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This study investigates the influence of family configuration and environment on children's adjustment. Half of the seventy-six elementary school age participants were from families where separation and divorce had occurred, and the remaining children were from intact families. Children's self-efficacy was assessed using the Harter Self Perception Profile (Harter, 1985). Parental perceptions of children's behavior and specific family environmental characteristics were obtained by employing the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1983), Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1986) and Overt-Hostility Scale (O'Leary & Porter, 1980). Children from homes where parental divorce had previously occurred were compared to children from intact families in terms of self-efficacy and behavior. Children from divorced homes demonstrated lower levels of perceived self-efficacy in cognitive and behavioral domains. No differences in parental perceptions of children's total behavior problems between groups were found. Comparative differences in family social climate characteristics of cohesion, control, and active-recreational orientation were found in divorced versus intact families.

This thesis attempts to integrate the divorce outcome data concerning children within the stress and coping mechanisms paradigm. The effects of divorce on children are reviewed, as are the major constructs of stress-coping theory. A study is conducted to demonstrate the empirical utility of the theoretical integration of the two domains. The coping resources, styles and efforts of 71 elementary school children from divorced and intact homes were investigated. Data analyses demonstrated that children from divorced homes had lower levels of psychological coping resources, and less effective coping styles and efforts, thus sustaining the theoretical integration. Other significant results revealed developmental trends for some aspects of coping resources and coping styles, and correlations between coping resources and efforts, thereby supporting important conceptualizations in stress-coping theory. Speculations concerning the long-term effects of divorce, differential effects of divorce on boys and girls and recommendations for future investigations are made.

Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD) is a term used within the educational system to describe those students who in spite of supports for their emotional and behavioral difficulties, continue to struggle academically and negatively impact their peers. Children with EBD are one of the most difficult segments of the education population to integrate into the regular classroom due to their disruptiveness and the individuality of their needs. Strategies that have been used to help children with EBD include those with a cognitive and/or behavioral focus (both individually or in the classroom setting), those aimed at improving parenting skills and those that use prescription medication either by itself or as an adjunct to more behaviorally oriented treatments. In spite of increased usage and proven efficacy, however, many parents are reluctant to consider medication as a treatment alternative, and those who opt to use medication perceive their child stigmatized in their educational experience. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore parental perceptions of medication use to address Emotional Behavioral Disorders and their satisfaction with using medication to address school based difficulties. Using grounded theory methodology, in depth, open-ended interviews with seven mothers of students identified as EBD were used to obtain information about their experiences and perceptions. Interviews were analyzed using a constant comparative method. The findings suggest that parents’ decision to use medication to address a child’s behavioral difficulties were based primarily on their own history of medication use and their relationship with school personnel. Implications and recommendations for school personnel and planning are then summarized.

Background: Pediatric obesity is a serious health issue, with an exceedingly high prevalence, having both short and long-term consequences. The Family Lifestyle Program (FLP) provides treatment services to families struggling with pediatric overweight and obesity living in the Winnipeg Health Region. Purpose: To determine whether caregivers’ nutrition knowledge and/or their attitudes about nutrition change as a result of attending the family group education sessions of the FLP. Methods: In this quantitative exploratory research, 17 caregivers (68% female) attended at least four out of five family group education sessions and completed a self-administered survey over three time periods of the program intervention, spanning approximately eight weeks from Time 1 to Time 3. Results: Caregiver nutrition knowledge did not change. Significant changes in three of the four attitude measures across three time periods were observed, related to caregiver attitudes toward their child’s and their own eating habits, program specific nutrition content (label reading and meal planning), and the perceived effort in providing foods to family and in role modelling of healthy behaviours to family members. Conclusions: The family group education sessions assisted the caregivers apply nutrition knowledge through participation in the program intervention, to improve their confidence with following healthy eating principles and role modelling these behaviours to their family members.

Graduate

The psychometric properties of this Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS:NICU) were assessed, before using the scale to describe stress experienced by parents in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The extent to which parental stress from the parent-infant relationship in the unit was linked to parenting they received as a child, and adjustment to their couple relationship, was also examined. The sample consisted of 182 mothers and 183 fathers, who were in a cohabitating relationship, of infants from the NICU at Christchurch Women's Hospital. The self-report questionnaires included the PSS:NICU, Parental Bonding Instrument, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and were administered to parents within 2-3 weeks of their infant's birth. This study extends the finding of satisfactory psychometric properties of the PSS:NICU (Franck, Cox, Allen & Winter, 2005; Miles, Funk & Carlson, 1993; Reid & Bramwell, 2003) to this New Zealand sample. Mothers experienced significantly higher stress from the unit compared to fathers (p < .01). A previous finding, for mothers, of the parent-infant relationship being the most stressful aspect of the unit (Franck et al., 2005; Reid & Bramwell, 2003; Shields-Poe & Pinelli, 1997) extends to the New Zealand sample. The most stressful aspect of the unit for fathers was sights and sounds. Lack of evidence was found for associations between parental stress from the parent-infant relationship in the unit and parenting received as a child, or adjustment to their couple relationship. A weak but significant negative correlation was, however, found between stress from the mother-infant relationship and maternal care received in childhood. It is unnecessary to provide all parents with intervention further to what is already being practiced in the unit, as overall low levels of stress were reported. Some parents, however, did find the unit more stressful, and they may benefit from increased intervention.