Katerina Antonopoulou

Parental involvement in secondary education schools: the views of parents in Greece

The present study explores Greek parents’ views on parental educational involvement and its impact on adolescent scholastic and social development. Specifically, aspects of parental involvement such as the achieved objectives of current parent–school communication, the psychological climate dominating teacher–parent interactions and parents’ suggestions for improvement of current policies and practices are examined. Four hundred and seventy‐five parents participated in the study. Findings showed that family–school communication is believed to be insufficient in Greece, despite the fact that parents tend to: (1) regard their cooperation with teachers as determinative of adolescent academic and psychosocial development; (2) consider teachers to be friendly and caring; and (3) believe that secondary school provides some opportunities for constructive parental involvement. These paradoxes are discussed and explained as a result of radical changes in current social and educational values, principles and objectives.

Perceptions of Father Parenting Style, Empathy, and Self-Esteem Among Greek Preadolescents

This study examines the relationship between early adolescents’ perceptions of their fathers parenting style and two outcomes, global self-esteem and empathy. One hundred ninety primary school pupils (mean age = 11.26 years, standard deviation = 0.73) completed the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents, and the Self-Perception Profile for Children. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearsons correlations, and regression analyses. Findings suggested a significant link between paternal parenting style as perceived by preadolescents and preadolescents’ empathy and global self-esteem. The participating pupils tended to perceive their fathers as predominantly supportive, whereas perceptions of self and empathy were quite high. Finally, preadolescents’ perception of their fathers parenting style was a significant factor in predicting preadolescents’ global self-esteem and empathic behavior. The present findings support previous evidence attesting to a link between parenting, father–child communication, and aspects of child psychosocial development.

Psycho-social characteristics of children and adolescents with siblings on the autistic spectrum

This study investigates the psycho-social characteristics of typically developing children who have siblings with autism and their sibling relationship. Children’s adjustment at school, their self-esteem and social relations, as well as their friends’ attitudes towards their autistic siblings were examined. Participants were 22 siblings of children with autism, aged 8–18 years, 22 mothers and 22 fathers. Parents provided demographic information, and completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Sibling Inventory of Behaviour. Data from siblings of children with autism were based on a semi-structured interview, the Self-Perception Profile for Children and Adolescents and the Siblings Problems Questionnaire. Only few typically developing siblings of children with autism exhibit emotional and behavioural difficulties. The majority of them have a good relationship with their autistic brother or sister, although they mentioned changes in their daily routines. They also seem not to be satisfied in terms of peer acceptance skills and friendships. In addition, the results of the present study provide evidence for positive parental views on their typically developing children’s emotional and behavioural adjustment. These findings are important and need to be taken into account in order to assess functioning of all family members in families with autism spectrum children.

Sibling and friendship relationships of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and typical development

ABSTRACT Sibling and friendship relationships are quite similar, in that they are both dyadic and reciprocal, and offer the child feelings of warmth, trust, loyalty and intimacy. Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often experience difficulties in their interpersonal relationships. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of and to acknowledge possible links between sibling and friendship relationships of children with ADHD and typical development. Participants were 40 ADHD children and 120 typically developing peers, attending Greek primary schools (Mage = 9.51 years, SD = 1.1). The Sibling Relationship Questionnaire, sociometric nominations, and the Friendship Quality Questionnaire were used. The results showed that children with ADHD had greater antagonism with their siblings and fewer reciprocated friendships. Significant differences in friendship quality between the two groups were observed. Sibling relationships were found to influence all children’s number of mutual friends, and the friendship quality of the typically developing children.

Examining fatherhood in Greece and Italy

ABSTRACT The present study examines Greek and Italian fathers’ perceptions of different aspects of fatherhood, namely, responsibility in undertaking childcare activities, emotional expressiveness within the family as well as their accounts of what it means to them to be a father. Three hundred and eleven fathers from Greece and 291 from Italy responded to the Parental Responsibility Scale, the Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire and the Fathers’ Perceptions of Fatherhood Scale. The results indicated that fathers from both countries agreed that childcare responsibilities should be undertaken by both parents. Further, Greek fathers were found to be less expressive of negative emotions than Italian fathers. They also valued negatively the feelings evoked by fatherhood and the impact of fatherhood on their life and work and considered that the strain evoked by fatherhood is less intense than that valued by their Italian counterparts. In both groups, positive self-expressiveness within the family was found to affect positively their perceptions of the meaning of fatherhood and parental responsibility, but this prediction was stronger for the Greek group. The reported findings provide a comprehensive picture of Greek and Italian fathers’ perceptions of what being a father means to them and broaden our understanding of the role of father within the family.