[Trauma, Psychological Stress and Family Situation of Fathers who Experienced Child and Youth Welfare Services: Implications for Youth Welfare Interventions and Therapy]. / Trauma, psychische Belastungen und Familiensituation von Vätern mit Jugendhilfeerfahrung: Implikationen für Hilfen zur Erziehung und Therapie.

Trauma, Psychological Stress and Family Situation of Fathers who Experienced Child and Youth Welfare Services: Implications for Youth Welfare Interventions and Therapy This paper explores the current family situation and psychological stress of fathers who experienced trauma and different kinds of youth welfare services including out-of-home placement during their childhood. The main group consisted of n = 119 fathers and was compared to a group of n = 36 fathers whose families never received services from the child and youth welfare authority. In the main group, a high correlation was found between trauma and current psychological stress, albeit the out-of-home care intervention or intensive home-support by child and youth welfare services during childhood. The higher stress level in the main group of fathers in contrast to the comparison group effects their current family situation, especially concerning the contact between fathers and their children. Fathers with higher stress levels were less likely to be in contact with their children. Acting on the assumption that fathers are important for their children, the results implicate a heightened focus on earlier trauma-informed interventions in families with difficulties and out-of-home care settings, to reduce stress levels and prevent intergenerational transmission of problematic family experiences. Current child and youth welfare services, in particular out-of-home placements, should take these trauma-informed approaches and therapy into account.

FATHER-CHILD PLAY DURING THE PRESCHOOL YEARS AND CHILD INTERNALIZING BEHAVIORS: BETWEEN ROBUSTNESS AND VULNERABILITY.

Play observations with a total of 400 toddlers and preschoolers were videotaped and rated for Intensity and Quality of play with their parents. Parents were asked about perceived stress and personality characteristics (Big 5). Child's motor, cognitive skills, temperament, and internalizing behaviors were assessed. Study 1 investigated the robustness of play across child age and gender, and examined differences between fathers and mothers. Study 2 explored the vulnerability of play with fathers of children born preterm (PT-fathers) and fathers who had experienced adverse childhoods (AC-fathers). Study 3 investigated child internalizing behaviors. Intensity of play was maintained almost independently of child age and gender. It was similar for AC- and PT-fathers, and similar to maternal Intensity. In contrast, paternal Quality of play was higher with boys and independent of fathers' personality and perceived parenting stress whereas maternal Quality of play was higher with girls and linked to mothers' perceived parenting competence, acceptability of the child, and neuroticism. AC-fathers scored significantly low on Quality, as did PT-fathers, but the Quality of their play became better with growing child age, birth weight, and cognitive (but not motor and temperament) scores. Finally, child internalizing behaviors were negatively related to paternal Quality of play.