Feeling good mother/father and other regimes.LGBT people’s emotions and parenthoods / Sentirse buena madre/buen padre y otros regímenes. Emociones y parentalidades de personas LGBT

En el presente artículo analizamos y discutimos la dimension emocional que las personas LGBT asocian al ejercicio de la maternidad/paternidad. Basadas en las teorías feministas y las contribuciones de la subalternidad y la interseccionalidad, aplicamos el método biográfico, en un proceso de investigación dialógico-recursivo. Las personas participantes fueron 21 personas LGBT e informantes clave, pertenecientes a la academia, la psicoterapia, la política, y el activismo de la diversidad, de Chile (16), Mexico (4), y Colombia (1); entre 21 y 57 años, con una media de edad de 37.19 y una desviación estándar de 10.03. Encontramos emociones relacionadas al mandato social de “ser una buena madre/un buen padre”; emociones resultantes de la situación de desprotección social y legal; y emociones devenidas de la experiencia de parentalidad. Concluimos que las dinámicas de represión/resistencia atraviesan los cuerpos y las emociones son un aspecto fundamental de esta encarnación; dado ello, el desarrollo de investigaciones enfocadas en emociones puede abrir caminos para alcanzar sociedades más justas a través del cultivo de la sentimentalidad como elemento base de las relaciones que nos mantienen como miembros dignos de la sociedad y considerando el efecto performativo de las demandas emocionales.(AU)

In this article, we analyze and discuss the emotional dimension that LGBT people associate with the exercise of motherhood/fatherhood. Based on feminist theory and subalternity and intersectionality theory con-tributions, we applied the biographical method to a dialogical-recursive in-vestigative process. Participants were 21 LGBT people and key informants, belonging to academia, psychotherapy, politics, and diversity activism, over 18 years old, from Chile (16), Mexico (4), and Colombia (1); the partici-pantswere people between 21 and 57 years of age, with a mean age of 37.19 and a standard deviation of 10.03. We found emotions related to the social mandate to "be a good mother/father"; emotions resulting from so-cial situations such as discrimination and legal lack of protection, and emo-tions derived from the parenting experience. We conclude that repres-sion/resistance dynamics go through the bodies, and emotions are funda-mental to this incarnation. Given this, the development of research fo-cused on emotion can open ways to achieve more just societies through cultivated sentimentality, societies aware of the type of bonds that keep us as worthy members of a society and the performative effect of our emo-tional demands.(AU)

Association Between Economic Activity and Depressive Symptoms Among Women With Parenting Children.

BACKGROUND: Balancing parenting and work life poses challenges for women with children, potentially making them vulnerable to depression owing to their dual responsibilities. Investigating working mothers' mental health status is important on both the individual and societal levels. This study aimed to explore the relationship between economic activity participation and depressive symptoms among working mothers. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study and used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020. The participants in the study were women aged 19 to 50 who were residing with their children. In the total, 3,151 participants were used in the analysis. The independent variable was economic activity, categorized into two groups: 1) economically active and 2) economically inactive. The dependent variable was the depressive symptoms, categorized as present for a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score of ≥ 10 and absent for a score < 10. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between economic activity and depressive symptoms, and sensitivity analyses were performed based on the severity of depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Among women with children, economically active women had reduced odds ratio of depressive symptoms compared with economically inactive women (odds ratio [OR], 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.36-0.80). In additional analysis, women working as wage earners had the lowest odds of depressive symptoms (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.28-0.66). Women working an average of 40 hours or less per week were least likely to have depressive symptoms (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.25-0.69). CONCLUSION: Economic activity is significantly associated with depressive symptoms among women with children. Environmental support and policy approaches are needed to ensure that women remain economically active after childbirth.

A qualitative study of maternal and paternal parenting knowledge and practices in rural Mozambique.

BACKGROUND: Providing nurturing care for young children is essential for promoting early child development (ECD). However, there is limited knowledge about how mothers and fathers across diverse contexts in sub-Saharan Africa care for their children and from whom they receive guidance and support in their caregiving roles. We aimed to examine caregivers' nurturing care practices and sources of parenting knowledge in rural Mozambique. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis using data from a qualitative evaluation of a pilot intervention to improve nurturing care for early child health and development within existing health systems. The evaluation was conducted across three primary care health facilities and their catchment areas in Nampula province, Mozambique. For this study, we analyzed data from in-depth interviews conducted with 36 caregivers (32 mothers and 4 fathers) to investigate mothers' and fathers' daily caregiving experiences. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Caregivers described various caregiving roles relating to general caregiving of young children (e.g., feeding, bathing, caring for child's health) and stimulation (e.g., play and communication) activities. Mothers more commonly engaged in general caregiving activities than fathers, whereas both mothers and fathers engaged in stimulation activities. Other family members, including siblings, grandparents, and aunts/uncles, were also actively engaged in general caregiving activities. With respect to sources of parenting knowledge, caregivers received parenting guidance and support primarily from their own mothers/parents and facility-based health providers. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the importance of adopting a holistic approach involving caregivers and their context and reveal potential strategies to promote caregiving and ECD in rural Mozambique and similar contexts.

A hybrid digital parenting programme to prevent abuse of adolescents in Tanzania: statistical analysis plan for a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Globally, violence against children poses substantial health and economic challenges, with estimated costs nearing USD 7 trillion. This prompts the urgent call for effective evidence-based interventions in preventing and mitigating violence against children. ParentApp is a mobile, open-source application designed to offer a remote version of the Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) programme. ParentApp is the first digital parenting intervention for caregivers of adolescents aged 10-17 years to be tested in low- and middle-income settings. METHODS: This study is a pragmatic, two-arm, cluster-randomised trial in Mwanza, Tanzania's urban and peri-urban areas. Assessments are set for baseline, 1 month post-intervention, and 12 months post-intervention. We randomised 80 clusters, each with about 30 caregiver-adolescent dyads, with a 1:1 ratio stratified by urban or peri-urban location. Both arms receive an entry-level smartphone preloaded with Kiswahili apps-ParentApp for intervention and WashApp control. The primary method of analysis will be generalised linear mixed-effects models with adjustment for person-level characteristics and multiple imputation. In three-level models, measurement waves are nested within a person, nested within a sub-ward. Regressions will constrain groups to be equal at baseline and include covariates for stratification, percentage of male caregivers, and individual-level characteristics. DISCUSSIONS: Preparations for the trial began in December 2022, including community mobilisation and sensitisation. Rolling recruitment, baseline data collection, and implementation onboarding took place between April and September 2023. One-month post-test data collection began in August 2023 and thus far achieved 97% and 94% retention rates for caregivers and adolescents respectively. Final post-test data collection will begin in September 2024, anticipated to run until April 2025. This SAP was submitted to the journal before the interim analysis to preserve scientific integrity under a superiority hypothesis testing framework. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered on the Open Science Framework on 14 March 2023: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/T9FXZ . The trial protocol was published in Trials 25, 119 (2024): Baerecke, L., Ornellas, A., Wamoyi, J. et al. A hybrid digital parenting programme to prevent abuse of adolescents in Tanzania: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial. Trials 25, 119 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-023-07893-x .

Mentalisation-based online intervention for psychologically distressed parents: protocol of a non-randomised feasibility trial of the Lighthouse Parenting Programme-Online (LPP-Online).

INTRODUCTION: Online-based interventions provide a low-threshold way to reach and support families. The mentalisation-based Lighthouse Parenting Programme is an established intervention aimed at preventing psychopathological development in children. The objective of this study is to examine the feasibility of an online adaptation of the Lighthouse Parenting Programme (LPP-Online), evaluating (a) recruitment capability, compliance, acceptability and satisfaction with the intervention; (b) the psychometric properties of and the acceptability regarding the adjunct psychological evaluation; and (c) the employed materials and resources. The study will also obtain a preliminary evaluation of participants' responses to the intervention. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: In this monocentric, one-arm, non-randomised feasibility trial, n=30 psychologically distressed parents with children aged 0 to 14 years will participate in the LPP-Online for a duration of 8 weeks. The intervention consists of online group sessions and individual sessions, 38 smartphone-based ecological momentary interventions (EMI), and psychoeducational materials (website, booklet). At baseline (T0) and the end of the intervention (T1), parents complete self-report questionnaires as well as 7-day ecological momentary assessments (EMA) via smartphone. During the intervention, additional EMA are completed before and after the daily EMI. An interview regarding parents' subjective experience with the intervention will be conducted at T1. The feasibility of the intervention, the psychological evaluation and the resources will be examined using descriptive and qualitative analyses. The preliminary evaluation of the parents' response to the intervention will be conducted by analysing pre-post changes in questionnaire measures and the 7-day EMA as well as data of additional EMA completed before and after the daily EMI. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval of the study has been obtained from the local ethics board (Faculty of Behavioural and Cultural Studies, University of Heidelberg). Consent to participate will be obtained before starting the assessments. Results will be disseminated as publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and at international conferences. REGISTRATION DETAILS: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00027423), OSF (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/942YW).

Reactions of adolescent cyber bystanders toward different victims of cyberbullying: the role of parental rearing behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Group-based situations are common settings for cyberbullying, making bystander responses crucial in combating this issue. This study investigated how adolescent bystanders respond to various victims, including family members, friends, teachers, and celebrities. This study also examined how different parenting styles influenced children's cyber bystander involvement. METHODS: This study employed data from a cross-sectional school survey covering 1,716 adolescents aged 13-18 years from public and vocational schools in China collected in 2022. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to measure demographic characteristics, cyberbullying experiences, and parental rearing behaviors in predicting bystander reactions. RESULTS: The findings showed that middle school students preferred to "ask for help" while high school students tended to choose "call the police" when witnessing cyberbullying incidents. Bystanders growing up with parental rejection and overprotection, having previous cyberbullying victimization experiences, where the victims were disliked by them, exhibited fewer defensive reactions. CONCLUSIONS: This study has implications for future research and practices involving parental involvement in cyber bystander interventions, which could provide implications for future practice in designing specific intervention programs for cyberbullying bystander behavior. Future research and interventions against cyberbullying may provide individualized training including parents' positive parenting skills and parent-child interactions.

Mental Health, Parenting Stress, and Parenting Practices of Parents of Deaf or Hard of Hearing Children During the Pandemic.

The authors investigated parent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with parenting behaviors of parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. An electronic survey was distributed to parents (N = 103). The results showed that they were experiencing elevated anxiety, depression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. A combined model demonstrated that parental distress was significantly associated with depression and with parental reports of symptoms indicating significantly higher distress. Parental distress was also significantly associated with parenting strategies: Parents who endorsed positive strategies reported significantly lower levels of distress, while parents who endorsed negative strategies reporting significantly higher levels. It was found that screening protocols to identify parents in need of support are crucial, particularly among the parent population considered in the present study. Additionally, access to mental health services and evidence-based positive parenting programs is essential.

Assessing the efficacy of a brief universal family skills programme on child behaviour and family functioning in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan: protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial of the Strong Families programme.

PURPOSE: The global burden of mental health difficulties among children underscores the importance of early prevention. This study aims to assess the efficacy, feasibility and acceptability of the Strong Families programme in enhancing child behaviour and family functioning in low-resource settings in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a two-arm, multisite feasibility randomised controlled trial with an embedded process evaluation in three districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, namely Gilgit, Hunza and Skardu. 90 families living in these challenged settings, comprising a female primary caregiver aged 18 or above, and at least one child aged 8-15 years, will participate. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive the Strong Families programme or to the waitlist group. Strong Families is a 7-hour family skills group intervention programme attended by children and their primary caregivers over 3 weeks. The waitlist group will be offered the intervention after their outcome assessment. Three raters will conduct blind assessments at baseline, 2 and 6 weeks postintervention. The primary outcome measures include the feasibility of Strong Families, as determined by families' recruitment and attendance rates, and programme completeness (mean number of sessions attended, attrition rates). The secondary outcomes include assessment of child behaviour, parenting practices, parental adjustment and child resilience. Purposefully selected participants, including up to five caregivers from each site, researchers and facilitators delivering the intervention, will be interviewed. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyse primary and secondary outcomes. The process evaluation will be conducted in terms of programme context, reach, fidelity, dose delivered and received, implementation, and recruitment. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the UNODC Drug Prevention and Health Branch in the Headquarters office of Vienna and the National Bioethics Committee of Pakistan. Findings will be disseminated through publication in reputable journals, newsletters and presentations at conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05933850.

Applying the WHO-INTEGRATE evidence-to-decision framework in the development of WHO guidelines on parenting interventions: step-by-step process and lessons learnt.

BACKGROUND: Development of guidelines for public health, health system, and health policy interventions demands complex systems thinking to understand direct and indirect effects of interventions within dynamic systems. The WHO-INTEGRATE framework, an evidence-to-decision framework rooted in the norms and values of the World Health Organization (WHO), provides a structured method to assess complexities in guidelines systematically, such as the balance of an intervention's health benefits and harms and their human rights and socio-cultural acceptability. This paper provides a worked example of the application of the WHO-INTEGRATE framework in developing the WHO guidelines on parenting interventions to prevent child maltreatment, and shares reflective insights regarding the value added, challenges encountered, and lessons learnt. METHODS: The methodological approach comprised describing the intended step-by-step application of the WHO-INTEGRATE framework and gaining reflective insights from introspective sessions within the core team guiding the development of the WHO guidelines on parenting interventions and a methodological workshop. RESULTS: The WHO-INTEGRATE framework was used throughout the guideline development process. It facilitated reflective deliberation across a broad range of decision criteria and system-level aspects in the following steps: (1) scoping the guideline and defining stakeholder engagement, (2) prioritising WHO-INTEGRATE sub-criteria and guideline outcomes, (3) using research evidence to inform WHO-INTEGRATE criteria, and (4) developing and presenting recommendations informed by WHO-INTEGRATE criteria. Despite the value added, challenges, such as substantial time investment required, broad scope of prioritised sub-criteria, integration across diverse criteria, and sources of evidence and translation of insights into concise formats, were encountered. CONCLUSIONS: Application of the WHO-INTEGRATE framework was crucial in the integration of effectiveness evidence with insights into implementation and broader implications of parenting interventions, extending beyond health benefits and harms considerations and fostering a whole-of-society-perspective. The evidence reviews for prioritised WHO-INTEGRATE sub-criteria were instrumental in guiding guideline development group discussions, informing recommendations and clarifying uncertainties. This experience offers important lessons for future guideline panels and guideline methodologists using the WHO-INTEGRATE framework.

"Do it for Your Kid": Resilience and Mothering in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Ontario.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) includes multiple forms of harm inflicted on an intimate partner. Experiences of IPV impact mental and physical health, social relationships, and parenting and resilience may play an important role in how women overcome these detrimental effects. There is little research on how resilience relates to mothers' experience of IPV. We explored the role of resilience in the context of mothers who have experienced IPV in rural settings via semi-structured interviews with six women and 12 service providers. The relationship between resilience and motherhood was a common theme across all narratives. From this theme emerged three subthemes: 1) breaking the cycle of abuse; 2) giving children the "best life"; and 3) to stay or to leave: deciding "for the kids". Findings underscore the importance of supporting rural women who experience violence in cultivating their resilience and consideration of policy changes which support trauma- and violence-informed care.

Parenting stress, anxiety, and sources of acquiring knowledge in Taiwanese caregivers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

BACKGROUND: This survey study investigated the types of sources other than medical professionals (e.g., social media) that the caregivers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) use to acquire knowledge about ADHD and investigated the association between the use of such information sources and caregiver parenting stress and anxiety in Taiwan. METHODS: A total of 213 caregivers of children with ADHD participated in this study. The sources that the caregivers used to acquire knowledge about ADHD other than medical professionals were investigated. Caregiver parenting stress was assessed using the Parenting Stress Index, and caregiver anxiety was assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The associations of the types of sources used and total number of source use with caregiver parenting stress and anxiety were investigated using multivariate linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The most common source of knowledge other than medical professionals was teachers (55.4%), followed by social media (52.6%), traditional media (50.7%), friends (33.8%), caregivers of other children (21.1%), and family members (18.3%). The caregivers' mean total number of using sources of knowledge about ADHD other than medical professionals was 2.32. Acquiring knowledge about ADHD from social media was significantly associated with caregiver parenting stress. Additionally, acquiring knowledge about ADHD from caregivers of other children was significantly associated with caregiver parenting stress and anxiety, as was the frequency of using sources of knowledge about ADHD other than medical professionals. CONCLUSION: The caregivers of children with ADHD acquired knowledge about ADHD from multiple sources. Acquiring knowledge about ADHD from social media was significantly associated with caregiver parenting stress. The number of sources of knowledge about ADHD was significantly associated with caregiver parenting stress and anxiety.

What is Parental Monitoring?

Parental monitoring is a construct of longstanding interest in multiple fields-but what is it? This paper makes two contributions to the ongoing debate. First, we review how the published literature has defined and operationalized parental monitoring. We show that the monitoring construct has often been defined in an indirect and nonspecific fashion and measured using instruments that vary widely in conceptual content. The result has been a disjointed empirical literature that cannot accurately be described as the unified study of a single construct nor is achieving a cumulative scientific character. Second, we offer a new formulation of the monitoring construct intended to remedy this situation. We define parental monitoring as the set of all behaviors performed by caregivers with the goal of acquiring information about the youth's activities and life. We introduce a taxonomy identifying 5 distinct types of monitoring behaviors (Types 1-5), with each behavior varying along five dimensions (performer, target, frequency, context, style). We distinguish parental monitoring from 16 other parenting constructs it is often conflated with and position monitoring as one element within the broader parent-youth monitoring process: the continuous, dyadic interplay between caregivers and youth as they navigate caregivers attempts' to monitor youth. By offering an explicit and detailed conceptualization of monitoring, we aim to foster more rigorous and impactful research in this area.

Impact of parent child interaction therapy on child eating behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Picky eating commonly co-occurs with disruptive behaviors in young children. While feeding interventions exist, it remains unknown whether unmodified behavioral parent training (BPT) improves maladaptive child eating. As coercive feeding practices may exacerbate picky eating, BPT could ameliorate associated behaviors by increasing authoritative parenting. METHODS: Caregiver-child dyads (N = 194, ages 2-8) received 18 weeks of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Caregivers completed the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS) at pre-, mid-, and post-treatment. The BPFAS overall picky eating frequency and number of problems was examined, as well as the subscale of mealtime misbehaviors, and overall caregiver feeding practices. RESULTS: From pre-to post-treatment, reductions occurred in frequency/problems scales across overall BPFAS child behaviors. Mealtime misbehaviors significantly declined at all checkpoints - early skill acquisition may drive this early change, whereas changes in frequency/problem scales occurred after mid-treatment, suggesting later skill acquisition may be driving these changes. On the coercive caregiver feeding subscale, multivariate regression identified a significant race by time interaction (p = .02) - multiracial caregivers improved while others showed no difference. CONCLUSION: Standard PCIT, not adapted for feeding concerns, decreased maladaptive child eating behaviors across all caregivers and coercive feeding practices in multiracial caregivers. Authoritative parenting principles may generalize to eating contexts for certain cultural groups. PCIT shows promise as an early upstream intervention potentially changing trajectories without needed feeding content modifications. Assessment of long-term maintenance is warranted. Coupling with nutrition education could optimize impact.

The relationship between caregivers and daughters' food and body shape scripts: A dyadic analysis.

Research indicates a key role for parenting in a daughter's relationship with food and body shape. One possible mechanism for this translational process is through scripts. The present study used a dyadic design to investigate the relationship between caregivers and daughters' scripts regarding food and body shape. Caregivers (n = 40) and their daughters (n = 40) rated word lists of their current and childhood scripts and caregivers completed an additional measure of their parenting scripts. Non-dyadic analysis showed consistent correlations between daughters' current scripts and their recollections of childhood scripts, and several (but less consistent) correlations between caregivers' current scripts, their own childhood scripts and the scripts they had used as a parent. Dyadic analysis showed consistent correlations between the daughter's current scripts relating to negative eating and both positive and negative body scripts and their caregiver's parenting scripts, and between the daughter's current scripts relating to positive and negative eating and body looking positive and their caregiver's current scripts. No associations were found between the daughter's current scripts and the caregiver's childhood scripts. The results indicate that whilst daughters' current scripts relating to food and body shape are often concordant to those reported by their caregivers, they are more closely linked to what they remember from their childhoods. Further, they suggest that those scripts which do transfer between generations may be more related to body size and negative eating than food per se. Finally, the results suggest that scripts do not inevitably pass across the generations possibly due to parents choosing not to repeat the errors of their own parents or due to the role of factors other than just parenting in creating the scripts we hold.

The effects of parent-child dysfunctional interactions on early childhood weight: A serial mediation model through emotional feeding and child appetite traits.

Parent-child dysfunctional interactions (PCDI) are known to contribute to children's weight status. However, the underlying mechanisms in how dysfunctional interactions between parent and child influence child weight are not clear. This study investigates the impact of PCDI on toddlers' weight, focusing on the potential serial mediation by maternal emotional feeding and child appetite traits. We conducted a secondary analysis of longitudinal data from a larger intervention trial to prevent childhood obesity in low-income Hispanic families. A total of 241 mother-child dyads were included in these analyses. Measurements were taken at various stages: PCDI at child age 19 months, maternal emotional feeding at 28 months, and both child appetite traits and weight-for-age z-score (WFAz) at 36 months. Serial mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of early PCDI on later child WFAz through maternal emotional feeding and two child food approach traits (food responsiveness, emotional overeating) out of the eight child appetite traits assessed. PCDI at 19 months was associated with increased use of emotional feeding in mothers at 28 months, which was associated with heightened food responsiveness and emotional overeating in children at 36 months, which in turn was linked to greater child WFAz at 36 months. The findings of this study expand the understanding of the mechanisms underlying PCDI and child weight, emphasizing the interplay between maternal feeding practices and child appetite in the context of adverse parent-child interactions during early childhood.

Understanding parents' perceptions of children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing in digital and retail environments.

Unhealthy food and non-alcoholic beverage marketing (UFM) adversely impacts children's selection and intake of foods and beverages, undermining parents' efforts to promote healthy eating. Parents' support for restrictions on children's exposure to food marketing can catalyse government action, yet research describing parent concerns is limited for media other than television. We examined parents' perceptions of UFM and their views on potential policies to address UFM in supermarkets and on digital devices - two settings where children are highly exposed to UFM and where little recent research exists. We conducted in-depth interviews with sixteen parents of children aged 7-12 from Victoria, Australia, analysing the data thematically. Parents perceived UFM as ubiquitous and viewed exposure as having an immediate but temporary impact on children's food desires and pestering behaviours. Parents were concerned about UFM in supermarkets as they viewed it as leading their children to pester them to buy marketed products, undermining their efforts to instil healthy eating behaviours. Parents generally accepted UFM as an aspect of contemporary parenting. Concern for digital UFM was lower compared to supermarkets as it was not directly linked to pestering and parents had limited awareness of what their children saw online. Nevertheless, parents felt strongly that companies should not be allowed to target their children with UFM online and supported government intervention to protect their children. While parents supported government policy actions for healthier supermarket environments, their views towards restricting UFM in supermarkets varied as some parents felt it was their responsibility to mitigate supermarket marketing. These findings could be used to advocate for policy action in this area.

Exploring parental secretive eating of sugary foods and drinks, and its associations with food consumption in families.

As a way of modeling healthier eating habits for their children, parents may intentionally avoid consuming sugary foods and drinks (SFDs) in their presence but consume these on other occasions (later referred to as parental secretive eating). This study aimed to 1) explore the prevalence of parental secretive eating, 2) investigate the associations between parental secretive eating and SFD consumption in parents and children, and 3) qualitatively explore the reasons for parental secretive eating. Participants were Finnish mothers (n = 362), fathers (n = 123), and their 3-6-year-old children (n = 403); this data was collected in 2017 as part of the baseline assessment of the DAGIS intervention. Parents reported how often they avoided eating SFDs in the presence of their child, completed food frequency questionnaires for themselves and their child, and responded to an open-ended question of explaining reasons for secretive eating. The overall prevalence of parental secretive eating was 68%. It was more common among mothers than fathers (p < 0.001) and most prevalent in chocolate (61%) and sweets (59%). Parental secretive eating was positively associated with SFD consumption both among mothers (ꞵ = 0.274, p < 0.001) and fathers (ꞵ = 0.210, p = 0.028) in linear regression models adjusted for parents' and child's age, child's gender, parental education level, and number of household members. Mothers' or fathers' secretive eating and child's SFD consumption were not associated (ꞵ = 0.031, p = 0.562; ꞵ = -0.143; p = 0.167). Three themes describing reasons for parental secretive eating were found: family food rules, avoiding child's requests, and aspiration for healthy modeling. In conclusion, parental secretive eating may play an important role in determining SFD consumption in families with preschoolers. Additional research is needed to determine whether parents can prevent their own eating habits from influencing their child through secretive eating.

Parental verbal communication and modeling behavior during mealtimes shape offspring eating behavior - A systematic review with a focus on clinical implications for eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to provide an overview of parental communication patterns during mealtimes, with a special emphasis being placed on the differences between families with and without a history of eating disorders. METHODS: The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. A systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, PubPsych and PsycINFO and the results were assessed for eligibility by two independent raters using the PICOS criteria. Only studies that included a mealtime observation were considered suitable for analysis of both explicit and implicit parental communication. RESULTS: The results of the review suggest that mothers communicate more, with more complexity, and with a greater variety of words with their children during mealtimes compared to fathers. The intention and type of communication is diverse and heterogeneous. In general, parents often tried to encourage their children to eat. Verbal modeling and co-eating appeared to be common behaviors. Mothers with a history of eating disorders expressed more negative emotions during eating than mothers without eating disorders. Findings regarding the use of positive comments and controlling speech are contradicting. DISCUSSION: The review outlines major fields of parent-child communication and modeling behavior around family meals which might be relevant to investigate and integrate into models of intergenerational transmission of eating behavior and disordered eating.

Parents' Perceptions of Their Parenting Journeys and a Mobile App Intervention (Parentbot-A Digital Healthcare Assistant): Qualitative Process Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Parents experience many challenges during the perinatal period. Mobile app-based interventions and chatbots show promise in delivering health care support for parents during the perinatal period. OBJECTIVE: This descriptive qualitative process evaluation study aims to explore the perinatal experiences of parents in Singapore, as well as examine the user experiences of the mobile app-based intervention with an in-built chatbot titled Parentbot-a Digital Healthcare Assistant (PDA). METHODS: A total of 20 heterosexual English-speaking parents were recruited via purposive sampling from a single tertiary hospital in Singapore. The parents (control group: 10/20, 50%; intervention group: 10/20, 50%) were also part of an ongoing randomized trial between November 2022 and August 2023 that aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the PDA in improving parenting outcomes. Semistructured one-to-one interviews were conducted via Zoom from February to June 2023. All interviews were conducted in English, audio recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was guided by the thematic analysis framework. The COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist was used to guide the reporting of data. RESULTS: Three themes with 10 subthemes describing parents' perceptions of their parenting journeys and their experiences with the PDA were identified. The main themes were (1) new babies, new troubles, and new wonders; (2) support system for the parents; and (3) reshaping perinatal support for future parents. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the PDA provided parents with informational, socioemotional, and psychological support and could be used to supplement the perinatal care provided for future parents. To optimize users' experience with the PDA, the intervention could be equipped with a more sophisticated chatbot, equipped with more gamification features, and programmed to deliver personalized care to parents. Researchers and health care providers could also strive to promote more peer-to-peer interactions among users. The provision of continuous, holistic, and family-centered care by health care professionals could also be emphasized. Moreover, policy changes regarding maternity and paternity leaves, availability of infant care centers, and flexible work arrangements could be further explored to promote healthy work-family balance for parents.

Editorial: "What say you?" The promise and potential pitfalls of using automated and passive monitoring approaches to assess parenting behaviours from verbal and written communication.

Rates of mental health problems in adolescence are rising as highlighted in this current issue of the Journal. It is therefore increasingly important to identify children who may be at risk so that preventive interventions can be deployed before they reach adolescence. Adverse parenting has long been considered a risk factor for poor mental health in adolescence, but the methods traditionally used to assess this are laborious, burdensome and costly. Recently, passive monitoring and automated approaches to collecting and analysing spoken and written forms of parental communication have been proposed. This editorial examines the promise of such technological advances for assessing parenting and provides words of caution from parents and young people that should be heeded before rolling these approaches out at scale.