Parents of children with autism experience high degrees of stress. Research pertaining to the reduction of parental stress in families with a child with autism is needed. In this study, the relationship between family resilience, parent gender, and parental stress was examined. Seventy-one parents of young children with autism were surveyed. Regression and correlational analyses were performed. Results indicated that the vast majority of respondents reported significantly high levels of stress. Lower degrees of parental stress were correlated with higher degrees of family resilience. Family resiliency factors were significant contributors to the shared variance in parental stress. Mothers of children demonstrated higher levels of stress than fathers. Suggested explanations of these findings are presented and clinical and research implications are provided. The findings of this study provide evidence for the importance of facilitating family resilience for parents of children with autism and affirm differing stress levels between mothers and fathers.

Bao, Luoman. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-61). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.7 / Generalized Reciprocity --- p.7 / Altruistic Norm of Filial Piety --- p.9 / Affective Connection in Adult Child-Parent Relationship --- p.11 / Gender Disparity in Caregiving --- p.13 / THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK --- p.15 / METHOD --- p.20 / Data Sources --- p.20 / Dependent Variable --- p.21 / Independent Variables --- p.22 / Controls --- p.26 / Statistical Procedure --- p.28 / RESULTS --- p.34 / Intergenerational support and its gendered pattern in Taiwan families --- p.34 / Financial Support --- p.37 / Phone Contact and Face-to-face Contact --- p.40 / DISCUSSION --- p.48 / REFERENCES --- p.56 / Figure1. Three mechanisms of supporting elderly parents --- p.15 / Figure2. Mechanism of generalized reciprocity --- p.16 / Figure3. Mechanism of altruistic norm of filial piety --- p.18 / Figure4. Mechanism of affective connection --- p.19 / Table 1. Time Point of the Variables been Measured --- p.29 / Table2. Financial Support Provided from Child to Parents --- p.30 / Table3. Contact between Child and Parents --- p.31 / Table4. Distribution of Explanatory Variables --- p.32 / Table5. Children's and Parents' Characteristics in 2006 --- p.33 / Table6. Means and Percentage Distributions of Variable: Gendered Pattern in 2006 --- p.44 / Table7. Determinants of Financial Support from Children to Elderly Parents in 2006 --- p.45 / Table8. Determinants of Phone Contact between Children and Elderly Parents in 2006 --- p.46 / Table9. Determinants of Face-to-face Contact between Children and Elderly Parents in 2006 --- p.47 / Table 10. The Effectiveness of Three Mechanisms in Explaining Elderly Care --- p.48

This study examined the roles of mothers and fathers in the sexuality education of their sons and daughters. Specifically, the research investigated the sexuality knowledge, attitudes and skills of parents to provide education to their pre-school (5 years of age) or year seven (12 years of age) children. Investigation of parents' active participation in the sexuality education of their children and analysis of the factors which determined their involvement was the main objective of the study. The comfort level of parents in their communication with their children and plans for further sexuality education were also considered. Predictive models of sexuality communication were empirically tested and from this a conceptual model was derived which explicates sexuality education in the home.The research involved both a qualitative and quantitative approach to the investigation of parents' contribution to the future sexual health of their children. The first phase of the study involved focus group interviews with 11 parents to discuss their issues and concerns in providing sexuality education. Thematic analysis of the focus groups and review of the literature informed development of the instrument used in the second phase of the study.Face validity of the instrument was established and 371 parents participated in phase two of the study. One hundred and ninety five (195) mothers and 176 fathers responded voluntarily to an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire on their involvement in their child's sexuality education.In the second phase of the study the instrument used included demographic data and general questions regarding sexuality education. A sexuality knowledge and attitude scale was included as well as qualitative questions concerning parents' skills in sexuality education pertaining to three relevant scenarios. Parents' teaching practices, plans for future ++ / sexuality education and a Likert scale of comfort levels was also part of the instrument.Demographic data was consistent with the general population except with respect to income and education which were both higher than expected. Most parents (95%) stated that the home should be the primary place for sexuality education. However, less than half (36%) initiated frequent discussion with their child.Results showed that generally parents had a satisfactory knowledge of sexuality (M= 2 1) but that mothers had more knowledge of sexuality than fathers. Parents' sexuality attitudes tended toward the conservative end of the continuum with fathers more liberal in their attitudes than mothers. The study revealed a small positive correlation between knowledge and attitudes which showed that parents with more knowledge had more liberal attitudes.Mothers' and fathers' skills in sexuality education varied, demonstrating some uncertainty in this aspect of parenting. Most parents (63%) were not appropriate in their response to their child's questions about 'how babies are made', and provided their child with no factual information. Although most parents (76%) had observed their child's 'genital play' the majority (75%) were unaware of their child's 'sex play' behaviours. Parents' skills in responding to their child's genital play and sex play revealed that few (less than 16%) demonstrated complete acceptance of their child's sexual behaviour. Curiously, parents stated that they were generally comfortable when presented with all situations. The findings indicate a need for community based parent education which focuses on enhancing parents' sexuality knowledge, attitudes and skills.Generally small percentages of parents talked to their children about various sexuality topics with the factual topics such as body differences, birth, reproduction and obscene words the most frequently ++ / discussed. Other topics, of a more sensitive or intimate nature, such as contraception, sexually transmissible diseases, abortion, dating, intimate relationships, masturbation, petting and wet dreams were discussed by fewer parents. Not unexpectedly, parents communicated more with their year seven child than their pre-schooler, but the ages at which topics were introduced varied widely. This suggests parents require guidelines for their role which promote early, open and unreserved communication. The timing of sexuality education is also crucial to ensure that sexuality is as integral to the individual as numeracy and literacy and is approached in the same manner.For almost all topics mothers communicated more than fathers for both the pre-school and year seven groups. In contrast to the literature, pre-school mothers communicated equally with both genders and fathers communicated more with their sons, while by year seven, both mothers and fathers communicated more with their sons than their daughters. The topics discussed with sons and daughters appeared to differ with both mothers and fathers discussing physiological and protective issues with daughters and conversing about sexual behaviours with sons. Gender was a significant factor in sexuality education and strategies to promote equality relating to both parents and children are required.Many parents severely overestimated their plans for communicating with their children about sexuality. Most parents of pre-school children planned to discuss all sexuality topics by the time their children were 12 years old, but in reality this was not evident when compared with the year seven group. Few children initiated frequent communication (37%) with their parents but when they did it was usually with their mother.For the overall sample, the communication of sexuality was predicted by parents' attitudes to teaching ++ / sexuality, their perceived preparation, the church as a source of sexual learning and their teaching skills. The predictors however, varied depending on the gender of the parent and the age group being considered and different models explained between 14% and 46% of the variance of communication.No previously published research in Australia has investigated the role of mothers and fathers as sexuality educators. This study has contributed to the increasing body of knowledge in sexuality which aims to educate children more comprehensively for sexual health in adulthood. The conceptual framework derived from the literature and the findings of the study is anticipated to be of benefit to health professionals, school teachers and sexuality educators as they work with parents to promote sexual health.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title from title page (viewed Apr. 23, 2007) Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-65).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Martha J. Buell, Dept. of Individual & Family Studies. Includes bibliographical references.

The intention of this study was to examine parental perceptions in one Canadian and one Ukrainian high school as to what parents view as an effective school and also to compare the views of parents of both countries. A secondary purpose was to ascertain the characteristics that parents view as important for school choice. This study tried to answer the following research questions:<br> 1. What factors do parents of one Canadian and one Ukrainian school define as elements of an effective school?<br> 2. What school characteristics determine parents choice of schools in both countries?<p> Data collection consisted of surveying one hundred parents of Grade 9-10 students in one school in Saskatoon, Canada and one hundred parents in a school in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire which was developed based on the ten characteristics which Renihan and Sackney (2001) identified as elements of effective schools. Parents were also asked to indicate to what extent their choice of school was influenced by the suggested 17 factors, which were identified based on the findings in research literature. Also, they were asked to list three to five important reasons for their choice of school. These findings were analysed and the most frequently mentioned reasons were identified. In this study, both the Canadian and Ukrainian parents agreed that the following characteristics identified in the literature are elements of effective schools, including school vision and purpose, leadership, a positive climate, academic emphasis,professional community, instructional expectations, feedback, parental involvement, student involvement, and physical environment and resources.<p>Additional themes related to school effectiveness were identified by the participating parents, such as promoting/ preparation for postsecondary education and career information. This suggests that parents of students as early as in Grade 9 and 10 are concerned about their childrens future and want their children to be prepared by the school for lifelong learning. The majority of the Ukrainian parents perceived physical environment and resources, including medical services, to be a very important element of effective schools. With respect to the second research question, examination of the data revealed that the majority of both Canadian and Ukrainian parents identified the same factors as highly influencing the choice of school. These factors included opportunities for higher education, child(ren)s happiness, high expectations for learning, academic standards, quality of teaching and reputation. Reputation was the most mentioned reason for school choice by both Canadian and Ukrainian parents. Parents in both schools commonly identified positive atmosphere as a factor in school choice. Canadian parents employed situational and family-related factors, whereas Ukrainian parents based their choice of school on key qualities of the school and preparation for university.

The intention of this study was to examine parental perceptions in one Canadian and one Ukrainian high school as to what parents view as an effective school and also to compare the views of parents of both countries. A secondary purpose was to ascertain the characteristics that parents view as important for school choice. This study tried to answer the following research questions:<br> 1. What factors do parents of one Canadian and one Ukrainian school define as elements of an effective school?<br> 2. What school characteristics determine parents choice of schools in both countries?<p> Data collection consisted of surveying one hundred parents of Grade 9-10 students in one school in Saskatoon, Canada and one hundred parents in a school in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire which was developed based on the ten characteristics which Renihan and Sackney (2001) identified as elements of effective schools. Parents were also asked to indicate to what extent their choice of school was influenced by the suggested 17 factors, which were identified based on the findings in research literature. Also, they were asked to list three to five important reasons for their choice of school. These findings were analysed and the most frequently mentioned reasons were identified. In this study, both the Canadian and Ukrainian parents agreed that the following characteristics identified in the literature are elements of effective schools, including school vision and purpose, leadership, a positive climate, academic emphasis,professional community, instructional expectations, feedback, parental involvement, student involvement, and physical environment and resources.<p>Additional themes related to school effectiveness were identified by the participating parents, such as promoting/ preparation for postsecondary education and career information. This suggests that parents of students as early as in Grade 9 and 10 are concerned about their childrens future and want their children to be prepared by the school for lifelong learning. The majority of the Ukrainian parents perceived physical environment and resources, including medical services, to be a very important element of effective schools. With respect to the second research question, examination of the data revealed that the majority of both Canadian and Ukrainian parents identified the same factors as highly influencing the choice of school. These factors included opportunities for higher education, child(ren)s happiness, high expectations for learning, academic standards, quality of teaching and reputation. Reputation was the most mentioned reason for school choice by both Canadian and Ukrainian parents. Parents in both schools commonly identified positive atmosphere as a factor in school choice. Canadian parents employed situational and family-related factors, whereas Ukrainian parents based their choice of school on key qualities of the school and preparation for university.

Texte remanié de: Th. doct.--Sciences humaines--Université de Montréal, 2003. Titre de soutenance : Pratiques de soins et négligence infantile, approches narratologique et écologique des récits de parents d'enfants de 0 à 5 ans d'un village bas-laurentien. / Bibliogr., webliogr. p. 269-297.

Texte remanié de: Academisch proefschrift--Universiteit van Amsterdam, 2004. / Résumé en anglais et néerlandais. Bibliogr. p. 97-106.

Doct. th.--Department of psychology--Göteborg university, 2005. / Notes bibliogr.