaciones e involucra un fuerte gasto de recursos para la salud pública del país. Objetivos: Esta investigación evaluó los efectos del masaje como terapia complementaria, al tratamiento habitual de los recién nacidos prematuros del Servicio de Neonatología del Hospital San José. Método: Se realizó un ensayo clínico de casos y controles que incluyó al azar 40 niños menores de 37 semanas de edad gestacional e inferior a 1.700 g al nacer que no presentaban condiciones patológicas al momento del estudio y que fueron agrupados por peso y edad gestacional al inicio de la intervención y pareados posteriormente por edad gestacional y categoría de peso de nacimiento (pequeño, normal o grande para la edad gestacional). Los padres de los niños fueron capacitados en masaje shiatsu y lo aplicaron a sus hijos por 15 minutos, tres veces al día, seis días alternos, por dos semanas. Se registró peso de inicio y diario en ambos grupos y días de hospitalización. El análisis estadístico se realizó mediante test t de Student para datos no pareados. Resultados: Los niños masajeados aumentaron en promedio, 14 gramos diarios más que el grupo control (p=0,0001) y permanecieron 15 días menos hospitalizados (p=0,0169). Conclusión: El masaje shiatsu produce una más rápida ganancia de peso en niños prematuros. Aplicando esta técnica a niños de 1000 gal nacer se ahorraría en promedio $1.216.000 por niño, sólo por concepto de días cama de hospitalización y una potencial ganancia en el desarrollo psicomotor.Background: In Chile every year 259.069 childs were borned, 6% of them are prematures. This group has the highest neonatal mortality and morbidity, spending prolonged hospitalizations and monetary resources for the public health of Chile. Objective: This investigation looks for the effects of massage as a complementan/ therapy to the common treatment of our hospitalized prematures babies at the Neonatal Unit of San José Hospital. Method: We performed a clinic assay of cases and controls that included 40 babies under 37 weeks of gestation and less than 1700 g which had no pathologies. They were classified by weight and gestational age at the beginning of the assay and compared by weight and gestational age at the end of the study. Parents were trained in shiatsu massage and they applied it to their babies 15 minutes, 3 times per day, 6 every other days during 2 weeks. We registered the initial weight and then daily and hospitalization days in both groups. Statistical analysis was performed by test t student for data no paired. Results: The group of babies stimulated by massage, increased their weight 14 g per day in average more than the control group (p=0.0001) and spent 15 days less of hospitalization (p=0.0169). Conclusions: The shiatsu massage produces a fast gain of weight in newborns prematures babies. Applying this therapy to babies under 1000 g, we can save $1,216,000 per baby, just only for hospitalization concept and a potential gain in psychomotor development.

Copyright of Educational Policy Forum is the property of National Chi Nan University, Department of Education Policy & Administration and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: This study investigates the impact of modified constraint-induced movement therapy (m-CIMT), accompanied by occupation-based and activity analysis, on the participation of children with hemiplegia., Materials & Methods: Twenty-three participants were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received occupation-based m-CIMT (m-CIMT along with occupation-based and activity analysis), while the control group received m-CIMT without occupation-based and activity analysis. The intervention was conducted one hour per day, three days a week, for four weeks., Results: The primary outcomes revealed no significant differences between groups in promoting the participation of children with hemiplegia in the activities of daily living (ADL). However, scores were higher in the intervention group with a medium to large effect size (Canadian occupational performance measure: F(1,19)=2.14, P=0.160, η2P=0.101, Canadian occupational performance measure-satisfaction: F(1,19)=1.53, P=0.231, η2P=0.075, Goal attainment scaling: F(1,19)=5.55, P=0.029, η2P=0.226). This effect remained during the follow-up period. The secondary outcomes indicated no significant differences between groups in improving the manual ability of the children. However, scores were higher in the intervention group with a medium to large effect size (ABILHAND-Kids: F(1,19)=0.64, P=0.434, η2P=0.033, pediatric motor activity log- how long: F(1,19)=3.53, P=0.076, η2P=0.157, pediatric motor activity log- how well: F(1,19)=2.59, P=0.124, η2P=0.120). This effect was sustainable during the follow-up period., Conclusion: m-CIMT accompanied by occupation-based and activity analysis and the client-centered paradigm substantially enhances the manual ability of children with hemiplegia and their participation in the ADL., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Purpose – Most schools struggle to get busy and stressed parents to come repeatedly to the school building for events. At primary schools, especially those with pupils living in low-income communities or with many immigrants, involving parents to come at all is seen as a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to present a social ecological strategy of using the school building as a site for families to gather and for community networks to grow by building relationships between parents who have same-aged children attending that school. When families know other families, they feel more comfortable coming into the school building, and probably will return frequently. Design/methodology/approach – A large randomised controlled trial of 52 urban schools with an average of 73 per cent Latino students situated in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the USA has data to examine the impact of this strategy on parent involvement. Parents of all first-grade students (age 6 or 7) at schools assigned either to Families and Schools Together (FAST) or services-as-usual were invited to participate. At schools with the social ecological strategy universal invites were made to those in the study to attend any one of eight weekly multi-family group sessions offered after-school at the building. Trained teams were culturally representative of the families (language, ethnicity) and made up of local parents and professionals; each team hosted up to ten families in a hub for two and a half hours (83 families attended at one session). Parents were socially included, treated with respect, coached by the team to lead a family meal, singing, family crafts and games at a family table. Parent time (respite) was provided with chat-time in pairs, followed by parent-led discussion groups. Parents were coached in one to one time, “child-led” responsive play for 15 minutes. Findings – Parent involvement data showed that on average, 43.6 per cent of all first-graders’ families (an average of 44 families per school) attended at least one session; of those, who attended at least one session, 69 per cent returned for another. On average, of those families who attended at least once, the average family went four times; an average of 22 families per school attended six or more sessions. Parent graduates led monthly booster sessions open to all families. In half of the families, both fathers and mothers attended; immigrant parents attended statistically significantly more than native-born ones. In surveys, more parents in schools with FAST vs control reported attending three or more events at school. Practical implications – The FAST programme encourages the involvement of reluctant parents in school events. This benefits both children’s general well-being and academic attainment and so contributes to preventative public health strategies. Originality/value – This paper brings new perspectives to the challenges faced by educators in involving parents at school by a sociologist-led research team introducing a social worker-developed social ecological, systemic strategy to schools in low-income communities using a randomised controlled design. This novel social ecological approach has consistently and effectively engaged whole families into increased involvement in schools in 20 countries, especially in low-income communities. Headteachers consistently report increased school engagement of FAST parent graduates for years, suggesting that the early intensity builds ongoing relationships of trust and reciprocity across home, school and community. Policy makers should note that building social capital in disadvantaged communities through partnerships with parents and schools can result in decreased disparities in health, social care and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Family centres in Sweden are integrated services that reach all prospective parents and parents with children up to their sixth year, because of the co-location of the health service with the social service and the open pre-school. The personnel on the multi-professional site work together to meet the needs of the target group. The article explores a program theory focused on the open pre-schools at family centres.Method: A multi-case design is used and the sample consists of open pre-schools at six family centres. The hypothesis is based on previous research and evaluation data. It guides the data collection which is collected and analysed stepwise. Both parents and personnel are interviewed individually and in groups at each centre.Findings: The hypothesis was expanded to a program theory. The compliance of the professionals was the most significant element that explained why the open access service facilitated positive parenting. The professionals act in a compliant manner to meet the needs of the children and parents as well as in creating good conditions for social networking and learning amongst the parents. Conclusion: The compliance of the professionals in this program theory of open pre-schools at family centres can be a standard in integrated and open access services, whereas the organisation form can vary. The best way of increasing the number of integrative services is to support and encourage professionals that prefer to work in a compliant manner.

Parent involvement (PI) programs typically represent an important improvement strategy for schools serving low-income children of color. This pilot study offers an alternative to conventional PI approaches, collective parent engagement (CPE). The study relied on a post hoc, quasiexperimental design, and data were collected from 32 low-income, minority parents. Participants were assigned to two study groups: a CPE study group (n = 16) and a comparison group (n = 16). Using ordinary least squares regression, this study examined CPE treatment effects in children's standardized test scores and parents' empowerment scores. Consistent with the extant PI literature, these models yielded higher standardized test scores for children of parents in the CPE study group. Parent empowerment scores for parents involved in the CPE study group also were higher than those in the comparison group. However, in contrast to extant theory, the relationship between parent empowerment and children's test scores was generally not significant. Future research is needed on the mechanisms that underlie these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of improved survival rates and medical prospects, the emphasis in care for preterm infants has shifted in recent years to a focus on support for the wellbeing of children and their families. For the healthcare professionals the parents of these children are the main partners for improving the care of their children. In this context, referring to 'patient empowerment' implies not only the infant but also the parents, in other words 'parent empowerment'. We aimed to explore parents' experiences with hospital and aftercare for their preterm children, and the implications for parent empowerment, by organizing face-to-face (n = 4 and n = 7) and online (n = 14) focus group interviews with parents of preterm children. These focus group interviews showed that these parents indicated a lack of support and recognition of parental worries in the care for their infant during two important periods: (1) the transfer to another hospital and (2) after discharge home. These group interviews showed that parents greatly value initiatives that support and empower them in their role as parents and that strengthens their involvement in the care for their children. Requirements for enhancing parent empowerment are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents’ satisfaction with their children's school has become an important area in research, practice, and policy. Correlates of parent satisfaction were examined using an online survey. Six school districts in West Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina were randomly selected to participate in the study. Parents were asked to read the consent form and agree to participate in the study. A total of 475 completed the survey. Results suggested that the data were distributed normally. Pearson correlation tests were conducted among parent satisfaction and several independent variables, such as parent empowerment, parent involvement, school service quality, school ethical climate, school climate, parent loyalty, parent voice, and parent exit. Parent satisfaction was significantly and positively correlated with school climate, school ethical climate, school service quality, parent empowerment, and parent loyalty. Parent loyalty was significantly and negatively correlated with parent exit and parent voice. Reliability tests were conducted on all scales using Cronbach's alpha. Significant predictors of parent satisfaction in order of importance were school climate, parent loyalty, parent exit, student overall grade, school ethical climate, parent empowerment, school service quality, and student grade level. The findings have several useful implications for school leaders. School leaders need to better understand predictors of parent satisfaction by (a) implementing strategies in such areas as school climate, school ethical climate, and school service quality; and (b) providing training for parents, teachers, and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Family centres in Sweden are integrated services that reach all prospective parents and parents with children up to their sixth year, because of the co-location of the health service with the social service and the open pre-school. The personnel on the multiprofessional site work together to meet the needs of the target group. The article explores a program theory focused on the open preschools at family centres. Method: A multi-case design is used and the sample consists of open pre-schools at six family centres. The hypothesis is based on previous research and evaluation data. It guides the data collection which is collected and analysed stepwise. Both parents and personnel are interviewed individually and in groups at each centre. Findings: The hypothesis was expanded to a program theory. The compliance of the professionals was the most significant element that explained why the open access service facilitated positive parenting. The professionals act in a compliant manner to meet the needs of the children and parents as well as in creating good conditions for social networking and learning amongst the parents. Conclusion: The compliance of the professionals in this program theory of open pre-schools at family centres can be a standard in integrated and open access services, whereas the organisation form can vary. The best way of increasing the number of integrative services is to support and encourage professionals that prefer to work in a compliant manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although current literature demonstrates how parents benefit from parent empowerment programs, the development of a quantitative measure of parent empowerment has garnered limited attention in parenting research. The goal of this research was therefore to develop and validate a quantitative measure for the assessment of practitioners' attitudes and competence in parent empowerment. In the process of item generation, the qualitative findings derived from four studies in relation to the perceived outcomes and experiences in parent empowerment were synthesized in the first stage. In the second stage, a list of narratives that articulated different themes of parent empowerment was generated, which resulted in an item pool containing 28 items. In the third stage, the research team converted the 28 items into a survey instrument. In the fourth stage, a first-scale validation study was conducted to explore the factor structure of the initial 28-item questionnaire. The exploratory factor analysis on the first sample of 366 practitioners yielded a twofold factor structure with 17 items, including practitioners' attitudes in parent empowerment and practitioners' competence in parent empowerment. In the final stage, a second-scale validation study was undertaken to verify the fit of the twofold factor structure. A confirmatory factor analysis on the second sample of 170 practitioners demonstrated a good model fit. The results of reliability tests for the whole scale and two subscales also indicate satisfactory internal consistency. The Parent Empowerment via Transformative Learning Questionnaire (PETLQ) was thus developed and confirmed as a scale with sufficient factorial validity and internal consistency to be used for assessing parenting practitioners' attitudes and competence in parent empowerment and for evaluating the effectiveness of parent empowerment programs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 To, Yang, Dong, Yan, So and Chung.)

Inequality of access to educational resources by different social classes has been widely documented, and schools have instituted parent programs to ameliorate this situation. However, lacking are theoretically based studies that explain how and why a program may be effective in bringing about change. The authors studied a 12-week parent leadership program for Hispanics that provided opportunities for interaction, knowledge exchange, leadership development, trust building, and collective action—important components of social and intellectual capital. Their research shows that when parents participate in leadership development, they are empowered to effect changes that benefit their children through individual and collective actions. Some parent graduates founded organizations that continue to affect the educational system. The authors argue that the concepts of social and intellectual capital can inform parent involvement research and practice because they explain a community’s capability to engage in new forms of action. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: A pilot study using a prospective design examined the impact of a collaboratively developed training model, called the Parent Empowerment Program (PEP), for professionally-employed family peer advocates who work with caregivers of children with mental health needs. This training used a combination of didactic, practice exercises, and group discussion. It targeted specific mental health knowledge content and collaborative skills to facilitate the work of family peer advocates in empowering caregivers. Co-delivered by a family peer advocate and clinician, the training consisted of a 40-hour face-to-face training, followed by six monthly face-to-face booster sessions. A total of 15 advocates participated in assessments conducted at baseline and post-training. This group of experienced family peer advocates showed no significant increase in knowledge about mental health content, but post-training assessments indicated increased collaborative skills and mental health services self-efficacy. This initial evaluation has implications for expanding training and support for the emergent workforce of professionally-employed family peer advocates in children''s mental health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We describe the development of a parent empowerment program (PEP) using a community-based participatory research approach. In collaboration with a group of dedicated family advocates working with the Mental Health Association of New York City and state policy makers, academic researchers took an iterative approach to crafting and refining PEP to better prepare family advocates to help bridge the gaps in service access among children with emotional and behavioral problems. Despite the growth of family-led, family support programs nationally, research that demonstrates the positive benefits of such programs is scarce in the children’s mental health literature. The PEP model is based on research data about barriers families face in mental health service utilization (e.g., stigma, perceptions of providers, attitudes towards mental illness, service availability, etc.). PEP is premised on (a) the concept of empowerment as a process, (b) the need to engage parents in becoming active agents of change, and (c) the application of an integrated framework to empower parents, called the Parents as Agents of Change model. Our paper focuses on describing the application of a Unified Theory of Behavior Change as a theoretical framework to help activate parents as change agents in meeting their children’s mental health needs. Based on an integrated model of grassroots driven Principles of Parent Support and research-based Unified Theory of Behavior Change, PEP’s Parents as Agents of Change model provides a conceptual framework for testing the effectiveness of family support services in children’s mental health, a much-needed area for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article revisits the purpose, focus, and meaning of family education, and reflects on the direction of services. It first examines the "dependence" phenomenon of the new generation, followed by a review of the experiences of family education in Hong Kong and associated myths. The review reveals a need for a new vision and a new focus on family education. The article suggests clarifying the objectives and focuses of family education, as well as reconceptualising family education as "parent empowerment." For the concept of "parent empowerment" to be implemented, family workers must have a shift in perspective and change in roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Early Childhood Education Research Journal is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of the project was to test a web-based program providing working parents with the knowledge and skills necessary for prevention and early intervention of mental health problems in youth. Method Study sample consisted of 99 parents who were randomized into either an experimentaI (program use) or waitlist control condition. Analysis of covariance and paired t-tests were used to comliare response outcomes for the two groups. Results Parents receiving the intervention had greater knowledge of youth mental health issues and greater self-efficacy in handling these issues compared to controls. Conclusions Findings suggest that referring parents to a multimedia web-based program can improve parents' knowledge of children's' mental health and their confidence in addressing mental health issues. Web-based programs can be offered to individuals in multiple settings, including the workplace, thereby reaching large numbers of parenth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Chilena de Obstetricia y Ginecología is the property of Revista Chilena de Obstetricia y Ginecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The decentralization of the power of school governance is one of the recent trends of educational development in a global society in which the notion of parents as stakeholders and partners of state education is being gradually recognized, albeit at different paces, in several Asian countries. This paper attempts to analyze the chronological development of parent empowerment in Hong Kong. By examining the education policy documents of Hong Kong in the last three decades and looking into related debates in education reforms, the author conceptualizes five phases of development of parent empowerment which include (1) the period of absolute quiescence and acquiescence; (2) the period of wakefulness of parents’ rights and responsibilities, (3) the period of enhancing communication; (4) the period of accountability; and (5) the period of parents as partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have speculated on the nature of relations among parental satisfaction, school climate, and other variables. However, few empirical studies have examined relations among these variables in a causal framework, even when rhetoric of organizational change and its positive effects on parents, students, and teachers is abundant. The purpose of this study was to test a causal model incorporating school climate, school-parent communication, and parent empowerment and their effects on parental involvement and satisfaction. The present study employed a 71.2% sample of 42,818 parents (or 33,244 responding parents) from 122 elementary schools. Parent-school communication and school climate showed the strongest direct effects on parental satisfaction, followed by empowerment. The strongest indirect path to parental satisfaction was from school climate through informing parents. Other paths that showed weaker relations to parental satisfaction were: School climate-empowerment-informed; school climate-empowerment; and school climate-involvement. Parental involvement contributed little variance to parental satisfaction. Nonetheless, interaction terms (parent reports of individual-level school involvement × school-level parent perceptions of school climate, × being informed, × being empowered, × involved) showed that the relation of parental involvement to satisfaction was moderated by how well parents were informed, empowered and involved by the school, and their perceptions of positive school climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family Integrated Care (FICare) integrates parents in the direct care of their child while the healthcare personnel act as teachers and guides. To this date, most reports on the feasibility of this model refer to stable preterm infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Objectives: To scale up and adapt FICare to make it suitable in level IIIC NICUs, which care for extreme prematurity and other complex medical or surgical neonatal conditions. Materials and Methods: Step 1 was the creation of the FICare implementation team (FICare-IT) and baseline analysis of current procedures for critical care to identify needs, wishes, and requirements; we aimed for protocol elaboration tailored to our cultural, architectural, and clinical context (March 2017 to April 2018). Step 2 as a dissemination strategy by FICare-IT acting as primary trainers and mentors to ensure the education of 90% of nursing staff (May 2018 to July 2018). Step 3 involved piloting and evaluation with the aim to refine the procedure (July 2018 to December 2020). Results: A rigorous but flexible protocol was edited. The FICare educational manual included two curricula: for healthcare professionals/staff (Training the trainers) and for families (Education of caregivers), the latter being categorized in two intervention levels (basic and advanced), depending on the infant care needs and parent's decision. In total, 76 families and 91 infants (74.7% preterm; 18.7% complex surgery; 6.6% others) were enrolled in the pilot. No differences in acceptance rate (overall 86.4%) or in the number of infant-family dyads in the program per month were observed when considering the pre- and post-Covid-19 pandemic periods. All families, except for one who dropped out of the program, completed the agreed individualized training. Mothers spent more time in NICU than fathers ( p < 0.05); uninterrupted time spent by mothers in NICU was longer during the pre-pandemic period ( p < 0.01). Observed time to reach proficiency by task was within the expected time in 70% of the program contents. The parents revealed educational manuals, workshops, and cot-side teaching sessions as essential for their training, and 100% said they would accept entry into the FICare program again. Conclusions: The principles of the FICare model are suitable for all levels of care in NICUs. Leadership and continuous evaluation/refinement of implementation procedures are essential components to achieve the objectives., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Moreno-Sanz, Montes, Antón, Serrada, Cabrera and Pellicer.)