Displaying 1 - 10 of 38
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of an intervention created to stimulate the development of children under the age of seven, living in an institution for children without parental care in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim of the intervention was to match each child with one volunteer, trained to deliver three hours per week of individually tailored, play-based activities, for a minimum of one year.
16 children (6 boys) participated in the intervention. Three children dropped out after one month of the intervention due to their placement in foster families, so…
In February 2020 the COVID-19 virus started to spread in Europe. Since then our economies, societies, and daily lives have been turned upside down. This report reflects on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on children. It compiles information gathered from 25 countries across Europe, and provides recommendations for improving public policies in the short and long-term to support better outcomes for children and families. The assessment is accompanied by reflections on the 2020 European Semester. This report is based on information gathered until August/September 2020, and was released…
Introduction
Out-of-home care, especially treatment residential care programs (TRC) are often described in the media, and even in some professional studies, as obsolete social structures (Consensus Statement, 2014). Residential care settings are out-of-home facilities such as educational youth villages and educational, therapeutic, or rehabilitation residential treatment centers (Grupper, 2013). Their aim is to provide education, treatment, rehabilitation or protection for children and youth, including those at risk and others, to protect these young people and work toward making a…
Abstract
How has confinement by COVID-19 affected the welfare system for children and adolescents? The aim of this article is to reflect on the consequences of the global pandemic on the child welfare system, analysing the main consequences on children, adolescents and educational teams. The context of analysis focuses on the author's experiences in the child welfare system in Catalonia (Spain) during the pandemic, through his work as a social educator and researcher. The purpose of this article resides, therefore, in the reflection and subsequent proposals with the aim…
In this blog post, Anna Riatti - coordinator of the UNICEF Refugee and Migrant Response in Italy - describes how UNICEF is supporting refugee and migrant children in Italy in light of the COVID-19 crisis. This support includes remote counselling and psychological support for refugees and migrants, over the phone or online. This support extends to guardians and foster care families who need support and stress management.
Abstract
Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for emotional problems in adolescence and adulthood and has deleterious effects on cognitive functions such as working memory. A key aspect in the study of the cognitive and affective consequences of maltreatment is autobiographical memory, especially regarding the difficulty retrieving specific memories, known as overgeneral memory. In this study, autobiographical memory tests, working memory, and a depressive symptom assessment were administered to 48 adolescents in care with a history of maltreatment (22 abused and 26 neglected)…
Abstract
This study extends research on the effects of institutionalization—by examining the trajectories of cognitive, language and motor development of 64 Portuguese infants and toddlers across the first six months of institutionalization, while determining whether pre-institutional adversities and the stability and consistency of institutional care predict children’s development. At time of enrollment, 23.4%, 32.8% and 31.3% of the children were moderately to severely delayed, respectively, in their cognitive, linguistic and motor functioning. Developmental problems persisted after six…
Abstract
Objective
The objective was to determine if Spanish foster care children and Spanish non-foster children differ on sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), ADHD-inattention (IN), ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), limited prosocial emotions (LPE), anxiety, depression, social and academic impairment measures and if the duration of foster care predicts a reduction in symptom and impairment differences between foster and non-foster care children.
Method
Foster care parents of 49 children (8 to 13 years, 57% girls) and non-foster care mothers and…
Abstract
Adoption involves strong emotions. From the adoptee’s point of view, adoption means not only the gain of a new family but also inevitable losses. This study aims at analyzing adoption-related feelings, which include the feelings of loss and the ensuing curiosity about the birth family and pre-adoption life. A total of 81 adopted adolescents, aged 12–22, adopted at 4 years of age, on average, participated in this study. The data were collected using the Questionnaire of Adoption-related Feelings and the Adopted Adolescents Interview, which allowed for the identification of the…
Adolescents placed in residental-care, due to their past adverse experiences of abandonment, abuse or neglect in the family of origin, are more vulnerable to emotonal-behavioral problems and showed rates of psychopathology that ranges between 71% - 76,2% (Jozefak et al., 2016). Emotonal-behavioral problems, in terms of internalizing (i.e. depression, anxiety, withdrawn) and externalizing symptoms (i.e. delinquency and aggressive behaviors) may be related to atachment and Emotonal Regulaton (ER) strategies, i.e. Cognitve Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression (John & Gross, 2004, Pace et…