Sammanfattning Vi har gjort en kritisk diskursanalys av AC:s (Adoptionscentrum) medlemstidning under perioderna; 1975-1985, 1986-1996, 1997-2006. Frågeställningen lyder: Hur konstitueras diskursen om ”det goda adoptivföräldraskapet” genom AC:s medlemstidning? Vilka är möjlighetsvillkoren och vilka konsekvenser innebär diskursen? Vårt syfte har varit att förstå diskursen om ”det goda adoptivföräldraskapet”. Vi har utgått ifrån socialkonstruktioniskt, poststrukturalistiskt perspektiv och språkfilosofi. Vårt huvudsakliga resultat har visat sig vara att AC konstituerar diskurser som producerar och reproducerar ett antal normativa föreställningar om föräldraskap, familj och individer som bygger på socialt konstruerade föreställningar om vad som är en ”riktig” familj, bra föräldraegenskaper och barnets bästa. Diskursen ”det goda adoptivföräldraskapet” uppnås genom aktivt medlemskap i adoptionsorganisationen AC. Begreppet ”barnets bästa” har visat sig vara en flytande signifikant för att konstituera olika diskurser som alla handlar om att etablera eller upprätthålla AC som organisation. Genom barnets bästa har AC fått möjlighet att legitimera sina egna verksamhetsområden, styra över vem som är lämplig förälder, vem som får bilda familj och vika barn som är tillgängliga för adoption. Ytterligare resultat har visat på att AC under perioden fått ökad makt genom att förmedlingen av adoptivbarn har övergått till adoptivorganisationerna. Således har statens makt och inflytande fördelats över ytterligare en instans. / Abstract This essay is a critical discourse analysis on AC’s (Adoption Centre Organisation, Sweden) magazine for members during three periods; 1975-1985, 1986-1996, 1997-2006. Our main question is how discursive statements are made on “the good adoptive parenthood” in this magazine? What possible changeable meanings and truths are given by the discourses? Our aim is to understand the discourse “the good adoptive parenthood”. The theoretical framework consists of knowledge of social constructivism, post structural perspective and philosophy of language. Our main results are that AC constitutes discourses that produce and reproduce a number of assumptions about parenthood, family and individuals as normative and influenced by social constructed assumptions about what is; a “real” family, a good parenthood or “the child’s best interest”. The discourse of “the good adoptive parenthood” is gained through membership in the adoption organisation AC. The claim of “the child’s best interest” has in this essay being found as a fluent significant to constitute a variety of discourses, which all aim to establish and maintain the organisation. Through the principle of “the child’s best interest”, AC has found a way to legitimate their own fields, to decide who is a suitable parent, who shall form a family, and which child will be available for adoption. Further result shows that AC during the studied period has gained increased legal and governmental power in the field of adoption. As a result, the governmental power and influence in the adoption field has been divided through additional authorities.

The current study aims to increase understanding of influences on and consequences of self-regulation in adolescence. Previous work has shown that higher levels of self-regulation are associated with greater social competence and lower levels problem behaviors. Past studies have posited that parenting and interparental conflict are linked to self-regulation and adjustment in childhood and adolescence. However, the mechanism underlying the potential effects of specific parental behaviors and interparental conflict on self-regulation and their unique effects on adjustment have been largely unexamined. It was hypothesized that parental psychological and behavioral control and interparental conflict would be indirectly associated with adolescent outcomes via self-regulation abilities. Besides, differential impacts of parental controlling behaviors on self-regulation were also explored. The study involved a sample of 300 students in the 6th and 7th grades and their mothers. Students completed self-report questionnaires on parental control behaviors, self-regulation abilities, and academic self-concept. Furthermore, mothers completed questionnaires including parental control, interparental conflict, self-regulation abilities of adolescents, and adolescent adjustment (i.e., hyperactivation/inattention, emotional, and prosocial behaviors). The mediational hypothesis was largely supported. Results suggested that perceived parental psychological control and interparental conflict predicted low levels of self-regulation and in turn, this predicted adolescent adjustment. Parental behavioral control predicted self-regulation abilities in adolescent-reported model only. As predicted, different parental psychological control dimensions had divergent impact on adolescent outcomes. Specifically, love withdrawal/irrespective parenting was associated with the highest adolescent adjustment. Results also showed that the interplay between paternal guilt induction/erratic emotional behaviors and monitoring was significant in predicting prosocial behaviors and perseverance of adolescents. Similarly, the significant interaction between maternal love withdrawal/irrespective and knowledge suggested that high maternal withdrawal combined with high parental knowledge may result in hyperactivation/inattention problems among early adolescents. Finally, two U-shaped curvilinear relationships were found between psychological control and adjustment variables. Accordingly, the relationship between paternal guilt induction/erratic emotional behaviors and low perseverance/monitoring / and maternal love withdrawal/irrespective and Turkish academic self-concept had curvilinear relationship. Theoretical, methodological, cultural, and practical implications of the findings were discussed considering previous literature.

This study aims to deepen our understanding of both how men are affected by taking longer periods of parental leave, and the factors behind the decision of some men to take at least six consecutive months of leave. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five men living in Umeå, Sweden, who had been on parental leave for periods ranging from 6-15 months. Thematic analysis of these interviews revealed four themes: The female as the norm, gender-equal masculinity, the significance of paid work, and understanding provided by practical experience. The men in the study appeared to embody/perform a gender-equal masculinity, which differs from traditional masculinities. This deviant group challenges normative beliefs about how parenting should be done. Based on the four themes, above, a number of problem areas were identified: Firstly, even though a majority of the men seemed to pay less interest to their career than to their child, the paid-work norms affected the choices and possibilities for the men to take parental leave. The men feel that women, as the parent who carries the baby, are the major focus of parental education programs, and that different expectations exist formale and female parents. They experienced difficulty relating to other men in parental education  programs, and one man clearly expressed the discomfort of discussing parenting issues with other men. Breastfeeding also appeared to be problematic. This was partly because some of the men felt uncomfortable with the assumption of parental education programs that the woman would be the one to feed the baby, through breastfeeding, and partly because some of the men felt a sense of alienation from the fact that they themselves were incapable of breastfeeding. They felt a certain sadness that their children formed links to their mothers in this manner, which they were unable to. Finally, some of the men experienced difficulty in finding social groups, with the exception of the open preschools (öppna förskolan), while on parental leave. The paper discusses, and proposes suggestions to, the aforementioned problem areas, with the aim of contributing to regional development in Västerbotten,  Sweden.

Section A provides a review of the current research literature on religion and parenting a child with a learning disability. Religion is generally associated with positive outcomes, although there are some mixed views regarding religious communities. Most literature is carried out abroad and differences between study designs make it difficult to compare between studies, indicating a strong need for UK research. Implications for services are discussed and suggestions provided for future research. Section B is a research study exploring the role of religion for parents of children with a learning disability in the UK. Existing research shows religion plays an important role for some parents of children with a learning disability. To date, most studies have been carried out in America and have focussed on religious observance. This study aimed to assess the personal role of religion for parents in the UK. Eight parents of Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith were interviewed. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a method designed to capture lived experiences. Religion was found to help some parents make sense of their child’s disability and their role as a parent. Having faith gave parents hope and was an important part of their personal identity. The religious community was generally perceived as supportive, although there were barriers to participation for many families, including limited time and lack of family support. Further research assessing parents with other faiths and from specific ethnic groups and religious denominations may broaden understanding in this area. Section C outlines further issues pertaining to the research study including research skills acquired and lessons learned during the completion of the project, implications for future clinical practice, and ideas for future research.

Section A provides an overview of the literature investigating the relationship between parental mental health and child physical health within populations of children with chronic childhood illness. Evidence for whether this relationship definitively exists, as well as the potential pathways through which this relationship could operate, is evaluated. Carers of children with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) can experience burden and psychological distress, which has been shown to impact on the child's physical health. Section B is an empirical study aiming to assess the validity and reliability of the Paediatric Renal Carer Burden Scale (PR-CBS) , a 51 item psychometric measure designed to assess carer burden in carers of children with CKD. Factor analysis indicated retention of 21 items representing 5 factors; Illness worries (8 items), Impact on self (5 items), Impact on child (3 items), Responsibility (3 items) and Institutional burden (2 items). Together they explain 53% of the total variance. Internal reliability for both the full scale and sub-scales were acceptable. Convergent validity was demonstrated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Caregiver Strain Questionnaire and the scale was reported by respondents as being acceptable to complete. The PR-CBS has been shown to be a valid and reliable scale and as such is a clinically relevant tool with which to identify burdened carers and provide additional psycho-social support so as to ensure best outcomes for both carer and child. Section C provides a critical evaluation of the research process and reflections from the researcher on learning throughout the process of the study as well as clinical implications and future research directions.

No description available.

Vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Thematik „Familien schizophren erkrankter Eltern“ als einem speziellen Gebiet der sozialpsychiatrischen Forschung. Eine psychiatrische Erkrankung wie die Schizophrenie bzw. schizoaffektive Störung wirkt sich nicht nur auf die Patienten selbst, sondern auf die gesamte Familie aus und beeinträchtigt v. a. die psychosoziale Entwicklung von minderjährigen Kindern, die erheblichen Belastungen ausgesetzt sind. Empirische Befunde belegen die Häufigkeit von Elternschaft innerhalb der speziellen Patientengruppe und machen deutlich, dass die Anwesenheit von Kindern eine nicht selten vorkommende Konstellation ist und einen wachsenden Bedarf an Unterstützungsangeboten mit sich bringt. Die subjektive Lebensqualität der Erkrankten als ein Kriterium einer erfolgreichen Behandlung findet in einem weiteren Artikel seine Beachtung und wird in seinem Zusammenhang mit Elternschaft und Partnerschaft analysiert. Dabei wird die Notwendigkeit eines Einbezugs der familiären Situation in die Planung von Interventionen hervorgehoben und die Nutzung von Partnerschaft und Elternschaft als Ressourcen herausgestellt, die zur Steigerung der Lebensqualität der Patienten beitragen können. Die Kinder als die schwächsten Glieder in der Kette der Betroffenheit werden im dritten Artikel bezüglich ihrer speziellen Belastungssituation betrachtet und es werden ihre Bewältigungsmechanismen qualitativ wie quantitativ erfasst. Dabei werden jene Copingstile diskutiert, die für die Kinder in ihrer besonderen Lage einen protektiven Faktor darstellen oder hinderlich sein können. In allen Beiträgen wird die Notwendigkeit einer Integration der Familie (Partner wie Kinder) in die Betreuung und Behandlung der Patienten hervorgehoben.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-107). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Several are the transformations that the family has going through, situations that also implied in changes in the performance of parental roles. Whereas motherhood has many of its assumptions well naturalized, the paternity, supposedly, was the one what has most changed into the familiar scenery. In this context, the research from which originates the present dissertation had as the main goal to understand the meanings attributed to paternity by women heads of household in urban periphery. For this, an exploratory qualitative study was performed in a group of ten women, mothers, who constituted a monoparental family and that lived in an urban periphery from a countryside city located in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The number of participants followed the definition of the saturation criterion. The data collection instruments used were the semi-structured interviews and the focus group, with the data obtained processed by the analysis of thematic content. The results of this research are presented and discussed in three articles that compose this dissertation. Thus, the results of the first article pointed out to the existence of traditional and contemporary conceptions regarding to the structure of the family, as well as the role that the father has within the family. The second article, on the other hand, referred to a discussion about the importance of the pregnancy being part of project shared by the couple, especially by highlighting that many relationships end, even before the birth of the child, a situation which contributes to the difficulty of many fathers in establish their affective position toward these children. The results of the third article showed the existence of a number of crossings situations that pervade the coparental relationship after the couple's separation. Furthermore, it was noticed that the participant´s understanding regarding to the parental roles seem to have been permeated by the belief that the mother is naturally better prepared to take care of the children, while the father was delegated to a peripheral function. The issue which appeared with more emphasis in this study was the coexistence of traditional and modern meanings regarding to the paternity. While the mothers reported that the father is the "foundation" of the house, the head of the family, many of them asserted their wish of a more attentive and affective former partner with their children, showing signs of what is called "contemporary father", in the speech of women heads of households in urban periphery. / Diversas são as transformações pelas quais a família tem passado, o que tem implicado também em mudanças no desempenho dos papéis parentais. Considerando que a maternidade mantém muitos de seus pressupostos naturalizados, pode-se pensar que a paternidade é a que mais tem se modificado no cenário familiar. Partindo deste pressuposto, a pesquisa da qual se origina a presente dissertação teve como objetivo geral compreender os significados atribuídos à paternidade por mulheres chefes de família de periferia urbana. Com este intuito, realizou-se um estudo qualitativo de caráter exploratório com dez mulheres, mães, que compunham uma família monoparental e que residiam em uma periferia urbana do interior do Rio Grande do Sul. O número de participantes respeitou a definição do critério de saturação. Os instrumentos de coleta de dados utilizados foram a entrevista semiestruturada e o grupo focal, tendo sido os dados analisados por meio da análise de conteúdo temática. Os resultados da presente pesquisa são apresentados e discutidos nos três artigos que compõe esta dissertação. Os resultados do primeiro artigo apontaram para a existência de concepções tradicionais e contemporâneas no que tange à configuração familiar e ao papel que o pai possui dentro da família. O segundo artigo, por sua vez, remeteu a uma reflexão a respeito da importância da gestação fazer parte de um projeto compartilhado pelo casal, em especial por se evidenciar que muitos relacionamentos terminam antes mesmo do nascimento da criança, o que acaba contribuindo para que muitos pais tenham dificuldades em se posicionar afetivamente frente a estes filhos. Os resultados do terceiro artigo apontaram para a existência de uma série de atravessamentos que perpassam o relacionamento coparental após a separação do casal. Ademais, foi possível perceber que o entendimento das participantes a respeito dos papéis parentais parecem terem sido permeados pela crença de que a mãe é naturalmente a mais bem preparada para cuidar dos filhos enquanto ao pai foi delegada uma função periférica. A questão que apareceu com mais ênfase neste estudo foi a coexistência de significados tradicionais e modernos no que diz respeito à paternidade. Ao mesmo tempo em que as mães referiram que o pai é o alicerce da casa, o chefe da família, muitas delas asseveraram seu desejo de que o ex-companheiro fosse mais atencioso e afetivo com os filhos, evidenciando indícios do que se denomina de pai contemporâneo no discurso de mulheres chefes de família de periferia urbana.

A paternidade responsável se destaca no contexto da Constituição de 1988, refletindo seus efeitos para todo o sistema. Os pais, ao assumirem esse status, passam a ser titulares de diversas obrigações sendo verdadeiro afirmar que deles, de alguma forma, sempre se exigiu certo tipo de responsabilidade. Seu conteúdo, todavia, é que variou no histórico da construção da família brasileira. A proteção aos filhos, anteriormente mais formalista e restrita à aplicação de medidas de suspensão ou destituição do poder familiar (pátrio poder), cedeu espaço para outros valores. Atualmente, cabe aos pais, em essência, a formação e a emancipação da pessoa do filho. Assistir, educar e criar são as ações básicas que informam a sua responsabilidade, sendo ainda titulares do dever de inserir o menor no contexto da família e da sociedade. A igualdade, a solidariedade e a autonomia se mesclam ao encargo parental, a bem da formação física e psíquica da prole. Mas, é necessário observar que o dever de cuidado, imposto constitucionalmente aos pais, é transferido para os filhos após a maioridade, por meio de uma lógica de reciprocidade e vulnerabilidade. Assim, passam estes a ser responsáveis pela assistência e pelo cuidado dos ascendentes doentes ou, por qualquer outro motivo, necessitados. Considerado o fato de que a verdadeira parentalidade é aquela que cria o estado concreto de pai-filho, reflexo do cumprimento da responsabilidade, é forçoso concluir pela inexistência de seus efeitos jurídicos nos casos em que o vínculo restou fixado pela simples formalidade do registro. Defende-se, então, para o fim de eximir os filhos de seus deveres, a desconstituição do vínculo registral ou a inocuidade de seus efeitos, sempre que os pais não tenham cumprido responsavelmente as suas funções em benefício da prole. As normas jurídicas constitucionais e infraconstitucionais legitimam tal prerrogativa, afastando as obrigações dos filhos cujos direitos fundamentais não foram respeitados pela incúria daqueles que tinham contrariamente o encargo de assistir e cuidar. / The responsible parenthood stands out in the context of the 1988 Constitution, reflecting its effects on the entire system. Parents, as assuming this status, become holders of various obligations, being true say of them that, somehow, always demanded a certain kind of responsibility. Its contents, however, is what varied in the historic construction of Brazilian family. The children protection, previously more formal and restricted to the application of measures of suspension or dismissal of family power (patria potestas) gave way to other values. Currently, parents have, in essence, training and empowerment of the individual child. Assist, educate and create are the basic actions that inform their responsibility and even the duty holders to enter the child in the family and society. Equality, solidarity and autonomy are mixed to parental burden for the sake of physical and emotional training of the offspring. But it should be noted that the duty of care, first imposed on parents, based on vulnerability of children, is transferred from the majority of these through a logic informed by reciprocity. So are the children to be responsible for assistance and care of patient risings, or for any other reason, need. Considering the fact that the true parenting is one that creates the actual state of parent-child reflecting the fulfillment of responsibility, it is clear that there was no legal effect in cases where parenting remained fixed for the simple formality of registration. It is argued, then, for the purpose of shielding children from their responsibilities, the registral deconstitution the bond or the safety of its effects when parents have not fulfilled the duties for de benefit of minor children. The constitutional and infraconstitutional legal order legitimize this prerogative, away the duties and obligations from those whose fundamental rights werent respected by the carelessness of those who had the burden of doing so.