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1859915-975360Queensland Family and Child CommissionFamily and Child Research Scan Month: March 2019 00Queensland Family and Child CommissionFamily and Child Research Scan Month: March 2019 Research ScanThe Research Scan presents a selection of research papers relating to key areas prioritised in the Queensland Family and Child Commission’s Research Agenda. The Agenda aims to provide the evidence to inform policy and practice across the sector, with a particular focus on gaps identified by the sector. Building safe, supportive communities for children and families Title: Parenting strategies and adolescents’ cyberbullying behaviors: Evidence from a preregistered study of parent-child dyadsAuthors: Legate, N., Weinstein, N., & Przybylski, A.K. Purpose: This research investigated whether two parenting styles (autonomy-support, controlling) influence an adolescent’s engagement in cyberbullying.Key messages: Parenting styles were related to adolescents’ perpetration of cyberbullying. Parents who used more autonomy-supportive strategies such as understanding the adolescent’s perspective, offering choice, and giving rationales for any prohibitions had adolescents who reported engaging in less cyberbullying. In contrast, parents who used controlling strategies involving guilt, shame, and conditional regard had adolescents who reported perpetrating higher rates of cyberbullying. Adolescents with parents using these controlling strategies engaged in more cyberbullying as a negative reaction to parents’ attempts to control their behaviour. The study’s findings are consistent with other evidence that supportive parenting protects adolescents against involvement in cyberbullying. The authors concluded that adolescents would benefit if parents are encouraged to use autonomy-supportive strategies in their attempts to reduce adolescent cyberbullying. Such an approach is clearly more effective than using controlling strategies to curb this behaviour. Link: Title: The mediating roles of cortisol reactivity and executive functioning difficulties in the pathways between childhood histories of emotional insecurity and adolescent school problemsAuthors: Martin, M.J., Davies, P.T., & Cummings, E.M.Purpose: This study investigated if the relationship between children’s emotional insecurity in their interparental relationship at age 6 and later adolescent school problems occurred through changes in children's cortisol reactivity in response to stress and in executive functioning.Key messages: The study found evidence for a developmental pathway whereby children’s insecure representations of interparental relationships during their early school years predicted greater executive functioning impairments later in early adolescence. These impairments were then linked to subsequent increases in school adjustment problems. The analyses also revealed that insecure representations of the interparental relationship increased children’s vulnerability to later school problems by altering their cortisol reactivity to subsequent conflicts which resulted in later executive functioning difficulties. The authors concluded that clearly there is a complex cascade of developmental processes linking emotional insecurity and school adjustment problems. Understanding this complex cascade can inform interventions for preventing the pathogenic consequences of early histories of emotional insecurity. Link: Title: Emotional regulation, coping, and decision making: Three linked skills for preventing externalising problems in adolescenceAuthors: Modecki, K., Zimmer-Gembeck, M., & Guerra, N.Purpose: This research reviewed the impact of family and school programs in improving adolescents’ skills in emotional regulation, coping and good decision-making to reduce externalising behaviours.Key messages: Young people who engage in externalising behaviours such as aggression, substance abuse or delinquent behaviour seek out novelty, excitement, and risk. Consequently, they are more likely to have experiences where they require good skills in managing their emotions, coping with the situation and making good choices to stay safe. The review found that family and school programs could be beneficial for these adolescents. Early intervention was more effective than dealing with children with more entrenched, chronic behaviours. Programs for primary school aged children were more effective, though “booster” programs were required to be repeated into adolescence as program effects did reduce over time. It was also important that programs did not just teach skills in isolation, but rather used strategies that involved combining emotional regulation, coping and good decision making. Link: (RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN)&mc_cid=84f9bf427e&mc_eid=2cb4a1617e Title: Testing the cycle of maltreatment hypothesis: Meta-analytic evidence of the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatmentAuthors: Madigan, S., Cyr, C., Eirich, R., & Fearon, R. Purpose: This research involved a meta-analysis of 142 studies investigating the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment hypothesis that those who are maltreated in childhood are more likely to abuse their own children. Key messages: There was modest evidence of intergenerational maltreatment and further support for the intergenerational transmission of specific types of maltreatment (physical, emotional and sexual abuse). While this research has confirmed the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment, the effect is modest; so many children who are victims of maltreatment will not become perpetrators as parents. Therefore, the authors argued it is important to understand the mechanisms of transmission and identify protective factors that break the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment.Link: the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system Title: Ensuring equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the early yearsAuthor: Sydenham, E.Purpose: This paper from Early Childhood Australia (ECA) and Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) examines the evidence on young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children's participation in early education and care.Key messages: When they start school, a disproportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are behind their peers. They are more than twice as likely to be classified as developmentally vulnerable than all other children. Despite ongoing efforts to address this disadvantage there has been little improvement over recent years. The proportion developmentally ‘on track’ varies significantly across jurisdictions and with remoteness; with the proportion ‘on track’ significantly decreasing as remoteness increases. Vulnerable children are more likely to perform poorly at school, leave school early and have poorer life outcomes. Two strategies were identified for improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s transition to school and subsequent short- and long-term educational outcomes. These are high-quality early education which is particularly beneficial for the most disadvantaged children; and integrated, family-focused support programs. Programs need to redress the major barriers to access and participation in early education and care, and impact on the home learning environment. Such programs are particularly effective when there is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community ownership and leadership; and programs embed culture, sustainability, and a holistic approach that is responsive to clients’ needs. Link: out of home careTitle: The views of children and young people in out-of-home care: Overview of indicator results from the second national survey, 2018 Author: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Purpose: This report presents an overview of results from the 2018 national data collection on the views of children in out-of-home care aged between 8 and 17 years.Key messages: Most children (92%) reported feeling both safe and settled in their current placement and that they had an adult who cares about what happens to them (97%). The extent to which children reported high levels of feeling safe and secure depended most on their living arrangement, with most children living in foster care (95%) and relative/kinship care (94%) reporting feeling safe and secure, compared with 69% of those in residential care. Similarly, on most other indicators, children living in residential care reported having less positive experiences of care than those living in other arrangements (foster, relative/kinship, or ‘other’ care). When compared with their peers in other types of placements, children in residential care were less likely to report usually having a say in what happens to them and feeling listened to (48%); to indicate they received adequate support for participation in activities; felt close to family and to have a significant adult in their lives. For indicators that had comparable data for the 2015 and 2018 surveys, there was little, if any, difference between the two surveys. Link: Title: Psychosocial factors and behavioral health outcomes among children in foster and kinship care: A systematic reviewAuthors: Washington, T., Wrenn, A., & Kaye, H. et al.Purpose: This paper reports on a systematic review of research examining the psychosocial factors associated with the behavioural health of children and young people in foster and kinship care. Key messages: The review identified almost 50 psychosocial factors associated with the behavioral health of children in foster and kinship care, including caregiver's parenting practices and placement type. The review found that carers’ positive parenting practices (including discipline style), parenting quality and healthy family functioning predicted fewer behavioral problems in children and young people. The subtype and severity of childhood trauma were also significant predictors of children's behavioural problems. Children who were in kinship care placements had fewer behavioral problems and experienced greater gains from behavioral health interventions. The authors suggested that practitioners should consider placement types and parenting interventions to reduce children's problem behaviors. Given the substantial number of racial/ethnic minority samples in the reviewed literature, future research should focus on the direct and indirect influences of race/ethnicity and cultural competencies on children's behavioral health outcomes.Link: Reducing young people’s involvement with the youth justice systemTitle: “Talking about child sexual abuse would have helped me”: Young people who sexually abused reflect on preventing harmful sexual behavior Authors: McKibbin, G., Humphreys, C., & Hamilton, B. Purpose: This Victorian study used information from semi-structured interviews with young people who had been sexually abusive to suggest improvements to programs for preventing young people's harmful sexual behaviours.Key messages: It is important to address harmful sexual behavior perpetrated by children and young people as these incidents account for about half of all child sexual abuse. Five major themes emerged from the interviews with young people; dealing with childhood victimisation; learning about sex, age, and consent; having safe and respectful relationships; receiving supportive responses from others; and conceptualising self as changing over time. From these themes the researchers identi?ed three opportunities for improving prevention. These are reforming sexuality education to include messages about sexually abusive behaviour and delivering programs earlier, before puberty. Several young people were already engaging in sexually abusive behaviours before they received any sexuality education. Redress for the victimisation many of these young people have suffered during childhood is also needed. Further, young people need assistance in their management of pornography which some believed was one of the factors that had triggered their sexually abusive behaviours. Link: Reducing the likelihood of child deathsTitle: Parent-reported prevalence and persistence of 19 common child health conditions 2018 Authors: Liu, T., Lingam, R., & Lycett, K. et al.Purpose: This population-based prospective cohort study used data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian children from 2004-2012 to estimate the prevalence and persistence of 19 common paediatric conditions from infancy to 14–15 years. Key messages: Sixty percent of Australian children experienced at least one health condition at any age during their childhood after the age of two. The prevalence of eight conditions were found to steadily increase with age: overweight/obesity, obesity, injury, anxiety/depression, frequent headaches, abdominal pain, autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. In contrast, six conditions were less prevalent with increasing age: eczema, sleep problems, day-wetting, soiling, constipation and recurrent tonsillitis. The occurrence of dental decay and recurrent ear infections peaked during middle childhood, while the prevalence of asthma, diabetes and epilepsy was stable over time. Conditions which had been present for 2?years were more likely to persist; with obesity particularly likely to persist beyond 6-7 years. The authors noted that the study’s age-specific estimates of prevalence and persistence should assist when planning children’s care. Further, obesity, asthma and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that are less likely to resolve over time need long-term management strategies.Link: : Melbourne study finds primary school kids missing out on ADHD treatment and supportAuthors: Efron, D., Gulenc, A., & Sciberras, E. et al. Purpose: This longitudinal study identified primary school-aged children meeting diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and tracked them between 7 to 10 years of age to examine their use of medication and psychological services. Key messages: Only a minority of children who met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD were found to have been diagnosed clinically or treated by age 10. Of the 179 children found to meet the criteria for ADHD, only about 17 per cent had received a clinical diagnosis at age seven. By age 10 this had increased to almost 38 per cent. Therefore, many children with significant and impairing ADHD symptoms were missing out on assessment, treatment and support. In relation to medication use, almost 14 per cent of the diagnosed children were taking ADHD medication at age seven; which increased to nearly 26 per cent at age 10. This contradicts the commonly held view on the over-use of medication in treating ADHD. Children experiencing more severe symptoms (e.g. with the combined and hyperactive-impulsive subtypes of ADHD) and socioeconomically disadvantaged children were more likely to be taking medication. Link: Death Prevention Update The QFCC is responsible for a number of functions relating to child deaths in Queensland, including maintaining the Queensland Child Death register, a register of all child deaths in Queensland, researching the risk factors associated with child deaths and making recommendations to prevent such deaths occurring. The register provides a valuable evidence base to monitor trends and analyse contributing and protecting factors, informing legislation, policy and practice aimed at preventing future child deaths. This update provides a summary of recent information relevant to the prevention of child deaths. Coroner’s inquest: Western Australia Inquest into the deaths of thirteen children and young persons in the Kimberly regionThis is an inquest into the deaths of 13 children and young people from the Kimberly region. Twelve of the 13 deaths were by suicide. The coroner made an open finding for the remaining death. Five of the young people were aged between 10 and 13, three were 16 or 17 and the remaining five were adults aged 18-24. The lives of each of the 13 children and young people were characterised by various vulnerabilities which made them more susceptible to suicide. Many suffered from preventable medical conditions, however none had any contact with mental health services prior to their deaths. All the children and young people grew up in family environments characterised by intergenerational trauma, alcohol abuse and domestic violence. Many were informally placed in the care of other relatives as their parent’s alcohol abuse meant they could not adequately care for them. Many of the young people voiced threats of suicide and self-harm prior to their deaths, and for some this had become normalised behaviour. The children and young people all experienced some events shortly before their deaths, such as an argument, relationship breakdown or other disappointment. The young people’s pre-existing vulnerabilities made them susceptible to being overwhelmed by these events which resulted in them taking their own life. The Coroner made 42 recommendations arising from this inquest. Link: ................
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