Search

We examined the pathway from grandparental childcare support at age 3 to child social and emotional outcomes at age 7 through maternal mental health and mother-child relationship at age 3 in a sample of n = 1495 biological mothers and their children from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Structural equation modelling showed that time spent in the care of grandparents at age 3 was not associated with the child's social and emotional outcomes at age 7 via maternal psychological distress or mother-child conflict and mother-child closeness. Maternal psychological distress at age 3 was associated with poor child social and emotional outcomes at age 7 both directly and indirectly via mother-child conflict and mother-child closeness. In the early years, grandparental childcare, as primary form of childcare arrangement, may not be significantly associated with maternal mental wellbeing or parenting capacity, which are both beneficial for child socioemotional development.

IntroductionIn March 2020 many countries around the world, including Finland, implemented lockdown measures to mitigate the unprecedented impacts of the coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) on public health. As a result, school and daycare settings closed indefinitely and working from home became the new normal for a big part of the workforce, which came with increased homeschooling and childcare responsibility for mothers.MethodsIn this article we present the findings from maternal responses to open ended questions on psychosocial well-being, and experiences of combining work, family life and homeschooling during the COVID-19 national lockdown in Finland in March–May 2020. Working mothers’ responses (n = 72) were analyzed through the lens of Karasek’s job demand-control model, focusing on how the mothers experienced the demands of their life during the lockdown, and how they saw their possibilities to control the situation.ResultsThe findings indicated important variation in the level of experienced demand and control and associated compensatory factors during the COVID-19 lockdown across different subgroups of working mothers.DiscussionThe findings have implications for understanding strain and plausible supports among working mothers during the COVID-19 lockdown as well as in the face of acute adversity including the next possible public health crisis.

IntroductionWe examined the experience of the intensification of home-schooling and/or childcare in working mothers in the United Kingdom during the first national COVID-19 lockdown. Our focus was on understanding how mothers dealt with this challenging period both emotionally and practically.MethodsEligible mothers (n = 47; Mage = 39.6) participated in an anonymous online survey of openended questions.ResultsThematic analysis of responses showed that mothers found home-schooling and/or childcare to be challenging. This was particularly notable in situations where support from partners, schools, and workplaces was limited. For single working mothers, the absence of support resources was especially impactful. Mothers often felt overly stressed trying to balance work and family responsibilities, guilty for not meeting their child’s needs, and were worried over their child’s well-being and academic progress and over increasing work demands. Common strategies mothers used to cope with the challenges of home-schooling and/or childcare included adopting a positive outlook, implementing flexible family structures, increasing family connectedness, and negotiating alternative partnership models.DiscussionThe intensification of home-schooling and/or childcare during the lockdown in the United Kingdom negatively affected maternal well-being, particularly due to limited support. These findings underscore the importance of prioritizing maternal wellbeing in post-pandemic recovery efforts. Additionally, they highlight the social dimension of maternal wellbeing and suggest a comprehensive approach to support it that includes both timely access to intervention for mental health but also implementing family-friendly work policies and offering support with childcare and children’s learning as essential measures.

We examined representations of attachment security using story stem narratives (Manchester Attachment Story Task, MCAST) and a family drawing task in 50 Greek children between 4 and 6 years old. Additionally, we examined the association between attachment classification based on the family drawing task and maternal reports of social and emotional symptoms assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Attachment security classification based on the MCAST was not significantly associated with attachment security classification based on the family drawings. There was a small to medium strength significant association between drawing-based insecure attachment classification and higher scores on conduct problems and inattention/hyperactivity ratings. However, the associations were not statistically significant after controlling for the effects of child gender, and maternal education and age. The findings are discussed in relation to the properties of the family drawing task to measure attachment security in the preschool and early middle childhood years.

The study examined whether caregiver worry of COVID-19 infection and co-existence difficulty differentially predicted child mental health and wellbeing during the lockdown in two culturally different countries that were severely affected by the pandemic: the UK and Turkey. Co-existence difficulty is the hardship experienced by family members living all together in the same house at the same time during the lockdown period. Participants were 1849 caregivers of children between 5- and 12-years old living in the UK (n = 995) and Turkey (n = 854), who completed an electronic survey distributed via social networks during the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown (July and August 2020). Caregivers completed a set of questionnaires on child and family wellbeing and on whether the child's internalizing and externalizing symptoms changed during the lockdown as compared to before. Worry of COVID-19 infection was higher amongst caregivers in the Turkish sample and was associated with higher levels of child internalizing symptoms during the lockdown in the Turkish sample, however there were no statistically significant differences in the size of the impact of worry of infection on the children's internalizing symptoms between the two countries. Co-existence difficulty independently predicted increase in children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms during the lockdown in both samples. Families in the UK experienced a higher level of difficulty with co-existence compared to the families living in Turkey but the magnitude of the impact of co-existence difficulty on children's outcomes between the two samples was not significantly different.The findings suggest that public health strategies should aim to reduce social anxiety and invest in the development of programs aimed at supporting families to overcome the challenges of co-existence during times of public health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conduct problems (CP) are common behaviour difficulties in young children. Poor parenting and caregiver-child attachment relationships are important risk factors of CP, but more research is required to understand their concurrent contribution to CP in the early childhood years. We examined the association of maternal-reported conduct problems (CP) (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) with maternal-reported harsh and inconsistent discipline (Preschool-Alabama Parenting Questionnaire) and children's representations of attachment (Manchester Attachment Story Task) in a sample of children between 4 and 6 years old (n = 66). Correlation analysis showed that CP were associated with attachment insecurity, high levels of attachment disorganisation, and maternal harsh and inconsistent discipline. Regression analysis showed that disorganisation and inconsistent discipline explained unique variance in CP ratings even after controlling for the effects of confounding variables. The findings suggest that attachment disorganisation and aspects of poor maternal discipline in early childhood reflect parallel processes with unique contributions to CP.

The implementation of measures (e.g. school closure and social distancing) to contain the spread of COVID-19 by government in numerous countries has affected millions of children and their families worldwide. However, the consequences of such measures on children’s wellbeing are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychological impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on primary school children and their families living in the UK. A total of 927 caregivers with children aged between 5 and 11 years completed an online survey which included a set of questionnaires to measure their own behaviour and emotional state as well as that of their children before and during the lockdown. Caregivers reported changes in their children’s emotional state and behaviours during the lockdown. The most frequently reported child symptom was boredom (73.8%), followed by loneliness (64.5%) and frustration (61.4%). Irritability, restlessness, anger, anxiety, sadness, worry and being likely to argue with the rest of the family was reported by more than 30% of the caregivers. During the lockdown, children spent significantly more time using screens, and less time doing physical activity and sleeping. Moreover, family coexistence during the lockdown was described as moderately difficult. More than half of the caregivers reported being moderately or seriously distressed during the lockdown and caregiver level of psychological distress was significantly related to child symptoms. The findings emphasised the importance of developing prevention programmes to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children’s and their family’s psychological wellbeing.

The implementation of social distancing measures (e.g., school closures) by governments worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has affected millions of children and their families. However, the consequences of such measures on the wellbeing of children with special educational needs (SEN) and their caregivers are not fully understood. The present study examined the socioemotional wellbeing and daily habits of children between 5 and 12 years old with SEN during the first national COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. Participants were 995 caregivers between 18 and 61 years old living in the United Kingdom who completed a 20 -min electronic survey on child and family wellbeing distributed via social networks between July and August 2020. The findings showed that children with SEN were more likely to experience more emotional and behavioral difficulties during the lockdown than children without SEN. Children with SEN but without mental health difficulties did not have more behavior difficulties during the lockdown than children without SEN. There was a significant increase in screen time and decrease in sleep time for children with and without SEN during the lockdown, but children with SEN were using screens more often than children without SEN both before and during the lockdown. Finally, caregivers with children with SEN reported more difficulty with the confinement than caregivers with children without SEN, but caregiver and child poor mental health were likely to explain the difference. The findings show that the wellbeing of children with SEN was more likely to be negatively affected by the lockdown than the wellbeing of children without SEN. Caregiver and child mental health were likely to explain the differences.

It is unknown whether children with conduct problems (CP) and poor reading (PR) skills exhibit more profound executive function impairments than children with CP only and whether such impairments are explained by coexisting PR. Executive functions were compared in four groups of 7- to 8-year-old children: 26 CP only, 35 PR only, 27 CP-PR, and 31 comparison (COM) children with neither CP nor PR. "The Conners' Teacher Rating Scale"-28 and a sentence completion reading test were used to assess CP and PR skills. "The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition" Backward Digit Span, the "Conners' Continuous Performance Test", and the "Tower of London" were used to assess three aspects of executive function: verbal working memory, response inhibition, and planning, respectively. The CP-PR group had lower verbal working memory than the CP-only and COM groups, but the difference was not significant after intellectual ability, inattention, and hyperactivity were controlled. The CP-PR group made more errors in the planning task (rule violations) than the COM and CP-only groups, but the difference was not significant after intellectual ability was controlled. No significant group differences were found in response inhibition. A specific PR group effect was found for verbal working memory. Children with CP-PR have more prominent executive function impairments that cannot be attributed to coexisting PR.

Abstract Background There is a need to build the evidence base of early interventions to promote children’s health and development in the UK. Chance UK is a voluntary sector organisation based in London that delivers a 12-month mentoring programme for primary school children identified by teachers and parents as having behavioural and emotional difficulties. The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness of the programme in terms of children’s behaviour and emotional well-being; this is the primary outcome of the trial. Methods/Design A randomised controlled trial will be conducted in which participants are randomly allocated on a dynamic basis to one of two possible arms: the intervention arm (n = 123) will be offered the mentoring programme, and the control arm (n = 123) will be offered services as usual. Outcome data will be collected at three points: pre-intervention (baseline), mid-way through the mentoring year (c.9 months after randomisation) and post- mentoring programme (c.16 months after randomisation). Discussion This study will further enhance the evidence for early intervention mentoring programmes for child behaviour and emotional well-being in the UK. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN47154925. Retrospectively registered 9 September 2014.

Introduction: We examined the experience of the intensification of homeschooling and/or childcare in working mothers in the United Kingdom during the first national COVID-19 lockdown. Our focus was on understanding how mothers dealt with this challenging period both emotionally and practically. Methods: Eligible mothers (n = 47; Mage = 39.6) participated in an anonymous online survey of openended questions. Results: Thematic analysis of responses showed that mothers found homeschooling and/or childcare to be challenging. This was particularly notable in situations where support from partners, schools, and workplaces was limited. For single working mothers, the absence of support resources was especially impactful. Mothers often felt overly stressed trying to balance work and family responsibilities, guilty for not meeting their child's needs, and were worried over their child's well-being and academic progress and over increasing work demands. Common strategies mothers used to cope with the challenges of home-schooling and/or childcare included adopting a positive outlook, implementing flexible family structures, increasing family connectedness, and negotiating alternative partnership models. Discussion: The intensification of home-schooling and/or childcare during the lockdown in the United Kingdom negatively affected maternal well-being, particularly due to limited support. These findings underscore the importance of prioritizing maternal wellbeing in post-pandemic recovery efforts. Additionally, they highlight the social dimension of maternal wellbeing and suggest a comprehensive approach to support it that includes both timely access to intervention for mental health but also implementing family-friendly work policies and offering support with childcare and children's learning as essential measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background There is a need to build the evidence base of early interventions promoting children’s health and development in the UK. Malachi Specialist Family Support Services (‘Malachi’) is a voluntary sector organisation based in the UK that delivers a therapeutic parenting group programme called Inspiring Futures to parents of children identified as having behavioural and emotional difficulties. The programme comprises two parts, delivered sequentially: (1) a group-based programme for all parents for 10–12 weeks, and (2) one-to-one sessions with selected parents from the group-based element for up to 12 weeks. Methods/design A randomised controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate Malachi’s Inspiring Futures parenting programme. Participants will be allocated to one of two possible arms, with follow-up measures at 16 weeks (post-parent group programme) and at 32 weeks (post-one-to-one sessions with selected parents). The sample size is 248 participants with a randomisation allocation ratio of 1:1. The intervention arm will be offered the Inspiring Futures programme. The control group will receive services as usual. The aim is to determine the effectiveness of the Inspiring Futures programme on the primary outcome of behavioural and emotional difficulties of primary school children identified as having behavioural or emotional difficulties. Discussion This study will further enhance the evidence for early intervention parenting programmes for child behavioural and emotional problems in the UK. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN32083735. Retrospectively registered 28 October 2014.

The study examined the association between teacher engagement with academic research to inform practice for pupils with Social Emotional Mental Health Difficulties (SEMHD) and teacher attitudes towards the adoption of evidence-based practices (EBP) for pupils with SEMHD in a sample (n = 79) of undergraduate and postgraduate primary school trainee teachers in England, UK. A questionnaire was used to assess teachers' academic research engagement operationalised as positive attitudes towards academic research, use of academic research, and knowledge about research. The Evidence-based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) was used to examine attitudes towards EBP. The findings showed that while appreciation of academic research in the sample was high, the use of academic research to inform practice and knowledge about research was low. A positive attitude towards academic research, less scepticism towards the value of academic research to inform school practice, and high research knowledge was associated with a more positive attitude towards EBP. More scepticism towards academic research to inform school practice for SEMHD and weaker understanding of research methods was linked to more scepticism about the relevance of EBP for school practice. The findings have implications for pre-service and in-service teacher training on SEMHD and the implementation of EBP for SEMHD in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns over the poor reading performance of children with conduct problems are often expressed by their parents and teachers. In order to intervene effectively with these children, it is necessary to know what their difficulties are, both at school and at home. To date, there is still a lot of ambiguity in relation to the specific difficulties children with conduct problems and coexisting poor reading experience in important academic domains and in the family context. The aim of the present study was to compare the problems of attention and hyperactivity in the classroom and parental education in four groups of children: conduct problems only (CP); conduct problems and coexisting poor reading (CP-PR); poor reading only (PR); and a comparison group (COM). A sample of 2nd Grade Greek children (n = 113) was selected on the basis of the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-28 (CTRS-28), Conduct Problems Scale and the Reading Ability Detection Test. The CTRS-28, Inattention and Hyperactivity scales and a brief questionnaire on parental education were used to assess attention, hyperactivity and level of parental education, respectively. The results showed that children with CP-PR were significantly more inattentive and hyperactive than the other groups of children. Their parents were also more likely to have spent fewer years in school than the parents of CP only and COM children. The earlier findings have implications for intervention planning and theoretical understanding of childhood conduct problems.

We examined the pathway from grandparental childcare support at age 3 to child social and emotional outcomes at age 7 through maternal mental health and mother–child relationship at age 3 in a sample of n = 1495 biological mothers and their children from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Structural equation modelling showed that time spent in the care of grandparents at age 3 was not associated with the child's social and emotional outcomes at age 7 via maternal psychological distress or mother–child conflict and mother–child closeness. Maternal psychological distress at age 3 was associated with poor child social and emotional outcomes at age 7 both directly and indirectly via mother–child conflict and mother–child closeness. In the early years, grandparental childcare, as primary form of childcare arrangement, may not be significantly associated with maternal mental wellbeing or parenting capacity, which are both beneficial for child socioemotional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study examined whether mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms predict, independently and interactively, children's emotional and behavioural problems. It also examined bi-directional associations between parents' expressed emotion constituents (parents' child-directed positive and critical comments) and children's emotional and behavioural problems. At time 1, the sample consisted of 160 families in which 50 mothers and 40 fathers had depression according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Children's mean age at Time 1 was 3.9 years (SD = 0.8). Families (n = 106) were followed up approximately 16 months later (Time 2). Expressed emotion constituents were assessed using the Preschool Five Minute Speech Sample. In total, 144 mothers and 158 fathers at Time 1 and 93 mothers and 105 fathers at Time 2 provided speech samples. Fathers' depressive symptoms were concurrently associated with more child emotional problems when mothers had higher levels of depressive symptoms. When controlling for important confounders (children's gender, baseline problems, mothers' depressive symptoms and parents' education and age), fathers' depressive symptoms independently predicted higher levels of emotional and behavioural problems in their children over time. There was limited evidence for a bi-directional relationship between fathers' positive comments and change in children's behavioural problems over time. Unexpectedly, there were no bi-directional associations between parents' critical comments and children's outcomes. We conclude that the study provides evidence to support a whole family approach to prevention and intervention strategies for children's mental health and parental depression.