<p> Obesity is the scourge of a large percentage of American youths today imposing devastating health consequences. Poor family functioning has been associated with being overweight among adolescents. Family-based weight management programs that enhance family functioning while providing nutritional and exercise counseling may be beneficial. Improved family functioning (cohesion, conflict, moral religious emphasis) may be associated with lower familial stress which may improve lifestyle habits and thereby reduce obesity and its risk factors. Shapedown is an eight-week weight management program for overweight children and adolescents designed to help improve nutrition, physical activity habits and family functioning by incorporating cognitive, behavioral, affective, and relationship techniques. Previous research has not investigated whether changes in weight and other risk factors following participation in the program are related to any family function change. The current study assessed perceived family functioning among overweight adolescents and evaluated the Shapedown program to assess the relationship between changes in family functioning scores and in anthropometric measures (BMI and waist-hip ratio). Fifty-six, predominantly Hispanic overweight adolescents, aged 10&ndash;16 years, participated in Shapedown interventions in San Mateo County, California. This study uncovered differences in overweight adolescents&rsquo; perceived family functioning as it relates to parents marital status, age, family size, and race. The Shapedown intervention was associated with reduced BMI and decreased waist-hip-ratio among overweight adolescents, however, this study did not find a correlation between changes in BMI and changes in family functioning nor changes in waist-hip ratio and family functioning.</p><p>

<p> This study used qualitative methods to investigate the phenomenon of nonparticipation of Somali parents in their child&rsquo;s school-based autism treatments including the lack of follow through at home. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were used to engage six (<i>n</i> = 6) Somali parents in a discussion about their perceptions, experiences, understandings, and feelings about their child&rsquo;s school-based autism treatments. Upon analysis eight major themes emerged in relationship to the research questions. These themes were: (1) parents reported schools were not providing treatments, (2) felt child was not receiving a proper education, (3) felt schools were not helping prepare child for future, (4) reported schools ignored or were unaware of their child&rsquo;s strengths, (5) reported they had not received any instruction for treatment follow through at home, (6) would prefer different treatment options, (7) did not feel school providers were sensitive to their needs or the needs of their child, (8) reported experiencing racism from school-based providers and administrators. In addition, four unsolicited themes emerged from the data. These additional themes were: (1) noticed symptoms and sought medical/professional help early in child&rsquo;s development, (2) reported symptom onset in relationship to vaccines, (3) declined further vaccines after symptom onset, (4) reported a lack of trust in researchers, research institutions, and research results. It was an unexpected result that the parents in this sample would differ from other studies. Parents in this sample reported highly Americanized complaints about the type, timing, duration, quality, and expectations of their child&rsquo;s school-based ASD treatments. These results highlight the need for a better understanding of acculturation levels, the need to enhance communication between schools and Somali parents, and a need to rebuild trust in this vulnerable population. </p><p>

<p> This quantitative correlational study was conducted to examine the relationship between physical and mental stress, financial stability, employment status, and marital relationship problems experienced by female caregivers residing in Fayetteville, North Carolina, who were caring for disabled family members. More specifically, this research examined how the level of care provided to the disabled family member contributed to caregiver stress. In contrast, the relationship between physical and mental stress, financial stability, employment status, and marital relationship problems among formal (paid) and informal (nonpaid) caregivers among many different geographic locations throughout the United States and in other countries characterizes the previous research reported in the literature. The extant literature contains little research conducted among female caregivers in Fayetteville, North Carolina, who provided in-home care for a disabled family member. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 29 female caregivers residing in Fayetteville, North Carolina, who met study inclusion criteria. Study participants volunteered to provide data on how the level of care provided to the disabled family member contributed to their experience of stress. Study data were collected using a primary caregiver survey and three assessment tools: the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFC). Study results showed that there was a statistically significant correlation between the level of care and physical and mental stressors. </p><p>

<p> Foster care efficacy in the United States is examined in an analytical review of the literature. The question researched was whether or not the foster care placement system in the United States is conducive to the developmental needs of children with high risk factors. Participants included populations of children in foster care, foster parents, and children who had matured out of foster care, throughout the United States. The relating topics of the data analysis within the literature review are: developmental theory, stability, outcomes, continuing education, and foster parent training. Research suggests that many children in foster care, or children who are entering foster care settings, are diagnosed with a psychiatric illness. Support and emotional stability within a foster home for children was shown to have a significant correlation as to if there would be positive future outcomes. The KEEP program, (Keeping Foster Parents Trained and Supported), was found to be effective in correlation with not how often it is used, but with how well the caregiver understands how to implement the intervention. Further research into the impact of continuing training of foster parents after initial licensing, and the impact foster homes lacking in foster parent support pertaining to schoolwork, extracurricular activities and long-term educational goals , is suggested.</p><p>

Master of Science / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Briana S. Nelson Goff / Parenting a child with Down syndrome may pose unique challenges for parents’ relationship quality. Structural equation modeling was used with a sample of 351 mothers of children with Down syndrome to test if hope mediated the associated between various coping behaviors and relationship quality. Results indicated a greater degree of religious coping and internal coping were each significantly associated with more hope, whereas support seeking was not related with more hope. Higher hope was significantly associated with greater relationship quality. An indirect effect from both religious coping and internal coping to hope, and then hope to relationship quality was identified. Implications for family professionals and future research are discussed.

<p> This study explores the role of interracial parents in the development of racial identity in their mixed race children by examining how conversations surrounding race in a mixed race family relate to the ways children in that family racially identify. In addition, the study explores how parents&rsquo; understandings and perceptions of their own racial identity and their child&rsquo;s racial identity affect the way their child feels about race. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on self-identified interracial parents and their mixed race children between the ages of 4 to 9 years old based on themes regarding mixed race identity including family&rsquo;s identity, racial awareness of the child, dual socialization, and sociocultural factors. This study found that parents early experiences growing up, phenotypic expression of parent and child, current political climate, stereotypes and influence of schools had related to the ways in which parents discussed race with their children. More research must be done on mixed race identity, particularly outside of Black/White dichotomies.</p><p>

<p> Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that is defined by deficits in communication, socialization, and cognitive abilities that make it more challenging for individuals to form and maintain relationships. Previous research has found that mothers with children with ASD-related symptoms report increased maternal stress and decreased maternal self-efficacy and maternal empathy. However, this research mainly examined the medical side of ASD, omitting the emotional aspect that is frequently and importantly associated with child developmental and behavioral outcomes. Alternatively, parent-child connectedness is a way to understand how parents feel emotionally connected to their children. The aim of this study was to understand how ASD-related behaviors and symptomology influenced maternal connectedness to their children, and evaluating maternal stress, maternal self-efficacy, and maternal empathy as mediating variables. Mothers (N = 125) of children between 3 and 5 years of age reported on their children&rsquo;s ASD-related symptomology, maternal stress, maternal self-efficacy, maternal empathy, and parent-child connectedness. The results showed a negative effect of ASD behaviors on maternal feelings of parent-child connectedness. Maternal stress, maternal self-efficacy, and maternal empathy were tested as mediating variables and the findings demonstrated how these parenting dimensions contributed to the negative relationship between ASD symptomology and parent-child connectedness. The results are discussed regarding the possible factors influencing the parent-child connectedness, as well as implications for further research in the field of Infant Mental Health.</p><p>

abstract: Guided by Belsky's Determinants of Parenting Process Model, the goal of the present study was to examine how mothers' personality (i.e., Conscientiousness) and behaviors (i.e., sensitivity, structure, and negative control) relate to children's developmental outcomes, such as internalization (i.e., committed compliance and effortful control) and academic adaptation. A multi-method, longitudinal model included five waves of data to examine the processes of the relations among variables. Mothers' Conscientiousness was measured via self-reported data when children were 18 months of age (N = 256), mothers' parenting behaviors were measured through observational laboratory tasks when children were 30 months (N = 230), children's internalization was measured using mothers' and caregivers' reports as well as observational data at 42 months (N = 210), and children's school adaptation was measured when children were 72 and 84 months (Ns = 169 and 144) using mothers' and teachers' reports. Through a series of regression analyses, the results supported the mediated effect of effortful control in the relation between mothers' behaviors and children's school adaptation. As hypothesized, mothers' Conscientiousness marginally predicted children's internalization. Contrary to hypotheses, mothers' Conscientiousness was unrelated to parenting behaviors and children's academic adaptation. Mothers' sensitivity interacted with maternal structure to predict children's effortful control. Socioeconomic status and child sex interacted with mothers' behaviors in predicting the child's committed compliance. The discussion focuses on the unique role of parenting practices and personality on children's internalization and academic adaptation and on the existing literature. Implications of the study for clinicians and intervention researchers are offered. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Family and Human Development 2014

<p> The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a Trauma-Informed Music Therapy (TI-MT) program using a community-based approach to help with trauma recovery of children and their families. This program is designed in response to the 2016 San Joaquin County Needs Assessment, which identifies trauma recovery as a priority community health issue, especially in an area identified as the South Stockton Promise Zone. This part of Stockton, California, is highly culturally diverse, of low socioeconomic level, and with a high crime rate. Trauma impacts people on emotional, neurobiological, physiological, and cognitive levels. Due to cultural differences, traditional therapy may pose difficulties to break through diversity barriers to successfully treat trauma. Dependent upon the impact of the trauma, nonverbal expression can be more efficacious than direct, verbal processing, which tends to be the focus of traditional cognitive-behavioral therapies. Research shows that music therapy has psychotherapeutic and physiological benefits in mental health and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Creation of a TI-MT program treatment protocol combines behavioral, cognitive, and biological theoretical foundations of trauma treatment into a clinical program that uses music therapy interventions as the treatment vehicle. These incorporate evidence-based cognitive-behavioral treatment with music therapy research and theory to create an innovative treatment method that treats psychological and neurobiological effects of trauma with children and their families. Research shows that treatment of trauma in childhood helps decrease risk of mental and physical health problems later in life. A community-based group approach to treatment over the course of 12 weeks addresses the needs of more people while being cost-effective with available resources. Community needs, program design and implementation, evaluation methodology, and implications for future research are discussed.</p><p>

<p> Parental roles and societal definitions of the concept of &ldquo;parent&rdquo; have changed over the history of U.S. public education. Concomitantly, there has been a marked debate among experts about the importance and effectiveness of parental involvement in education. In addressing this issue, research has concentrated on both the focus (what) and locus (where) of parental involvement but has seldom addressed the conjunction of focus and locus. This expert judgment study on parental involvement in adolescent education expands on the contemporary context of the parental role and offers a framework that demonstrates this multifaceted, contemporary view. This hypothesis-generating, two-phase study relied on Repertory Grid technique to develop a set of social construals shared by 22 individual case study participants, teacher experts who teach adolescent students (Grades 7 through 12) on Long Island. The second phase used an anonymous, online survey asking a larger sample of teacher experts (<i>n</i> = 238) to determine which social construct poles best describe ideal and typical parental behaviors in terms of effective parental involvement. Latent class analysis revealed heterogeneity in teachers&rsquo; experiences with typical parents but a shared, homogenous view of ideal parental behaviors. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed systematic patterns in degree level and school type to predict class membership in the latent classes describing typical parental involvement behaviors. This detailed analysis of the expert judgments and conceptions of teachers about effective parental involvement in adolescent education concluded with implications for educational theory, research, policy, and future practice.</p><p>