The aim of this dissertation is to explore what adaptations are needed to improve the fit of a parenting intervention for use in multi-ethnic disadvantaged neighborhoods. A bottom-up approach is... Show moreThe aim of this dissertation is to explore what adaptations are needed to improve the fit of a parenting intervention for use in multi-ethnic disadvantaged neighborhoods. A bottom-up approach is used to assess parents’ perspectives regarding their parenting experiences, and to identify their needs and stressors. Data is collected among parents with an ethnic minority and low socioeconomic status background. Each chapter is a part of a stepwise approach that led to the selection of an intervention, and its adaptation for and evaluation in a multi-ethnic disadvantaged neighbourhood. It was found that a focus on coping strategies to handle stress and unhelpful emotions is not a standard theme in parenting interventions, while this would be beneficial for ethnic minority and low SES parents. The intervention module ‘Coping with stress and unhelpful emotions’ was developed to be incorporated into an existing parenting intervention to assist parents in handling their emotions and decreasing the impact of stress, and simultaneously regulating their parenting behavior. An evaluation study showed the relevance of this in-built module for parents living in multi-ethnic disadvantaged neighborhoods and also yielded recommendations to further improve the module. Show less
The goal of this three-wave longitudinal study was to analyze foster parent stress and foster children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a transactional framework. Participants in this... Show moreThe goal of this three-wave longitudinal study was to analyze foster parent stress and foster children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a transactional framework. Participants in this study were 237 children in foster care in the Netherlands with, mostly, long placement durations (M = 56.86 months, SD = 49.10 months). We examined concurrent, prospective unidirectional and bidirectional relations between foster children’s behavior and foster parent stress by using cross-lagged structural equation modeling and examined whether the results were stable across different subgroups of foster children. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found no bidirectional relations. There were unidirectional prospective pathways from foster children’s internalizing and externalizing problems to foster parent stress, but no significant prospective pathways from foster parent stress to foster children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. The results were fairly stable across different subgroups of foster children. The lack of bidirectional relations was unexpected given the presence of transactional relations in biological parent-child dyads. Foster parents seem not to influence their foster children when it comes to regulating problem behavior. Therefore, the question is whether foster parents can, in more general terms, help their foster children benefit from their improved home environment. Show less
This thesis explores the effects of a basic form of developmental care (the use of incubator covers and nests) and the more extended Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program... Show moreThis thesis explores the effects of a basic form of developmental care (the use of incubator covers and nests) and the more extended Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) on health related quality of life and behavior of very preterm infants. The effects on parents__ stress and their experiences with developmental care are also explored. This thesis furthermore evaluates the attitudes and experiences with the NIDCAP program of the personnel at a Dutch neonatal intensive care unit. Show less
