Adult parent-child relationships: Relationship quality, support, and reciprocity

In accordance with Bengtson's model of intergenerational solidarity (e.g. Bengtson & Roberts, 1991), the interrelations between adult daughters' family values, their perception of the relationship quality with their parents, the support they reported to give to and to receive from their parents, and their perception of reciprocity in intergenerational support exchange were investigated for N = 265 middle-aged women in Germany. It was also asked whether the support given to parents and perceived reciprocity are related to daughters' felt burden as a result of their support. Cross-sectional, self-report data were examined with multiple and multinomial logistic regression analyses. The analyses revealed positive relations between family values, relationship quality, and support to parents. Perceived reciprocity was associated with the exchange of intergenerational support and imbalance in support had negative effects on the relationship quality. Felt burden was predicted by the extent of support and the perceived reciprocity. However, specific correlational patterns depending on the kind of support as well as differences in the importance of mother and father occurred. The findings are discussed against the background of the meaning of family obligations and reciprocity in a Western culture.

Does the importance of parent and peer relationships for adolescents' life satisfaction vary across cultures?

This study investigated whether the associations between (a) the quality of the parent-child relationship and peer acceptance and (b) early adolescents’ life satisfaction differed depending on the importance of family values in the respective culture. As part of the Value of Children Study, data from a sub-sample of N = 1,034 adolescents (58% female, M age = 13.62 years, SD = 0.60 years) from 11 cultures was analyzed. Multilevel analyses revealed a positive relation between parental admiration and adolescents’ life satisfaction independent of cultural membership. Further, the higher the importance

Functional hoarseness in children: short-term play therapy with family dynamic counseling as therapy of choice

Children with nonorganic voice disorders (NVDs) are treated mainly using direct voice therapy techniques such as the accent method or glottal attack changes and indirect methods such as vocal hygiene and voice education. However, both approaches tackle only the symptoms and not etiological factors in the family dynamics and therefore often enjoy little success. The aim of the "Bernese Brief Dynamic Intervention" (BBDI) for children with NVD was to extend the effectiveness of pediatric voice therapies with a psychosomatic concept combining short-term play therapy with the child and family dynamic counseling of the parents. This study compares the therapeutic changes in three groups where different procedures were used, before intervention and 1 year afterward: counseling of parents (one to two consultations; n = 24), Brief Dynamic Intervention on the lines of the BBDI (three to five play therapy sessions with the child plus two to four sessions with the parents; n = 20), and traditional voice therapy (n = 22). A Voice Questionnaire for Parents developed by us with 59 questions to be answered on a four-point Likert scale was used to measure the change. According to the parents' assessment, a significant improvement in voice quality was achieved in all three methods. Counseling of parents (A) appears to have led parents to give their child more latitude, for example, they stopped nagging the child or demanding that he/she should behave strictly by the rules. After BBDI (B), the mothers were more responsive to their children's wishes and the children were more relaxed and their speech became livelier. At home, they called out to them less often at a distance, which probably improved parent-child dialog. Traditional voice therapy (C) seems to have had a positive effect on the children's social competence. BBDI seems to have the deepest, widest, and therefore probably the most enduring therapeutic effect on children with NVD.

Intergenerational support: A comparison between Russian and German adult daughters

The aim of this study is a Russian-German cross-cultural comparison of the actual support and the readiness for support that adult daughters give to their parents as well as of the conditions for this support. Compared to Russia, Germany can be characterized by a more individualistic value system and a fully developed social-welfare system. Therefore, the extent of intergenerational support should be less in Germany than in Russia. Furthermore, the study attempts to test if the support-related differences between the two countries are mediated by differences in cultural values. The participants were German and Russian adult daughters who at the same time were mothers of adolescent children. The cross-cultural comparisons showed that compared to their German counterparts, Russian adult daughters reported more current support as well as a higher readiness for future support. These differences were mediated through a higher emotional interdependence (intimacy) of the Russian adult daughters, as well as through their considerably higher family values and norm-oriented motives for support. The results are discussed with regard to theoretical approaches regarding parent-child relations and the culture-specific meaning of intergenerational support in Russia and Germany.

[Parent satisfaction with a child and family-centered treatment program for primary headache in childhood and adolescence]

Patient satisfaction represents a significant outcome criterion in the context of systemic psychotherapeutic therapy research. This study investigated parent satisfaction with a psychosocial treatment program (comprising three components: child group therapy, parents' evenings, systemic family sessions) for pediatric primary headache (diagnosed according to IHS criteria). 10 weeks after the end of the treatment program, the parents were sent a questionnaire containing open questions and ten-point numerical rating scales. The sample comprised n=48 families. The return rate was 89%. The qualitative content analysis showed a hierarchical category system consisting of 3 major categories, 7 main groups and 69 sub-categories. The parents stated that they were satisfied with (1.) the effects of the treatment program, (2.) the specific treatment techniques and the medical and psychosocial headache-related information provided, and (3.) the therapeutic relationship. The mean satisfaction for all three therapy components on the ten-point numerical rating scale was 8.1 with a standard deviation of 2.0 (child headache group: 8.5; parents' evenings: 8.2; family sessions: 7.5). The results are discussed with reference to methodological aspects: avoidance of ceiling effects and social desirability in measuring customer satisfaction, order effects of items, weighting of the significance of satisfaction levels as an outcome criterion.

Study design, baseline patient characteristics and intervention in a cross-cultural framework: results from the ADORE study

OBJECTIVE : To describe the methodology and to present the baseline findings of the Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder Observational Research in Europe (ADORE) study, the primary objective of which is to describe the relationship between treatment regimen prescribed and quality of life of children with ADHD in actual practice. METHODS : In this 2-year prospective observational study, data on diagnosis, prescribed treatment and outcomes of ADHD were collected at seven time points by paediatricians and child psychiatrists on 1,573 children recruited in 10 European countries. The data presented here from the 1,478 patients included in the analyses describe the baseline condition, initial treatment regimen prescribed and quality of life of families with children with ADHD. RESULTS : Patients had a mean age of 9.0 years (SD 2.5) and 84% were male. Physicians diagnoses were made using DSM-IV (43 %), ICD-10 (32%) and both DSM-IV and ICD-10 (12 %). Mean age of awareness of a problem was 5.1 years, suggesting an average delay of approximately 4 years between awareness and diagnosis of ADHD. Baseline ADHD rating scale scores (physicianrated) indicated moderate to severe ADHD. Parent-rated SDQ scores were in agreement and suggested significant levels of co-existing problems. CGI-S, CGAS and CHIPCE scores also indicated significant impairment. Patients were offered the following treatments after the initial assessment: pharmacotherapy (25 %), psychotherapy (19 %), combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy (25 %), other therapy (10 %) and no treatment (21 %). CONCLUSION : The ADORE study shows that ADHD is similarly recognised across 10 European countries and that the children are significantly impaired across a wide range of domains. In this respect, they resemble children described in previous ADHD samples.

The relationship between adolescents’ social capital and individualism-collectivism in Estonia, Germany, and Russia

The present study examines the relationship between adolescents’ social capital and individualism-collectivism using data from the Value of Children Study (Trommsdorff and Nauck, 2005) from Estonia (N=228), Germany (N=278), and Russia (N=280). Two social capital indexes for adolescents (measuring parental social capital and peer-group social capital) were developed for the analysis. The COLINDEX Scale (Chan 1994) was used to measure individualistic and collectivistic values. In all three countries collectivistic values predicted parental social capital whereas individualistic values predicted peer-group social capital. There were also a few country-specific relationships between the constructs, with collectivism and peer-group social capital being positively related in Estonia and individualism and parental social capital signif- icantly negatively correlated in Russia. The current analysis suggests that during the adolescence, collectivistic values are more likely to be related to higher levels of parental social capital and individualistic values to higher levels of peer-group social capital. Therefore, it seems that at the individual level and for adolescents the individualism and collectivism are related to different forms of social capital in the different manner.

Childhood Trauma and PTSD symptoms increase the risk of cognitive impairment in a sample of former indetured child laborers in old Age.

A growing body of evidence suggests a link between early childhood trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and higher risk for dementia in old age. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between childhood trauma exposure, PTSD and neurocognitive function in a unique cohort of former indentured Swiss child laborers in their late adulthood. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study ever conducted on former indentured child laborers and the first to investigate the relationship between childhood versus adulthood trauma and cognitive function. According to PTSD symptoms and whether they experienced childhood trauma (CT) or adulthood trauma (AT), participants (n = 96) were categorized as belonging to one of four groups: CT/PTSD+, CT/PTSD-, AT/PTSD+, AT/PTSD-. Information on cognitive function was assessed using the Structured Interview for Diagnosis of Dementia of Alzheimer Type, Multi-infarct Dementia and Dementia of other Etiology according to ICD-10 and DSM-III-R, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and a vocabulary test. Depressive symptoms were investigated as a potential mediator for neurocognitive functioning. Individuals screening positively for PTSD symptoms performed worse on all cognitive tasks compared to healthy individuals, independent of whether they reported childhood or adulthood adversity. When controlling for depressive symptoms, the relationship between PTSD symptoms and poor cognitive function became stronger. Overall, results tentatively indicate that PTSD is accompanied by cognitive deficits which appear to be independent of earlier childhood adversity. Our findings suggest that cognitive deficits in old age may be partly a consequence of PTSD or at least be aggravated by it. However, several study limitations need to considered. Consideration of cognitive deficits when treating PTSD patients and victims of lifespan trauma (even without a diagnosis of a psychiatric condition) is crucial. Furthermore, early intervention may prevent long-term deficits in memory function and development of dementia in adulthood.

"Beyond Freud and Jung": Sabina Spielrein's Contribution to Child Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology

Up to the present day, Sabina Spielrein has been seen as a means to deeper understanding of Freud and Jung and, in particular, the relationship between these two “great men”. This is also the reason why her scholarly achievements after her 1912 essay "Destruction as the Cause of Coming Into Being” are hardly taken into account. This study shows that Spielrein's main research work was in the areas of child analysis and developmental psychology—that is, beyond the work and the persons of Freud and Jung—and that she made numerous significant contributions to the field, so many of them ahead of her time.

Trauma, developmental stages, and motivational abilities in indentured Swiss child laborers in old age

OBJECTIVES The study examined the relationship between potential traumatic events in childhood and motivational abilities in old adulthood according to developmental stage. METHODS The motivational abilities of self-efficacy, conscientiousness and impulsivity (self control) were investigated in a sample of 114 formerly indentured Swiss child laborers. Adversities were assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The sample was split into four age groups according to the beginning of the potential trauma: infancy (0-2), preschool (3-5), early childhood (6-9), and early adolescence (≥ 10). RESULTS The strongest relationship was found between self-efficacy and CTQ in the group "early adolescence," followed by the relationship between conscientiousness and CTQ in the same group. Impulsivity and CTQ were most strongly associated in the "preschool" group. CONCLUSION Childhood adversities seem to have a negative impact on self-efficacy and conscientiousness after the age of ten. In contrast, self-control seems to be affected by the deleterious effect of trauma or adversity already at an earlier age.

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis - The parent perspective.

BACKGROUND Newborn screening for CF started 01/2011 in Switzerland. We investigated the parents' opinions about the information received, their feelings, and overall approval of the screening. METHODS This is a prospective questionnaire survey of all parents of positively screened children. Parents were phoned by CF-centres and invited for diagnostic investigations. They completed a questionnaire after the visit to the CF-centre. RESULTS From 2011-2013, 246 families received the questionnaire and 138 (56%) replied. Of these 77 (60%) found the information received at birth satisfactory; 124 (91%) found the information provided in the CF-centre satisfactory. Most parents (n=98, 78%) felt troubled or anxious when the CF-centre called, 51 (38%) remained anxious after the visit. Most parents (n=122; 88%) were satisfied with the screening, 4 (3%) were not, and 12 (9%) were unsure. CONCLUSIONS The smooth organisation of the screening process, with personal information by a CF specialist and short delays between this information and the final diagnostic testing, might have contributed to reduce anxiety among parents. Most families were grateful that their child had been screened, and are happy with the process.

Does Trauma Impair Self-Control? Differences in Delaying Gratification Between Former Indentured Child Laborers and Nontraumatized Controls.

Traumatic experiences may affect an individual's ability to exercise self-control, which is an essential characteristic for successfully managing life. As a measure of self-control, we used the delay discounting paradigm, that is, the extent to which a person devalues delayed gratification. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma and delay discounting using a control group design with elderly participants with a mean age of 76.2 years. Swiss former indentured child laborers (n=103) who had been exposed to trauma during their childhood were compared with nontraumatized controls (n=50). The trauma exposure group showed a considerably higher preference for immediate smaller rewards than the controls, indicating their lower self-control. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that a history of abuse, current self-efficacy, and education were significantly associated with delay discounting. Implications for future research are discussed.