Parenting and children’s healthy development Flashcards
What is the key goal for most parents regarding their children?
Promoting child’s healthy development
Parents are primary psychosocial agents in children’s health, influencing factors like reading distress cues and providing healthy environments.
How does socialization differ with a child’s age?
Processes include negotiation, distraction, removal of privileges, and rules
Socialization methods evolve as the child grows.
How does the WHO define children’s health?
A state of complete physical, mental & social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
This definition emphasizes a holistic view of health.
What factors are related to health-related parenting?
- Health knowledge and beliefs
- Self-efficacy
- Social learning (modelling)
These factors influence how parents promote healthy behaviors in their children.
What is a key parenting challenge regarding child autonomy?
Knowing when to reduce control and offer child more autonomy
This balance is crucial for fostering healthy development.
What is the relationship between income and child health outcomes?
- Lower income families are at greater risk of negative health outcomes
- Less likely to be immunised
- More ER visits
- Less likely to attend outpatient appointments
The reasons for this correlation are not entirely clear.
How does maternal education relate to child health?
Linked with health knowledge and preventative health, but findings are equivocal
More maternal education correlates with stronger health beliefs.
What is the impact of family structure on child health?
Findings are mixed regarding differences
Variability in results can be attributed to definitions and sample sizes.
What is a common risk for ethnic minority children?
At risk for negative health outcomes, such as obesity
However, not all studies find significant differences.
What percentage of UK 4-5 year olds are classified as overweight/obese?
20%
Rates are higher among 10-11 year olds, where 33% are affected.
What is the role of parents in determining children’s weight status?
Parents play a crucial role
Parenting styles and behaviors significantly influence a child’s weight.
What did Sleddens et al. (2011) find regarding authoritative parenting?
Linked to lower BMI in children
Results showed variability, with many cross-sectional studies finding no associations.
What association did Sokol et al. (2017) find regarding authoritative parenting?
Associated with lower BMI gains in 5 out of 8 studies
Limited studies per age group hindered identifying critical periods for parenting styles.
What is the importance of fruit and vegetable intake in children?
Linked to reduced risk of cancers
Yet, under 20% of children (5-15 years) eat the recommended 5 portions daily.
What factors contribute to low fruit and vegetable intake in children?
- Low exposure in early life
- Poor parental modelling & consumption
- Limited availability at home
- Low SES of family
- Feeding style/practices
These factors can hinder healthy eating habits.
What parenting styles encourage greater fruit and vegetable consumption?
- Authoritative
- Indulgent
Parental reasoning and offering choices are also positively linked to consumption.
What are negative health outcomes linked to low physical activity?
- Type II diabetes
- Depression
- Obesity
These outcomes highlight the importance of physical activity in children.
What factors did Pugliese and Tinsley (2007) identify as affecting child physical activity?
- Encouragement
- Modelling
- Instrumental behaviours
Parental behaviors significantly impact children’s physical activity levels.
What did Jago et al. (2011a) find regarding permissive parenting?
Linked to greater physical activity in boys and girls
Logistic support from parents is also crucial.
What percentage of children in the UK watched more than 2 hours of TV per day?
27% of girls and 30% of boys
Average viewing time for 4-15 year olds was 3.4 hours in 2022.
What parenting style was linked to higher TV viewing in children?
Permissive parenting
Children with permissive mothers watched more TV compared to those with authoritative or authoritarian mothers.
What family environmental factors affect screen time in children?
- Parental rules
- Style of communication
These factors can influence children’s media consumption.
What is the relationship between authoritative parenting and substance use?
Linked to decreased risk of drug use and less likely to initiate smoking
Neglectful or authoritarian styles increase risk.
What characterizes attachment?
- Comfort and security
- Selectivity
- Proximity seeking
- Encouragement of exploration
These elements are crucial for healthy emotional development.
What are the stages of attachment according to Schaffer & Emerson (1964)?
- Asocial (0-6 wks)
- Indiscriminate attachments (6 wks – 6/7 mths)
- Specific attachments (7-9 mths)
- Multiple attachments (9 mths +)
Each stage reflects a developmental progression in attachment behavior.
What is the psychoanalytical theory of attachment?
Attachment based on feeding, but contradicted by Harlow & Zimmerman’s findings
Their research showed that contact comfort is more important than feeding.
What did Bowlby’s ethological theory emphasize about attachment?
Attachment is biologically adaptive
Evidence includes imprinting and predisposed attachment behaviors.
What did Ainsworth’s Strange Situation assess?
Nature and quality of attachment through mother-child separations and reunions
Sensitivity and responsiveness are key factors in attachment outcomes.
What are the types of attachment identified by Ainsworth?
- Secure
- Avoidant
- Anxious/Resistant
- Disorganised
Each type reflects different parenting styles and child behavior.
What is the impact of secure attachment on child development?
- Better problem solvers
- Longer attention spans
- More popular and sensitive to peers
Secure attachments positively influence social and cognitive development.
What is the Internal Working Model in attachment theory?
Cognitive representation of the world, self, and others based on early attachment experiences
It influences expectations of responsiveness and availability in relationships.
What psychological outcomes are associated with insecure attachment?
- Higher risk of anxiety
- Increased likelihood of depression
- Poor peer relations
Insecure attachments can lead to various negative health and social outcomes.
What is the Internal Working Model according to Main, Kaplan & Cassidy (1985)?
Cognitive representation of world, self, and others that determines models of self and others based on early attachment experiences.
What are the expectations of a securely attached individual?
Expect others to be responsive, available, and sensitive.
What are the expectations of an ambivalently attached individual?
Expect others to be inconsistent.
What does the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) classify?
Adult attachment styles based on attachment narratives.
What attachment style is characterized by a positive model of self and others?
Autonomous.
What attachment style is associated with a negative model of self and a positive model of others?
Preoccupied.
What are the two dimensions of attachment identified in meta-analyses by Brennan et al. (1998)?
- Anxiety
- Avoidance
What are the four main adult attachment categories identified by Bartholomew (1990)?
- Secure
- Preoccupied
- Fearful-avoidant
- Dismissing-avoidant
How does insecurity in adult attachment affect parenting?
Linked with more problematic relationships and intergenerational transmission of attachment styles.
What did Fonagy et al. (1991) find regarding mothers’ attachment styles?
Mothers’ own attachment predicts child attachment 75% of the time.
What are the characteristics of avoidant attachment in romantic relationships?
Discomfort with closeness, strong independence, more distant, more likely to cheat.
What do anxiously attached individuals report in relationships?
Extreme need for closeness, fear of rejection, greater jealousy.
What is the correlation between securely attached individuals in relationships?
Securely attached more likely to select securely attached mates.
What is the impact of two insecure partners in a relationship?
Increased chance of negative marital outcomes.
What social support behaviors are associated with secure attachment?
More likely to seek social support from family, friends, and groups.
What role do genetics play in attachment styles according to twin studies?
Approximately 45% of variance in anxious and 39% in avoidant attachment styles can be explained by genetic causes.
What is the Life History Theory of attachment proposed by Belsky et al. (1991)?
Links childhood experience, attachment, and reproductive strategies.
Fill in the blank: Avoidant attachment promotes _______ reproductive strategies in adulthood.
opportunistic
What are the advantages of insecure attachment according to Social Defence Theory?
- Anxious – sensitive and quick to detect threats
- Avoidant – quick responses to threat promoting group survival
What resource control strategies are associated with avoidant attachment in childhood?
Use of coercive strategies to control resources.
What resource control strategies are associated with ambivalent attachment in childhood?
Associated with both coercive and prosocial resource control.
