Family acceptance is strongly associated with improved mental health outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth. Using podcast interviews with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (CJCLDS), we use interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore how CJCLDS parents came to accept their lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) child. We analyzed 10 episodes and produced four themes characterizing families’ acceptance journeys: Self-education and internal reflection/growth, creating support and finding community, encouraging spirituality, and sacred advocacy and spiritual work. We expound on these themes demonstrating how parents navigated thorny church culture and doctrinal issues, ultimately leaning into their faith in a loving God. Implications include research on theological affirmation for LGBTQ+ youth as well as clinicians helping parents strive for maintaining connection and flexibility with their LGBTQ+ children.
This qualitative study aims to explore how Norwegian parents of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth navigate their child’s gender identity and transition. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 Norwegian mothers of TGD youth (ages 17–24). Interviews were analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicate that mothers were concerned about their child’s well-being and future, often shouldering extensive emotional and practical responsibilities that contributed to minority stress. Despite these challenges, mothers reported strengthened relationships with their child, personal growth, and meaningful support from voluntary organizations. The study highlights the emotionally demanding experiences and adaptive capacities of mothers supporting their TGD children.
Military children, although a vulnerable population, have received only limited research attention that considers their voices and perspectives, despite their capacity to provide valuable viewpoints from their own direct experiences of life in a military family. This article presents findings from a scoping review of qualitative peer-reviewed literature regarding military children’s views, perceptions, and understandings of their family and social experiences. Searches in 6 databases yielded 922 studies, of which 22 met the inclusion criteria. Three main themes were generated from the findings: negative emotional responses; supportive and unsupportive connections; and loneliness and isolation. Military children had important perspectives on their experiences of military life including deployment, relocations, and parental mental illness. They offer many insights that can be translated into social work policy and practice with military children and their families.
Coordination, Advocacy, Resources, Education, and Support (C.A.R.E.S.) is a community-based, family-driven intervention designed to reduce recurrence of child maltreatment, placement in out-of-home care, and chronic involvement with the child welfare system. Two studies utilizing a longitudinal quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching and a two-group comparison examined the impact of C.A.R.E.S. on child safety, permanency, and parental well-being. Findings indicated that caregivers who received C.A.R.E.S. services were at significantly lower risk of new child maltreatment allegations, recurrence of verified maltreatment, and placement of their child in out-of-home care. No significant differences were found in permanency and reunification outcomes. The results also demonstrated significant improvements over time in the areas of intellectual ability, emotional self-care, and capacity to manage identified safety threats.
Family problems are the most cited reason for self-harm behaviors in low- and middle-income countries. However, self-harm is often treated as an individual clinical problem rather than one framed by ecological and psychosocial contexts. This study examined the association between family problems and self-harm among individuals seeking treatment ( N = 1,340) at a tertiary care hospital in India. Nearly half (46.5%) identified family problems as a primary factor for self-harm. Significant associations were observed between reported family problems and gender (63% women), marital status (69% married), and occupation (33% homemakers). Findings highlight the substantial role of family dynamics in self-harm behavior. Prevention efforts should integrate socio-relational and cultural contexts, moving beyond traditional psychiatric approaches to address the broader social determinants of self-harm.
The demand for school-based mental health care is rapidly increasing. This qualitative study explores how school social workers navigate barriers in delivering accessible mental health support within the school setting. Drawing on interviews with 13 school social workers, the study examined their experiences and strategies for maintaining service delivery amid challenges. Findings were organized into two main themes: (a) barriers to school social workers providing services to students and (b) overcoming barriers to service. Participants identified key obstacles to providing services, such as challenges collaborating with school staff, difficulties engaging caregivers, and evolving state laws. Despite these challenges, school social workers described successful approaches to providing services. This study highlights the critical role of school social workers and offers insights into improving service delivery across school settings.
This article discusses the findings of a pilot study engaging Ghanaian college students about the relevance of the legacies of the race-based transatlantic slave trade and enslavement to understanding mass incarceration. Participants ( N = 11; mean age: 22.3; 55% male, 45% female) explored parallels between captured Africans’s conditions at the slave dungeons in Ghana, and the mass incarceration of Blacks in the United States. Dialogues were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the Sort and Sift, Think and Shift (SSTS) analytic approach. Findings suggest that critical engagement of the enslaved Africans’s incarcerated conditions reveals that (a) mass incarceration mirrors the race-based slavery, (b) white innocence and Black criminality is historically and structurally predefined, and (c) structural racism drives justice construction. Social workers can extend the use of genogram to access historical knowledge toward racism’s disruption and structural repair.
Kin caregivers provide support to millions of children in the United States when their biological parents are unable. Despite their critical role, kin caregivers often lack financial, medical, legal, housing, and support resources. These inequities are exacerbated in rural areas. The Wyoming/Montana Kinship Navigator Program was designed to improve outcomes for caregivers and children with a rural, solution-focused, enhanced case-management model. This evaluation protocol includes a quasi-experimental design and propensity score matching for baseline equivalence. Outcomes include caregiver well-being, service access, and child permanency obtained through surveys and administrative records. Findings from this novel two-state evaluation partnership will support an evidence-base regarding rural kinship navigator models and will inform the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse program review.
The association between frequent bullying victimization and delinquency during preadolescence, a critical period for future violence prevention, is understudied for children facing cumulative risks. Single-parent household structure and poverty are established contributors to delinquency. Guided by General Strain Theory and using secondary data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study examined whether child-reported peer bullying victimization (4-item index) was associated with early delinquency, controlling for key covariates, among 1,414 children (age approximate to 9-10) living in disadvantaged, single-mother households. Findings from the path analysis revealed that as bullying victimization intensified, early delinquency increased (beta = .291, p < .001). These findings suggest that school-based trauma-informed policies and practices, such as teaching immediate emotional regulation skills for victims in disadvantaged households, are crucial for mitigating the transition from victimization to delinquency, especially during preadolescence.
For centuries, wealth and material success have been equated with happiness; however, longitudinal research consistently demonstrates that loving, supportive relationships are far stronger predictors of health and well-being across the lifespan. Evidence from large cohort studies indicates that close relationships not only sustain happiness but also delay physical and cognitive decline more reliably than social class, IQ, or genetic factors. In contrast, loneliness and social isolation are increasing and are associated with substantial adverse health outcomes and economic costs, with U.S. estimates exceeding $400 billion annually. This narrative review synthesizes interdisciplinary research from psychology, family studies, and social science to examine the relational processes that strengthen interpersonal relationships and promote long-term happiness and well-being. Drawing on theoretical perspectives and empirical findings, the review highlights key relational mechanisms underlying well-being and proposes a conceptual framework linking relationship quality to sustained happiness.
Incarcerated individuals disproportionately experience higher rates of psychiatric disorders, including an over-representation of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. Previous research has highlighted the association between ADHD and lower levels of self-efficacy in adults. Existing literature suggests that for incarcerated individuals, higher levels of self-efficacy are associated with enhanced coping skills to manage stressors and better preparation for community reentry. Using data from the Multi-Site Family Study of Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between ADHD symptoms and self-efficacy while controlling for depression, age, education, race, and years incarcerated. Results indicated that higher ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with lower self-efficacy, even after accounting for depression, age, education, race, and years incarcerated. Depression emerged as a significant negative predictor of self-efficacy, and both ADHD and depression independently predicted lower self-efficacy. Identifying as Black (relative to white) was positively associated with self-efficacy, suggesting potential cultural protective factors worthy of further exploration. These findings highlight the relevance of ADHD, depression, and race in understanding self-efficacy among incarcerated men, with implications for clinical treatment.
Filial piety ( xiaoshun ) is a traditional Chinese cultural value that regulates parent-child relationships and child responsibilities. Previous research has suggested the important role of filial piety in contemporary Chinese families. However, there are few reviews summarizing findings about the influence of parents’ filial piety values on parenting and child emotional well-being and mental health. The current scoping review collects empirical studies that were published between 2014 and 2026. Six eligible studies were found, and they suggest various findings about the associations between parents’ filial piety values and parenting and child emotional well-being, as well as mental health. In sum, parents’ filial piety values can be positive and negative in different situations. Future directions to strengthen the conceptualization of filial piety and regional variances to capture contemporary parenting and its effects on children’s outcomes are discussed.
This scoping review aimed to summarize the perspectives of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) seeking help in rural North America. Using five databases (CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Criminal Justice Abstracts and Full Text, Medline, PsycINFO, SocINDEX), 14 peer-reviewed empirical articles published in English from 2015 to April 2025 were identified. Included articles captured more barriers (e.g., concerns about privacy in rural communities) and fewer facilitators (e.g., experienced providers) to accessing services for IPV. A limited number of articles captured survivors’ perspectives on remote services. More research is needed to understand the experiences of survivors of IPV seeking help in rural areas, especially related to facilitators of accessing services and how remote services impact this experience.
While Indigenous children and youth are overrepresented in child welfare care in Canada, there are limited Indigenous foster parents to provide culturally affirmative care. This study addresses gaps in the literature by exploring the application and fostering processes from the perspectives of Indigenous caregivers in British Columbia. Five semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with Indigenous foster parents. Three key themes emerged: (a) motivations to become foster caregivers, (b) cultural barriers to becoming foster caregivers, and (c) experiences of Indigenous foster caregiving. Findings indicate that the well-being of children and cultural engagement are central to Indigenous caregivers’ fostering experiences. Meaningful cultural engagement addresses the sense of cultural connection and positive cultural identity development, often absent for Indigenous children and youth in care.
Sibling profiles, including sibling status (only-child or sibling) and sibling characteristics (sibling size, birth order, and sex), can impact on lived experiences and social interactions, and operate as protective or risk factors for a wide range of health and well-being indicators and outcomes. Using population-based data linkage to disability-specific databases, sibling profiles were compared between families of children with and without neurodevelopmental conditions. Families of children with neurodevelopmental conditions were more likely to contain siblings than only-children, and be larger families, with children more likely to have shorter gestational age, lower birthweight, younger mothers, and lower socioeconomic status than other children. The context of unique sibling experiences may be important for understanding how sibling well-being may be influenced by different family circumstances.
This study analyzes patterns, demographic characteristics, and primary concerns of callers to Kyrgyzstan's national helpline over a 3-year period (2021-2023). Descriptive analysis of 7,800 calls examined caller demographics, yearly trends, and primary concerns disaggregated by age and gender. Adults represented 71.1% of callers, with peak volume in 2022 (N = 3,100). Adults most frequently requested social assistance (20.6%) and administrative support (11.2%), while children reported psychological concerns (28%), family conflict (19.1%), and child-protection issues (16.7%). Female callers (62.1%) consistently outnumbered males across all categories. Findings reveal distinct age-based patterns, with adults seeking primarily instrumental support and children presenting psychological and relational concerns. The study underscores implications for strengthening age-appropriate helpline services and tailoring psychosocial resources for child callers in Kyrgyzstan and similar cultural contexts.
High levels of poverty and entrenched gender norms in Northern Ghana increase the risk of adolescent girls leaving school, engaging in child labor, and migrating unaccompanied. Caregivers play a vital role in reducing these risks, but few interventions focus on family-level support for girls' education. The ANZANSI Family Program combines economic empowerment with family strengthening to address child labor. A pilot randomized clinical trial (n = 97) was conducted across 10 schools, assessing caregiver-reported outcomes at baseline, 9 months, and 15 months. Results from linear mixed-effects models showed significant improvements in caregiver educational support at both follow-ups. These preliminary findings suggest caregiver-focused, multi-component interventions are feasible in settings facing resource constraints and educational inequities and may enhance caregivers' involvement in supporting girls' education.
