Meta-Analyses of the Relationships between Family Systems Practices, Parents’ Psychological Health, and Parenting Quality

Abstract

(1) Background: Family systems theories include assertations that both personal and environmental factors are determinants of parents’ psychological health, well-being, and parenting quality. Applied family systems theories focus on determinants that can be operationalized as intervention practices. The analyses described in this paper focused on the direct and indirect effects of four family systems practices (family needs, resources, supports, and strengths), parents’ psychological health (depression, well-being, etc.), and parenting quality (parenting beliefs, involvement, and practices) in families of children with identified disabilities, medical conditions, or at-risk conditions for poor outcomes; (2) Methods: Data from previously completed meta-analyses of the relationships between family systems practices and parents’ psychological health outcomes and parenting quality outcomes were reanalyzed. Next, a meta-analysis of the relationships between parents’ psychological health and parenting quality was completed to identify which predictors were related to which parenting quality outcomes. Both main effects and mediated effects were examined; (3) Results: The four family systems practices were each related to six different psychological health measures and three parenting quality measures. The six different parental psychological health measures were also related to the three parenting quality measures. The relationships between family systems practices and parenting quality were partially mediated by parents’ psychological health; (4) Conclusions: The effects of family systems practices and parents’ psychological health on parenting quality were primarily direct and independent. The relationships between family systems practices and parenting quality were partially mediated by parents’ psychological health. Future research should focus on the identification of other mediator variables found to be important for explaining the indirect effects of family systems practices measures on parenting beliefs, behavior, and practices.

Experiences and Challenges of Health Professionals in Implementing Family-Centred Planning: A Qualitative Study

“…The transition from traditional models of care to more family-centred approaches requires changes in organizational culture and working practices. In addition, health and education professionals may experience resistance or difficulty in adopting new approaches [10]. The implementation of FCP is hampered by institutional barriers to the adoption of family-centred approaches in early childhood centres.…”

Promoting family wellbeing through parenting support in ECEC services: parents' views on a model implemented in Ireland

“…Needs-led, relationship-based and strengths-based approaches (in opposition to those deficit-oriented) have been recognised as relevant in working with families (Division for Early Childhood, 2014; Devaney et al, 2021;WHO, 2022). In line with a family social systems intervention model, in which the family can be viewed as a social unit embedded within informal and formal social support networks (Dunst and Trivette, 2009), capacity-building practices can facilitate family member identification of unmet needs, strengths, resources, and supports (Dunst, 2023). Following Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological theory of human development (Bronfenbrenner, 1986(Bronfenbrenner, , 2005Bronfenbrenner and Ceci, 1994;Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 2006), multiple levels of the surrounding environment affect a person's development.…”