Background: Fathers and mothers play an unique role in the relationship with their children. This also accounts for the relationships of adoptive parents and their adopted children. Research of the...Show moreBackground: Fathers and mothers play an unique role in the relationship with their children. This also accounts for the relationships of adoptive parents and their adopted children. Research of the differences between adoptive fathers and adoptive mothers in the relationship with their children is scarce. Aim: In this study the relationship of adoptive fathers with their daughters was investigated, by comparing this relationship with adoptive mothers and their daughters. The difference between adoptive fathers and mothers in the interpretation of the problem behavior of their children was also examined. Methods: Adoptive fathers (n = 67) and matched adoptive mothers (n = 67) completed a questionnaire about their adopted daughters, when their daughters were on average 7.7 years (SD = 2.7) old. The questionnaire included questions about the relationship between adoptive parents and their children, about the time they spend together, their communication and the extent to which adoptive parents trust their adopted children. The adoptive parents also completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess problem behavior of the adopted daughters. The Total Problem behavior scale and Social Problem scale were used in the current study. Results: Most adoptive parents were positive about their relationship with their adopted daughter. There was no significant difference between the relationship of adoptive fathers and their adopted daughters and adoptive mothers and their adopted daughters. Communication, time spend together and trust were significantly related to the amount of problem behavior of the adopted child. The relationship between adoptive parents and their adopted daughters was significant related to their ratings of problem behavior: a better relationship meant more problem behavior. Conclusion: There were no significant differences in the relationship between adoptive fathers and mothers and their adopted daughters. Their perspective on the amount of problem behavior of their adopted daughters is also the same. It’s therefore important to value the role of adoptive fathers when training and counselling is offered to adoptive parents.Show less
Previous studies already showed that oxytocin promotes prosocial behavior. In addition, former research suggested that the effect of oxytocin depends on contextual and individual features. The...Show morePrevious studies already showed that oxytocin promotes prosocial behavior. In addition, former research suggested that the effect of oxytocin depends on contextual and individual features. The current study examined the effect of intranasally administered oxytocin on donating money to charity and whether experiences of negative parenting (love withdrawal and harsh discipline) in the past moderated this relationship. It was hypothesized that participants who received oxytocin would donate more money than participants who received a placebo. In addition, it was hypothesized that participants without a history of negative parenting would donate more money than participants who did experience negative parenting in the past and that the effect of oxytocin on donating money was stronger for participants without a history of negative parenting, compared to participants who did experience negative parenting in the past. The sample consisted of 57 female undergraduate students. Participants randomly received either an oxytocin or a placebo nasal spray at the beginning of the session. To measure experiences with negative parenting, questionnaires were used to measure experiences with parental use of love withdrawal and harsh discipline in the past. Because the participants underwent a long experiment, they received 50 Euros afterwards to thank them for their participation. At the end, after they had received the money, participants were shown a video of UNICEF and were asked to donate some money to charity. No main effects of oxytocin, experiences of parental use of love withdrawal and harsh discipline in the past on the amount of money donated were found. Experiences with parental use of harsh discipline as a moderator also failed to reach significance. But experiences with parental use of love withdrawal moderated the relationship between administered oxytocin and donating money. The positive effect of oxytocin (donating more money after oxytocin administration than after placebo administration) was mainly found for participants who experienced less love withdrawal in the past.Show less
In deze studie is onderzocht in hoeverre de mate van opvoedingsovereenstemming tussen ouders en de tevredenheid over de partnerrelatie van ouders gerelateerd is aan internaliserend en...Show moreIn deze studie is onderzocht in hoeverre de mate van opvoedingsovereenstemming tussen ouders en de tevredenheid over de partnerrelatie van ouders gerelateerd is aan internaliserend en externaliserend probleemgedrag van jonge kinderen. Verder is onderzocht of geslacht van het kind een modererende rol speelt in dit verband. De steekproef bestond uit 100 gezinnen bestaande uit vader, moeder en hun oudste kind (47 jongens). De kinderen waren gemiddeld 48.1 maanden (SD = 3.8) oud. Alle te onderzoeken kenmerken, te weten opvoedingsovereenstemming, tevredenheid over de partnerrelatie en probleemgedrag van het kind, zijn onderzocht aan de hand van vragenlijsten die zijn ingevuld door beide ouders. Wat betreft externaliserend probleemgedrag van het kind moet worden vermeld dat naast ouderrapportages ook de mate ongehoorzaamheid in de thuissituatie is geobserveerd. Uit dit onderzoek is gebleken dat minder opvoedingsovereenstemming tussen ouders meer externaliserend probleemgedrag voorspelt bij jonge kinderen. Ook bleek dat minder tevredenheid over de partnerrelatie van de ouders meer internaliserend probleemgedrag bij jonge kinderen voorspelt. Verder is gebleken dat geslacht van het kind geen moderator is in de relatie tussen de mate van opvoedingsovereenstemming dan wel de mate van tevredenheid over de partnerrelatie en probleemgedrag van het kind.Show less
Cases of physical and emotional child abuse and neglect are not uncommon and raise questions about why parents are compelled to use violence and negative disciplining techniques to solve family...Show moreCases of physical and emotional child abuse and neglect are not uncommon and raise questions about why parents are compelled to use violence and negative disciplining techniques to solve family conflict. This study focuses on the possible factors that are involved in the process that leads parents to refrain from using sensitive parenting techniques and instead fall back to negative parenting. The Social Information Model (SIP model) by Milner is used as a basis in explaining the possible moderating and mediating relationships between the variables parental attributions, chaos and negative discipline. In this study 48 mothers with children between the ages of 2 to 5 years old participated. Variables were measured by means of various questionnaires and a computer task to measure parental attributions. Results show that there are significant relationships between chaos and negative (overreactive) discipline and negative parental attributions and negative (overreactive) discipline. There was no mediating role found for parental attributions in the relationship between chaos and negative discipline. There was also no moderating role found for the relationship in the relationship between negative parental attributions and negative overreactive discipline. This study attempted to assess possible moderating and mediating effects that could explain why some parents use negative disciplining when confronted with challenging child behaviors, compared to others. Since negative (overreactive) disciplining is often seen as a predictor for child abuse in general, these results are of great importance in preventing and intervening in cases of (suspected) child abuse. Prevention and intervention programs should focus on the role of negative parental attributions and chaos within the home to help troubled families. Further research is needed to investigate other possible moderating and mediating variables that possibly explain why some parents use negative (overreactive) discipline.Show less
Het aanpassingsvermogen op de hoofdaspecten van de ontwikkeling van 133 internationaal geadopteerde jongvolwassenen (M = 22.9 jaar, 78 vrouwen) werd vergeleken met normatieve gegevens en...Show moreHet aanpassingsvermogen op de hoofdaspecten van de ontwikkeling van 133 internationaal geadopteerde jongvolwassenen (M = 22.9 jaar, 78 vrouwen) werd vergeleken met normatieve gegevens en leeftijdsgenoten. Er werd gekeken naar de aspecten intelligentie, gehechtheidsrepresentatie, zelfbeeld, gedragsproblemen, temperament en de attitude ten opzichte van de adoptie van de internationaal geadopteerde jongvolwassenen. Uit de resultaten blijkt dat de internationaal geadopteerde jongvolwassenen een hoger zelfbeeld hebben dan hun leeftijdsgenoten en dat zij minder internaliserende- en externaliserende gedragsproblemen vertonen dan de norm. Bovendien zijn ze op het gebied van temperament minder snel boos, ontregeld en angstig dan hun leeftijdsgenoten. Daarnaast wijken de internationaal geadopteerde jongvolwassenen in hun gehechtheidsrepresentatie niet af van hun leeftijdsgenoten. Anderzijds bleek uit de resultaten dat de internationaal geadopteerde jongvolwassenen op het gebied van intelligentie wat lager scoorden dan de gemiddelde Nederlandse bevolking en op het gebied van temperament iets minder sociaal lijken dan hun leeftijdsgenoten. Ook lijken zij meer geinteresseerd in hun adoptie historie en zijn zij iets minder positief ten opzichte van hun adoptie dan internationaal geadopteerde leeftijdsgenoten. We concluderen dat het over het algemeen goed gaat met de internationaal geadopteerde jongvolwassenen maar wijzen erop dat enkelen hiervoor mogelijk in de kindertijd en adolescentie wat meer begeleiding nodig hebben. Verder onderzoek dat zich richt op meer samenwerking tussen universiteiten en verschillende vakgebieden wordt als implicatie voor vervolgonderzoek aangedragen.Show less
In this study the role of negative early experiences in China prior to adoption of young children in the Netherlands was investigated. The goal of the study was to extract a clear picture from...Show moreIn this study the role of negative early experiences in China prior to adoption of young children in the Netherlands was investigated. The goal of the study was to extract a clear picture from reports given by adoptive parents, that can be used to prepare new adoptive parents for the possible consequences of negative early experiences and the potential problems and needs of their adopted child(ren) resulting from these experiences. The sample consisted of 987 adopted children (92% girls) who had an average age of 19 months upon arrival in the Netherlands. The primary caregiver was asked to fill in a questionnaire about their insight of possible negative experiences (such as malnutrition, neglect and maltreatment) before the adoption and about the effects on further physical and/or social-emotional development and physical and/or behavioural problems upon arrival. A large part (52.4%) of the adopted children with negative experiences, like malnutrition, social-emotional neglect, physical neglect and/or maltreatment, seemed to function quite well according to their parents. It was found, however, that Chinese adopted children with a background of negative early experiences are at greater risk of having physical and/or behavioural problems. The severity of the negative early experience and the age upon arrival in the Netherlands appear to play a distinct role: the children showed more problems when they were older than one year upon arrival and in case of serious adverse early experiences and multiple negative early experiences the children had more problems upon arrival. This study thus shows the importance of adoptive parents to be fully aware of the history of their Chinese adopted child in their anticipation of possible problems in physical, social-emotional and behavioural development.Show less
