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The present study explored the effect of the birth of a child with a cleft lip and palate on family functioning within the context of family systems theory. Five families, each with a child who was born with a cleft lip and palate, were included in the study. The five couples were all married and they were the biological parents of their children whose ages ranged from two months to five years. All five sets of parents were initially interviewed together and then had separate individual interviews where the Family Assessment Measure-III was administered. The results reflected each family's distinctive patterns of interaction and how they adapted to the birth of a child with an orofacial cleft. Factors found to affect family functioning included: External support systems, individual coping skills, family rules and boundaries, open communication and cohesion among family members. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)

The present study explored the effect of the birth of a child with a cleft lip and palate on family functioning within the context of family systems theory. Five families, each with a child who was born with a cleft lip and palate, were included in the study. The five couples were all married and they were the biological parents of their children whose ages ranged from two months to five years. All five sets of parents were initially interviewed together and then had separate individual interviews where the Family Assessment Measure-III was administered. The results reflected each family's distinctive patterns of interaction and how they adapted to the birth of a child with an orofacial cleft. Factors found to affect family functioning included: External support systems, individual coping skills, family rules and boundaries, open communication and cohesion among family members. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)

Thesis (MA)- University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Family Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (FSoC) for use among Northern Sothos. Antonovsky and Sourani developed the FSoC-questionnaire to measure the sense of coherence of families. The family sense of coherence is based on the individual sense of coherence construct, which was developed by Antonovsky. According to Antonovsky, families with a strong sense of coherence will function better than families with a weak sense of coherence. Therefore family functioning was used as criteria to validate the external validity of the FSoC-questionnaire. Olson, Russell and Sprenkle developed the Family Attachment and Changeability Index (FACI-8) to measure family functioning according to the Circumplex model. For the purpose of this study the two questionnaires were translated to Sepedi (the language of the Northern Sotho). The reliability of the two questionnaires was assessed by means of Cronbach-alpha coefficients. The construct validity of the two questionnaires was assessed by means of JOreskog's Goodness of Fit Index (GFI). The statistical analysis was done with Statistica 6 software. The results drawn from the present study indicates that the FSoC-questionnaire is not a reliable and valid instrument to measure families' sense of coherence among Northern Sothos. Significant high correlations with the FACI-8 however, indicated that the FSoC might be considered for use among Northern Sothos, if only the total scores are taken into consideration. The FACI-8 however, proved to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure family functioning according to the Circumplex model among Northern Sothos. The conclusions drawn from the present study are that the FACI-8 is a suitable instrument for use among the Northern Sothos, whereas the FSoC-questionnaire is not. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die huidige ondersoek was om die psigometriese eienskappe van die Gesinskoherensie-vraelys (FSoC) wat deur Antonovsky en Sourani ontwikkel was, vir gebruik onder Noord-Sothos te bepaal. Om hierdie doeleindes te bereik, was die Gesinsfunksioneringsvraelys (FACI-8) wat deur McCubbin, Thompson en Elver ontwikkel was, as 'n kriterium gebruik om die eksterne geldigheid van die FSoC-vraelys te valideer. Die FACI-8 meet gesinsfunksionering volgens die Kontekstuele-model van gesinsfunksionering, wat deur Olson, Russell en Sprenkle ontwikkel was. Volgens Antonovsky sal gesinne wat oor 'n sterk ontwikkelde koherensiesin beskik, beter funksioneer as gesinne wat oor 'n swak ontwikkelde koherensiesin beskik. Gevolglik was gesinsfunksionering as 'n maatstaf van gesinskoherensie gebruik. Die vraelyste moes eers na Sepedi (die taal van die Noorcl-Sotho) vertaal word, alvorens die vraelyste afgeneem kon word. Die betroubaarheid van die vraelyste was deur middel van Cronbach-alfa koêffisiênte bereken. Die konstrukgeldigheid van die vraelyste was deur middel van JOreskog se Passingstoets bepaal. Die statistiese verwerkings was deur middel van die Statistica 6 rekenaarprogram behartig. Die resultate van die huidige ondersoek dui daarop dat die FSoC-vraelys met omsigtigheid benader moet word vir gebruik onder Noord-Sothos. Die FSoCvraelys het nie bevredigende betroubaarheids- en geldigheidsindekse gelewer nie. Die FSoC-vraelys het wel eksterne geldigheid getoon, wanneer dit met die FACI-8 gevalideer was. Die FACI-8 het betroubare en geldige metings van gesinsfunksionering volgens die Kontekstuele-model onder Noord-Sothos in die huidige ondersoek gelewer. Die gevolgtrekkings wat op grond van die huidige ondersoek gemaak word, is dat die FSoC-vraelys nie bruikbaar is onder Noorcl-Sothos nie, terwyl die FACI-8 wel gebruik kan word om gesinsfunksionering onder Noord-Sothos te meet.

by Kwok Wai Yee, Alice. / Includes questionaire in Chinese. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-59). / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS --- p.ii / abstract --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.v / Chapter CHAPTER ONE: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO: --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.7 / Chapter I. --- Theoretical framework: McMaster Model of Family Functioning --- p.7 / Chapter II. --- Empirical findings of the FAD --- p.12 / Chapter III. --- Cross cultural studies of the FAD --- p.15 / Chapter IV. --- Family Structure and Functioning in traditional Chinese and in Hong Kong --- p.17 / Chapter V. --- The purpose of the present study --- p.21 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE: --- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY --- p.24 / Chapter I. --- Subjects and procedures: --- p.24 / Chapter II. --- Sample Characteristics: --- p.25 / Chapter III. --- Instruments --- p.26 / Chapter IV. --- Method of analysis --- p.28 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR: --- RESULTS --- p.30 / Chapter I. --- Reliability of the FAD --- p.30 / Chapter II. --- Factor Analyses of the FAD --- p.30 / Chapter III. --- Correlations --- p.41 / Chapter IV --- Regression analyses --- p.43 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE: --- DISCUSSION --- p.46 / REFERENCES --- p.54 / APPENDIX I --- p.61 / APPENDIX II --- p.65

In 2014, Washoe County Department of Social Services in Nevada, licensed only 50 of 400 parents who applied to foster children. Lack of long-term effective foster parents creates instability within the system. Significant concern over increased numbers of children entering foster care and a decreased number of qualified foster care applicants continues. The Casey Foster Family Assessment (CFFA), a comprehensive assessment of key traits of effective foster parents may further enhance the fostering application process. The identified CFFA subscales most predictive of future foster parent effectiveness, may help WCDSS more effectively identify applicants likely to provide long-term stable homes for children. Local licensed foster parents and their case managers were recruited to complete the CFFA, and Effective Foster Parent Survey (EFPS). Using the Ecology theory of Bronfenbrenner and Belsky as a foundation, a series of Pearson bivariate correlations were conducted using the CFFA and EFPS scores and a regression analysis was conducted to determine the results. Results showed foster parents (N=35) with a high level of dedication, sufficient time, higher perceived degree of responsibility then the agency, and willing to foster children of differing racial, religious, cultural, or sexual identity backgrounds were viewed by their case managers as being highly effective. Identifying effective skills, and providing support and training to foster parents, may increase the likelihood that a child will stay in one home instead of moving repeatedly, reducing mental health risks of foster children. Three significant correlates were identified: positive parent-child interaction, participation in spiritual activities and attendance at agency training, set a foundation for continued research in additional effective foster parent skills and how to assess for these qualities in incoming applicants.

The effectiveness of most parent education classed is measured by changes in the child. While all programs are developed from psychological theory, and have been evaluated by research, SES and cultural aspects of the undividual have been given little attention. Since public law has recognized the incidence of child abuse and neglect, large numbers of families are required to attend parent education classes. At the same time, research indicates no particular program is more effective than another.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to look into how social secretaries describe their work with children's participation in the assessment that is carried out at short-term residential facilities for families. Through their descriptions we can gain knowledge of what significance these social workers give children's participation in this context and create more nuances in the overall view on children's participation in Swedish child services. Built in this purpose, we have been interested in how the institutional circumstances can affect children's participation. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with seven social secretaries working in three different facilities for families in two Swedish municipalities. Based on our theoretical assumptions, which are Shier’s pathway to participation (2001) and the interpretation that Svensson, Johnsson and Laanemets (2008) made of Michael Lipsky's (1980/2010) concept of discretion, the interviews have been interpreted and analysed. We have anchored the essay's analysis framework in a social-constructivist approach.  Our results show that the social secretaries places great emphasis on children's participation throughout the assessment process. The work is carried out in an incorporated way where the approach is characterized by seeing the child as an active part and a main person who has the right to participation in ways that works for that specific child. The descriptions show the individual secretaries' ability for child-friendly adaptation in working methods, as well as a shared responsibility for competence development. Experience are referred to as important, as well as reflection on the personal factors that can limit the work. In the result, we can see that a problematic theme lies in the interaction between the social secretary, the parents and the children. The family is in a difficult situation, often enlarged by the intervention in the family's life that moving to the facility entails. How well the collaboration works depends on the possibility to communicate and create relationships built on trust, which directly affects the degree of the child's participation. The result also contains recurring descriptions of how the social secretary decides when the child should be protected from burdensome details, mainly concerning the parents, which can also be regarded as a limiting factor.  Conclusions we have drawn are that children's participation has a central position in these organisations, seen as an indisputable right for all children regardless of age and ability. The discretion of the social secretaries is not limited by organizational factors such as heavy workload or lack of time. It is mainly collaboration difficulties with the family that affect children's participation. However, frequent contact with the family during the long assessment period at the facility create good basis for cooperation, as well as the high degree of transparency and openness that permeates the assessment work according to the social secretaries. Success in relationship-building becomes crucial to children's participation, especially as the path to the child often goes through the parent.

La schizophrénie précoce (SP), trouble rare (~0,01%) du neurodéveloppement est décrite sous deux formes : la schizophrénie très précoce, avant 13 ans et celle de l’adolescence entre 13 et 18 ans. Le diagnostic complexe à poser et les méconnaissances de la SP font supposer qu’elle est sous diagnostiquée et que les propositions thérapeutiques et de prise en charge sont encore peu spécifiques. Nous avons mené une première étude épidémiologique de prévalence pour : (1) évaluer le taux de sujets répondant au diagnostic de SP dans un échantillon de 302 enfants issus des structures médico-sociales et sanitaires en région PACA ; (2) caractériser sur le plan clinique et neurocognitif les enfants avec SP ; (3) évaluer le taux d’enfants répondant à la fois aux diagnostics de SP et de Troubles du Spectre Autistique (TSA). Puis, une deuxième étude, du sous-groupe d’enfants ayant une comorbidité SP et TSA, a exploré la psychopathologie, la personnalité et les capacités cognitives des membres du 1er degré des familles de ces enfants. Les résultats sont : un taux de 8,9% de patients avec SP, dont 59,3% de garçons âgés de 12,4 ans en moyenne (ET=3,2), avec un Quotient Intellectuel moyen de 72,5 (ET=21,4), des hallucinations (82,8%), des symptômes négatifs (70%), une comorbidité avec un TSA (41.2%) et des traitements neuroleptiques (51,5%). L’étude des familles a montré que les mères ont plus de troubles de la personnalité, de traits autistiques, de pathologies psychiatriques et un QI moyen plus faible. La constitution et le phénotypage de cette cohorte a permis dans les suites de ce travail, de lancer une étude génétique familiale avec séquençage d’exome des parents et des enfants avec SP. / Early Onset Schizophrenia (EOS), a rare neurodevelopmental disorder (≈0.01%) is categorized into two types: Very Early Onset Schizophrenia, before age 13 and Adolescent Schizophrenia between ages 13 and 18. This diagnosis is a difficult one to make and considering the lack of knowledge on EOS, we can presume that it is in fact under-diagnosed and that our treatment and management options are still not very specific. We conducted a first epidemiological prevalence study consisted in evaluating: (1) the rate of subjects with EOS diagnostic criteria among 302 children who receive care in psychosocial and sanitary care facilities in the PACA region; (2) the clinical and neurocognitive characteristics of those children with EOS; (3) the rate of children with both EOS and ASD criteria within the same sample. In a second study, focusing on a subgroup of children with comorbid EOS and ASD, we analyzed first-degree relatives from a psychopathological, personality and cognitive viewpoint. The results are: a high rate of patients (8.9%) with an EOS diagnosis, a male gender majority (59.3%), an average age of 12.4 (SD=3.2), an average intelligence quotient of 72.5 (SD=21.4), a rate of 82.8% of subjects with hallucinations, 70% with EOS negative symptoms, 41.2% with comorbid autism, and 51.5% with antipsychotic medications. The study of family members shows that mothers have a higher rate of personality disorders, autistic traits and psychiatric disorders, as well as a lower average IQ. The creation and the characterization of a phenotype of this cohort have led to a family-genetic analysis based on exome sequencing in the parents and children with EOS following this study.