Adolescent-Parent Discrepancies in Perceptions of Parenting: Associations with Adolescent Externalizing Problem Behavior Abstract Objectives This study used a two-wave design to examine whether (dis)agreement between mothers and adolescents and between fathers and adolescents in reports of on parenting (i.e., support, proactive control, punishment, harsh punishment, and psychological control) was associated with adolescent Externalizing Problem Behavior (EPB; i.e., aggression and rule-breaking behavior) 1 year later. Methods Adolescents (N = 1,116, Mage = 13.79) reported on EPB and parenting across both parents, whereas mothers (N = 841) and fathers (N = 724) reported on EPB and their own parenting. As suggested by Laird and De Los Reyes (2013), we used moderated polynomial regressions to investigate informant discrepancy. Results Results indicated that agreement between mothers and adolescents concerning psychological control positively predicted EPB. Furthermore, there were linear and curvilinear associations between adolescent-reported parenting and EPB. Conclusions Our findings indicated that the inclusion of multiple informants, and more specifically, the agreement between two informants was important in predicting adolescent problem behavior. Furthermore, it provided support for including both mothers and fathers in future research or clinical programs. Finally, the link between some parenting practices and externalizing problem behavior may be more complex than suggested by previous studies. Concerning clinical implications, the present study provides support for tailoring prevention/intervention programs for the different members of the family.

Worsening Perceptions of Family Connectedness and Parent Support for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents Abstract Objectives Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents often report compromised relations with their families. Given the recent changes in societal attitudes toward LGB individuals, in respect to rights for marriage and other legal statuses, we explore whether or not there has been a change in how LGB and heterosexual adolescents perceive their family relations over time. Methods Using the British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey from British Columbia, Canada (N = 99,373; Mage = 14.8), we investigated the trends and disparities in family connectedness and mother/father support in four data sets from 1998 to 2013. Results We found that while levels of perceived family connectedness and parent support have increased for heterosexual adolescents since 1998, the same increases were not found for LGB adolescents. Among LGB participants, levels of perceived connectedness/support generally decreased in each survey wave, especially among females. Alarmingly, significant disparities in these perceptions remained for LGB youth over time. Conclusions Our findings have implications for supportive interventions focused on LGB adolescents and their families and in particular, the role of father support.

The Theory of Planned Behavior Applied to Consumer Engagement in Evidence-Based Services Abstract Objectives Despite extensive research supporting the efficacy of certain youth mental health treatments over others, actual use of these interventions in clinical practice continues to be low. Efforts focused on the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based services (EBS) may be aided by utilization of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore behavioral change related to parents’ treatment-related decision-making. Methods The current study describes the investigation of consumer perspectives on EBS within a TPB framework through a content validation process (interviews with caregivers, theme generation through template analysis, item modification and evaluation) that sought collaboration with multiple stakeholders (caregivers, a university panel, mental health workers, parent advocates) for connecting research with practice. Results Such detailed efforts resulted in the development of the Parent Engagement in Evidence-Based Services (PEEBS) survey questionnaire, consisting of 66 consumer-centric statements that were guided by the TPB and evidenced adequate language appropriateness, content validity, and readability scores. Survey items organized into five domains both consistent with (attitudes, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, behavioral intention) the TPB in addition to general treatment factors that parents cited towards seeking EBS. Pilot data from a small sample (n = 30) of parents indicated preliminary and acceptable feasibility, interpretability, and varying levels of internal consistency for the PEEBS. Conclusions Following the development and refinement of items, future studies focused on the psychometric properties of the measure are warranted.

Emotion Regulation and Relational Aggression in Adolescents: Parental Attachment as Moderator Abstract Objectives This study explores the relations between the functional subtypes of relational aggression (proactive and reactive) and difficulties with emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression). Further, it examines the moderating role of parental attachment including parental availability and dependency in these associations. Based on previous research, it was expected that difficulties in emotion regulation strategies would be associated with reactive but not with proactive relational aggression, and these links would be moderated by self-reported attachment quality to both parents. Methods Participants of the study were 518 Greek junior high school students (50% girls), aged between 12 tο 16 (M = 13.66, SD = 1.13) who completed a self-report questionnaire. Results The results showed that expressive suppression holds a positive association only with reactive but not with proactive relational aggression, while low maternal attachment security was linked to both proactive and reactive relational aggression. Moderation analyses also revealed that at low levels of perceived dependency on father the expressive suppression was negatively associated with student’s engagement in proactive relational aggression. The findings also evidenced that gender differentiates adolescents’ self-reported engagement in proactive RA and perceived dependency on father for males as well as cognitive reappraisal for females. Conclusions The importance of exploring interpersonal factors along with individual traits in the interpretation of relational aggression is discussed.

Childrearing Practices Among Sub-Saharan African Migrants in Australia: a Systematic Review Abstract Objectives Australian Child Protection practitioners who work with children from sub-Saharan African migrant backgrounds often face challenges when applying child protection laws and policies to address childrearing and parenting issues. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of cultural beliefs, values, attitudes and practices on childrearing practices within sub-Saharan African communities. Methods The systematic review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Databases searched included Science Direct, ProQuest Central, Embase, EbescoHOST (Medline; PsychINFO; CINAHL; ERIC; SocINDEX; PsycARTICLES), Web of Science (SCI-EXPANDED; SSCI) and Google Scholar; the search dates were from January 2000 to December 2016. The studies were assessed using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) and the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology guidelines (STROBE). The search strategy identified 2631 articles, of which 57 met the inclusion criteria for the review. Participants were children aged from three months old to seventeen years and adults aged eighteen years or older. Results Data analysis resulted in 7 primary themes: Illness Conception, Traditional Beliefs and Health-seeking Behaviour; Fosterage and Community Responsibility; Family Dynamics; Discipline; Child Spirits and the Supernatural; Body Stimulation; and Female Genital Mutilation. Conclusion Framed within the acculturation theory, the review identifies important factors that converge to provide insight into the specific caregiving context of sub-Saharan African families. It further makes clear that, for the most part, the childrearing practices of sub-Saharan African migrants who settle in Australia are influenced by their cultural values and norms.

Physiological Regulation among Caregivers and their Children: Relations with Trauma History, Symptoms, and Parenting Behavior Abstract Objectives Parents have the opportunity to influence the development of their children’s emotion regulation skills in a variety of capacities throughout childhood and into adolescence. Only recently have we begun to explore the physiological nature of this effect and implications for the influence of social factors on individual regulation of emotion in children. Also not well understood is how contextual and experiential factors influence this relationship by impacting emotional regulation skill development in children; e.g., parents’ experiences of trauma, loss, and stress may affect parenting behavior and child emotional and behavioral outcomes. To further advance our understanding, the present pilot study investigated how children, ages 9 to 14 years old, and their primary female caregivers (N = 41 dyads) respond physiologically to affective challenge, experienced both independently and jointly. Methods Using a community sample, we examined mother and child respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) while viewing a positive and negative video clip (task) either alone or jointly (condition). Further, we explored the influence of self-reported trauma/adversity experiences and symptoms and quality of parenting on RSA response in the dyads. Results Results indicate caregiver’s RSA responses were lower across conditions but demonstrated greater increases during the joint sessions than their children. Also, child and caregiver characteristics played a complex role; e.g., caregivers were more likely to increase RSA when with their child if they perceived their child to be suffering greater symptoms of trauma exposure. Conclusions Caregivers may be suppressing their own arousal to play a regulatory role for the benefit of their children.

Longitudinal Examination of Relations between School- and Home-Based Parent Involvement and GPA across Ethnic Groups Abstract Objectives The transition to adolescence is associated with decreases in student achievement. One factor that may mitigate these decreases is parent involvement. The present study examined whether ethnicity, type of involvement (school-based involvement [SBI] vs. home-based involvement [HBI]), and their interaction predicted GPA. Methods This study, using data from the High School Longitudinal Study, examined whether type of involvement (SBI vs. HBI) and ethnicity predicted adolescents’ grade point average (GPA). Employing random coefficient growth curve modelling, we examined whether time, ethnicity, and SBI and HBI at grade 9 predicted adolescents’ levels of GPA from grade 9 to 12. Results The initial effect of time (from grade 9 to grade 10) was significant, with GPA declining across ethnic groups. The initial decline attenuated from grades 10 to 12. With the exception of Asian Americans, SBI was significantly positively associated with GPA. Over and above SBI, HBI was consistently positively associated with subsequent GPA across ethnic groups. These associations of SBI and HBI with GPA persisted across time. Conclusions The findings are consistent with past research, although that research did not examine HBI and SBI simultaneously, high school students specifically, and GPA over time. The non-significant association of GPA with SBI for Asian Americans may be due to different peer processes and beliefs about education. Because HBI has similar associations across groups, and because it predicts unique variance in GPA over and above SBI, it may be important for parents of high schoolers to pursue, regardless of ethnicity.

Insecure Attachment Moderates the Association between Thin Internalization and Girls’ Eating Concerns Abstract Objective Although it has already been demonstrated that internalization of the thin ideal may play a role in the development of girls’ concerns about eating, weight, and shape, research is needed to fully understand this vulnerability. The present study aims to investigate whether insecure attachment dimensions towards mother and father moderate the association between internalization of the thin ideal and eating related concerns in girls. Methods Self-report questionnaires on attachment anxiety and avoidance towards mother and father, thin ideal internalization, and eating related concerns (concerns about eating, weight and shape) were administered to a community-based sample of 167 girls (11–18 years). Results After controlling for age and adjusted body mass index, a significant interaction was found between attachment anxiety towards mother and thin ideal internalization for explaining girls’ eating related concerns (B = 0.12, SE = 0.05, p = 0.02). Also, a significant interaction between attachment avoidance towards mother (B = 0.13, SE = 0.05, p = 0.007), as well as between attachment avoidance towards father and thin ideal internalization was found for explaining girls’ eating related concerns (B = 0.11, SE = 0.05, p = 0.02). Conclusion Attachment anxiety (towards mother) and attachment avoidance (towards both parents) play a moderating role in explaining the relationship between internalization of the thin ideal and pathological eating attitudes in female adolescents. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to further unravel the role of insecure attachment as a vulnerability for eating pathology in youth.

Questions of Identity in Children Born of War—Embarking on a Search for the Unknown Soldier Father Abstract Objectives Children Born of War (CBOW) are important but largely uninvestigated populations. As a result of being fathered by a foreign soldier and born to a local mother, these children often struggle with identity issues and search for their absent fathers their whole lives. Despite CBOW being a part of every society, which has been involved in armed conflicts, there is almost no systematic research about them. Methods We provided a systematic insight into issues of identity that many CBOW face throughout their lives by assessing N = 146 German and N = 101 Austrian Occupation Children born after WWII. We applied a descriptive analysis of our quantitative questionnaire data. Results Our results suggest that CBOW were often not told the truth about their origin until they were adults. The older they were, the more the disclosure seemed to impact them. After learning the truth, almost all CBOW set out on a search for their biological fathers and wanted to get in touch. Approximately half were able to locate them but many of those had not contacted them eventually. German and Austrian Occupation Children report largely similar experiences. Conclusions Growing up as a CBOW can come with specific difficulties. Locating and getting to know their biological father seems to be a core aspect. It seems particularly important to CBOW to find out about similarities in personality and physical appearance. The possibilities to find their fathers, however, are extremely limited. Implications of the findings are discussed within the context of limitations and potential intervening factors.

Building Resilience in Transcultural Adolescents: an Evaluation of a Group Program Abstract Objectives This study investigates the effectiveness of Building Resilience in Transcultural Australians (BRiTA Futures) for Adolescents, a strengths-based group intervention developed to build the resilience of culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents who experience acculturation in the context of their migration and resettlement journey. Methods The present study examined the effectiveness of the intervention using qualitative and quantitative procedures. Two hundred and twenty-nine participants (age range 12–20 years) took part in the intervention, offered to them in 3 formats (weekly, over 4 weeks or 2–3 full days). They completed pre and post questionnaires measuring wellbeing and resilience associated with acculturation processes. The participants as well as the facilitators of the intervention completed open-ended questionnaires about the process and short-term impact of the intervention. Results A series of analyses of variances indicated an overall improvement in participants’ wellbeing and resilience associated with the acculturation process. However, this improvement was not influenced by the format of the intervention, gender, visa status (refugee versus migrant), or duration of stay in Australia. Conclusions The qualitative data highlighted new skills learned by the participants as well areas for further improvements. The application of the intervention in school and community settings is discussed.