Time in Parenting Activities in Dual‐Earner Families at the Transition to Parenthood

Time parenting was compared for new mothers and fathers in a sample of 182 dual‐earner families. Parenting domains included positive engagement, responsibility, routine child care, and accessibility. Time diaries captured parents' time use over a 24‐hour workday and nonworkday when infants were age 3 and 9 months. Parents were highly involved with their infants. Mothers were more involved than fathers in positive engagement and routine child care on days and at each assessment, and allocated more available time on workdays to these domains than fathers, with one exception. Fathers and mothers allocated similar shares of available workday time to positive engagement at 9 months. Greater equity in responsibility and accessibility was found; mothers spent more, and a greater share of, parenting time in responsibility than fathers on the 9‐month workday only, and were more accessible on the 3‐month workday only. Implications for parents in today's diverse families are discussed.     

Occupational Therapy Intervention for Residents in a Skilled Nursing Facility: A Focus on Atypical Patients

The 1990 implementation of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) has expanded opportunities for occupational therapists to treat individuals with non-traditional illnesses. Therapists working in skilled nursing and long term care can benefit from gaining an understanding of the OBRA guidelines and patient's rights, especially regarding restraint reduction. Occupational therapists possess the necessary skills to assess and treat these individuals to help maximize their functioning as well as improve their quality of life (Moon-Sperling & Pinson, 1991). The premise of this article is to inform therapists about various types of ethical and legal intervention with atypical patients in skilled nursing facilities and to introduce therapists to the laws supporting provision of these services. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1–800–342–9678. E-mail address: getinfo@haworth.com]     

Microanalytic coding versus global rating of maternal parenting behaviour

This study examined the relationship between microanalytic coding and global rating systems when coding maternal parenting behaviour in two contexts. Observational data from 55 mother–child interactions with two- to four-year-old children, in either a mealtime (clinic; N?=?20 or control; N?=?20) or a playtime context (community; N?=?15), were coded via both microanalytic and global systems. Results from the microanalytic coding and global rating demonstrated similar results, with both scales showing adequate psychometric properties. No difference was found in the sensitivity of the two systems in the control sample; however, the global method demonstrated more sensitivity in measuring behaviour in the playtime context. This finding may indicate that global ratings are more sensitive in a population with high base rates of positivity or in a playtime context. This study highlights the incongruence of different measurement methods and emphasises the importance of considering coding methodology for different types of populations.     

Attachment parenting: an exploration of demographics and practices

The goal of this study was to identify parenting behaviors practiced by a self‐selected group of North American parents who identify themselves as attachment parents. This type of parenting is based on behaviors that are focused on infant needs and demands perhaps more strongly than are traditional mainstream western parenting practices. However, little is known about the demographics of the parents or the actual parameters of their behaviors. In order to further investigate these behaviors, a self‐report questionnaire was developed for use in the study. This questionnaire was included, without return postage, in an international parenting magazine, Compleat Mother. A sample of 275 mothers returned the instrument. Respondents were predominantly married, college educated and White. The respondents reported that of their infants the majority were exclusively breastfed on the infant’s cue and for an extended period of time, coslept and were held or nursed during the transition to sleep. These practices are discussed through a cross‐cultural perspective.     

Early parenting – portraits from the lives of first-time parents

Objective: The study aimed to explore the experiences of first-time Maltese parents between pregnancy and the first six months in the postnatal period. Background: Parents’ interaction with their children appears to have an important and lasting effect on children’s cognitive and behavioural development. While both women and men anticipate equal involvement in child care, it is generally the woman who assumes primary responsibility when the new baby arrives. Methods: The qualitative paradigm was used to conduct the study by means of a semi-structured interview schedule. Data was collected at 28 weeks gestation, at 6 weeks postnatally and at 6 months postnatally. Twenty-six first-time parents (13 couples) participated in the study and were recruited by purposive sampling. Gender theory was used as the theoretical framework to guide this study. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used during the analysing phase. Results: Two main super-ordinate themes were revealed from this study: ‘Pregnancy as a time of preparation’ and ‘The postnatal period as a time of critical change in the lifeworld of the couple’. Conclusion: Findings showed that competent and timely support by trained professionals could equip future couples for the art of parenting and could help parents to resolve challenges before they escalate into problems. This study encourages cross-cultural research on this topic so as to shed light on differences and similarities of contemporary early parenting challenges and outcomes.     

Organizational Social Support and Parenting Challenges Among Mothers of Color: The Case of Mocha Moms

This study illustrates the parenting experiences of a random sample of members of Mocha Moms, Inc., a national organization dedicated to supporting women of color who predominantly have elected not to work full‐time outside of the home ( www.mochamoms.org ). Using modified grounded theory methods on 25 telephone interviews, we summarized the benefits members reported receiving from participating in Mocha Moms, such as adult friendships and child‐related information/activities. We also reported the parenting challenges they faced. We conclude that the Mocha Moms organization plays a pivotal role for mothers of color who negotiate numerous obstacles as they build positive lives for themselves and their children.     

Towards relational recovery: Nurses’ practices with consumers and families with dependent children in mental health inpatient units

Facilitating parent–child and family connections during parental hospitalization provides important opportunities for mental health services to support individual and family recovery. Nurses are often the primary point of contact for families in the inpatient context. They play an integral role in the care provision of consumers and families and in supporting consumers’ recovery. The aim of the present qualitative study was to explore nurses’ practice with families in inpatient mental health settings in the context of designated family rooms. Three themes were derived from the thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with 20 nurses from four mental health inpatient units. Nurses experienced tensions within their roles in balancing safety and risk, a lack of confidence in family‐focused practices in relation to role expectations, and challenges in juggling nursing care ideals with the contemporary realities of inpatient practice. A family‐centred relational recovery approach is recommended for mental health services, which is underpinned by family‐focused policies and processes, and supported at an organizational, managerial, and local‐unit level. At an individual level, nurses need professional development on the models of care they practice in, explicit role clarity on their practice with families, and education on evidence‐based brief family interventions.