Lesbian families with children are greater in number and more visible today than ever before. In fact, social scientists have suggested that we may be in the midst of a lesbian "baby boom". Canada's Census figures support this assertion. Between 2001 and 2006 there was a forty-seven per cent increase in households made up of two lesbian mothers and their children. This dissertation addresses the legal issues raised by lesbian motherhood, focusing primarily on legal parentage. It considers the terms upon which parental recognition has been achieved thus far, and evaluates the efficacy of a reform agenda focused exclusively on gaining access to the existing legal framework. To explore the legal and social dynamics of planned lesbian families, interviews were conducted with forty-nine lesbian mothers living in British Columbia and Alberta who conceived using assisted reproduction. Mothers were asked about the structure of their families, how they defined terms such as "parent" and "family", the extent to which they had engaged with law, and their recommendations for law reform. The interviews revealed that lesbian mothers define family and parenthood broadly, emphasizing intention and caregiving over a purely biological model of kinship. All of the mothers defined a "parent" as someone who intends to parent and, once a child is born, performs that intention through caregiving. Parental status was thus not limited to those who shared a biological relationship with a child, or even to two individuals. The research suggests that lesbian mothers have little interest in being subsumed into the existing legal framework which tends to prioritize dyadic and biological parenting. In fact, only a tiny portion of the mothers felt that identical treatment would adequately respond to their needs. The vast majority supported law reform that would extend to them the benefits of the current system, while simultaneously expanding the existing framework to include a wider variety of parental and family configurations within it. The reform model chosen to achieve this aim combined parental presumptions in favour of the lesbian couple or a single lesbian mother, with opt-in mechanisms that allowed the family to extend beyond the two parent unit.

The primary purpose of the study was to determine if a parenting program would affect the reading achievement scores of single-parent children. Secondary purposes were to determine if male and female students were affected differently and if middle school students were affected differently than elementary students.Ninety-three students from a rural school district in northern Shelby County, Indiana, were identified to participate in the program. Forty-seven experimental children, were instructed in the parenting program twenty-one weeks, twenty-five minutes, two times a week. Forty-seven control students remained in the classroom.Multivariate analysis of covariance was done to test the null hypotheses. The criterion for rejecting or retaining the null hypothesis was set at the .05 level of probability.Data collected from the pre- and post-test reading scores of the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale, the Martinek-Zaichkowsky Self-Concept Scale for Children, and the Behavioral Characteristics of Single-Parent Children Checklist were analyzed. Findings were:1. There was not a significant difference between experimental and control groups or gender; however, the following differences did exist: a. The experimental group scored higher in reading than the control group, with the exception of the lower grade control females, who scored higher than the experimental lower grade females. b. The females of both groups had higher gain scores than the males.2. There was a significant difference at the .05 level in reading for the variable grade with lower grade students making larger positive gains than the upper grade students.3. There were significant differences in self-concept between the control and experimental groups in the area of anxiety, school status, happiness and athletics. a. The lower grade experimental, upper grade control, and male students (of both groups) were less anxious. b. The lower grade students felt better about school and were happier than the upper grade students. c. The second grade control group felt more confident about ability in athletics than the experimental group.4. The teachers perceived the experimental students as needing less discipline, having higher general achievement and better reading comprehension.Conclusions based on the findings were:1. The group or the gender did not make a significant difference: a. However, the upper grade experimental group did perform better than the upper grade control group. b. The lower control females performed better than the lower grade experimental females, but the lower grade experimental males out performed the lower grade males in comprehension.2. The lower grade students performed significantly better than the grade students in reading vocabulary and comprehension.3. The lower grade experimental students, the upper grade control students and the male students were significantly less anxious.4. The lower grade students felt significantly better about school than the upper grade students.5. Teachers perceptions of experimental students were higher in classroom behavior, general achievement, and reading comprehension.

Several factors can affect the childbirth experience among parents. Previous research showed that parental education was insufficient. Parents who participated in both regular parental classes and psychoprophylaxis education were more satisfied with the psychoprophylaxis education compared to those who participated in only traditional parental classes. Psychoprophylaxis should be more considered as it could help the woman to handle her pain and contribute to increased self-esteem. The aim was to describe and illustrate the parents' childbirth experiences when psychoprophylaxis was used as childbirth preparation. The material for the study was collected through seven semi-structured interviews analyzed by qualitative content analysis. Three self-rated scales were used to illustrate the experiences of childbirth, pain in childbirth and psychoprophylaxis. The results showed that childbirth experience with psychoprophylaxis was individual. The psychoprophylaxis was a help when coping with labor pains for the mothers but also for the fathers to manage the mothers labor pain. Parental cooperation and midwifery support was important when using the psychoprophylaxis. Complicated deliveries with interventions and separation between child and parents contributed to a negative birth experience, despite using psychoprophylaxis and support from the midwife. The parents meant that there was a need for psychoprophylaxis and several mothers could not imagine giving birth without the use of psychoprophylaxis.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of peer modeling of self-disclosure on elementary aged girls whose parents are divorced. A treatment dismantling strategy was utilized to study the effects of modeling with combinations of specific instruction and rehearsal. The primary research question was: What are the effects of peer video-tape modeling on the self-disclosure of children of divorce? Additionally, will modeling effects be significantly greater with the inclusion of specific instruction and/or rehearsal? It was hypothesized that each of the treatment groups would display significantly greater self-disclosure than would the no-treatment group. Further, it was hypothesized that modeling with specific instruction and rehearsal would yield greater disclosure than any of the other treatment groups or the no-treatment group.Twenty-two girls from grades three, four, and five received one of four treatments or no treatment. After treatment, each girl was asked to talk about her parents' divorce. The ensuing monologue became the data with which the hypotheses were evaluated.Results of the study were mixed. Modeling alone significantly influenced the length of the monologue in seconds while the three-component treatment significantly increased rate and ratio of use of personal pronouns. There was no significant difference between groups on dimension variables (i.e., type, target discloser, level of intimacy). Conclusions were drawn concerning the implications for school counselors, child psychologists, and community agencies. Modeling was viewed as a viable facilitator for increasing talk time which might lead to more "I-messages" and aid a health care giver in establishing rapport thus increasing depth of disclosure. Ramifications were considered for future research to clarify the possibilities of modeling to facilitate self-disclosure of children of divorce.

Within North America, more children are being classified as overweight and obese than ever before. Despite this alarming finding, limited research has been conducted on parents’ views of their children’s health in addition to their role in providing their children with a healthy lifestyle The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore parents’ perceptions of their daughters’ healthy lifestyle, including their perceptions of their roles and responsibilities as parents. Participants were recruited from three Girl Guides of Canada Brownie Units in South-Western Ontario. Ten semi-structured, audio-taped interviews were conducted. All of the parents who volunteered to participate were middle class, well-educated, heterosexual, married and/ or common-law and had two to three children. Among those who were interviewed, one married couple took part together, and the remaining eight mothers and one father took part in individual interviews. Many of the participants had experienced problems with maintaining a healthy weight themselves and/or healthy lifestyle in the past. A phenomenological approach was taken by following Hychner’s (1985) steps, including; bracketing my assumptions, listening for a sense of the ‘whole’, delineating units of general meaning, eliminating redundancies and outlining themes that captured the essence of lives experience for parents. Similar to Mannell and Kleiber’s (1997) findings, participants in this study played an influential role in helping their children develop healthy behaviours that would carry on throughout their lives. All of the mothers and fathers interviewed were involved parents and were very committed to instilling healthy behaviors in their daughters. In line with Hays (1996) and Warner (2005), mothers in this study adopted ‘intensive mothering roles’ and fathers’ behaviors reflected ‘involved parenting’ roles. Participants in this study deemed physical, mental and psychological health as important factors which contribute to a healthy lifestyle, but focused most of their discussions on their roles and responsibilities in their daughters’ physical health. A strong emphasis on their daughters’ weight management was conveyed throughout interviews, as many participants, especially mothers, were concerned with their daughter’s perception of body image and self-esteem. As they embraced their parental duties, they acted as role models to their children and spent time during family leisure activities and family meals teaching their daughters about the importance of physical activity and nutrition. Similar to Shaw and Dawson’s (2001) study, family leisure was seen as purposive, with a strong focus placed on health. Parents in this study made their daughters’ health a top priority by investing their time and finances for this goal, while remaining firm and consistent in encouraging healthy behaviours in their children. Despite the time and effort devoted to providing healthy lifestyles, many participants felt insecure and questioned whether or not they were doing enough. These characteristics displayed by participants were similar to Warner’s (2005) concept of ‘professionalization of parenthood’. This study has provided valuable insight to the fields of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Family Studies, and Obesity Prevention literature.

Some evidence suggests that single parents may experience lower social capital than partnered parents. However, few studies have examined whether social capital is useful in explaining the frequently reported mental health differential between single and coupled parents. The research questions for the current study were: 1) can disparities in mental health between single and partnered parents be explained by differences between these groups in social capital, above and beyond that explained by economic factors?; and 2) Are there particular dimensions of social capital which are more or less strongly associated with family structure disparities in mental health? The data source was Statistics Canada’s 2010 General Social Survey (Cycle 22). Analysis was restricted to 18-59 year old single (n=648) and partnered (n=4952) parents. Principal components analysis was conducted to develop a measure of social capital. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between family structure and perceived mental health, prior to and after adjusting for socioeconomic and social capital measures. All analyses were conducted separately for mothers and fathers. Single mothers scored lower than partnered mothers on some, but not all measures of social capital. Poor mental health was more common among single than partnered mothers (OR=3.03, 95% CI 2.23-4.12). After adjustment for all explanatory factors, including social capital, the odds ratio for family structure and mental health decreased but remained statistically significant (OR=2.13, 95% CI 1.48-3.3.06). Although single fatherhood was associated with a 1.81 greater odds of fair/poor self-rated mental health compared to partnered fathers, the difference did not meet the traditional criterion for statistical significance (95% CI 0.97-3.37; p=.06). Single fathers did not score differently than partnered fathers on most of the social capital dimensions. Although social capital, particularly the dimension of trust, may play a role in understanding single mothers’ poorer self-rated mental health relative to partnered mothers, the results of this study are too preliminary to inform policy directed at improving their mental well-being. Longitudinal research which includes a larger sample of single fathers is needed to clarify the nature of the relationship between family structure, social capital, and mental health

Background: Approximately 300 children get a malign cancer diagnosis every year in Sweden, 80 % of them survive. Parents of the children who have a cancer diagnosis experienced that they didn't have mental health, nurses care of parents are to keep a mental health so they can handle their parent role. Nurses should meet families through their life-world because caring should be done with dignity and integrity. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe how parents experience the daily life with a child who has a cancer diagnosis. Method: The method used in this study was a literature study based on autobiography, which means analysis of autobiographies. Four books were analyzed. Results: Four categories emerged from the analysis of the autobiographies, experience of powerless, desire of a regular, experience of anxiety and fear, to experience joy and have hope. Conclusion: This study shows how life changes when a child in the family gets a cancer diagnosis and how it affected the parents. The study points out the importants to create a great relationship between the nurses and the family so they can have a good care.

Within North America, more children are being classified as overweight and obese than ever before. Despite this alarming finding, limited research has been conducted on parents’ views of their children’s health in addition to their role in providing their children with a healthy lifestyle The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore parents’ perceptions of their daughters’ healthy lifestyle, including their perceptions of their roles and responsibilities as parents. Participants were recruited from three Girl Guides of Canada Brownie Units in South-Western Ontario. Ten semi-structured, audio-taped interviews were conducted. All of the parents who volunteered to participate were middle class, well-educated, heterosexual, married and/ or common-law and had two to three children. Among those who were interviewed, one married couple took part together, and the remaining eight mothers and one father took part in individual interviews. Many of the participants had experienced problems with maintaining a healthy weight themselves and/or healthy lifestyle in the past. A phenomenological approach was taken by following Hychner’s (1985) steps, including; bracketing my assumptions, listening for a sense of the ‘whole’, delineating units of general meaning, eliminating redundancies and outlining themes that captured the essence of lives experience for parents. Similar to Mannell and Kleiber’s (1997) findings, participants in this study played an influential role in helping their children develop healthy behaviours that would carry on throughout their lives. All of the mothers and fathers interviewed were involved parents and were very committed to instilling healthy behaviors in their daughters. In line with Hays (1996) and Warner (2005), mothers in this study adopted ‘intensive mothering roles’ and fathers’ behaviors reflected ‘involved parenting’ roles. Participants in this study deemed physical, mental and psychological health as important factors which contribute to a healthy lifestyle, but focused most of their discussions on their roles and responsibilities in their daughters’ physical health. A strong emphasis on their daughters’ weight management was conveyed throughout interviews, as many participants, especially mothers, were concerned with their daughter’s perception of body image and self-esteem. As they embraced their parental duties, they acted as role models to their children and spent time during family leisure activities and family meals teaching their daughters about the importance of physical activity and nutrition. Similar to Shaw and Dawson’s (2001) study, family leisure was seen as purposive, with a strong focus placed on health. Parents in this study made their daughters’ health a top priority by investing their time and finances for this goal, while remaining firm and consistent in encouraging healthy behaviours in their children. Despite the time and effort devoted to providing healthy lifestyles, many participants felt insecure and questioned whether or not they were doing enough. These characteristics displayed by participants were similar to Warner’s (2005) concept of ‘professionalization of parenthood’. This study has provided valuable insight to the fields of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Family Studies, and Obesity Prevention literature.

Föräldraskapet är en upplevelse som de flesta ser fram emot, men ibland uppstår komplikationer. Barnet behöver extra vård och föräldrarnas föreställningar kring tiden med det nyfödda barnet blir omkullkastade. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie är att beskriva föräldrarnas upplevelse av att deras nyfödda barn vårdas på neonatalavdelning. Metoden som används är en systematisk litteraturstudie där tidigare forskning inom området sammanställs. Använda databaser för sökningen av artiklar är Elin@Kalmar, Cinahl och PsychInfo. Artiklar som var relaterade till syftet kvalitetsgranskades och resultatet bygger på 10 vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultatet visar att föräldrarna upplever påfrestningar olika beroende på hur tidigt barnet är fött, föräldrarnas möjlighet till engagemang i omsorgsarbetet och hur smärtpåverkat barnet är. Även föräldrarnas sociala status och utbildning påverkar deras förmåga att hantera påfrestningarna. En känslostorm pågår hos föräldrarna där känslor som rädsla, skuld, oro, hopplöshet och overklighet är centrala. Det framkommer också hur viktigt det är att föräldrarna kan kommunicera med sjuksköterskan samt att muntlig och skriftlig information ger en känsla av kontroll och samhörighet. En öppen och jämställd relation med sjuksköterskan inger trygghet och tröst.

The main purpose with this study is to make the modified parenting visible in relation to the school over time. How have the views of parenting and support, by the pedagogues and the parents, earlier been interpreted and how is it today? The results of the interviews, which were more like an everyday dialogue, were analyzed through a phenomenological effort with a hermeneutist method interpretation. The theory connection has mainly consisted of relevant terms for this study. I have come to the conclusion that parents today feel that they have an extended responsibility when it comes their own children’s knowledge. The reason for this is something they already knew and has now been enforced when Skolverket (2009, a) has produced a report which enlightens this and it has been written about in the media.  Some were concerned and felt a lack of competence and time to be able to live up to and take on the increased responsibility. One person emphasized that the school demands parent’s commitment and questioned the school with the mission which has been imposed on them, in case it wasn’t their mission which had been imposed on the parents instead.