Early preventive attachment-oriented psychotherapeutic intervention program with parents of a very low birthweight premature infant: Results of attachment and neurological development

The birth of a very small preterm infant ( 1500 grams) can be a traumatizing experience for many parents. A developmental risk model is presented that is the background to an early attachment-oriented preventive psychotherapeutic intervention. This comprehensive parent-centered intervention program is composed of supportive group psychotherapy, attachment-oriented focal individual psychotherapy, a home visit and video-based sensitivity training. The intervention aims at improving parental coping, the process of attachment and parent-infant interaction. In a prospective longitudinal design mothers were randomly assigned to a control (N = 44) and an intervention group (N = 43) after preterm delivery. Results show that the percentage of secure (control vs. intervention group: 77.8% vs. 59.4%) and insecure (control vs. intervention group: 8.3% vs. 31.3% avoidant, 13.9% vs. 9.4% ambivalent) attachment quality in high-risk preterm infants is comparable to results from studies with term infants. There was no significant statistical difference in terms of quality of attachment of the preterm infants between the control group and the intervention group. However, only in the control group, impaired neurological development corresponded significantly with an insecure quality of attachment, but not in the intervention group, although there were significantly more neurologically impaired infants in the intervention group. This result is discussed as an effect of the intervention program.     

丰台区流动人口学生家长艾滋病健康教育实践及效果评价

目的了解流动人口学生家长艾滋病相关知识,以及对艾滋病病毒（HIV）感染者和艾滋病（AIDS）病人的态度,探索和评估流动人口家庭内的艾滋病健康教育模式对家长的影响。方法选取丰台区流动人口较为集中的7所中学,通过健康教育课对初中学生开展艾滋病防控健康教育后,学生将艾滋病知识宣传资料带回家中让家长学习。采用自行设计的调查问卷,在开展艾滋病健康教育前,从每所学校初中一、二年级各随机整群抽取1～2个班级的家长进行问卷调查,第2学期再次以相同的方式进行家长调查。结果健康教育前后分别对754名和756名学生家长进行了问卷调查。干预后学生家长的艾滋病知识知晓率从52.5%提高到88.1%（χ2=228.96,P〈0.01）,对艾滋病感染者的歧视率从71.2%降低到59.5%（χ2=19.34,P〈0.01）。结论学校主导、中学生与家长学习的方式进行艾滋病健康教育具有有效性和可行性,一定程度上提高了流动人口学生家长的艾滋病知识知晓率,降低了对HIV感染者的歧视。     

‘Listen to them’: Adolescents' views on helping young people who self-injure

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents is a significant problem, yet the majority do not seek professional help. Parents and teachers are arguably most in contact with young people, and are critical in identifying and referring adolescent self-injurers. This study explored what adolescents believe parents and teachers can do to help young people who self-injure. A school-based sample of 2637 students (aged 12–18 years) completed a self-report questionnaire. Adolescents believe having non-judgemental parents and teachers to talk to, improved parent–child relationships, referral to professionals, reduced school pressures, and student education, are pivotal to helping young self-injurers. However, many adolescents, particularly those exposed to NSSI, were unsure about whether parents and teachers could do anything to help. These finding have important implications for educational programs that prepare parents and teachers to address adolescent NSSI.     

Parenting-related stress and psychological distress in mothers of toddlers with autism spectrum disorders

Background:Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are at risk for higher stress levels than parents of children with other developmental disabilities and typical development. Recent advances in early diagnosis have resulted in younger children being diagnosed with ASDs but factors associated with parent stress in this age group are not well understood. Aims: The present study examined parenting-related stress and psychological distress in mothers of toddlers with ASD, developmental delay without ASD (DD), and typical development. The impact of child problem behavior and daily living skills on parenting-stress and psychological distress were further investigated. Methods: Participants were part of a larger research study on early ASD intervention. Results: Parent self-report of parenting-related stress and psychological distress was utilized. Parents of toddlers with ASD demonstrated increased parenting-related stress compared with parents of toddlers with DD and typical development. However, psychological distress did not differ significantly between the groups. Child behavior problems, but not daily living skills emerged as a significant predictor of parenting-related stress and psychological distress. This was true for both mothers of children with ASD and DD. Conclusions: These finding suggest that parents’ abilities to manage and reduce behavior problems is a critical target for interventions for young children with ASD and DD in order to improve child functioning and decrease parenting-related stress.     

Health related quality of life in parents of six to eight year old children with Down syndrome

Raising a child with Down syndrome (DS) has been found to be associated with lowered health related quality of life (HRQoL) in the domains cognitive functioning, social functioning, daily activities and vitality. We aimed to explore which socio-demographics, child functioning and psychosocial variables were related to these HRQoL domains in parents of children with DS. Parents of 98 children with DS completed the TNO-AZL adult quality of life questionnaire (TAAQOL) and a questionnaire assessing socio-demographic, child functioning and psychosocial predictors. Using multiple linear regression analyses for each category of predictors, we selected relevant predictors for the final models. The final multiple linear regression models revealed that cognitive functioning was best predicted by the sleep of the child (β = .29, p < .01) and by the parent having given up a hobby (β = ?.29, p < .01), social functioning by the quality of the partner relation (β = .34, p < .001), daily activities by the parent having to care for an ill friend or family member (β = ?.31, p < .01), and vitality by the parent having enough personal time (β = .32, p < .01). Overall, psychosocial variables rather than socio-demographics or child functioning showed most consistent and powerful relations to the HRQoL domains of cognitive functioning, social functioning, daily activities and vitality. These psychosocial variables mainly related to social support and time pressure. Systematic screening of parents to detect problems timely, and interventions targeting the supportive network and the demands in time are recommended.