Alina Morawska

A cognitive model of binge drinking: the influence of alcohol expectancies and drinking refusal self-efficacy.

While binge drinking-episodic or irregular consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol-is recognised as a serious problem affecting our youth, to date there has been a lack of psychological theory and thus theoretically driven research into this problem. The current paper develops a cognitive model using the key constructs of alcohol expectancies (AEs) and drinking refusal self-efficacy (DRSE) to explain the acquisition and maintenance of binge drinking. It is suggested that the four combinations of the AE and DRSE can explain the four drinking styles. These are normal/social drinkers, binge drinkers, regular heavy drinkers, and problem drinkers or alcoholics. Since AE and DRSE are cognitive constructs and therefore modifiable, the cognitive model can thus facilitate the design of intervention and prevention strategies for binge drinking.

Self-Administered Behavioral Family Intervention for Parents of Toddlers: Part I. Efficacy

This study examined the efficacy of a self-administered behavioral family intervention for 126 parents of toddlers. The effects of 2 different levels of intensity of the self-administered intervention were contrasted (self-administered alone or self-administered plus brief therapist telephone assistance). The results provide support for the efficacy of the self-administered form of behavioral family intervention. There were significant short-term reductions in reported child behavior problems and improvements in maternal parenting style, parenting confidence, and anger. Families who received minimal therapist assistance made more clinically significant gains compared with families who completed the program with no therapist assistance. The intervention effects were maintained at 6-month follow-up. The implications of the findings for the population-level delivery of behavioral family interventions are discussed.

Assessing adherence and factors associated with adherence in young children with asthma

Background and objective:  Adherence with preventive asthma medication by young children is an important factor when evaluating a suboptimal response to treatment. However, few data exist regarding the accuracy of subjective measures of adherence and factors associated with adherence in young children.

Case-Control Study of Early Childhood Caries in Australia

The aim of this case-control study of 617 children was to investigate early childhood caries (ECC) risk indicators in a non-fluoridated region in Australia. ECC cases were recruited from childcare facilities, public hospitals and private specialist clinics to source children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Non-ECC controls were recruited from the same childcare facilities. A multinomial logistic modelling approach was used for statistical analysis. The results showed that a large percentage of children tested positive for Streptococcus mutans if their mothers also tested positive. A common risk indicator found in ECC children from childcare facilities and public hospitals was visible plaque (OR 4.1, 95% CI 1.0–15.9, and OR 8.7, 95% CI 2.3–32.9, respectively). Compared to ECC-free controls, the risk indicators specific to childcare cases were enamel hypoplasia (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.0–18.3), difficulty in cleaning child’s teeth (OR 6.6, 95% CI 2.2–19.8), presence of S. mutans (OR 4.8, 95% CI 0.7–32.6), sweetened drinks (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.2–13.6) and maternal anxiety (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.1–25.0). Risk indicators specific to public hospital cases were S. mutans presence in child (OR 7.7, 95% CI 1.3–44.6) or mother (OR 8.1, 95% CI 0.9–72.4), ethnicity (OR 5.6, 95% CI 1.4–22.1), and access of mother to pension or health care card (OR 20.5, 95% CI 3.5–119.9). By contrast, a history of chronic ear infections was found to be protective for ECC in childcare children (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.09–0.82). The biological, socioeconomic and maternal risk indicators demonstrated in the present study can be employed in models of ECC that can be usefully applied for future longitudinal studies.

Parenting knowledge and its role in the prediction of dysfunctional parenting and disruptive child behaviour

BACKGROUND There is a paucity of research on the relationship between parental knowledge, parenting and parenting self-efficacy, and some inconsistencies have been reported in the literature. METHOD Parent knowledge of effective parenting strategies was assessed among 68 parents from a non-clinic sample, who also completed questionnaires relating to parenting confidence, quality of parenting and child behaviour. RESULTS Parents with greater knowledge tended to be less dysfunctional, and reported significantly higher education and income levels. Parenting confidence explained a significant proportion of the variance in reported frequency of disruptive child behaviour while knowledge did not independently contribute to the prediction. However, the relationship between parenting confidence and dysfunctional parenting was moderated by the level of knowledge. There was a stronger negative relationship between confidence and dysfunctional parenting when knowledge level was low than when it was high. Post hoc analyses indicated that the relationship between parenting knowledge and disruptive child behaviour was moderated by the level of parenting dysfunction. Parenting knowledge and reported frequency of disruptive behaviour were positively related when the level of dysfunction was low, but were unrelated when it was high. CONCLUSIONS Parents with low levels of knowledge and confidence in their parenting may be at greater risk of dysfunctional parenting and might benefit from interventions designed to enhance both knowledge and confidence. Results are interpreted in relation to inconsistencies with previous research and implications for future methodologies.

Parenting asthmatic children: identification of parenting challenges.

Asthma is the most common chronic illness of childhood, affecting up to 14% of children. Poor asthma management and non-adherence to treatment regimens are a pervasive problem in this population and are related to exacerbation of symptoms. Effective management of pediatric asthma involves a complex set of interactions between the parent and child, yet there is a paucity of literature examining these interactions. The main purpose of this study was to identify the child behavior and asthma management tasks parents experience difficulty with. It was hypothesized that the more asthma behavior problems reported, the more problems parents experience in asthma management tasks. Participants in this study were 255 parents of 2-to 10-year-old asthmatic children, recruited via an advertisement placed in school newsletters throughout Australia. Results indicated that the most problematic child asthma behaviors were oppositional behavior, hyperactivity, and aggression, and anxiety was also identified by parents as a concern. The main problematic asthma parenting tasks were entrusting the school, entrusting caregivers, identifying unique symptoms, and identifying and avoiding triggers. More problem asthma behaviors were associated with higher levels of parenting difficulty and more general levels of behavior problems. Parents who reported more dysfunctional parenting styles reported more difficulties with their childs asthma behavior. Based on the results it is suggested that an appropriate parenting intervention program would target basic behavioral management skills, in addition to applying these behavior management principles to asthma management.

Evaluation of a brief parenting discussion group for parents of young children

Objective: Although behavioral parenting programs are effective at treating child behavioral problems, a significant number of parents experiencing these problems do not receive help, and briefer, more cost-effective parenting interventions are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a brief parenting discussion group. Method: Sixty-seven parents were randomly assigned to either an intervention or waitlist control condition. Parents in the intervention condition took part in a 2-hour discussion group in which they were taught positive parenting strategies to prevent and manage their childs disobedience, and they received 2 follow-up telephone calls after the discussion group. Results: Results showed that after intervention, there were reductions in child behavior problems and use of dysfunctional parenting and improvements in parental self-efficacy and the parenting experience for parents. These effects were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Conclusion: The results are promising because they show that a brief intervention can be minimally sufficient to improve child and parent outcomes for parents experiencing high levels of child behavior problems.

A review of parental engagement in parenting interventions and strategies to promote it

Despite the importance of increasing engagement and minimising attrition and drop‐out in parenting interventions, there is a paucity of empirical evidence examining factors related to engagement and participation. The range of factors examined in relation to engagement is generally limited in scope and variety, focusing on variables of convenience rather than utilising a theoretically‐driven approach.The aim of this article is to review the factors related to parental engagement with interventions and to describe strategies and implications for improving engagement with parenting interventions. Several policy and practice implications are identified: (1) Poor parental engagement may threaten or compromise the capacity of parenting programmes to deliver valued outcomes. Viable engagement strategies need to be a core part of prevention and early intervention parenting programmes; (2) Agencies delivering parenting services need a proactive engagement strategy, which includes strategies to prevent drop‐out, as well as strategies to actively respond to parental disengagement; (3) Research is needed to test the efficacy and robustness of different engagement enhancement strategies. Empirical tests are needed to test the effectiveness of different engagement strategies in order to ensure that the most efficient, cost‐effective and efficacious approach is used in order to engage parents. Investment of research effort to improve parental engagement is likely to have a high yield in terms of programme efficiency, utility and cost effectiveness. We conclude that research examining how to improve engagement and decrease non‐completion is needed to strengthen the population level value of parenting programmes as preventive interventions.

Parenting Gifted and Talented Children: Conceptual and Empirical Foundations

There is a paucity of research focusing on the needs of gifted children and their families, in particular, there is a lack of empirically supported parenting strategies to help parents in parenting their gifted child. This article provides an overview of the literature on difficulties experienced by parents of gifted and talented children, followed by a description of the development of a parenting program designed specifically for this population. Qualitative data from a survey of parents of gifted and talented children are presented to identify key themes for supporting and assisting parents. Gifted and Talented Triple P is a customized version of Triple P—Positive Parenting Program, consisting of nine sessions, specifically tailored for the needs of parents of gifted and talented children. The program is described and the clinical implications and future research directions in assisting parents in parenting their gifted and talented child are discussed. Putting the Research to Use: The results of this study provide some key insights into the specific aspects of raising a gifted and talented child which parents struggle with, and the sorts of information they would like to receive to assist them in their role. The findings have led to the development and tailoring of a parenting intervention for parents of gifted and talented children, and have the potential to inform further research to support parents.

Parenting interventions for childhood chronic illness A review and recommendations for intervention design and delivery

Every day, thousands of children suffer the effects of chronic health conditions and families struggle with illness management and children’s behavioural and emotional adjustment. Many parents experience difficulties with their caregiving role and lack confidence in their ability to manage their child’s illness and ensure the child’s well-being. While there is consistent evidence as to the extent and impact of childhood chronic illness, there is a paucity of evidence-based parenting approaches to help children with chronic health conditions and their families. This paper provides a narrative review of the current literature to examine relationships between chronic childhood illness, emotional and behavioural disorders and parenting. Key guidelines and recommendations for the development of evidence-based parenting programs for parents of children affected by chronic health conditions are provided.