International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies

PARENTAL AUTONOMY SUPPORT AND CHILD PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF CULTURAL HIERARCHY

2024-07-22T15:26:54-07:00

The studies described in this paper investigated whether cultural hierarchy plays a moderating role in the association between parental autonomy support and child psychosocial adjustment, employing samples presenting a wide range of cultural variability (parents born in 71 different nations). The participants’ cultural backgrounds, based on the parents’ birth country, were rated in terms of emphasis on hierarchical power using Schwartz’s dimensional coding system. Structural equation modelling analyses revealed no moderation effect of cultural hierarchy on the relation between parental autonomy support and child outcomes, with the exception of the relation between parental autonomy support and adolescents’ autonomous self-regulation. As expected, parental autonomy support and cultural hierarchy were significantly and negatively correlated. Parental autonomy support was often associated with indicators of youth psychosocial adjustment, whereas cultural hierarchy was generally unrelated to adjustment. These results support self-determination theory’s position on the universal benefits of autonomy support.

A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE ON PSYCHOSOMATIC HEALTH OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN LITHUANIA: PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE

2024-07-22T15:26:54-07:00

Lithuanian society supports Ukraine in its war with Russia. The two countries, Lithuania and Russia (the aggressor in the conflict) share a common border in the southwest of Lithuania, and Lithuanians are aware of the threat of an extended war. However, there is little information about how to discuss the events of the ongoing war with children. The aim of our study, which was conducted during the first months of the war, was to investigate the ways that parents talked about the war with their kindergarten-age children, together with their views on the impact of the war on their children’s emotions, behavior, and psychosomatic health. Parents in 5 kindergartens filled out an anonymous 15-item questionnaire, developed by the authors, through which we collected general data about each respondent and their child, their ways of communicating with the child about war events, and the impact of the war events on the parent and on the child’s emotions, moods, and behavior. Of the 116 parents who filled in the questionnaire, 93 (80.2%) responded that they had not talked about war with their children prior to Russia’s invasion, 44.0% of parents responded that they do not talk about the war in Ukraine with their child, and 57.8% parents indicated that their child had asked them about the war. In regard to the war’s effects on children, significant changes were reported in their behavior, play, and drawing. It is crucial to study the effects the recent war has had on children and find appropriate ways in which parents and educational institutions can contribute to their support. Preschoolers need to be informed and involved in the community life in age-appropriate ways. Drawing and play could be used to create relevant opportunities to talk in age-appropriate ways with preschool children about the ongoing war, to try to understand their perceptions, fears, and imaginings.

PARENTAL OVER-INDEBTEDNESS AND YOUTH CRIME IN SWEDEN: A NATIONWIDE REGISTER-BASED STUDY

2024-07-22T15:26:53-07:00

Very little is known about whether a child’s delinquency can be related to a parent’s economic problems in terms of financial indebtedness. This would seem to be an important research gap, not least at a time when the repercussions of the 2008 global financial crisis are still being felt by many people. This study concerned boys and girls born in 2002 who had a parent with a registration date for a debt in the Swedish Enforcement Authority register between 2016 and 2017 (n = 3,284). We determined whether the adolescents had been convicted of a crime during the 3-year period when they were 15 to 17 years old, and compared their records with a sample from the general Swedish population (n = 16,435). Results from logistic regressions show that children who, at age 15 to 17, had a parent with debt problems were approximately one and a half times more likely to be convicted of a crime than children who were unexposed to registered debts of parents (OR = 1.55), irrespective of other well-established criminogenic risk factors observed prior to the parent’s date of registration at the Enforcement Authority. The results provide support for the notion that financial challenges and problems with creditors may be an important proximate risk factor of delinquency.

UNCHARTED THRESHOLDS FOR A FLEDGED CHILD AND YOUTH CARE PROFESSION

2024-07-22T15:26:53-07:00

In the child and youth care sector, protecting vulnerable children is a key priority, one that requires a skilled workforce capable of meeting diverse and complex needs. Starting with an acknowledgement of the field’s struggle for identity, this article briefly recounts highlights of our journey to achieving recognition as a profession, with an emphasis on the South African context. The profession’s early phase is described along with the key developments that have shaped the scope of practice, leading to a discussion of current matters that have the potential to transform the field, and ideas regarding priorities that may need to be considered for a longer-term agenda. Reflections on a journey that builds on lessons from South Africa as they connect to a wider global context are shared. The initiatives shared within this journey reflect a resilient sector that has contributed to the creation of employment opportunities for child carers. They also provide some milestones for the formalising of a sector that requires regulation because of the vulnerable population it serves. From the emerging priorities, pointers for the next steps in the profession’s journey are offered.

ALONE, LOST, AND UNPREPARED BY THE SYSTEM: INDIGENOUS CARE LEAVERS’ EXPERIENCES OF AGING OUT OF CHILD WELFARE CARE IN MANITOBA

2024-07-22T15:26:52-07:00

Limited research has been carried out on Indigenous young people transitioning out of care in Canada. This article provides a coherent and meaningful account of the journey of aging out of care in the province of Manitoba, as presented by 17 Indigenous care leavers. Using a qualitative multilevel approach grounded in first-person narratives, this study focused on incorporating and elevating the voices of Indigenous care leavers. Participants detailed their experiences of planning for the transition and aging out of care, and described their life post-care. The care leavers expressed that the Child and Family Services-led process of planning for and transitioning out of care was unclear and failed to engage them as partners, and as a result left them ill-prepared for life post-care. Additionally, participants’ experiences serve as evidence of enduring gaps in transition supports, namely in mental health and interpersonal supports. These supports were often unavailable or inaccessible, challenges that were amplified during participants’ transition out of care and in the post-care period. The experiential knowledge from this study contributes valuable information to inform responsive child welfare transition policies and practices that are reflective of the experiences and needs of the population it intends to serve.