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The maternal perspective of the attachment relationship has been the focus of considerably less research in comparison to the volumes of studies conducted on infant attachment to mothers. A systema...

Background Child development is influenced by the psychosocial environment. As part of developmental surveillance, identifying psychosocial risk factors that could hinder optimal development is therefore important. However, whether parents consider this type of question pertinent and acceptable remains unknown. Objectives To examine parental perception regarding the acceptability of asking questions about psychosocial background as part of a standardized developmental surveillance questionnaire. Design/Methods Using an online questionnaire and a snowball sampling approach, we surveyed parents living with at least one child Results Of 1651 participants, 97% were mothers and 93% declared having a post-secondary degree. Median age was 34 years old (interquartile range 31-38). An overwhelming majority found acceptable the questions about concerns regarding their child development (99%) and family history of developmental problems (95%). Psychosocial indicators were considered acceptable in the following proportions: substance abuse (84%), food insecurity (77%), past maternal history of depression (74%), and education level (65%). Higher rates of acceptability correlated with higher educational levels. Main themes that emerged regarding unacceptability were as follows: questions being offensive or intrusive, questions not relevant to child development, improper physical environment to ask such questions and lack of relationship with the health care professional in charge. Conclusion As part of developmental surveillance, questions on psychosocial risk factors can be disturbing to parents and must be addressed in a trusting environment and with a sensitive manner.

In many societies, the iconic image of the family is that of a White, American middle-class, first-marriage nuclear family with two heterosexual parents and biological children. Research, however, ...

In recent years, there has been growing interest in studying coparenting across family structures. However, to date little is known about how women coparent with other women in stepfamilies. To bet...

This work constitutes a systematic review of the empirical literature about emotional facial expressions displayed in the context of family interaction. Searches of electronic databases from Januar...

This study fills an important gap in the motherhood literature by exploring the experience of maternal attachment in women mothering in stepfamilies, and how it relates to their sense of competence as a (step-)parent. Forty-three Canadian women living in stepfamilies completed a series of self-reported measures on their (step)maternal experience. Results enabled us to create a portrait of the maternal experience of women mothering in stepfamilies through measures of coparenting satisfaction, adult attachment style, sense of parenting competence, and the overall quality of the relationship with the children in their care; and to predict the quality of maternal relationship among 3 different mothering contexts (e.g., biological children born in current union, biological children born in a previous union, and stepchildren).

In Canada and in the United States, psychotherapy supervision has been defined as a core professional competency within mental health professions, and more specifically in clinical and counselling psychology (Canadian Psychological Association, 2002; Falender et al., 2004). However, how supervisors develop competencies in psychotherapy supervision remains an understudied area (Barker & Hunsley, 2013; Belleville & Viau-Quesnel, 2014; Watkins, 2012b). Given that (a) psychotherapy supervisors do not spontaneously acquire skills necessary for supervising effectively (Hoffman, 1994), (b) experience alone does not adequately prepare one to become a psychotherapy supervisor (Worthington, 2006), and (c) the development of specific competencies are necessary for the ethical and professional practice of psychotherapy supervision (Watkins, 2012b), it is crucial that we increase our understanding of "what makes for the effective teaching of effective supervision" (Hunsley & Barker, 2011, p. 144). This study aims to provide a critical assessment of the existing literature using a BES methodology to inform future research and the development of Canadian training and practice guidelines in this area.A Proposed Definition of Psychotherapy Supervisor DevelopmentOne of the major challenges in this area of research has been a lack of a clear conceptualisation of what psychotherapy supervisor development is and how it works. A definition is an important starting point for any assessment of the research literature by delineating the construct; that is, what constitutes psychotherapy supervisor development and what does not. Given that a systematic review tries to identify, appraise, select, and synthesize all high quality research evidence on a given research question, a sound definition provides a clear frame of reference to orient and anchor its execution. This is especially necessary in this case, because whereas there have been numerous reviews in the area of clinical/ psychotherapy supervision (at least 32 by the mid-90s) and more since then (Ellis, Ladany, Krengel, & Schult, 1996; Milne & James, 2000; Milne, Sheikh, Pattison, & Wilkinson, 2011), only a few have focused on psychotherapy supervisor development per se (see Barker & Hunsley, 2013). This distinction is crucial, because it is the difference between reporting on what works for delivery of clinical/psychotherapy versus how a supervisor becomes effective at delivering what works.To help us formulate a valid and useful definition for the construct of supervisor development, we are guided by Milne (2007), who noted four criteria necessary for a useful definition: (a) precision (e.g., it has an essential meaning that makes it distinct); (b) specificity (e.g., it defines a concept clearly and completely); (c) operationalization (e.g., it is stated in a form that permits measurement); and (d) corroboration (e.g., it receives adequate support from research). A reasonable starting point for formulating a definition of psychotherapy supervisor development was recently proposed by Watkins (2012a):The process of growth involved in being and becoming a psychotherapy supervisor, its unfolding and evolution over time; the factors (e.g., openness, defensiveness) that facilitate or fracture that growth process; the developmental issues (e.g., independence vs. dependence) that potentially affect and permeate that process; and the tailoring of supervisory interventions to match supervision of supervision needs. (p. 46)This definition represents a synthesis of Watkins' review of 30 years of literature on the subject of psychotherapy supervisor development and incorporates concepts from all four extant developmental models that describe how supervisors develop their skills and professional identities (Hess, 1987; Roenhauser, 1994; Stoltenberg & McNeill, 2009; Watkins, 2012a).However, when Milne's (2007) criteria are applied to Watkins' (2012a) definition of psychotherapy supervisor development, several gaps and limitations become apparent:(a) The process of growth involved in being and becoming a psychotherapy supervisor is not defined precisely in behavioural terms, that is, what is meant by growth and development? …

This study used longitudinal prospective data from a representative Canada-wide survey to assess the impact of childhood family experience on well-being during adolescence. First, we constructed family composition profiles to capture the number and type of changes in family structure that occurred in our sample over a 12-year period. Then, we examined links between initial family status, family composition profiles, timing of parental separation, and later behavioral outcomes during adolescence. Marital status at birth, as well as 2 different family transition profiles, were linked to externalized problems during adolescence. Timing of the first family transition suppressed the effect of family transition profiles on adolescent behavioral outcomes.

Is family structure a cue for stereotyping? Past reviews on the topic of stereotypes and parenthood are divided. To update the current understanding on this important question, this systematic review summarizes and integrates the body of literature published between 2003 and 2013 on stereotypes associated with married, divorced, single, step, same-sex and adoptive parents. Seventeen articles met all of the inclusion criteria. An analysis of the final sample of studies helps main trends pertaining to these six parental types to be identified. Findings revealed that motherhood and fatherhood continue to be conceptualized differently, with stereotypes associated with different types of fathers appearing more positive than those associated with different types of mothers. Married parents also appear to remain the parental type that is the most positively stereotyped and against which other types are compared. These results are compared to past meta-analytic reviews and implications for future research are pre...

Whereas US-based data have contributed to our understanding of family composition changes over the last decades, data on Canadian families are limited, and previous studies have stressed the need for in depth, longitudinal investigations. This article begins to fill this gap in the literature by providing a current and detailed portrait of family composition changes from 1996 to 2008 (Study 1). Additionally, we performed an analysis of the role of specific child, parent and family characteristics, in interaction with family composition and family transition, in predicting pre-school children’s behavioral outcomes (Study 2). Using nationally-representative Canadian data collected from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), we focus our inquiry on a mean sample for 0–5-year-olds of 2,866 children at cycle 8 (2008). Results show increases in non-traditional family households over time, as well as significant relationships between child characteristics, household characteristics, and family processes in predicting three behavioral outcomes: emotional problems, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and physical aggression.

PurposeDifficulties in defining stepfamily roles remain an important issue for its members. A potentially important factor in defining roles in the family is the identification with a particular gender type and how it relates to one's expectations about one's place in the family system. The purpose of this paper is to explore how gender typing processes inform our understanding of the stepmother role construction process, and its link with stepfamily adjustment.Design/methodology/approachSemi‐structured interview data from six androgynous and six feminine stepmothers were selected based on gender type identification.FindingsResults from this analysis were analyzed using a phenomenological approach, and are presented with the intent to explore how gender typing processes inform our understanding of the stepmother role construction process, and its link with stepfamily adjustment.Originality/valueGender typing has not been studied in the context of stepmother families, even though research on stepmothers’ adjustment has highlighted the ambiguous nature of their role in the stepfamily. Additionally, while qualitative inquiry continues to represent the favoured paradigm in the emerging area of stepmother research, studies of this type remain limited in scope.

Classrooms have consistently grown larger in the last decade, and moving higher education from an elite model to one of near universal participation has resulted in more diversity in the student body. While several teaching techniques have been developed to address these challenges, other initiatives have centred on the manner in which classroom assessment is conducted, and how it can stimulate student learning and improve real inclusiveness, despite students’ varied backgrounds and special needs. Differentiated evaluation describes the impact of pedagogical differentiation on the evaluation process. It offers all students choices regarding evaluation that are deemed equivalent and fair. While it has most often been used at the primary and secondary school levels, it stands as a valid strategy to be used at the undergraduate level, where we are observing growing diversity within the student body. Maintaining teaching and learning quality in large-sized classes has become a real challenge for university programmes. Classrooms have consistently grown larger, and moving higher education from an elite model to one of near universal participation has resulted in more diversity in the student body. Instruction in large classes has also been linked with a variety of negative effects on student learning. Of note, it has been shown to reduce students’ level of active involvement in the learning process, as well as the frequency and quality of instructor interaction with and feedback to students, and students’ motivation and cognitive skills inside the classroom (Cuseo, 2007; Iaria & Hubball, 2008; Teaching and Educational Development Institute, 2003). These findings have implications for student success, as student engagement has been strongly correlated with academic achievement, critical thinking, and student persistence (Pacarella & Terenzini, 1991; Tinto, 1993). In response to these findings, assessment reform represents a current effort to raise standards and improve the quality of university education here in Canada and abroad. Such initiatives are grounded in the idea that assessment has the potential not only to evaluate but also to promote learning (Hayaman, 1995). In fact, some research suggests that learning tends to consolidate as the information is processed through a growing number of channels (e.g., reading the content, having to explain the content to someone else, applying the content to a specific problem) (Sousa, 2002). Some examples of innovations in this area can be found in the growing number of programmes focusing on experiential learning and/or work-integrated learning (or cooperative education, internships, work placements, and apprenticeships), because they offer the chance for students to apply what they learn in class to real-life situations, and they also enhance the competitiveness of recent graduates (Fisher, Rubenson, Jones, & Shanahan, 2009). The use of these methods, however, varies greatly among disciplines. In Canada, assessment reform represents a particular challenge for a number of fields, because larger classrooms have led to the generalisation of the use of multiple-choice tests as the preferred means of assessment in both first- and upper-year undergraduate courses. Multiple-choice

This article presents additional data analyses from an earlier study on risk and resilience factors linked with adjustment in stepfamilies with adolescents. The primary objective addressed how individual and family-level factors impacted adjustment in a sample composed of 3 members (biological father, stepmother, and adolescent) from a subsample of 39 stepmother families. Multiple regression results showed that each stepmother family member's adjustment is affected by both shared and nonshared processes. Results also highlighted the role of triangulations and role ambiguity in the psychosocial adjustment of stepmother family members. This study was approved by the Ethics Bureau of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Universite de Montreal, and was supported financially by graduate scholarships from the Fonds Quebecois de Recherche sur la Societe et la Culture, and the Conseil de Developpement de la Recherche sur la Famille du Quebec. The author wishes to thank the participants for their interest and col...

Using data from three members (adolescent, stepparent and biological parent) of eighty (80) stepfamilies, the effects of individual, interpersonal and systemic factors in each member's psychosocial adjustment were examined. Using a risk and resilience framework, the primary objective addressed whether different factors would influence each type of stepfamily members' adjustment in similar or different ways. Multiple regression results showed that each stepfamily member's adjustment is affected by both factors shared by all three members, such as the quality of communication and the length of cohabitation, and factors unique to their position in the family, such as parent-child alliances, age and sex of respondent. Results also highlighted the role of reciprocity, contradiction and bi-directional effects in the psychosocial adjustment of stepfamily members.

The eligibility criteria currently used for neurodevelopmental follow-up are traditionally based on perinatal events and characteristics of the infants at birth. However, they seem unsatisfactory to target efficiently all children who will manifest long-term neurologic sequelae and eventually require rehabilitation services. The updated version of the Amiel-Tison's Neurological Assessment At Term (ATNAAT) is expected to allow a better prediction of the neurodevelopmental outcome in high-risk infants. The main objective of the present study, which was performed on 35 infants, was to analyze the interobserver reliability of the updated version of ATNAAT. The evaluator and the observer coded the items of the test simultaneously. Among the 35 items tested, 16 demonstrated an excellent reliability based on the kappa coefficient, 11 items yielded a fair to good reliability, whereas only two items produced an agreement below 0.40. The final synthesis, which was a global appreciation of the neurologic status based on the different findings, yielded a good reliability with a kappa coefficient of 0.76. Among the infants who had a nonoptimal outcome from the assessment, only 38.5% met the traditional criteria currently used for follow-up. It would be important to conduct further research on predictive validity to demonstrate the capacity of the ATNAAT to forecast the long-term neurologic outcome of infants at risk.

This research presents the findings from an evaluation and organizational development initiative that was requested by a Canadian youth agency working in a large urban setting. A team of four researchers affiliated with the Center for Research on Educational and Community Services (CRECS) at the University of Ottawa conducted the evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation was to identify the supervision needs and challenges of coordinators and front line staff, assess the efficiency of the current supervision practices, and evaluate the supervisors’ and supervisees’ satisfaction with these current practices. A literature review was performed to help provide a clear definition of ‘supervision’ and the different professional roles it encompasses. Additionally, research evidence pertaining both to what contributes to supervision efficacy and supervisor competency was reviewed to distill the most robust findings in the existing literature. The lines of evidence consisted of a document and file review, an online employee survey, group discussions (i.e. focus groups), and interviews with key informants. The results of the evaluation helped the research team formulate recommendations to the agency for the development of enhanced supervision practices across its various service areas.

Les ergothérapeutes évaluent de plus en plus tôt les capacités des nourrissons. La vigilance très variable de ces derniers influence inévitablement l'expression de leurs comportements. Pour contrer l'effet de cette instabilité, Grenier (1985) propose l'état libéré qui permet d'optimiser la qualité d'attention du nourrisson. Le but de l'étude était d'identifier les comportements distinguant cet état libéré de l'état d'alerte (état 4) décrit par Brazelton (1973). Certains paramètres définis dans le modèle de l'organisation synactive du développement de Als (1982) ont été retenus pour répertorier les comportements des nourrissons dans les deux états de vigilance. L'âge moyen au moment de l'observation était de 62 heures. La durée de cette observation des comportements était de 5 minutes. Parmi les 54 nouveau-nés à terme évalués, 21 ont pu être observés dans les 2 états de vigilance à l'étude; 33 ont été évalués dans un seul état. Les résultats confirment la stabilité supérieure de l'état libéré. Les comportements de stress, d'auto-régulation et les besoins de régulation externe sont moins fréquents dans cet état; ces différences sont statistiquement significatives (p

Background Acknowledgement of low-severity/high-prevalence disabilities in infants born preterm singles out the need to identify early markers of brain impairments which could predict these late emergent disabilities. The neurological status as assessed by the Amiel-Tison Neurological Assessments (ATNA) has been proposed as one such potential marker. However, the stability of the ATNA has never been formally assessed. Aim This study aimed to assess the stability of the ATNA. Study design A total of 89 infants born preterm with a gestational age ranging from 29 0/7 to 37 0/7 weeks inclusively and a birth weight below 2500 g were followed during their first two years of life (term age, 4, 8, 12 and 24 months corrected age) in a clinical context. Results Of these, 62 children (69.7%) were classified in the same category on the five assessments while 14 (15.7%) had only one divergent result and 13 (14.6%) had two divergent results over the follow-up. The neurological status throughout the assessments remains stable according to Cochran's Q. Conclusion As the neurological status identified by the ATNA remained stable throughout repeated measurements in a regular clinical context and has been shown to correlate with later developmental performances, it should be included as a criterion to target children at risk and used during follow-up.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the pattern visual evoked potentials (PVEP) combined with an optimal state of vigilance, called liberated state (LS), in order to improve testing in very young infants. Transient PVEP were recorded in response to a checkerboard pattern of 120, 60 and 30 min of arc. in 56 fullterm newborns and 79 preterm infants from birth to 4 months of age. In the fullterms, 28 infants in each group were tested in LS or spontaneous alertness (SA) while in the preterms, 48 infants in each group were tested in LS or SA. No significant difference was found in the amplitude and/or peak time of the PVEP responses between subjects tested in LS compared to SA groups. However, the LS condition improved by approximately 25% the feasibility of prolonged PVEP testing in preterms aged less than 2 months (corrected age). This suggest that the LS condition enhances the clinical feasibility of PVEP testing in very young infants and should be used to optimize the evaluation of visual development in high risk infants in this age group.