Changes in early care and education settings amid covid-19: Voices of parents

Research Findings: The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand parents' perceptions of changes in early care and education (ECE) in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. Thirty-three parents of young children who attend three different types of ECE programs (i.e. kindergartens, childcare centers, and non-accredited programs) participated in a 30-minute semi-structured interview. Through an applied thematic analysis, three major themes were generated: Structural Changes in ECE Settings, Support from ECE Programs and Teachers, and Changes in Parents' Perceptions of ECE. Parents reported that they wanted their voices to be heard going through the changes in ECE settings. Some parents expressed concerns about the changes and were not satisfied with support provided by ECE programs. However, when ECE programs maintained regular communications, parents felt grateful, and parent-program relationships remained uninterrupted. Practice or Policy: The findings highlight the importance of recognizing parents as a meaningful part of the ECE community, understanding and addressing parents' perceptions, and engaging parents in the frequent and open communication. Understanding parents' perspectives can potentially improve the quality of ECE programs and promote high-quality parent-program relationships. Continuous efforts are needed to further explore parents' perceptions in ECE research and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Bidirectional associations between paternal postpartum depression symptoms and coparenting: A cross-lagged panel model of fathers of infants and toddlers.

BACKGROUND: Finding modifiable predictors of paternal depression symptoms is helpful for developing interventions. The aim is to assess the unidirectional and/or bidirectional associations between paternal postpartum depression symptoms and coparenting among fathers of infants and toddlers. METHODS: Longitudinal data were collected prospectively from 429 fathers of infants aged 0-24 months (median = 8 months) in Sweden, with 6- and 18-month follow-ups. All fathers participated in at least two of three waves of data collection, and multiple imputation was used for missing values. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to detect depression symptoms (≥10 points), while the Brief Coparenting Relationship Scale measured the coparenting relationship. A cross-lagged panel model was used to estimate the associations between paternal depression symptoms and coparenting relationship quality over time, controlling for several known covariates and COVID-19 exposure. RESULTS: Fathers with higher coparenting scores at Time 1 and 2 had less depression symptoms at Time 3, and fathers with more depression symptoms at Time 2 had lower coparenting scores at Time 3. Plotted probabilities of having at least mild depression symptoms revealed a multifold increase in the probability of depression symptoms at Time 3 for fathers with minimal coparenting scores at Times 1 and 2, respectively, compared to fathers with mean coparenting scores at Times 1 and 2, respectively. LIMITATIONS: Causal links cannot be determined using the current non-experimental study design. Using the EPDS alone may have missed some fathers with depression symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians seeking to reduce paternal depression symptoms should help strengthen the coparenting relationship.

Psychological Capital, Well-being, and Distress of International Students.

International students continue to experience myriad of challenges, some of which further transpired disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic era. To this effect, this study investigated psychological capital (PsyCap), psychological distress, and well-being among 188 international students attending U.S universities. Results using Hayes PROCESS indicated that well-being mediated the relationship between PsyCap and psychological distress and in particular moderated the relationship between PsyCap and depression. When higher education institutions are considering steps to mitigate psychological distress experienced by international students during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, based on the findings of our study, we suggest investing efforts and resources into two aspects: (a) promotion of positive mental health and well-being and (b) identification and development of positive psychological capital. We further discuss these results and implications for mental health promotion of international students in light of its limitations and recommendations for future research.

International students' perceived discrimination and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress among international students during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A total of 188 international students from two large U.S. universities participated in the study. Perceived discrimination, psychological distress, and demographic information were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. RESULTS: COVID-related variables and perceived discrimination were significantly associated with international students' psychological distress. Their COVID-related anxiety mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress. CONCLUSION: Initiatives to mitigate the perceived discrimination experienced by international students may improve their mental health.

Committed to Caring: Cluster-Analysis of Appraisals and Feelings of Family Childcare Work.

Background: There is a concern regarding the decreasing number of family childcare (FCC) providers, due to the population that primarily relies on it. Compared to studies of center- and school-based preschool practitioners, the FCC literature is lacking robust workforce studies, including examinations of whether and how FCC providers' workplace appraisals of and feelings while at work are associated with indicators of interaction quality (relationships with families, relationships with children, and responsiveness to children's negative emotions) and the quality of their interactions with children and families. Objective: The present study examines how groups of FCC providers, categorized based on differences in appraisals of and feelings experienced at work, differ in the quality of interactions with children and families. The study seeks to extend the FCC literature by also describing socio-ecological factors, such as provider and program characteristics, of these different groups of providers. Method: Survey data was collected through a national study of FCC providers (N = 888). A person-centered analysis using hierarchical clustering was used to classify providers into groups based on their workplace appraisals and feelings experienced at work. Results: A person-centered cluster analysis identified four groups. Indicators of interaction quality varied between groups. Group membership was associated with FCC providers' professional commitment, job satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion. Conclusions: Findings from the current study support calls to increase investment in the support of the FCC workforce by addressing FCC providers' needs through recognition of differences in workplace appraisals and provider feelings at work. In particular, reducing FCC providers' emotional exhaustion may be an effective way to increase the quality of their interactions with children and families.