ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to assess the factor structure and the measurement invariance of the Coparenting Relationship Scale (CRS) across 10 countries based on the seven-factor coparenting model (i.e., Coparenting Agreement, Coparenting Closeness, Exposure to Conflict, Coparenting Support, Endorsement of Partner's Parenting; Division of Labor) proposed by Feinberg (2003). The results of research on coparenting from numerous countries have documented its foundational importance for parent mental health, family relationship quality, child development, and psychopathology. Yet, a cross-country perspective is still lacking. Such a perspective can provide insight into which dimensions of coparenting are universally recognized and which are especially prone to variation. A unique multinational data set, comprised of 15 individual studies collected across 10 countries (Belgium, Brazil, China, Israel, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey, USA) in nine languages was established (N = 9,292; 51.1% mothers). Measurement invariance analyses were conducted. A six-factor structure (original seven factors minus Division of Labor) of the measure was consistent across the different contexts and measurement invariance was achieved at the configural level. There was no support for metric or scalar invariance. These findings provide a basis for the CRS to be used across countries and should inspire future quantitative and qualitative research in cross-country coparenting research to understand what aspects are universal and what aspects of coparenting are linked to specific material, relational, or ideational conditions that underlie high-quality coparenting. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Subject(s)
Parenting , Humans , Female , Adult , Male , Parenting/psychology , China , Japan , Italy , Belgium , Brazil , Portugal , Israel , Turkey , Switzerland , United States , Cross-Cultural Comparison , Psychometrics/instrumentation , Psychometrics/methods , Family Relations/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires , Middle Aged , Factor Analysis, Statistical , ChildABSTRACT
Previous research has identified the importance of romantic partners-including spouses, significant others, and dating partners-for influencing the engagement in health-risking behaviors, such as alcohol misuse during emerging adulthood. Although genetic factors are known to play a role in the development of young adult alcohol misuse, little research has examined whether genetic factors affect young adults' susceptibility to their romantic partners' alcohol misusing behaviors. The current study tests whether a single nucleotide polymorphism in the GABRA2 gene (rs279845) moderates the relationship between romantic partner alcohol misuse and frequency of drunkenness in young adulthood. Results revealed differential risk associated with romantic partner alcohol misuse and young adult drunk behavior according to GABRA2 genotype, such that individuals with the TT genotype displayed an elevated risk for frequency of drunkenness when romantic partner alcohol misuse was also high (IRR = 1.06, p ≤ 0.05). The findings demonstrate the potential for genetic factors to moderate the influence of romantic partners' alcohol misuse on drunk behavior during the transition to young adulthood.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate prospective, longitudinal associations between maternal prenatal cortisol response to an interpersonal stressor and child health for the subsequent 3 years. METHODS: One hundred twenty-three women expecting their first child provided salivary cortisol samples between 12 and 32 weeks of gestation (M (SD) = 22.4 (4.9) weeks) before and after a videotaped couple conflict discussion with their partner. Mothers reported on overall child health and several indicators of child illness (sick doctor visits, fevers, ear, and respiratory infections) when children were 6 months (n = 114), 1 (n = 116), and 3 (n = 105) years old. Associations between maternal prenatal cortisol reactivity and recovery and later child health at each of the three time points were analyzed using longitudinal regression models. RESULTS: Greater cortisol reactivity in response to the couple conflict discussion was associated with maternal self-report of better overall child health (p = .016, 95% CI = 0.06-1.30, Cohen's f = 0.045) across the study period. Greater cortisol reactivity was also associated with lower incidence rate ratios for maternal reports of sick doctor visits (incidence rate ratio 95% CI = 0.25-0.83, p = .006), fevers (95% CI = 0.25-0.73, p = .002), ear infections (95% CI = 0.25-0.58, p < .001), and respiratory infections (95% CI = 0.08-1.11, p = .073). Cortisol recovery was unrelated to study outcomes (all p's > 0.05). Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms moderated the association between cortisol reactivity and overall child health (p = .034, 95% CI = 0.07-1.87 for interaction term) but no other health outcomes (p's > 0.05). Among women with lower depressive symptoms, cortisol reactivity was not associated with overall child health; among women with higher levels of depressive symptoms, greater cortisol reactivity was associated with better overall child health. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides longitudinal evidence that greater maternal cortisol reactivity to a salient interpersonal stressor during pregnancy is associated with fewer child health problems and better maternal report of overall child health during infancy and into early childhood. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov ID NCT01901536.
Subject(s)
Fever/epidemiology , Hydrocortisone/metabolism , Otitis/epidemiology , Pregnancy Complications/metabolism , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiology , Respiratory Tract Infections/epidemiology , Stress, Psychological/metabolism , Adult , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Longitudinal Studies , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/epidemiology , Pregnancy Trimester, First , Pregnancy Trimester, Third , Prospective Studies , Saliva/chemistry , Stress, Psychological/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
This study examined how participation in a universal family skills-building program may interact with community risks and resources to produce youth outcomes. Prior research has noted community-level variability in risk and protective factors, but thus far no study has examined the role that participation on a community-wide intervention may play in moderating the effects of community risks or resources. The study included 14 communities (seven in Iowa, seven in Pennsylvania) that implemented a family focused evidence-based program as part of the PROSPER project. Community level variables included both risk factors (percent of low income families, the availability of alcohol and tobacco, norms regarding adolescent substance use, incidence of drug-related crimes) and community resources (proactive school leadership, availability of youth-serving organizations, and student involvement in youth activities). The proximal youth and family outcomes included youth perceptions of their parents' management skills, parent-child activities, and family cohesion. Results indicated that the Strengthening Families Program:10-14 may have moderated the impact of the community risks and resources on community-level youth outcomes; risk levels meaningfully associated with community-level change in program participants, though these results varied somewhat by outcome. Generally, higher levels of resources also meaningfully associated with more positive change after participating in the family-focused intervention. These results suggest that the effect of some evidence-based programs may be even stronger in some communities than others; more research in this area is needed.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/prevention & control , Community Mental Health Services/organization & administration , Education, Nonprofessional/methods , Education, Nonprofessional/organization & administration , Family Therapy/methods , Illicit Drugs , Juvenile Delinquency/prevention & control , Resilience, Psychological , Smoking Prevention , Social Support , Substance-Related Disorders/prevention & control , Adolescent , Child , Evidence-Based Practice , Female , Humans , Juvenile Delinquency/psychology , Male , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Protective Factors , Risk Factors , Social Environment , Substance-Related Disorders/psychologyABSTRACT
Effective planning for community health partnerships requires understanding how initial readiness-that is, contextual factors and capacity-influences implementation of activities and programs. This study compares the context and capacity of drug and violence prevention coalitions in Mexico to those in the United States. Measures of coalition context include community problems, community leadership style, and sense of community. Measures of coalition capacity include the existence of collaborative partnerships and coalition champions. The assessment was completed by 195 members of 9 coalitions in Mexico and 139 members of 7 coalitions in the United States. Psychometric analyses indicate the measures have moderate to strong internal consistency, along with good convergent and discriminant validity in both settings. Results indicate that members of Mexican coalitions perceive substantially more serious community problems, especially with respect to education, law enforcement, and access to alcohol and drugs. Compared to respondents in the United States, Mexican respondents perceive sense of community to be weaker and that prevention efforts are not as valued by the population where the coalitions are located. The Mexican coalitions appear to be operating in a substantially more challenging environment for the prevention of violence and substance use. Their ability to manage these challenges will likely play a large role in determining whether they are successful in their prevention efforts. The context and capacity assessment is a valuable tool that coalitions can use in order to identify and address initial barriers to success.
Subject(s)
Capacity Building , Cooperative Behavior , Health Care Coalitions/organization & administration , Residence Characteristics , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Mexico , Middle Aged , Program Development , Substance-Related Disorders/prevention & control , United States , Violence/prevention & controlABSTRACT
This study explores the monitoring process longitudinally among a sample of rural early adolescents and addresses two research questions (1) Does maternal knowledge mediate the relationship between three aspects of the parental monitoring process and adolescent problem behavior: active parent monitoring efforts, youth disclosure, and parental supervision? (2) Are these meditational pathways moderated by the affective quality of the parent-child relationship? Parent efforts to monitor youth and youth disclosure in the Fall of Grade 6 predicted substance use and delinquency in Grade 8. These relations were mediated by increases in maternal knowledge assessed in the Spring of Grade 6, suggesting that the protective effects of these constructs are partially indirect. Supervision was not significantly related to maternal knowledge or problem behavior. Parent efforts to monitor were more strongly related to maternal knowledge in families with high levels of positive affect than in families with low levels of positive affect.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to describe the RotaTeq(®) Nicaragua Partnership and the evaluation of the public health impact of the vaccine conducted by the partners, including the creation of a rotavirus surveillance program and a vaccine effectiveness assessment. The three main objectives of the partnership were to demonstrate that a new rotavirus vaccine could (1) be introduced rapidly in a developing country, (2) be successfully integrated into the existing vaccine delivery infrastructure, and (3) have a significant and measurable public health impact at the end of the 3-y program. The vaccine impact assessment required collaboration among partners with different areas of expertise, including the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health, Merck, local hospitals, government health clinics, laboratories, and a Technical Advisory Group. Through the partnership, RotaTeq(®) became available in a GAVI-eligible developing country, Nicaragua, in the same year it was approved in the United States. Vaccine coverage rapidly reached over > 90% of eligible Nicaraguan children. The impact assessment evaluated over 10,000 subjects and leveraged and enhanced the existing diarrheal surveillance infrastructure, ultimately providing the scientific community with some of the first real-world rotavirus vaccine effectiveness data from a developing country. The successful public-private partnership (PPP) was internationally recognized as a model for the rapid adoption of a new vaccine in a developing world setting. The model could be adapted to benefit other PPPs interested in demonstrating the impact of their own programs.