family development Flashcards
can the father be maternal?
Lamb (1987) - in a psychological sense, fathers can fulfil a parenting role just as much as mothers, but frequently do not
Lewis (1986) - fathers attend birth but burden of child care still falls on women
Fathers parenting activities (Lewis, 1986):
Often changes nappies 28%
Bathtime 29%
Putting to bed 48%
Getting up at night 87%
Helps in period after birth 77%
for both boys and girls mothers do more tasks that participate in childs needs whilst fathers role is play: “play rough and tumble games”
Outline relationships between parent and siblin
regardless of gender, higher at 10, dips at 16 raises again at 25
at 10, mother daughter and motherson relationhip highest then father-daughter then father-son
at 16 mother-daughter and daughter-father relationship highest then mother-son then father-son
at 25
same pattern seen but higher
Rossi and Rossi (1991)
What are the types of family?
Nuclear family – 2 parents together, co parenting children
Extended family – everyone outside the house e.g. grandparents
Reconstituted family- divorced and remarried
Lone parents- single parents
Adoptive parents
Outline Belskys model of parenting?
Belsky (1984) Three main influences on quality of parental functioning:
◦ personal psychological resources of parent
◦ contextual source of support
◦ characteristics of child
They’re all reciprocal and all influence child development.
look at picture document
outline parental influences on child development
Reinforcement
Modelling e.g. arguing and learning behaviours themselves.
Environment
Parenting style
Is parenting important?
Scarr (1992) parental input on child behaviour and development is primarily at genetic level
Studies of MZ twins reared apart indicate that environmental effects are minimal, and may only apply in extreme cases (e.g. of neglect)
Outline how parenting style effects children
Dekovic and Janssens (1992) ◦ children of authoritative parents are generally more prosocial and popular
children of authoritarian parents tend to be more
rejected on sociometric measures
Steinberg, Lamborn, Dornbusch and Darling (1992)
◦ authoritative parenting related to better school performance
◦ even when authoritarian parents get involved, less effect… maybe too critical?
Outline the influence of grandparents
Average age of becoming a grandparent in West, 50 years
Average life expectancy, 75-80
Most can expect to be grandparents for a quarter of their life
Tinsley and Parke (1984)
Grandparents can have an effect on child development in two broad ways:
◦ indirect - parental attitudes influenced by way parent has been brought up
◦ direct - looking after child/surrogate parent
Johnson (1983)
Support and contact drops significantly with age of grandparent.
Role and potential importance of grandparents is increasingly changing – reflecting changes in societal structure and roles.
Outline how siblings influence us
Siblings allow children to experience positive and negative behaviours (Katz et al., 1992).
Dunn, Brown and Beardsall (1991) ways in which parents talk about siblings might impact upon future relationship
Birth order effects
can be a good source of support
outline marrage and divorce rates
marriage: decreasing in both same-sex and opposite sex couples
divorce rates (opposite sex couples): 1958= 24 1945=15.6k (WW2 end) 1971= 74.4k (divorce reform act) 1993=165k 2017=101.7k divorce same sex: 2015 = 22 2016 = 112 2017 = 338
In 2012 & 2013, 48% of couples divorcing had at least one child under 16 years
Outline the effects of divorce and step-parenting on children
Hetherington, Cox and Cox (1982)
compare mother-custody divorced families with non-divorced families
average age of child(ren) at separation, 4 years
◦ 1 year: children and parents experience behaviour problems associated with dysfunction in family
◦ 2 years: much improved - problems with boys a little more persistent
◦ 6 years: children of divorced parents “grew up faster”, mother-son relationships problematic
how does divorce affect attachment?
Individuals whose parents were divorced were less secure in their attachment styles (Brennan & Shaver, 1998; Lewis, Feiring, & Rosenthal, 2000)
How long the parents were divorced was not related to attachment styles
How does divorce disrupt attachment?
Multiple separations from attachment figures (E.g. extended family).
outline how divorce causes acute distress syndrome
upset (protest) -> apathy or depresion -> Loss of interest (detachment)
what should be considered when thinking about delaying divorce?
In addition to the child’s psychological well-being there are other factors that must be considered when examining if divorce should be delayed or not:
- Economic security
- Academic achievement
- Physical well-being
- Behavioural problems
- Will parental conflict rise and possibly focus more on the child?
Should parents even consider delaying divorce?
Emery (1999) reported that many studies find that children’s problems after divorce were present prior to separation, but other studies have not found this.
Children from divorced homes have more psychological problems than children from homes where there was a death in the family.
Research has suggested that the reason for this difference may lie in the amount of interparental conflict that existed.
outline how children differ in behaviour with high-conflict and low conflict divorces
high conflict:
more behaviour issues
more adjustment difficulties
similar outcomes
low conflict: fewer behaviour issues fewer adjustment difficulties more varied, less predictable outcomes (Emery, 1982; Kelly, 2000)
outline other-mediating factors family have on childrens behavior in divorce
Age of the child
◦ Preschool age children have the most dramatic reactions to divorce (e.g. separation anxiety, aggression)
◦ Children (5-12) have similar psychological reactions as the preschool children, but tend to be less openly expressive.
◦ Adolescents have more resources (e.g. can understand the situation better and have more interests outside the home) than the younger children.
Sex of the child
Time since separation
Post-divorce arrangements
Relationships and support
outline family interventions in divorce cases
Child-focused interventions (Interventions that are aimed at improving children’s adjustment) ◦ Working with parents Support parent-child relationships Reducing ongoing parental conflict Contact issues Practical assistance
◦ Working with children
Family work
Group work
Individual work
Outline teen preganancy
increased when contraception became more widly availbe in 70’s
been on slow decline to1980
increased then 1987
decreased 1990-1995
increased 1995-2000
2000- teenage pregnancy launched by govrnment been on a drastic decline from 4.5%-2.75%
give some teen preggo stats
Every year 90 000 teens become pregnant
◦ 7000 under age of 16.
◦ Many adolescent pregnancies occur in the first three months after sexual activity has begun. Researchers show that teen pregnancy is highest in the US There are ethnic differences: ◦ US 50 pregnancies per 1000 teens ◦ Israel 17 pregnancies per 1000 teens ◦ Japan 4 pregnancies per 1000 teens
give the relationships children have with their teenage parents
Relationships with the father… ◦ Again ethnic differences in % marrying baby’s father:
5% of African Americans
26% of Hispanics
41% of Whites
◦ Overall, 17% of teen mothers maintain a romantic relationship with the baby’s father after the first few months following birth
Outline teen parents behaviour
Teen Parents
(Miller et al., 2006)
Compared to women having children 20 onwards, teen mothers are:
◦ Less likely to marry the father of their first child
◦ More likely to become divorced
◦ Twice as much time spent as a single parent prior to age 30
◦ More likely to drop out of school
◦ Less likely to earn a high school diploma by age 30
◦ Work more hours at a lower rate of pay
Compared to men having children 20 onwards, teen fathers are:
◦ Less likely to earn a high school diploma
◦ More likely to work in a blue-collar occupation
◦ More likely to experience lower income levels
◦ More likely to engage in delinquent and criminal behaviours
explain why economic factors influence teen parent behaviour
Adolescent parents are less likely to complete school, go to college, or find stable employment
Poverty increases the likelihood of living in a high crime, high violence areas and moving frequently
3 factors predict economic success:
◦ Educational attainment
◦ Family size
◦ Marital status
Pirog et al. (2018) show that teen parents born in 1997 are earning ~10k more than teen parents born in 1979…
explain depression in teen parents
Adolescent mothers show more identity diffusion, less autonomy, more difficulties with trust and lower self-esteem (Zeanah, 1993)
Adolescent mothers are generally more depressed than adult mothers (Leadbeater et al., 1996)
