Context, Process, and Participant Response in the Implementation of Family Support Programmes in Spain / El contexto, el proceso y la respuesta de los participantes en la implementación de programas de apoyo familiar en España

Implementation research addresses how well a programme is conducted when applied in real-world conditions. However, research based on quality standards is still scarce as it requires monitoring context, process, and participant response. This study applies implementation quality standards to 57 Spanish parenting and family support programmes identified in the COST European Family Support Network project, using an ten-component evaluation sheet sheet. Descriptive analyses showed a good implementation level. The latent profile analysis identified four patterns defined by programme setting: profile 1, Social Services/NGO setting (21.1%), profile 2, Health setting (31.6%), profile 3, Multi-setting (14%), and profile 4, Educational setting (33.3%), differing in professional discipline, training, participant response, and professional perception of implementation. Profile memberships were related to programme outcomes, scaling up, and sustainability. Findings illustrate conceptual and practical challenges that researchers and professionals usually encounter during implementation, and the efforts required to deliver programmes effectively in real-world settings in Spain.(AU)

La investigación sobre implementación se ocupa de la calidad con la que se aplica un programa en condiciones del mundo real. Sin embargo, la investigación basada en patrones de calidad es aún escasa, ya que requiere supervisar el contexto, el proceso y la respuesta de los participantes. El presente estudio aplica los patrones de calidad a 57 programas españoles de apoyo parental y familiar identificados en el proyecto COST-European Family Support Network, enlos que se utilizó una hoja de evaluación de diez componentes. Los análisis descriptivos mostraron un buen nivel de implementación. El análisis de clases latentes detectó cuatro perfiles definidos por el entorno donde se aplica el programa: el perfil 1, contexto de los servicios sociales/ONG (21.1%), el perfil 2, contexto sanitario (31.6%), el perfil 3, diversos contextos (14%), y el perfil 4, entorno educativo (33.3%), que difieren en la disciplina del profesional, la formación, las respuestas de los participantes y la percepción que tiene el profesional sobre la implementación. La pertenencia a los diversos perfiles se relacionaba con los resultados del programa, su ampliación a gran escala y la sostenibilidad. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto los desafíos conceptuales y prácticos que tanto investigadores como profesionales suelen encontrar durante la implementación, así como los esfuerzos necesarios para aplicar los programas de forma efectiva en contextos reales en España.(AU)

El Conflicto entre los Padres, la Seguridad Emocional y el Autoconcepto de los Adolescentes / Interparental conflict, emotional security, and adolescents’ self-concept

Según la teoría de la seguridad emocional, una meta fundamental para los adolescentes es sentirse seguros en su familia. El conflicto interparental destructivo mina su seguridad emocional pero pocos trabajos relacionan este conflicto con la seguridad emocional y la autopercepción de los adolescentes. El objetivo de este estudio era relacionar estas dimensiones. Participaron 196 adolescentes españoles de ambos sexos con una media de edad de 15.24 años. Se utilizó la escala CPIC, que mide el conflicto familiar, la SIFS, que evalúa la seguridad emocional e identifica una dimensión de seguridad y dos de inseguridad (preocupación y desvinculación), y el cuestionario SDQ II, que evalúa el autoconcepto académico y no académico. Los adolescentes de ambos sexos más desvinculados de su familia tenían menores puntuaciones en autoconcepto general, autoconcepto académico, autoestima y relaciones con los padres. Se extraen implicaciones para la intervención educativa y psicológica por la importancia de las relaciones y de la autopercepción en el desarrollo adolescente.

According to the Emotional Security Theory, feeling safe in the family is a main goal for adolescents. Interparental conflict threatens adolescents’ emotional security but there are few studies that relate interparental conflict, emotional security, and adolescents’ self-perceptions. Our aim was to relate these dimensions. Participants were 196 adolescents of both sexes with a mean age of 15.24 years. The CPIC scale was used to measure perceived interparental conflict, the SIFS was used to measure emotional security, identifying one secure dimension and two insecure dimensions (preoccupation and disengagement), and the SDQ II, that was used to measure academic and non-academic self-concept. Adolescents of both sexes who were more emotionally disengaged had lower scores on general self-concept, general academic self-concept, self-esteem, and relationships with parents. These results have implications for educational and psychological interventions due to the role played by relationships and self-perceptions in adolescents’ development.

Ecuadorian mothers of preschool children with and without intellectual disabilities: Individual and family dimensions.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 71,454 children younger than 5 years old have a disability in Ecuador. AIMS: Our objective was to compare and relate family cohesion, adaptability, coping, perceived stress, and control with family satisfaction of Ecuadorian mothers of preschool children with and without intellectual disabilities (ID). METHOD: Participants were 384 Ecuadorian mothers: 111 had a child with ID and 273had a child without ID. The FACES II, Family Satisfaction Scale and Moos Coping Response Inventory were used. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between mothers of children with and without intellectual disabilities on their perceptions of family cohesion, adaptability or family satisfaction. Mothers of children with ID perceived less stress and more control over their children and adopted more approach coping strategies compared to mothers of children without ID. The mothers 'family satisfaction was positively related to approach coping strategies and to family cohesion and adaptability, and negatively related to avoidant coping strategies-regardless of whether their children had a disability or not. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These data are in accordance with an adaptive approach to disability and emphasise the capacity of individuals and families to cope.

Adapting the Unique Minds Program: Exploring the Feasibility of a Multiple Family Intervention for Children with Learning Disabilities in the Context of Spain.

The Unique Minds Program (Stern, Unique Minds Program, 1999) addresses the socio-emotional needs of children with learning disabilities (LD) and their families. Children and their parents work together in a multiple family group to learn more about LD and themselves as people with the capacity to solve problems in a collaborative way, including problems in family school relationships. This article reports the cultural adaptation of the program for use in Spain and findings from a feasibility study involving three multiple family groups and a total of 15 children and 15 mothers, using a pre-post design. This Spanish adaptation of the program is called "Mentes Únicas". Standardized outcome measures indicated an overall statistically significant decrease in children's self-rated maladjustment and relationship difficulties by the end of the program. Improvements were endorsed by most mothers, although they were not always recognized by the children's teachers. The program had a high level of acceptability: Mothers and children felt safe, understood, and helped throughout the sessions. The efficacy of the adapted intervention for the context of Spain remains to be tested in a more rigorous study.

Validación de la escala Seguridad en el Sistema Familiar (SIFS) en dos muestras españolas de adolescentes y jóvenes residentes con su familia e institucionalizados / Validating the Security in the Family System Scale (SIFS) in two Samples of Spanish Adolescents and Youth Living with their Families and Institutionalized

En este trabajo, se analizaron las propiedades psicométricas de la escala de Seguridad en el Sistema Familiar (SIFS) (Forman & Davies, 2005) que mide la percepción de seguridad o amenaza que tienen los hijos acerca del sistema familiar. El punto de partida teórico de la SIFS es la teoría de la seguridad emocional (Cummings & Davies, 2010). La muestra estuvo compuesta por un total de 845 adolescentes y jóvenes españoles, de los cuales 180 estaban institucionalizados (media de edad 15.67 años) y 665 vivían con sus familias (media de edad 14.9). Se realizaron análisis factoriales confirmatorios y análisis de invarianza configural, métrica, escalar y estricta. Los resultados indicaron que el instrumento es adecuado para evaluar la seguridad en el sistema familiar en muestras de adolescentes y jóvenes españoles institucionalizados y no institucionalizados, identificándose las tres dimensiones que predice el modelo (seguridad, preocupación y desvinculación) con una buena consistencia interna y puntuaciones comparables.

The psychometric properties of the Security in the Family System scale (SIFS) (Davies & Forman, 2005) are analyzed in this paper. SIFS measures children's perceived security in the family system grounded on Emotional Security theory (Cummings & Davies, 2010). Particpants were 845 Spanish adolescents and youth, 180 of whom were institutionalized (mean age 15.67 years) while 665 lived with their families (mean age 14.9 years). Confirmatory factor analyses and configural, metric,scalar and strict invariance analyses were performed. Results showed that the instrument is adequate to evaluate Spanish adolescents' and youth's security in the family whether they live with their families or they are institutionalized. The three dimensions predicted by the theory were identified (security, preoccupation and disengagement) with a good internal consistency and comparable punctuations.

Quality of life, treatment adherence, and locus of control: multiple family groups for chronic medical illnesses.

The Multiple Family Groups (MFGs) approach for patients with a chronic medical illness and their families is a structured psychoeducational program that unfolds in six weekly 90-minute sessions. In the MFGs, patients and family members explore new ways to balance illness and nonillness priorities in family life (Steinglass, 1998; Steinglass, 2000 Cuadernos de Terapia Familiar, 44-45, 11; Steinglass, Ostroff, & Steinglass, 2011 Family Process, 50, 393).

Los adolescentes y el conflicto interparental destructivo: impacto en la percepción del sistema familiar y diferencias según el tipo de familia, la edad y el sexo de los adolescentes / Adolescents and Destructive Interparental Conflict: Impact on the Perception of the Family System and Differences by Adolescents' Type of Family, Age and Sex

En este trabajo se estudiaron las percepciones del conflicto interparental y sus efectos a largo plazo en las emociones, las conductas y las cogniciones en una muestra de 510 adolescentes españoles. Los instrumentos empleados fueron la Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale [CPIC] (Grych, Seid & Fincham, 1992) y la Security in the Family System Scale [SIFS] (Forman & Davies, 2005). CPIC evalúa la naturaleza del conflicto y los factores contextuales del mismo. SIFS mide la seguridad en el sistema familiar, la preocupación y la implicación de los hijos. Se encontró que cuanto más conflicto destructivo hay entre los padres (más intenso, frecuente y sin resolver) más culpados, amenazados, triangulados, preocupados e inseguros se sienten los hijos, más ineficaces piensan que son sus intentos de resolver los problemas de los padres y menos se implican en las discusiones. Se encontraron diferencias entre familias monoparentales y nucleares que hacen patente el impacto del conflicto posdivorcio de los padres. En estos casos es más estable y los padres son más ineficaces en su resolución, por lo que los hijos se sienten más inseguros. Los datos indican que con la edad aumenta la inseguridad de los hijos y que las jóvenes se implican significativamente menos en los conflictos entre los padres.

We studied the perceptions of interparental conflict and its long term effects on emotions, behaviours and cognitions in a sample of 510 Spanish adolescents. The instruments used were the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale [CPIC] (Grych, Seid & Fincham, 1992) and the Security in the Family System Scale [SIFS] (Forman & Davies, 2005). CPIC evaluates the nature of conflict and its contextual variables. SIFS measures the security in the family system, the preoccupation and the disengagement of children. We have found that the more destructive interparental conflict happens (more intense, frequent and unsolved), more guilty, threatened, triangulized, worried and insecure children feel, more useless their attempts to solve parental problems are and more disengage from interparental disagreements. There are differences between single mother families and nuclear families. These depict that post divorce conflict has a great impact on children. In this case, it is more stable and parents are less efficient in solving it, so children feel more insecure. Our data show that, with age, there is an increase in children's insecurity and that girls disengage more than boys when facing interparental conflict.

[Risk and protective factors in adolescents' drug use, and differences by age and sex]. / Factores de riesgo y de protección en el consumo de drogas en adolescentes y diferencias según edad y sexo.

Adolescents' drug use has huge social and personal implications, so it is essential to identify risk and protective factors. In this research, the CTCYS was used with 2440 adolescents to detect risk and protective factors for drug use in the community, family, school and peers/individual; differences in risk and protective factors by age and sex; and relationships between risk and protective factors and substance use. Protective factors are high. Risk factors are high in the community, the school and the individual. Older adolescents have more risks and less protection than the youngest; and there are sex differences, because males have less protection and more risks. The risk factors more closely related to drug use are availability of drugs in the community, family attitudes favourable to drug use, family history of antisocial behaviour, early start and use of drugs by friends, perceived risk and attitudes favourable to drug use. In the protective factors, the role played by social skills for alcohol use is important.

Factores de riesgo y de protección en el consumo de drogas en adolescentes y diferencias según edad y sexo / Risk and protective factors in adolescents’ drug use, and differences by age and sex

El consumo de drogas en adolescentes tiene considerables implicaciones sociales y personales, por lo que es esencial la identificación de factores de riesgo y protección. En esta investigación se aplicó el cuestionario CTCYS a 2.440 adolescentes para detectar los factores protectores y de riesgo en la comunidad, la familia, la escuela y el grupo de iguales/individuo; diferencias en protección y riesgo según edad y sexo, y relación entre dichos factores y consumo. Los factores de protección son elevados. Los factores de riesgo son altos en comunidad, escuela e individuo. Los mayores tienen más riesgos y menos protección que los pequeños; y se dan diferencias según el sexo, contando los chicos con menos protección y más riesgos que las chicas. Los factores de riesgo más relacionados con el consumo de sustancias son la disponibilidad de drogas, las actitudes familiares favorables al consumo, la historia familiar de conducta antisocial, el inicio temprano y el consumo de los amigos, el riesgo percibido con respecto al consumo y las actitudes favorables al consumo. En los factores de protección destaca el papel de las habilidades sociales frente al consumo de alcohol (AU)

Adolescents’ drug use has huge social and personal implications, so it is essential to identify risk and protective factors. In this research, the CTCYS was used with 2440 adolescents to detect risk and protective factors for drug use in the community, family, school and peers/individual; differences in risk and protective factors by age and sex; and relationships between risk and protective factors and substance use. Protective factors are high. Risk factors are high in the community, the school and the individual. Older adolescents have more risks and less protection than the youngest; and there are sex differences, because males have less protection and more risks. The risk factors more closely related to drug use are availability of drugs in the community, family attitudes favourable to drug use, family history of antisocial behaviour, early start and use of drugs by friends, perceived risk and attitudes favourable to drug use. In the protective factors, the role played by social skills for alcohol use is important(AU)

El FACES II en la evaluación de la cohesión y la adaptabilidad familiar / The FACES II in the evaluation of family cohesion and adaptability

Este estudio contrasta la cohesión y la adaptabilidad de 31 familias españolas, 20 anglo-australianas y 30 familias españolas emigrantes en Australia. El FACES 11 se utilizó para medir la cohesión y la adaptabilidad percibida e ideal de tres miembros de la familia (madre, padre y un hijo/a) en la muestra de 81 familias. Los resultados indican que las familias emigrantes adaptaron sus ideas y prácticas selectivamente: al igual que las familias españolas, mantuvieron unos ideales de adaptabilidad más elevados que las familias anglo-australianas. Los datos muestran que existen semejanzas significativas entre las culturas en la percepción de la cohesión y adaptabilidad actual de las familias, mientras que se dan diferencias significativas entre las culturas en los ideales de cohesión y adaptabilidad familiar. Estos resultados implican que la psicología transcultural debería considerar que hay semejanzas y diferencias entre las culturas y las familias, así como que el cambio en los ideales y prácticas de las familias emigrantes se produce a diferentes niveles (AU)

This study contrasts the cohesion and adaptabilty of 31 Spanish, 20 Anglo-Australian, and 30 Spanish inmigrant families. FACES II was used to measure the ideal and perceived cohesion and adaptability of three family members (father, mother, and one child) in the 81 family sample. Results show that the inmigrant families adapted their ideas and practices selectively: like Spanish families, they maintained higher levels of ideal adaptability than the Anglo-Australian families, yet their ideal and perceived cohesion was similar to the Anglo-Australian families. Data showed that there are significant similarities across cultures in the perception of actual family cohesion and adaptability, while there are significant differences across cultures in ideal family cohesion and adaptability. These results imply that cross-cultural psychology researchers should consider both similarities and differences between cultures and families, and that change in immigrant families ideals and practices occurs at varying rates (AU)