Floor B. van Rooij

Emotional distress and infertility: Turkish migrant couples compared to Dutch couples and couples in Western Turkey

The present study investigates cultural differences in the effects of infertility on emotional distress. The study compares emotional distress among infertile people in three samples: Turkish migrants (n = 58), Turkish people living in Western Turkey (n = 46), and Dutch people (n = 199). Participants answered structured questionnaires on self-image, blame-guilt, sexual problems, depression, anxiety, and anger-hostility. Separate analyses were conducted for men and women. In general, the levels of emotional distress were higher for infertile Turkish migrant women and infertile Turkish women than they were for infertile Dutch women. Turkish migrant women reported more self-image problems and fewer feelings of blame-guilt than did Turkish women. Among men, Turkish migrant men showed the highest overall levels of emotional distress, and Dutch men showed the lowest. Our results indicate that the experience of infertility among Turkish migrants is more similar to those of Turkish people than it is to that of Dutch people, especially among women. The importance of having children in the different cultures may offer a possible explanation for these findings.

The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) on Parenting by Mothers Within an Ethnically Diverse Population in the Netherlands

Intimate partner violence (IPV) profoundly affects multiple life domains for the people involved. We report on the experiences of Dutch mothers of various ethnic backgrounds regarding their parenting during and after IPV, their perceptions of the influence of IPV on their parenting, as well as their need for and experiences with support services. We conducted qualitative interviews with 100 mothers in the Netherlands who had experienced IPV. Most reported negative experiences with parenting (both during and after the IPV), a strong effect of the IPV on their parenting, as well as circumstances that aggravated this effect. The mothers had used multiple sources of formal and informal support. Although most evaluated the support that they had received positively, some also mentioned mixed or negative experiences. Many were still in need of support. Relationships with ethnic background and the severity of IPV are discussed.

The wellbeing of foster children and their relationship with foster parents and biological parents: a child’s perspective

Most Dutch foster children live permanently in foster families. It is often assumed that foster children have ambivalent loyalties and attachments to their birth parents and foster parents and are torn between the two. In this study 59 children between 10 and 18 years placed in long term foster care completed standardised questionnaires on the relationship with their parents respectively foster parents and their wellbeing. Results show that, on average, foster children have positive feelings of loyalty and attachment towards both their foster parents and biological parents. However, their wellbeing appeared mainly related with stronger attachment representations towards their foster parents. This study found no indications for a competing position of biological parents and foster parents from the perspective of the child. Nevertheless, foster children who see their foster and biological parents as more vulnerable or experience stronger normative boundaries, feel worse compared to children who experience this feelings less.

The influence of social and cultural factors on infertility and new reproductive technologies

Frank van Balen is a member of the editorial board of The Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology (JPOG) and associate professor at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Amsterdam. Over the years, Frank has developed a strong research line on such topics as childlessness, reasons for having children and families in which parenthood resulted from the use of a new reproductive technology. Frank has approached these topics from various disciplines – such as pedagogics, psychology, cultural anthropology, sociology, ethics, public health, women’s studies, and gay and lesbian studies – and always with a strong focus on cultural diversity. In 2003, the Council on the Anthropology of Reproduction (CAR) awarded a prize to a book Frank edited together with Marcia Inhorn: Infertility around the Globe: New Thinking on Childlessness, Gender and Reproductive Technologies [1]. This prize was the crowning glory on his work. Frank will leave our department during the next academic year. Although we hope he will still be involved in scientific research at our department, for us – two of his ‘scientific children’ – his imminent departure was reason to surprise him with a special issue on some of ‘his’ topics written by people with whom he has worked during his career. As a result of new reproductive technology, the routes to parenthood are increasingly diverse and are expanding the ways in which individuals become parents. New reproductive technology has led to the birth of more than 300,000 babies since 1977 [2]. Within the social sciences, however, interest in new reproductive technologies is a recent phenomenon [3]. For many years, research in this area was mainly dominated by the medical sciences. There are several reasons why such important issues as infertility, new reproductive technologies and involuntary childlessness were neglected for so long by the social sciences [4]. In the past, infertility was mainly seen as a medical condition and the interest was in how to rectify the problem. Consequently, infertility was associated with new reproductive technologies and less attention was paid to how the people/couples involved experienced this. When attention was paid to infertility and involuntary childlessness outside the medical sciences, it was mainly within bioethics, where there was a strong philosophical focus on such questions as whether or not to use new reproductive technologies and which methods are acceptable. At the moment, there is still a strong focus on ethical issues [5–7], as can be seen in the recent debate on several issues, such as sex selection [8,9]. Another reason why the subject of infertility was neglected in the social sciences might be linked to the fact that for a long time it was taboo to talk about infertility and involuntary childlessness, perhaps because it was seen as a ‘failure’. As a consequence, infertility was a subject that was not easily discussed with others, even with researchers. In most nonWestern countries, people who do not have children are still regarded as ‘failures’ [10–13]. Nowadays, there are several reasons why scientists are interested in the issue of new reproductive technologies from a social-scientific perspective [3]. First, a better understanding of several new techniques is needed as a guide to legal and public policy decisions. Countries within the EU, for example, have different laws about such techniques as surrogacy, egg donation, sex selection and lesbian couples’ access to artificial insemination of sperm donor. A second reason for studying issues related to new reproductive technologies and infertility in the social sciences is a theoretical one. With the development of new reproductive technologies, both new and old theoretical questions are being raised. For example, what are the consequences for parenting roles and child development of having children with the help of

Effects of PMTO in foster families with children with behavior problems : A Randomized Controlled Trial

The present randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of Parent Management Training Oregon for foster parents with foster children (aged 4–12) with severe externalizing behavior problems in long-term foster care arrangements. Foster children’s behavior problems are challenging for foster parents and increase the risk of placement breakdown. There is little evidence for the effectiveness of established interventions to improve child and parent functioning in foster families. The goal of Parent Management Training Oregon, a relatively long and intensive (6–9 months, with weekly sessions) parent management training, is to reduce children’s problem behavior through improvement of parenting practices. We specifically investigated whether Parent Management Training Oregon is effective to reduce foster parenting stress. A significant effect of Parent Management Training Oregon, compared to Care as Usual was expected on reduced parenting stress improved parenting practices, and on reduced child behavior problems. Multi-informant (foster mothers, foster fathers, and teachers) data were used from 86 foster families (46 Parent Management Training Oregon, 40 Care as Usual) using a pre-posttest design. Multilevel analyses based on the intention to treat principle (retention rate 73 %) showed that Parent Management Training Oregon, compared to Care as Usual, reduced general levels of parenting stress as well as child related stress and parent-related stress (small to medium effect sizes). The clinical significance of this effect was, however, limited. Compared to a decrease in the Care as Usual group, Parent Management Training Oregon helped foster mothers to maintain parental warmth (small effect size). There were no other effects of Parent Management Training Oregon on self-reported parenting behaviors. Child behavior problems were reduced in both conditions, indicating no additive effects of Parent Management Training Oregon to Care as Usual on child functioning. The potential implication of reduced foster parenting stress for placement stability is discussed.

Temporary restraining orders in the Netherlands: a qualitative examination of perpetrator and victim views

In 2009, the Netherlands introduced a 10-day temporary restraining order (TRO) intended for adult perpetrators of domestic violence to defuse dangerous situations and to reduce recidivism by combining a legal action with social services. For this study, 18 victims and 10 perpetrators were interviewed about their experiences with the TRO, related professional help, and the influence the TRO had had on their lives. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and subsequently qualitatively analyzed. Most of the victims were positive about the TRO period. Perpetrators were less positive. The vast majority of respondents accepted help during the TRO and were positive about the professionals’ attitudes, but not necessarily about the type of help. Most respondents reported an increase in their wellbeing, new insights, and no or less serious re-assaults by the perpetrator. The results suggest that, in the short term, TROs have a mainly positive effect on both victims and perpetrators.

Being a donor-child: wishes for parental support, peer support and counseling

Abstract Objectives: We aimed at exploring the wishes of Dutch donor-conceived offspring for parental support, peer support and counseling and sought to contribute to the improvement of health care for all parties involved with assisted reproductive technologies. Methods: We held semi-structured in-depth interviews with 24 donor-conceived offspring (Mage = 26.9, range 17–41) born within father–mother, two-mother and single mother families. The majority of the donor offspring was conceived with semen of anonymous donors. All offspring were recruited by network organizations and snowball sampling. The interviews were fully transcribed and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results: Donor-conceived offspring wished that their parents had talked openly about donor conception and had missed parental support. They wished that their parents would have received counseling before donor sperm treatment on how to talk with their children about donor conception in several stages of life. They valued the availability of peer contact to exchange stories with other donor-conceived offspring and would have liked assistance in getting access to trustworthy information about characteristics and identifying information of their donor. Donor-conceived offspring wished to know where to find specialist counseling when needed. Conclusions: Peer support and counseling by professionals for donor-conceived offspring should be available for those who need it. The findings also support professional counseling for intended parents before treatment to improve parental support for donor-children.