The Psychiatric Genetic Data of Children in Proceedings to Terminate Parental Rights.

The introduction of psychiatric genetic evidence in court proceedings to terminate parental rights raises concerns that such information will result in misconceived assumptions about the child's mental health trajectory and unjust rulings on termination of parental rights. We conducted an online vignette-based survey with a nationally representative sample of adults from the general public (n = 300 respondents) to assess their views on how evidence about a child's psychiatric genetic makeup may affect key decisions in termination proceedings. Our findings indicate that genetic evidence increased the child's labeling as having a psychiatric disorder, regardless of the presence of symptoms, treatment recommendations, evaluation of prescription medication, and beliefs in treatment efficacy. Genetic evidence alone did not affect whether participants would terminate parental rights, but participants who thought that the child did not have a psychiatric disorder were more likely to terminate in the presence of genetic test results. We conclude that psychiatric genetic evidence in termination proceedings may have unintended consequences, and that measures should be taken to ensure that it does not unfairly affect outcomes.

Re H (A Child) (Parental Responsibility: Vaccination): The Merits of Adopting A Softer Approach To Vaccination of A Child in Care?

In Re H (A Child) (Parental Responsibility: Vaccination), the Court of Appeal decided that vaccination did not represent 'grave' or 'serious' medical treatment and determined that, in the case of a child under the care of a Local Authority, court authorization for consent to and arrangement of vaccination is no longer required. This is due to the strong medical evidence in support of vaccination. Thus, with due reference to 33(3)(b) Children Act 1989 and while considering proportionality and, particularly, the proportionate response to interference with the parents' right to respect for private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the court held that vaccination is in line with the best interests of the child. This commentary supports this judgment but identifies a slight prospective anomaly in the approach adopted to children in care and those who are not in care. The resolution of this dichotomy lies in broadening the scope of King LJ's approach in this case.

Open trial of the Parent Behavior Change Intervention (PBC-I): Study protocol.

OBJECTIVE: Parents have profound impacts on adolescents' health behaviors. Yet parents receive minimal training in the elements of conversations that optimally inspire their children toward engaging in healthy behaviors. The current study examines a novel interpersonal target: parent-adolescent conversations about adolescent health behavior change. Derived from advances in the science of behavior change, the Parent Behavior Change Intervention (PBC-I) contains conversational elements (e.g., behavior change techniques, positive communication strategies) hypothesized to reduce parent-adolescent coercion and conflict and facilitate upward spirals of healthy behavior change in adolescents. METHOD/DESIGN: The first phase of the study involves the development of the PBC-I in a small case series (N = 12 dyads). The second phase involves an open trial of the PBC-I (N = 36 dyads). Adolescents will receive six 50-min sessions of the Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Intervention to improve sleep while their parents receive six50-min sessions of the PBC-I. Parent-adolescent dyads will be assessed before and after the intervention. The primary analysis will examine whether postintervention use of behavior change techniques and positive communication strategies by parents is higher than preintervention use and whether increased use by parents predicts more positive conversational behaviors, less parent-adolescent conflict, higher adolescent motivation for change, and improved adolescent sleep. DISCUSSION: This research provides an initial test of the hypothesis that improving the parent-adolescent conversation will improve adolescent sleep health behavior. While sleep-related health behaviors are the focus of this study, the research is designed to be relevant to a broad range of health behavior change in young people. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Rethinking parenthood within assisted reproductive technology: The need for regulation in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, reproduction is highly valued, with many people desiring to produce a child 'in their own image and likeness'. Previously, aspiring parents often resorted to adoption. Today, the availability of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) has provided options other than adoption for those desiring to procreate. Through ARTs, aspirations for a family may be attained through an exchange of reproductive goods and services, and not necessarily through traditional heterosexual relationships. ARTs have altered the perception of parenthood as it exists in Nigeria, and courts face a difficult task in defining parenthood within Nigerian jurisprudence, as they can only adjudicate based on extant law. Although ARTs provide greater individual choices for fulfilling the desire to procreate, they raise a number of ethical and legal issues that evolving legal systems, such as that in Nigeria, are ill-equipped to manage. This paper describes the traditional assignment of parenthood under indigenous laws and other sources of law within the Nigerian jurisprudence. We carried out an in-depth study of the Nigerian legislative framework and found that there are no laws directly regulating parenthood, procreation and ARTs in Nigeria. We also found that the extant laws are only tangentially related and do not answer the relevant questions sufficiently well, especially concerning succession, nationality and assignment of responsibility in collaborative reproduction. We conclude by highlighting the need for and recommending a regulatory framework on ARTs with a particular focus on providing a definition for parenthood achieved through ARTs in Nigeria.

Case Comment: Re D (A Child) [2019] UKSC 42.

How (if at all) can the right to liberty of a child under Article 5 European Convention on Human Rights ('ECHR') be balanced against the rights of parents, enshrined both at common law and under Article 8 ECHR? Is there a limit to the extent to which parents can themselves, or via others, seek to impose restrictions upon their disabled child's liberty so as to secure their child's interests? This case considers the answers to these questions given by and the implications of the decision of the Supreme Court in September 2019 in Re D (A Child) [2019] UKSC 42.

Is International Surrogacy the Lark's Glimmer?: When Covid-19 Reveals the Legal Insecurity of Surrogacy Use.

If globalisation has led to a greater mobility of people specific issues have emerged with the current coronavirus pandemic. Consequently, extreme measures have been taken worldwide to flatten the curb of the virus. From lockdowns to several levels of isolation these measures have worked undoubtedly for some situations. Nonetheless, these same measures have sown chaos in other situations. One good example is surrogacy especially when this practice is undergone overseas, revealing the legal insecurity of the use of surrogacy whether for the intended parents, the surrogate born child or the surrogate mother for whom the risks have heightened.

El derecho a decidir de los pacientes menores de edad / The right to decide of the minor patients / O direito de decisão dos doentes menores de idade

El objeto de estudio en el presente artículo es analizar la compleja situación que se suscita en el ámbito sanitario cuando un menor de edad declina un tratamiento médico por motivos religiosos, ideológicos, culturales o de cualquier otra índole. Con el propósito de encontrar solución a dicho interrogante se analiza el concepto de menor de edad, al igual que el término menor maduro, tan arraigado en la cultura y legislación occidental. Asimismo, se sugiere un protocolo de actuación médica para la atención de los menores al ingresar en un hospital en estado de urgencia o emergencia y tenga que valorarse el grado de madurez. Las conclusiones extraídas son extrapolables a cualquier ordenamiento jurídico que pretenda garantizar un mayor respeto y atención a las decisiones de los menores de edad

The object of study in this article is to analyze the complex situation that arises in the sanitary field when a minor declines medical treatment for religious, ideological or any other reasons. In order to find a solution to this question, the concept of minor is analyzed, as is the term less mature, which is so deeply rooted in western culture and legislation. Likewise, a medical protocol is organized for the care of minors when they enter a hospital in a state of emergency or emergency and the degree of maturity must be assessed. The conclusions drawn can be extrapolated to any legal system that tries to guarantee greater respect and attention to the decisions of minors.

O objeto de estudo deste artigo é analisar a complexa situação que surge no campo da saúde quando um menor declina um tratamento médico por motivos religiosos, ideológicos ou qualquer outro. Com o objetivo de encontrar uma solução para essa questão, o conceito de menor é analisado, bem como o termo menor maduro, tão arraigado na cultura e na legislação ocidentais. Da mesma forma, um protocolo médico para o atendimento de menores é sugerido quando eles entram em um hospital em estado de emergência e emergência e precisam avaliar o grau de maturidade. As conclusões tiradas são extrapoladas para qualquer sistema jurídico que procure garantir maior respeito e atenção às decisões dos menores.

Mater semper certa est: motherhood is always certain.

The development of oocyte donation has led to a reexamination of the facets of motherhood: the genetic, gestational, and psychosocial contributions. In addition, the practice of oocyte donation has prompted a consideration of the unique psychosocial and legal aspects of this form of family building. In this section of Views and Reviews a summary and discussion of the long-term psychosocial adjustment of oocyte donor-conceived children and their parents is presented. Next, the current permeability around donor anonymity is investigated and questions regarding whether donor anonymity can still exist is discussed. Third, the evolution of oocyte cryopreservation and banking is reviewed and the future of oocyte banking is explored. Finally, as oocyte donation continues to grow and evolve, so too does the legal landscape in which it is practiced. Seminal legal cases are presented to describe the legal landscape that has shaped the practice of oocyte donation.

New realities for the practice of egg donation: a family-building perspective.

The practice of egg donation in the United States has been based on assumptions about secrecy, anonymity, and contact among the parties that require reexamination. This article argues for the need to acknowledge that secrecy and anonymity are no longer viable assumptions and that all parties may have a strong interest in contact and connection. A shift in the narrative for the practice of egg donation from a purely medical perspective to a broader family-building perspective is described. Significant practice changes to accommodate the new realities, rooted in a family-building perspective, are outlined in the arenas of medical record retention, informed consent, recipient and donor preparation and counseling, facilitation of contact among the parties, and outreach to other medical professionals, with the goal of promoting not only healthy pregnancy, but also long-term positive family functioning.

CAN ATTACHMENT INFORM DECISION-MAKING IN CHILD PROTECTION AND FORENSIC SETTINGS?

The historic publication of the "consensus statement" on not using the "D/disorganized" category in the infant Strange Situation (M. Ainsworth, M. Blehar, E. Waters, & S. Wall, 1978) for case-specific child protection work (P. Granqvist et al., 2017) opens the door for a broader discussion of different branches of attachment theory and different attachment classificatory systems applied to infants, young children, and their parents. We agree with the consensus authors that Strange Situation classifications alone, regardless of coding method, are insufficient for decision-making. The authors, however, have acknowledged that the Dynamic-Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation (DMM; Crittenden, 2016) offers a different perspective on classifying Strange Situations. The DMM is a branch of attachment theory that expands the Ainsworth A and C classifications across the life span to reflect the complex attachment strategies that some individuals use in dangerous contexts. We contrast the DMM to the D classification, both for the Strange Situation for infants and its adaptation for young children and also for the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; C. George, N. Kaplan, & M. Main, 1984-1996) for their parents. We initiate a scientific dialogue by addressing three points: (a) "Attachment" does not imply or require a model that includes a D/disorganization category nor is the D/disorganized category the only clinical expansion of Mary Ainsworth's (1978) original work; (b) the DMM method for classifying Strange Situations may be better attuned to parental inadequacy and child protection than is the D/disorganized category; and (c) with attention to guidelines, DMM classifications from the Strange Situation with both infants and preschool-aged children can be used in a case-specific manner in both treatment and forensic settings. The same is true for other DMM assessments of attachment, including the AAI. We close by suggesting steps that could further understanding and application of Ainsworth's great accomplishment: individual differences in attachment relationships.

La multiparentalidad. La pluralidad de padres sustentados en el afecto y en lo biológico / The multiple parenthood. The plurality of parents supported in the affection and in the biological

La Suprema Corte de Brasil decidió que la paternidad socioafectiva, declarada o no en el registro público, no impide el reconocimiento del vínculo de filiación concomitante basado en el origen biológico, con los resultantes efectos jurídicos patrimoniales y extrapatrimoniales. Así, la más alta Corte brasileña reconoció la posibilidad jurídica de la multiparentalidad

Brazilian Supreme Court has ruled that social parenthood, declared or not in civil registry, does not prevent the recognition of concomitant filiation based on biological origin with the consequent patrimonial and extrapatrimonial legal effects. Thus, the highest Brazilian Court recognized the legal possibility of multiple parenthood

Effects of parenting practices through deviant peers on nonviolent and violent antisocial behaviours in middle- and late-adolescence / Los efectos de las prácticas parentales a través de compañeros desviados en los comportamientos antisociales no violentes y violentos en la adolescencia media y tardía

The aim of the current study was to analyse in two age cohorts the presence of mediation effects of parenting practices (i.e., parental knowledge, parental support, parent-adolescent conflict) through deviant peers on youth antisocial behaviour (i.e., nonviolent antisocial behaviour, violent behaviour). The final sample was subdivided in a younger group (n = 377), aged 14 to 16 (M = 15.27, SD = 0.72), 45.9% males, and an older group (n = 206), aged 17 to 19 (M = 17.30, SD = 0.54), 48.5% males. The structural equation modelling results indicated significant mediation effects for both age cohorts. Family factors presented more influence for younger adolescents, whereas deviant peers showed more influence for older adolescents. The findings also indicated the reciprocal influence of selection and socialisation processes suggesting the need of early interventions for preventing the development of antisocial behaviour (AU)

El objetivo de este estudio ha sido analizar en dos grupos de edad la presencia de los efectos de mediación de las prácticas parentales (es decir, el conocimiento y el apoyo parentales y el conflicto padresadolescente) por medio de compañeros desviados en el comportamiento antisocial de los jóvenes (es decir, comportamiento antisocial no violento y el comportamiento violento). La muestra final se dividió en un grupo más joven (n = 377), con edades entre 14 y 16 años (M = 15.27, DT = 0.72), el 45.9% de los cuales eran varones, y un grupo más mayor (n = 206), de edades comprendidas entre 17 y 19 años (M = 17.30, DT = 0.54), el 48.5% varones. Los resultados del modelado de ecuaciones estructurales indicaban que había efectos mediadores para ambos grupos de edad. Los factores familiares influían más en los adolescentes más jóvenes mientras que los compañeros desviados influían más en los adolescentes mayores. Los resultados también pusieron de manifiesto la influencia recíproca de los procesos de selección y socialización, lo que indicaba la necesidad de intervenciones tempranas con el fin de evitar que se desarrollara el comportamiento antisocial (AU)

The Adolescent's Right to Confidential Care When Considering Abortion.

In this statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms its position that the rights of adolescents to confidential care when considering abortion should be protected. Adolescents should be encouraged to involve their parents and other trusted adults in decisions regarding pregnancy termination, and most do so voluntarily. The majority of states require that minors have parental consent for an abortion. However, legislation mandating parental involvement does not achieve the intended benefit of promoting family communication, and it increases the risk of harm to the adolescent by delaying access to appropriate medical care. This statement presents a summary of pertinent current information related to the benefits and risks of legislation requiring mandatory parental involvement in an adolescent's decision to obtain an abortion.

Deportation experiences and depression among U.S. citizen-children with undocumented Mexican parents.

BACKGROUND: There is a critical need to document the mental health effects of immigration policies and practices on children vulnerable to parental deportation. Few studies capture the differential experiences produced by U.S. citizen-children's encounters with immigration enforcement, much less in ways that analyse mental health outcomes alongside the psychosocial contexts within which those outcomes arise. METHODS: We explore the psychosocial dimensions of depression in U.S. citizen-children with undocumented Mexican parents to examine differences between citizen-children affected and not affected by parental deportation. An exploratory mixed-method design was used to integrate a quantitative measure of depression symptoms (CDI-2) within qualitative data collected with 48 citizen-children aged 8 to 15 with and without experiences of parental deportation. RESULTS: Stressors elicited by citizen-children in the qualitative interview included an inability to communicate with friends, negative perceptions of Mexico, financial struggles, loss of supportive school networks, stressed relation with parent(s) and violence. Fifty percent of citizen-children with probable depression - regardless of experiences with parental deportation - cited 'stressed relation with parents,' compared to 9% without depression. In contrast, themes of 'loss of supportive school network' and 'violence' were mentioned almost exclusively by citizen-children with probable depression and affected by parental deportation. CONCLUSIONS: While citizen-children who suffer parental deportation experience the most severe consequences associated with immigration enforcement, our findings also suggest that the burden of mental health issues extends to those children concomitantly affected by immigration enforcement policies that target their undocumented parents.

A Research Framework for Understanding the Practical Impact of Family Involvement in the Juvenile Justice System: The Juvenile Justice Family Involvement Model.

Family involvement is recognized as a critical element of service planning for children's mental health, welfare and education. For the juvenile justice system, however, parents' roles in this system are complex due to youths' legal rights, public safety, a process which can legally position parents as plaintiffs, and a historical legacy of blaming parents for youth indiscretions. Three recent national surveys of juvenile justice-involved parents reveal that the current paradigm elicits feelings of stress, shame and distrust among parents and is likely leading to worse outcomes for youth, families and communities. While research on the impact of family involvement in the justice system is starting to emerge, the field currently has no organizing framework to guide a research agenda, interpret outcomes or translate findings for practitioners. We propose a research framework for family involvement that is informed by a comprehensive review and content analysis of current, published arguments for family involvement in juvenile justice along with a synthesis of family involvement efforts in other child-serving systems. In this model, family involvement is presented as an ascending, ordinal concept beginning with (1) exclusion, and moving toward climates characterized by (2) information-giving, (3) information-eliciting and (4) full, decision-making partnerships. Specific examples of how courts and facilities might align with these levels are described. Further, the model makes predictions for how involvement will impact outcomes at multiple levels with applications for other child-serving systems.

Alienação parental: complexidades despertadas no âmbito familiar / Parental alienation: complexities aroused within family

Nos dias atuais, é comum casais não suportarem o divórcio ou separação, ensejando, diversas vezes, em atitudes hostis a fim de distanciar o filho do outro genitor. Tais atos podem ser considerados alienação parental, onde embora, por vezes, não exista intenção de prejudicar a criança, esta acaba por ter sua constituição psíquica desestruturada. O presente artigo busca evidenciar, por meio do diálogo entre o Direito de Família e a Psicanálise, o cenário no qual a alienação parental ocorre e as consequências que este fenômeno implica. É possível constatar que na medida em que os pais conseguem respeitar o filho e não usá-lo como objeto de vingança, a criança adquire melhores recursos para suportar e elaborar a ruptura conjugal.(AU)

Nowadays it is common that couples do not cope with divorce or separation, occasioning sometimes hostile attitudes in order to distance the child's other parent. Such acts may be considered Parental Alienation, where although sometimes there is no intention to harm the child, this turns out to have his psychic constitution unstructured. This paper seeks to show, through dialogue between the Family Law and Psychoanalysis, the scenario in which the parental alienation happens and the consequences that this phenomenon implies. It can be seen that when parents are able to respect their child and not use it as an object of revenge, the child acquires the best resources to withstand and understand marital disruption.(AU)