Depression in young adolescents: Investigations using 2 and 3 factor versions of the parental bonding instrument

Associations between parenting style and depressive symptomatology in a community sample of young adolescents (N = 2596) were investigated using self-report measures including the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Specifically, the 25-item 2-factor and 3-factor models by Parker et al. (1979), Kendler's (1996) 16-item 3-factor model, and Parker's (1983) quadrant model for the Parental Bonding Instrument were compared. Data analysis included analysis of variance and logistic regression. Reanalysis of Parker's original scale indicates that overprotection is composed of separate factors: intrusiveness (at the individual level) and restrictiveness (in the social context). All models reveal significant independent contributions from paternal care, maternal care, and maternal overprotection (2-factor) or intrusiveness (3-factor) to moderate and serious depressive symptomatology, controlling for sex and family living arrangement. Additive rather than multiplicative interactions between care and overprotection were found. Regardless of the level of parental care and affection, clinicians should note that maternal intrusiveness is strongly associated with adverse psychosocial health in young adolescents.

Caregiving attachment in mothers with schizophrenia: Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Mater Misericordiae Health Services, South Brisbane, Australia

The assessment of parenting capacity and appropriate provision of services to assist parents with mental illness requires improved understanding of how a mental illness may affect the parent-child relationship. Mothers with mental illness may be defensive when providing self-report accounts of their parenting. Within the framework of attachment theory, this study developed a methodology for investigating the quality and characteristics of caregiving through exploration of the mothers' perceptions and strategies in managing her child at bedtime. Utilising questions derived from caregiving attachment research, five mothers with schizophrenia participated in a semi-structured interview concerning bedtime separation. In addition the mothers completed a modified standardised measure of attachment style, the Parent Bonding Instrument, to provide information regarding how they perceived their parenting style. The mothers demonstrated very poor understanding of their child's bedtime anxiety. They described difficulty being effective with bedtime strategies and attributed it to medication-induced fatigue. The interview data contrasted significantly with the Parent Bonding Instrument data in which the mothers did not identify concerns in themselves as caregivers. This study demonstrated the feasibility of a novel approach to gathering information regarding parenting from mothers with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Drug abusers perceptions of their parents.

Many clinicians in the area of drug addiction believe that emotional problems arise from particular styles of parenting. To investigate this link, 63 young male and female addicts who had sought treatment completed the Parental Bonding Instrument which tapped their perceptions of their relationship with each parent. Addicts reported early parental experiences differing from those of a control group. Drug abusers judged their parents as cold, indifferent, controlling and intrusive. In addition, these perceptions were shared by male and female addicts. These results, together with previous research suggest that these perceptions might well point to a general risk factor for the development of a broad range of psychological and psychiatric disorders. In addition, the issue of family factors in the design and implementation of drug treatment programs needs to be addressed.

Parental bonding and alexithymia : a meta-analysis

Aim: The primary purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore, clarify and report the strength of the relationship between alexithymia, as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and parenting style as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Methods: Web of Science, PsycInfo, PubMed and ProQuest: Dissertations and Theses searches were undertaken, yielding nine samples with sufficient data to be included in the meta-analysis. Results: Evidence indicated moderate to strong relationships between maternal care and alexithymia, and between maternal care and two of the three TAS-20 alexithymia facets (Difficulties Describing Feelings and Difficulties Identifying Feelings, but not Externally Oriented Thinking). Moderate relationships were observed for both maternal- and paternal-overprotection and alexithymia respectively, and for overprotection (both maternal and paternal) and Difficulties Describing Feelings. Conclusion: This study is the first meta-analysis of the relationship between parenting styles and alexithymia, and findings confirm an especially strong association between maternal care and key elements of alexithymia. This review highlights the issues that still remain to be addressed in exploring the link between parenting style and alexithymia.

Parental bonding, family systems, and environmental predictors of adolescent homelessness

A multicausal model of adolescent homelessness is proposed, based upon the notion that homeless youth suffer from emotional, social, and cultural deprivation. The model was tested in a sample of homeless adolescents (n = 54) and a similar, but not homeless, control group (n = 58). Emotional deprivation was assessed on the Parental Bonding Inventory (Parker, Tupling,&Brown, 1979), whereas social and cultural deprivation were assessed on the Family Environment Scale (Moos&Moos, 1981). The homeless adolescents were found to be significantly more deprived emotionally, socially, and culturally than the controls. The results indicate support for a deprivation model of adolescent homelessness with implications for public policy and intervention planning.

Étude exploratoire de la détérioration du lien parent-enfant : contexte d’apparition, caractéristiques et comportements des couples parentaux séparés impliqués dans ces dynamiques

L’objectif principal de cette thèse de doctorat est de déterminer, à l’aide d’une grille d’observation des comportements parentaux après la séparation , si des catégories de la grille permettent de distinguer entre eux les couples parentaux où le risque de Détérioration du Lien Parent-Enfant en contexte de séparation conflictuelle (DLPE) est très élevé des couples parentaux où le risque de DLPE est très faible. De plus, trois objectifs secondaires s’ajoutent à notre objectif principal. Premièrement, nous avons tenté de voir s’il était possible de prédire les cas où les risques de DLPE sont très élevés. Deuxièmement, nous avons exploré comment la DLPE s’inscrit dans les conséquences pouvant découler de la séparation parentale. Et enfin, troisièmement, nous avons brièvement exploré la question des allégations d’agression sexuelle envers l’enfant dans les contextes de DLPE. Cette thèse est composée de deux articles et d’une note de recherche brève. Le premier article s’intitule En quoi et pourquoi les hommes et les femmes sont-ils affectés différemment par la séparation conjugale? Cet article est une recension critique de la littérature traitant des conséquences du divorce chez les adultes ainsi que des conséquences différentielles du divorce pour les hommes et les femmes. Dans cet article, des hypothèses explicatives quant à l’origine de ces diverses conséquences sont discutées et nous proposons de les conceptualiser sous la forme d’un éventail rendant compte des impacts tant positifs que négatifs, notamment à une extrémité du continuum où se retrouvent les dynamiques DLPE. Ce continuum sur lequel s’inscrit la DLPE permet de conceptualiser et de discuter de l’adaptation ou de la mésadaptation des individus face à la séparation. Dans cet article, notre regard sur la DLPE fait ressortir les lacunes de la recherche actuelle sur ce phénomène. Il ressort un manque flagrant de connaissances du contexte d’apparition du phénomène, de connaissances empiriques sur la question des allégations d’abus sexuel se produisant dans le cadre de telles dynamiques ainsi que de connaissances des caractéristiques et des comportements des individus qui y sont impliqués. Conséquemment, notre article met l’emphase sur la nécessité qu’une tradition de recherche se développe dans le domaine de la DLPE afin de clarifier tous ces aspects. Enfin, cet article met en lumière différents facteurs de risque et différents facteurs de protection susceptibles d’expliquer que le divorce ait des conséquences différentes chez les hommes et les femmes. Le deuxième article s’intitule Étude exploratoire des caractéristiques et des comportements de couples parentaux séparés engagés dans une dynamique de Détérioration du Lien Parent-Enfant. Cet article cherchait à déterminer si les couples parentaux séparés hautement à risque d’être engagés dans une dynamique de DLPE se distinguent des couples parentaux séparés dont le risque de DLPE est faible sur certaines variables. Nous avons étudié cette question auprès de notre échantillon de 82 couples parentaux séparés pour lesquels le risque de DLPE est évalué comme étant soit très faible (groupe de comparaison) ou soit très élevé (en tenant compte du fait que la mère ou le père soit le parent dénigrant). À cette fin, nous avons utilisé un instrument de mesure, la Grille d’observation de la Détérioration du Lien Parent-Enfant après la séparation (GODLPE), adapté de celui développé par Johnston, Walters, & Olesen, (2005). Les résultats obtenus à l’aide de tests d’analyse de variance et de khi-deux démontrent que les ex-couples du groupe de comparaison se distinguent des ex-couples du groupe où le risque de DLPE est très élevé par un mariage significativement plus long et un niveau de conflit plus élevé. Également, les résultats démontrent que les parents du groupe de comparaison, les parents dénigrés et les parents dénigrants se distinguent entre eux quant à leurs comportements coparentaux aliénants, à leur relation coparentale supportante, à leur relation coparentale méfiante et à leurs comportements de renversement de rôle. Finalement, notre étude révèle que la durée du mariage et l’intensité des conflits permettent de prédire le risque de DLPE. La note de recherche brève s’intitule Étude exploratoire des allégations d’agression sexuelle envers l’enfant dans un contexte de Détérioration du Lien Parent-Enfant. Cet note de recherche s’intéresse à ce qui a longtemps été considéré comme l’une des caractéristiques déterminantes des dynamiques de DLPE, soit les allégations d’agression sexuelle envers l’enfant professées par un parent à l’endroit de l’autre parent ou d’un membre de son entourage proche. Nous avons étudié cette question chez 82 couples parentaux séparés pour lesquels le risque de DLPE était évalué comme étant très faible ou très élevé. Les résultats indiquent qu’il n’existe aucune différence significative entre les groupes relativement à cette caractéristique. Cependant, les mères auraient davantage tendance à alléguer de tels abus que les pères. Enfin, aucune des allégations professées n’a été jugée suffisamment crédible pour que la Directeur de la protection de la Jeunesse (DPJ) juge nécessaire d’intervenir. Plusieurs hypothèses sont soulevées pour expliquer ces résultats.

Development and validation of a parent report measure for detection of cognitive delay in infancy

Aim To develop a brief, parent-completed instrument (‘ERIC’) for detection of cognitive delay in 10-24 month-olds born preterm, or with low birth weight, or with perinatal complications, and to establish its diagnostic properties. Method Scores were collected from parents of 317 children meeting ≥1 inclusion criteria (birth weight <1500g; gestational age <34 completed weeks; 5-minute Apgar <7; presence of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy) and meeting no exclusion criteria. Children were assessed for cognitive delay using a criterion score on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Cognitive Scale III1 <80. Items were retained according to their individual associations with delay. Sensitivity, specificity, Positive and Negative Predictive Values were estimated and a truncated ERIC was developed for use <14 months. Results ERIC detected 17 out of 18 delayed children in the sample, with 94.4% sensitivity (95% CI [confidence interval] 83.9-100%), 76.9% specificity (72.1-81.7%), 19.8% positive predictive value (11.4-28.2%); 99.6% negative predictive value (98.7-100%); 4.09 likelihood ratio positive; and 0.07 likelihood ratio negative; the associated Area under the Curve was .909 (.829-.960). Interpretation ERIC has potential value as a quickly-administered diagnostic instrument for the absence of early cognitive delay in preterm or premature infants of 10-24 months, and as a screen for cognitive delay. Further research may be needed before ERIC can be recommended for wide-scale use.

Pautas de crianza: menores con medidas judiciales y menores en situación de riesgo

[ES] Bajo una adaptación del Child´s Report of Parent Behavior Inventory (CRPBI) de Schaefer (1965) a población española realizada en diferentes centros educativos de la Comunidad Valenciana presentamos este trabajo. El CRPBI es un instrumento que al igual que el Parental Bonding instrument (PBI) permite evaluar la disciplina familiar que perciben sus hijos, tanto en la relación con el padre, como con su relación con su madre. El estudio se centra en una muestra de 23 menores, todos varones, de los que 17 son Menores con Medidas Judiciales (MMJ) internados en un centro perteneciente a la Comunidad Autónoma Canaria y el resto, 6, son menores en Situación de Riesgo (MR) los cuales residen en un barrio de la Ciudad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Los resultados obtenidos muestran diferencias en las valoraciones que el menor hace sobre la relación con su padre y con su madre y como estos han percibido unas pautas de crianza que están centradas en el control, en la autonomía -entendida como estimulo de la sociabilidad- en el amor y en la hostilidad. Por un lado, de los progenitores de los menores adolescentes con medidas judiciales y por otro lado, de los menores en situación de riesgo ponen de manifiesto en el CRPBI que no hay una concordancia total entre los factores que describen las respuestas acerca de las relaciones con la madre y entre los factores que agrupan las relaciones con el padre, resultado que viene a avalar o a confirmar los resultados de estudios recientes sobre el tema que muestran diferencias en las valoraciones que el hijo hace sobre su relación con el padre y con la madre (Canamás, 2003; Rodrigo, 2004 y Tur, 2003).

Using parent report to assess bilingual vocabulary acquisition: a model from Irish

This chapter describes the adaptation of a parent report instrument on early language development to a bilingual context. Beginning with general issues of adapting tests to any language, particular attention is placed on the issue of using parents as evaluators of child language acquisition of a minority language in a bilingual context. In Ireland, Irish is the first official language and is spoken by about 65,000 people on a daily basis. However all Irish speakers are bilingual, and children are exposed to the dominant English language at an early age. Using an adaptation of a parent report instrument, 21 typically developing children between 16 and 40 months were assessed repeatedly over two years to monitor their language development. The form allowed parents to document their children’s vocabulary development in both languages. Results showed that when knowledge of both languages was accounted for, the children acquired vocabulary at rates similar to those of monolingual speakers and used translational equivalents relatively early in language development. The study also showed that parents of bilingual children could accurately identify and differentiate language development in both of the child’s languages. Recommendations for adapting and using parent report instruments in bilingual language acquisition contexts are outlined.

Developmental Antecedents of Proactive and Reactive Rebelliousness: The Role of Parenting Style, Childhood Adversity, and Attachment

Adolescence is a time of developmental transition that for one in five young people is characterised by feelings of oppositionality, rebellion, and negativism. Despite the prevalent experience of teen turbulence and despite its significance within the phenomenological framework provided by reversal theory (RT), the childhood antecedents of rebelliousness in adolescence and adulthood have not been given extensive empirical attention within RT, although such work has been carried out using other constructs and theories. We examined recalled parenting style, childhood adversity, and attachment style in adulthood as correlates of proactive and reactive rebelliousness in a sample of 80 participants, aged 18 to 50 years. Each participant responded to a questionnaire package containing the revised Adult Attachment Scale, the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire, and the Negativism Dominance Scale. We found that paternal abusive parenting, followed by paternal parenting style, paternal neglect, and paternal antipathy were independently predictive of scores on proactive rebelliousness, the sensation-seeking form. Maternal and paternal indifferent parenting styles each were found to equivalently and independently predict scores on reactive rebelliousness, the interpersonal disaffection form. The results of this study suggest these two forms of rebelliousness may have distinctly different antecedents. A longitudinal study is needed to examine the potentially causal pathways that are suggested by the results of this cross-sectional research. We consider reversal theory explanations of these results and contrast them with complementary theoretical frameworks.

Efecto diferencial del estilo educativo materno y paterno sobre el autoconcepto f??sico del adolescente

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Recalled relationships with parents and perceptions of professional support in mothers of infants treated for cleft lip

This study examined whether individual differences in perception of the quality of professional support available at a time of stress may be associated with security of attachment. We developed a new measure of parents' perceptions of emotional and practical support provided by a wide range of professionals involved in the treatment of infants with cleft lip. it showed good internal reliability and stability over 4 months. Mothers of 102 infants with cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, completed the measure at 2 and 6 months, together with the Parental Bonding Instrument and the General Health Questionnaire. Mean scores reflecting how much they could trust or talk frankly, or share their worst fears, with professionals, and the extent to which they saw them as a source of useful information or practical help, were lower among mothers with recollections of low maternal care in childhood, or high control. This was the case at 2 and 6 months, and there were some indications of an increasing contribution of low maternal care from 2 to 6 months. The associations were not explained by current depression. Further research is needed to clarify the role of attachment processes in parents' responses to serious medical conditions in their children, and into the implications for the way professionals in paediatric services provide support.

Efeito de instruções e de treino parental sobre comportamentos observados em cuidadores e em crianças com câncer durante sessão de punção venosa para quimioterapia ambulatorial

Os procedimentos invasivos recorrentes no tratamento do câncer na criança têm-se mostrado o momento de maior sofrimento tanto para o paciente quanto para o cuidador. Durante estes procedimentos, como no caso da punção venosa, grande parte das crianças apresenta reações caracterizadas como distresse comportamental. Intervenções comportamentais têm sido desenvolvidas com o objetivo de diminuir este distresse, podendo utilizar como agentes os próprios cuidadores das crianças. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar os efeitos de instrução e de treino parental sobre comportamentos observados em cuidadores e em crianças com diagnóstico de câncer durante procedimento de punção venosa em ambulatório. Foram selecionados nove cuidadores de crianças em tratamento quimioterápico em um hospital especializado em Belém-PA. Para a coleta de dados foram utilizados: Roteiro de entrevista, Questionário Sociodemográfico, Instrumento de Avaliação das Relações Familiares (Parental Bonding Instrument [PBI]), Child Behavior Checklist (CBLC), Protocolo de observação direta dos comportamentos da criança e do cuidador, Escala de Avaliação Comportamental, Manual de orientação para cuidadores sobre punção venosa em crianças e Protocolo de treino parental. Os participantes foram submetidos a uma dentre três condições: (1) Rotina, (2) Manual de Orientação ou (3) Treino Parental. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevista e de quatro sessões de observação direta do comportamento. Os comportamentos das crianças foram classificados como concorrentes e não concorrentes. Os comportamentos dos cuidadores foram classificados como monitoria positiva, monitoria negativa e negligência. Os resultados sugerem que, na Condição Rotina, os participantes (cuidadores) não variaram seus comportamentos ao longo das sessões, com dois participantes mantendo alta frequência de comportamentos negligentes e um participante mantendo monitoria positiva. Na Condição Manual, observou-se mudança de comportamento em dois cuidadores como efeito imediato à utilização do manual, mas não em longo prazo. Na Condição 3, na qual os cuidadores foram submetidos ao Protocolo de treino parental, observou-se aumento na frequência de monitoria positiva em curto e longo prazo. Com relação às crianças, os resultados indicaram maior frequência de comportamentos não concorrentes, independente da condição a que o cuidador foi submetido. A maioria dos cuidadores foi classificada no PBI com estilo parental permissivo, confirmando a literatura sobre cuidadores de crianças com doenças crônicas. Ocorreram relatos de generalização das habilidades treinadas para contextos fora do hospital. Conclui-se que o uso do manual aumentou a aquisição de conhecimentos sobre punção venosa mas não foi suficiente para a manutenção de mudança de comportamentos. Por outro lado, o uso de treino parental mostrou-se eficaz na mudança de comportamentos (a longo prazo), assim como no desenvolvimento de novas habilidades sociais. Discute-se a importância do estilo parental como fator de proteção à criança com câncer.

Relazione gestante-feto, modalità del parto e sviluppo fisico del bambino

Extensive literature outlined that the quality of the mother-foetus relationship is considered the main feature with regard to the quality of postnatal mother-infant interaction and also to the child’s psychical development. Nowadays the relationship between the pregnant woman and her foetus is viewed as the central factor of the somatic dialogue between the functioning of the maternal and the foetal organisms. This dialogue is responsible for the physic development of the child, as well as of its psychosomatic structure. Therefore the research area has necessarily had to extend to the analysis of psychological processes concerning: the pregnancy, the couple that is bound by parenthood, the influence of intergenerational dynamics. In fact, the formation of maternal identity, as well as that of the relationship between the woman and the foetus, refers to the pregnant woman’s relationship with her parents, especially with her mother. The same pregnancy, considered as a psychosomatic event, is directly influenced by relational, affective and social factors, particularly by the quality of the interiorized parental relations and the quality of the current relationships (such as that with her partner and with her family of origin). Some studies have begun to investigate the relationship between the pregnant woman and the foetus in term of “prenatal attachment” and its relationship with socio-demographic, psychological e psychopathological aspects (such as pre and post partum depression), but the research area is still largely unexplored. The present longitudinal research aimed to investigate the quality of the pregnant womanfoetus relationship by the prenatal attachment index, the quality of the interiorized relationship with woman’s parents, the level of alexithymic features and maternity social support, in relation with the modulation of the physiology of delivery and of postpartum, as well as of the physical development of the child. A consecutive sample of 62 Italian primipara women without any kind of pathologies, participated in the longitudinal study. In the first phase of this study (third trimester of the pregnancy), it has investigated the psychological processes connected to the affective investment of the pregnant women towards the unborn baby (by Prenatal Attachment Inventory), the mothers’ interiorized relationship with their own parents (by Parental Bonding Instrument), the social and affective support from their partner and their family of origin are able to supply (by Maternity Social Support Scale), and the level of alexithymia (by 20-Toronto Alexithymia Scale). In the second phase of this study, some data concerning the childbirth course carried out from a “deliverygram” (such as labour, induction durations and modalities of delivery) and data relative to the newborns state of well-being (such as Apgar and pH indexes). Finally, in the third phase of the study women have been telephoned a month after the childbirth. The semistructured interview investigated the following areas: the memory concerning the delivery, the return to home, the first interactions between the mother and the newborn, the breastfeeding, the biological rhythms achieved from newborns. From the data analysis a sample with a good level of prenatal attachment and of support social and a good capability to mental functioning emerged. An interesting result is that the most of the women have a great percentage of “affectionless control style” with both parents, but data is not sufficient to interpret this result. Moreover, considering the data relative to the delivery, medical and welfare procedures, that have been necessary, are coherent with the Italian mean, while the percentage of the caesarean section (12.9%) is inferior to the national percentage (30%). The 29% of vaginal partum has got epidural analgesia, which explains the high number (37%) of obstetrician operations (such as Kristeller). The data relative to the newborn (22 male, 40 female) indicates a good state of well-being because Apgar and pH indexes are superior to 7 at first and fifth minutes. Concerning the prenatal phase, correlation analysis showed that: the prenatal attachment scores positively correlated with the expected social support and negatively correlated with the “externally oriented thinking” dimension of alexithymia; the maternity social support negatively correlated with total alexithymia score, particularly with the “externally oriented thinking” dimension, and negatively correlated with maternal control of parental bonding. Concerning the delivery data, there are many correlations (after all obvious) among themselves. The most important are that the labour duration negatively correlated with the newborn’s index state of well-being. Finally, concerning the data from the postpartum phase the women’ assessments relative to the partum negatively correlated with the duration of the delivery and positively correlated with the assessment relative to the return to home and the interaction with the newborn. Moreover the length of permanence in the hospital negatively correlated with women’s assessments relative to the return to home that, in turn, positively correlated with the quality of breastfeeding, the interaction between the mother and the newborn and the biological regulation of the child. Finally, the women’ assessments relative to breastfeeding positively correlated with the mother-child interactions and the biological rhythms of children. From the correlation analysis between the variables of the prenatal phase and the data relative to the delivery, emerged that the prenatal attachment scores positively correlated with the dilatation stage scores and with the newborn’s Apgar index at first minute, the paternal care dimension of parental bonding positively correlated with the lengths of the various periods of childbirth like so the paternal control dimension with placental stage. Moreover, emerged that the expected social support positively correlated with the lengths of the various periods of childbirth and that the global alexithymia scores, particularly “difficulty to describe emotions” dimension, negatively correlated with total childbirth scores. From the correlation analysis between the variables of the prenatal phase and variable of the postpartum phase emerged that the total alexithymia scores positively correlated with the time elapsed from the childbirth to the breastfeeding of the child, the difficulty to describe emotions dimension of the alexithymia negatively correlated with the quality of the breastfeeding, the “externally oriented thinking” dimension of the alexithymia negatively correlated with mother-child interactions, and finally the paternal control dimension of the parental bonding negatively correlated with the time elapsed from the child to the breastfeeding of the child. Finally, from the analysis of the correlation between the data of the partum and the women’s assessments of the postpartum phase, emerged the negative correlation between the woman’s assessment relative to the delivery and the quantitative of obstetrician operations and the lengths of the various periods of childbirth, the positive correlation between the women’s assessment about the length of delivery periods and the real lengths of the same ones, the positive relation between woman’s assessment relative to the delivery and the Apgar index of children. In conclusion, there is a remarkable relation between the quality of the relationship the woman establishes with the foetus that influences the course of the pregnancy and the delivery that, in turn, influences the postpartum outcome, particularly relative to the mother-children relationship. Such data should be confirmed by heterogeneous populations in order to identify vulnerable women and to project focused intervention.