Department of Human Development and Family Studies

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Addressing Barriers to Recruitment and Retention in the Implementation of Parenting Programs: Lessons Learned for Effective Program Delivery in Rural and Urban Areas
(Springer, 2018) Smokowski, Paul; Corona, Rosalie; Bacallao, Martica; Fortson, Beverly L.; Marshall, Khiya J.; Yaros, Anna; University of Kansas; Virginia Commonwealth University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - USA; Research Triangle Institute
Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of family-based programs for reducing adolescent risk behaviors and promoting adolescent health; however, parent engagement, specifically in terms of recruitment and retention, remains a consistent challenge. Recruitment rates for family-based prevention programs range from 3 to 35%, while, on average, 28% of caregivers drop out before program completion. Thus, engagement of parents in prevention programming is of utmost concern to ensure families and youth benefit from implementation of family-based programs. In this manuscript, two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded projects share their experiences with engagement of parents in violence prevention programs. Problems related to parent engagement are reviewed, as are structural, attitudinal, and interpersonal barriers specific to recruitment and retention. Examples of successful implementation strategies identified across urban and rural sites are also analyzed and lessons learned are provided.
Adult children caregivers of parents with Alzheimer’s Dementia
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) Meyer, Grace Helen; Witte, Tricia H.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Dementia is a neurological disease that affects cognitive functioning. Those who suffer from dementia lose their cognitive abilities and the ability to care for themselves, and as the disease progresses, they often require assistance with daily living. The purpose of this study was to examine familial caregivers – specifically adult children -- of Alzheimer patients. This study investigated (1) sociocultural factors that may contribute to the decision to take on the caregiver role (i.e., gender roles and cultural beliefs); (2) family-level factors that may contribute to burden (i.e., family decision making process, family coping), and (3) health habits associated with caregiver burden (i.e., alcohol and drug use). A total of 391 family caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk website. This study showed that sociocultural factors contribute to the decision to care for a parent, family-level factors contribute to burden, and health habits are associated with that burden.
After-school program mentors' satisfaction in relation to program quality
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2011) Keyser, Brittany Marie; Curtner-Smith, Mary Elizabeth; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study examined the motivations, or psychological functions, volunteer outcomes and satisfaction of 144 university student mentors who volunteered to work with children in a therapeutic after-school program. This study also explored the predictive value of volunteer mentors' psychological functions, volunteer outcomes, and after-school program quality to volunteer mentors' satisfaction and willingness to volunteer again. For the most part, mentors perceived the after-school programs as being of high quality, particularly in the area of program structure and activities. Mentors' perceptions of the quality of director-child interactions and perceptions of the quality of the after-school classroom teacher-child interactions were less consistent. Both after-school program quality and volunteer outcomes significantly predicted mentors' satisfaction with their service-learning experience in the after-school programs. Specifically, mentors who were more satisfied perceived the after-school program where they volunteered as higher in quality than mentors who were less satisfied. In addition, mentors who were more satisfied experienced more volunteer outcomes as a result of mentoring than mentors who were less satisfied. Program quality and volunteer outcomes together explained 35% of the variance in mentors' satisfaction; thus, these two variables play very important roles in determining how university students experience their service-learning course requirement. Finally, university student mentors who experienced more volunteer outcomes were also more willing to volunteer again than mentors who experienced fewer volunteer outcomes. Implications of these findings for improving after-school program quality and for improving the service-learning experience are discussed.
Bidirectional Relationships Between Parenting Processes and Deviance in a Sample of Inner-City African American Youth
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2017) Harris, Charlene; Vazsonyi, Alexander T.; Bolland, John M.; Miami University; University of Kentucky; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study assessed bidirectional relationships among supportive parenting (knowledge), negative parenting (permissiveness), and deviance in a sample (N=5,325) of poor, inner-city African American youth from the Mobile Youth Survey over 4years. Cross-lagged path analysis provided evidence of significant bidirectional paths among parenting processes (knowledge and permissiveness) and deviance over time. Follow-up multigroup tests provided only modest evidence of dissimilar relationships by sex and by developmental periods. The findings improve our understanding of developmental changes between parenting behaviors and deviance during adolescence and extend current research of the bidirectionality of parent and child relationships among inner-city African American youth.
Caregiver Perceived Stress as a Link Between Family COVID-19 Experiences and Early Adolescent Mental Health Symptomology
(Sage, 2023) Berryhill, M. Blake; Horton, Abby G.; Masters, Stephanie L.; Mack, Daniel R.; Cross, Allison N.; Parker, Jeff G.; Barth, Joan M.; McDonald, Kristina L.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with family adjustment, heightened adolescent mental health symptomology, and increased caregiver stress. The current study used a diverse sample of caregivers and early adolescents to examine the association between pandemic-related experiences, caregiver perceived stress, and adolescent mental health. Two hundred and 34 caregivers and their adolescents (10-14 years old) from the Southeastern United States completed surveys during the early stages of the pandemic. Structural equation modeling analyses tested the relationship between COVID-19 experiences, caregiver perceived stress, and adolescent mental health, and whether perceived stress could explain the relationship between COVID-19 experiences and adolescent mental health symptomology. Findings reveal that perceived stress was a significant indirect effect in the relationship between COVID-19 experience and adolescent mental health symptomology.
Change in Age-Specific, Psychosocial Correlates of Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Youth: Longitudinal Findings From a Deep South, High-Risk Sample
(Springer, 2014) Ritchwood, Tiarney D.; Howell, Rebecca J.; Traylor, Amy C.; Church, Wesley T., II; Bolland, John M.; University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The current study examined psychosocial predictors of change in intercourse frequency and number of sexual partners among youth within a socio-ecological framework and assessed whether these determinants vary by stage of adolescent development. Longitudinal data were derived from a large, community study of adolescent risky behavior among predominantly high-risk, African American youth. Significant predictors of intercourse frequency for early adolescents included age, gender, self-worth, and familial factors; for older youth, age, gender, self-worth, curfews, and sense of community exerted significant effects. Among early adolescents, age, gender, self-worth, familial factors, and sense of community predicted change in the number of sexual partners in the previous year, while age, gender, self-worth, parental knowledge, curfews, and sense of community were predictive of change in the number of sexual partners in the previous year among older youth. Study implications and future directions are discussed.
Child life iPad distraction: a psychosocial tool for children receiving an injection
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Atencio, Stephanie; Burns-Nader, Sherwood; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Distraction is a common and effective type of nonpharmacological intervention that offers support to children during medical procedures. Distraction helps children shift their attention away from a procedure to something more positive and engaging. Child life specialists are health care professionals who utilize distraction as a way to promote children's coping. Child life specialists are frequently using the iPad for interventions, including distraction, yet little research has examined the iPad as an effective distraction tool in pediatric health care. Also, few studies examine the psychosocial support that is provided by child life specialists during distraction. The purpose of this research was to assess the effectiveness of iPad distraction provided by a child life specialist on children receiving an injection at a pediatric clinic. Forty-one child participants, from 4- to 11-years-old, were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the standard iPad group and the child life iPad group. The standard iPad group received iPad distraction, but did not receive the component of child life. The child life iPad group received iPad distraction during an injection with psychosocial support from a child life specialist. Each child engaged with the iPad prior to the injection to provide familiarity and instruction on the specified iPad activity he or she would use. Children from 4- to 7-years-old engaged in "Talking Tom" and children 8- to 11-years-old played "Cut the Rope." Once the nurse entered the room to administer the injection, children in the child life iPad group were encouraged to continue playing the selected activity and were positively redirected to the iPad during the injection by the child life specialist. Children in the standard iPad group were not encouraged to continue engaging with the iPad, yet still had access to the iPad activity. The findings show that child life iPad distraction did not benefit those who received psychosocial support during the injection more than those who did not receive the psychosocial support. Gender and age differences were noted on children's pain and emotions during the injection with males and older children showing less pain and emotional behavior compared to females and younger children.
Child life-directed versus parent-directed distraction to reduce pain and distress during an immunization in preschool age children
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2011) Gudmens, Kara Marie; Stinnett, Nick; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study examined whether there was a difference between a child life-directed distraction versus a parent-directed distraction in the pediatric medical setting with regard to the reduction of pain and anxiety in preschool age patients receiving an immunization. Additionally, this research examined whether during a simple immunization the caregiver's anxiety affected the child's anxiety. The study assessed 36 children who ranged in age from four to five years old. The children were randomly assigned to a child life distraction group (n=12), a parent distraction group (n=12), or a control group (n=12). These children received a routine immunization upon arriving at the doctors' office. This age group was chosen because one of the main stressors of children in this age range is the fear of bodily harm caused by pain. Results from this study supported the theory that the distraction of the pediatric patient by a child life specialist during an immunization resulted in decreased pain and post-procedural distress for the children. Parents in the child life specialist group reported a marginally significant difference showing that they provided the least amount of reassurances, apologies, and criticisms which correlated with a decrease in pain and researcher reported anxiety. Additionally, parent stress was highly correlated with the child's anxiety and pain. The overall pattern of results on all rating scales supports the use for a child life specialist during a routine immunization to help alleviate and reduce preschool age children's pain and anxiety.
Children's evaluations of moral and conventional retaliations
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Williams, Laurie; Scofield, Jason M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Recent research has found that children are able to effectively interpret and justify situations of moral provocation and retaliation and that their disapproval of provocation increases with age (Astor, 1994; Smetana, Campione-Barr & Yell, 2003). The current study aimed to discover whether children judge moral provocation and retaliation as worse than conventional provocation and retaliation, and if these judgments changed depending on the pattern in which the acts occur. 47 adults and 106 children (aged 4-9) were presented with 8 conditions that combine moral violations and retaliations with conventional violations and retaliations. These conditions were designed to present participants with violations and retaliations that came from within the same domain, and some that came from different domains, (i.e., ‘matched’ and ‘mismatched’ domain conditions). It was hypothesized that in all scenarios, children would judge acts of moral transgressions and retaliations as worse and more punishable than conventional. Findings showed that unprovoked transgressions were judged as worse than provoked transgressions, with the most leniency being for provoked transgressions in the conventional domain. Children between ages 4-6 displayed the least leniency for retaliations when compared to older children and adults.
Children's information sharing from accurate and inaccurate sources
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020-12) Davila, Ana Lucinda; Scofield, Jason; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Children are constantly learning new information from sources that are often, but not always, accurate. Sometimes children may find themselves with an opportunity to share the information they have learned with others. An open question is whether children share this information selectively and, if so, whether their selectivity is related to the accuracy of the original source. In the present study, 4- and 5-year-olds received contradictory information from two sources, one who was accurate and one who was inaccurate. The information came from a variety of domains including math, science, and language. Children were then invited to share the information with a naïve other (an alien named “Zorg”). The results showed that children were selective about what they shared, preferring to share information from the accurate over the inaccurate source. Further results showed that sharing was mostly similar across age and domain.
Chronic illness and sibling relationships in childhood: associations among parentification, differential treatment, and communication
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Cox, Amanda; Witte, Tricia H.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Using a retrospective survey design, adults who were raised with a chronically ill sibling were asked to report on levels of parentification, differential parenting, and communication/disclosure of the chronic illness during childhood and adolescence as well as the quality of their sibling relationship during childhood. Participants (N=107) were recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and reported having a sibling with one of the following chronic illnesses: Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle-Cell Disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Becker Muscular Dystrophy, or Hemophilia. A multiple regression examined whether sibling relationship scores could be predicted from sibling differential experiences with mother (Model 1a) and sibling differential experiences with father (Model 1b), with communication scores as a moderator. Results indicated that communication scores significantly predicted sibling relationship scores (p < 0.05) within both Model 1a and 1b. Additionally, sibling differential experiences with their father (p = 0.0241), but not mother (p = 0.3273), predicted sibling relationship scores. A multiple regression was performed to evaluate the degree to which sibling relationship scores could be predicted from parentification scores, with communication scores as a moderator (Model 2). Data analyses found that parentification scores were not predictive of sibling relationship scores. Communication scores significantly predicted relationship scores (p < 0.05), but the interaction (parentification score x communication score) was only marginally significant (p = 0.0655). These findings indicate that communication/disclosure of the chronic illness to the healthy sibling has important implications on the quality of the sibling relationship.
College Student Sibling Relationship Quality and Attachment When One Sibling Has a Chronic Illness
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Barlow, Caroline Elizabeth; Casper, Deborah; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Sibling relationship quality and sibling attachment in college students who have a sibling with a chronic illness were investigated through a self-report questionnaire. A comparison group of college students with a sibling were used in the quantitative analyses. There is little prior research regarding college students who have a sibling with a chronic illness, so the research questions are as follows. RQ1: Do college students’ perceptions of the quality of their sibling relationship differ when the sibling has a chronic illness as compared to siblings who do not have a chronic illness? RQ2: Do college students’ perceptions of their attachment to a sibling differ when the sibling has a chronic illness as compared to siblings who do not have a chronic illness? RQ3: How does having a sibling with a chronic illness impact the college students’ perceptions of the quality of the relationship with their sibling? Though no significant difference was found between groups for RQ1 or RQ2, participants explained several ways they felt that their sibling’s chronic illness has impacted their relationship, most of which were a positive impact. Further research is needed to examine the protectiveness well siblings feel towards their ill sibling and how this impacts the sibling relationship. As well as to make the results generalizable to a larger population. Overall, it is clear that participants have strong levels of attachment to their sibling and high levels of positive relationship quality, regardless of if they have a sibling with a chronic illness or not.
College students and their relationships with parents
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2016) Bruchas, Emily Therese; Curtner-Smith, Mary Elizabeth; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study identified college age emerging adults’ perceptions of their parents’ parenting as it relates to three constructs of parenting and how those constructs related to the emerging adults’ psychological well-being during the transition to college. Participants in this study were traditional college students at The University of Alabama who were single, never married, between the ages of 18 and 22 years, and have heterosexual parents. The emerging adults surveyed perceived three separate constructs of their parents’ parenting: warmth/support, hovering and intrusion, and taking over. Participants who perceived high parental warmth and support reported better psychological well-being in all areas of assessment (anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression, and GPA). Those who perceived parents to be hovering and intruding or taking over their life reported lower levels of psychological well-being, although GPA was unrelated.
College students' perceptions of adoption
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) Frye, Alexandrea L.; Stinnett, Nick; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The differences in perceptions of adoption among college students were the focus of this research. The research was conducted in response to a lack of literature in the area of college students and adoption. The results indicated that college students perceived adoption to be more stressful than having a biological child, and perceived having a biological child more satisfying than adopting. Still, many college students stated they would consider adopting. These findings are consistent with the often expressed view of adoption as "second-best". The purposes and hypotheses discussed in this research are important for families, students, counselors, educators, and social workers. There is a lack of information available to college students considering adoption, a lack of support to adoptees, and insufficient knowledge about the process and outcomes of adoption. Understanding college students' attitudes toward adoption should give direction regarding future social, legal, and educational views and pursuits related to adoption. Further research is needed to determine general findings, specifically research including more adoptees as well as a more diverse population of college students in various settings such as private, parochial and racially diverse college populations. Studies must focus on adoption and address stereotypes presented in literature, media, and educational materials. Expanding the body of literature will assist educators, advocates, parents, and counselors in taking the next step of shifting the paradigm of adoption to a more favorable one.
A comparative review of a reggio emilia inspired program for infants and toddlers
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Blocker, Lindsay; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The Reggio Emilia approach is a social constructivist method that fosters children’s creative development through organized focus on symbolic representations (Edwards et al., 2012). This study compared the physical environments and teacher-child interactions in infant and toddler classrooms in a Reggio Emilia Inspired Program (RI) to those of a matched non-Reggio Emilia Inspired Program (NRI). A brief history of the RI approach and the founder, Loris Malaguzzi, key child development theorists, and key teaching principles and strategies of the RI paradigm are reviewed. A RI and a non-RI program, both NAEYC accredited, were compared for quality of teacher-child interactions, classroom environment, children’s behaviors, and development using standardized measures. Participants were two teacher (one RI infant and one RI toddler) and their children. With school closures due to COVID-19, data collection was stopped early at both sites. The findings are presented as a feasibility study. The ITERS-3 was used to assess the classroom environments of the two programs (RI and NRI). Analysis of the ITERS-3 scores failed to reveal that the RI approach promoted a more optimal classroom environment for infants’ and toddler’s learning than the NRI approach. However, closer examination conducted by videotaping an activity in the classroom revealed high-quality teacher-child interactions for both the RI infant and toddler classroom. Interviews in the RI program depicted teachers who view their children as an equal part of the classroom supporting the RI principle of the Image of the Child. This study contributes to the literature on RI programs and raises new questions related to the sensitivity of environmental scales in assessing creative, non-structured, reflexive program.
A comparison of young children's outcomes in math, cognitive self-competence, and social skills between three different teaching approaches
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Komara, Blanche Cecile; Curtner-Smith, Mary Elizabeth; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Child outcomes in math, cognitive self-competence, and social skills were analyzed to compare the influence of three different teaching approaches: one with children's free-choice centers and two with small-group teacher-directed academic centers with center time variations. No differences in children's baseline math skills were found after means were adjusted for SES and verbal ability. Some differences were found in girls' increased math skills over boys' increased math skills after participation in the math games. No differences were found in children's cognitive self-competence. Significant differences were found in children's social skills over the three teaching approaches. Teacher beliefs about teaching math were also examined to see whether participation in the math project would positively impact teacher beliefs.
The consequences of reversing trust or not reversing trust
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) Leslie, Alicia Deanna; Scofield, Jason M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Young children often rely on the testimony of others. However, children tend to be selective about which sources they trust. For example, some children will reverse trust when a trusted speaker proves unreliable, suggesting that 4-year-olds use a speaker's current testimony to help make decisions about the trustworthiness of that speaker's past testimony (Scofield & Behrend, 2008). The current study was designed to determine why some children are able to reverse trust and why some are not. The results indicated that trust reversers tended to believe that the unreliable speaker was no longer trustworthy. The results also indicated that trust non-reversers varied by age, with 3-year-olds tending to believe that the unreliable speaker was trustworthy and 4- and 5-year-olds tending to believe that the unreliable speaker was no longer trustworthy, though they did have difficulty correcting past misinformation. Overall, results suggested that most children believe that an unreliable speaker is no longer trustworthy for new information.
Culture, racial identity and mood effects on birth outcomes of African-American mothers in Alabama
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Burton, Wanda Martin; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The purpose of this study was to determine if racial identity, acculturation, depression and or anxiety would predict birthweight in African Americans. Multiple linear regression was conducted and results indicated that racial identity predicted birthweight. African American mothers who identified with having a stronger racial identity reported having low birthweight babies less often than those who scored lower on racial identity. These findings are consistent with those that support other positive effects of racial identity, such as higher self-esteem and less risk-taking behaviors among youth. Further exploration of racial identity revealed self image as the essential element of predicting birthweight. Results also indicated that for African American mothers between the ages of 21 and 35, birthweight decreases as mothers' age increase. This finding is congruent with the weathering hypothesis which states that the health of African-American women may begin to deteriorate in early adulthood; thereby suggesting that the optimal age for childbirth for African Americans may be earlier than most research suggest. More research is needed to explore the effects of racial identity and self image on birthweight among a more diverse group of mothers. Additional research should also compare women from different parts of the country and migration time in the U. S. to re-examine the possible effects of acculturation.
The development of young children's emotion regulation and their mothers' coping strategies
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Schaefers, Kelly Wilson; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study sought to establish correlations between maternal emotion regulation strategies and children’s emotion regulation understanding. Ninety-seven children three-to-six years old, together with their mothers, participated. Mothers completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Vignette and Strategy Questionnaire (VSQ) to report on their use of six emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal, suppression, passive, expressing, problem-solving, and seeking). Children participated in a puppet task designed to measure the child’s ability to identify healthy emotion regulation strategies. A multiple linear regression using the child’s age, the six maternal emotion regulation strategies, and the child’s performance on the puppet task revealed that only the child’s age significantly predicted performance. Positive correlations were found between reappraisal use and expressing, problem-solving, and seeking strategies. Suppression was negatively correlated with expressing. Contrary to expectations, passive strategy use did not correlate to either reappraisal or suppression. The findings suggest that mothers' coping strategies do not seem to impact young children's emotion regulation. Rather, young children's knowledge of healthy ways to control emotions appears to develop with age.
Differences in affect through medical play
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2016) Davis, Fairfax; Burns-Nader, Sherwood; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Child life specialists use play as a central mechanism to teach and communicate with their patients. Play allows children to learn, engage in their surroundings, and express themselves. A variety of types of play, including pretend and medical play, can be seen within the work of child life specialists. Few studies have examined medical play outside of the hospital, with no studies examining the affect displayed in medical play. The purpose of this research study is to examine the differences in affect expressed in children through non-medical themed pretend play and medical pretend play. Thirty-seven children, three to four years old, participated in the study. This study aimed to examine medical play outside of the hospital setting. Fantasy, positive expression, and additional pretend play qualities were analyzed to determine participants’ affect during medical play. Participants also engaged in pretend play without a medical theme as a mode of comparison. During non-medical themed pretend play, participants’ played the role of the pizza maker. During medical play, participants’ played the role of the doctor. The play sessions lasted a maximum of 10 minutes each, and they were recorded. Videos were then coded to examine the affect displayed in each play session. Children were asked to self report their feelings during the play sessions. The findings indicated that differences in affect do exist between non-medical themed pretend play and medical play. Children displayed more affect in the pizza play sessions than the medical play sessions. In addition, differences in affect were demonstrated between the quality of fantasy, comfort level, and frequency of play with children displaying more fantasy, comfort, and frequency of affect during play. Participants played longer with the pizza play items and reported more positive feelings after non-medical themed pretend play than medical pretend play. Children who are feeling unpleasant emotions have been found to display less affect and engage in less play. Considering this, the current study may suggest that medical play is associated with unpleasant thoughts decreasing the expression of affect and length of play. Adults providing medical play to children, such as child life specialists, should be sensitive to the cues provided during such play, including affect, and provide support to increase normalization and positive feelings during medical play.

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