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- Andersson Søe, Martina, et al.
(author)
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‘Distance creates distance’ : preschool staff experiences and reflections concerning preschool introduction during the covid-19-Pandemic
- 2023
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In: International Journal of Early Years Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0966-9760 .- 1469-8463. ; 31:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The social restrictions during the covid-19 pandemic have challenged many aspects of preschool everyday life. Particularly vulnerable to these restrictions is the aspect of introducing new children to preschool, since preschool introduction constitutes a natural arena for establishment of preschool staff’s relationships with children and their parents. Based on analysis of open-ended survey data (N = 465), the present study explores how Swedish preschool staff has experienced and dealt with the pandemic restrictions during preschool introduction. Our qualitative analysis resulted in three categories and six subcategories, including results demonstrating that social distancing-restrictions accentuate the importance of engaging relationally with the families, while simultaneously constituting a disconcerting complication since the physical distance constrains the important relationship-building between staff and parents. Moreover, the children seem to interpret the parent-staff physical distance as relational distance, which negatively affects their emerging relationship to preschool staff. Our results also show that how parental participation is organised during preschool introduction may be of critical importance for staff-child relational establishment, providing insights for researchers and practitioners in the field valuable to consider also in a non-pandemic context.
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- Andersson Søe, Martina, et al.
(author)
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Distance Creates Distance: Preschool Staff Reflections and Experiences Concerning Preschool Introduction During the Covid-19-Pandemic
- 2021
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent attachment research attests that children’s relationships to preschool staff can contribute to their attachment development. The preschool introduction phase constitutes a natural arena for establishing these relationships, so organizing this introduction to enable relation-building between staff and children is essential. In Sweden, preschools stayed open during the covid-19-pandemic, however several social restrictions were implemented. The present study focuses on how these pandemic-related social restrictions have affected the prerequisites for facilitating good preschool staff-child interactions. By analyzing open-ended survey data (N = 465), we explored how preschool staff experienced the pandemic restrictions during preschool introduction. Our qualitative analysis demonstrates that while social distancing-restrictions accentuated the importance of engaging relationally with the families, physical distancing simultaneously constrained the parent-staff relationship-building. Importantly, the children seemed to interpret the parent-staff physical distance as relational distance, which negatively affected their emerging relationship to preschool staff. Our results also suggest that how parental participation is organized during preschool introduction may be critically important for child-staff attachment-related interactions, in a pandemic as well as a non-pandemic context. Finally, our results also highlight the significant contribution of preschool staff in supporting children’s coping with the crisis-related constraints during the important life-event of preschool transition.
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3. |
- Andersson Søe, Martina, et al.
(author)
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Introduction to Preschool During the Covid-19-Pandemic: Impacts of Social Restrictions on Staff-Family Relational Establishment
- 2022
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The social restrictions during the covid-19 pandemic have challenged many aspects of preschool everyday life. Particularly vulnerable to these restrictions is the aspect of introducing new children to preschool, since preschool introduction constitutes a natural arena for establishment of preschool staff’s relationships with children and their parents. Organizing the preschool introduction to enable constructive relationship-building between preschool staff and the families, is, thus, crucial, not the least as recent attachment research suggest that preschool staff in early childhood education and care contexts can contribute to attachment development in children. In Sweden, preschools stayed open during the pandemic of covid-19, however with implementation of several social restrictions, such as physical distancing between preschool staff and parents. It is therefore crucial to understand whether, and how, these pandemic-related social restrictions have affected the prerequisites for facilitating good interactions between preschool staff and the families. Based on analysis of open-ended survey data (N = 465), the present study explored how Swedish preschool staff experienced and dealt with the pandemic restrictions during preschool introduction. Our qualitative analysis resulted in three categories and six subcategories, including results demonstrating that social distancing-restrictions accentuated the importance of engaging relationally with the families, while simultaneously constituting a disconcerting complication since the physical distance constrained the relationship-building between staff and parents. Moreover, the children seemed to interpret the parent-staff physical distance as relational distance, which negatively affected their emerging relationship to preschool staff. Our results also showed that it might be of special concern, also in a non-pandemic context, to consider the organization of parental participation, as it may be of critical importance for staff-child relational establishment. Lastly, to promote engagement of preschool staff, our results indicated that it might be essential to have reflexively defined procedures when introducing children to preschool.
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4. |
- Andersson Søe, Martina, et al.
(author)
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Transition to Preschool : Paving the Way for Preschool Teacher and Family Relationship-Building
- 2023
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In: Child and Youth Care Forum. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1053-1890 .- 1573-3319. ; 52:6, s. 1249-1271
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Previous research suggests that interactions between preschool teachers and children in early care and educational contexts can contribute to the child’s positive attachment development and socioemotional adjustment. Objective: Investigate how the transition process to preschool is organized and whether various ways of organizing it may differently influence family–teacher relationship-building and child adjustment. Methods: Conducted a mixed methods study of quantitative and qualitative survey data from Swedish preschool professionals (N = 535). Results: Preschool introduction varied across preschools in several structural aspects such as introduction length and intensity, timing for first child–parent separation, and number of children and teachers involved in the introduction process. Results moreover suggested that different introduction models were associated with different ways of engaging the parent, where the “parent-active” model was characterized by a high level of parental participation during the introductory activities. This was perceived by preschool professionals as positively influencing the family–teacher relational formation. Conclusion: Findings suggest that inviting parents to participate actively in preschool transition may help better engage them in the introduction process, which in turn may positively influence family–teacher relationship-building. Future research should focus in more detail on how child–teacher and parent–teacher interactions, respectively, influence family–teacher relationship-building and child adjustment during, and after, the introduction period.
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9. |
- Bengtsson, Hans, et al.
(author)
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Mothers' representations of caregiving and their adult children's representations of attachment : intergenerational concordance and relations to beliefs about mothering
- 2008
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0036-5564 .- 1467-9450. ; 49:3, s. 247-57
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mothers (N= 35) and their adult children completed questionnaires and were interviewed in order to examine relationships between mothers' caregiving representations and their adult children's attachment representations, and relationships between attachment/caregiving representations and beliefs about mothering. Mothers' and their children's accounts of and present thinking about their past relationship were highly similar, indicating that the two parts develop concordant states of mind regarding their relationship. In contrast, there was no relationship between mothers' and their adult children's beliefs about mothering, suggesting that such beliefs are not simply passed on from generation to generation within families. Attachment/caregiving classification interacted with generation in influencing a belief that biological facts determine maternal behavior, young adults with preoccupied attachment being particularly prone to reject this idea. Attachment/caregiving classification also had a significant effect on participants' tendency to adhere to an idealized conception of mothering, this tendency being associated with a dismissive attachment/caregiving representation.
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10. |
- Bengtsson, Hans, et al.
(author)
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Mothers' representations of caregiving and their adult children's representations of attachment: Intergenerational concordance and relations to beliefs about mothering.
- 2008
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. - : Wiley. - 1467-9450 .- 0036-5564. ; 49:3, s. 247-257
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mothers (N= 35) and their adult children completed questionnaires and were interviewed in order to examine relationships between mothers' caregiving representations and their adult children's attachment representations, and relationships between attachment/caregiving representations and beliefs about mothering. Mothers' and their children's accounts of and present thinking about their past relationship were highly similar, indicating that the two parts develop concordant states of mind regarding their relationship. In contrast, there was no relationship between mothers' and their adult children's beliefs about mothering, suggesting that such beliefs are not simply passed on from generation to generation within families. Attachment/caregiving classification interacted with generation in influencing a belief that biological facts determine maternal behavior, young adults with preoccupied attachment being particularly prone to reject this idea. Attachment/caregiving classification also had a significant effect on participants' tendency to adhere to an idealized conception of mothering, this tendency being associated with a dismissive attachment/caregiving representation.
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13. |
- Bobrowicz, Katarzyna, et al.
(author)
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Flexibility in Problem Solving: Analogical Transfer of Tool Use in Toddlers Is Immune to Delay
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Solving problems that are perceptually dissimilar but require similar solutions is a key skill in everyday life. In adults, this ability, termed analogical transfer, draws on memories of relevant past experiences that partially overlap with the present task at hand. Thanks to this support from long-term memory, analogical transfer allows remarkable behavioral flexibility beyond immediate situations. However, little is known about the interaction between long-term memory and analogical transfer in development as, to date, they have been studied separately. Here, for the first time, effects of age and memory on analogical transfer were investigated in 2-to-4.5-olds in a simple tool-use setup. Children attempted to solve a puzzle box after training the correct solution on a different looking box, either right before the test or 24 hours earlier. We found that children (N = 105) could transfer thesolution regardless of the delay and a perceptual conflict introduced in the tool set. For children who failed to transfer (N = 54) and repeated the test without a perceptual conflict, the odds of success did not improve. Our findings suggest that training promoted the detection of functional similarities between boxes and, thereby, flexible transfer both in the short and the long term.
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14. |
- Bobrowicz, Katarzyna, et al.
(author)
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Generalizing solutions across functionally similar problems correlates with world knowledge and working memory in 2.5- to 4.5-year-olds
- 2022
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In: Cognitive Development. - : Elsevier BV. - 0885-2014. ; 62
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Analogical transfer, denoting the ability to use an action that solved a given problem in order to successfully handle a seemingly different but functionally similar problem, requires well- developed self-regulation, as it draws on previous knowledge and demands selecting and shift- ing between relevant features while ignoring irrelevant ones. Thus, analogical transfer involves executive functions (EFs), yet the contribution of specific EFs is unclear, particularly during the development of the capacity before the age of 5. Here, for the first time, we investigated the contribution of world knowledge, working memory and set-shifting in 2.5- to 4.5-year-olds’ (N = 86) capacity to single-event analogical transfer in a simple, non-verbal, tool-use task. Analogical transfer was independent of age but was predicted by a measure of world knowledge and a measure of working memory across the age-span tested. Our results suggest that world knowledge and working memory underscore analogical transfer early in development.
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- Cacciola, Emily, et al.
(author)
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Insecure Attachment and Other Help-Seeking Barriers among Women Depressed Post-Partum.
- 2020
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In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1660-4601. ; 17:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- When untreated, postpartum depression (PPD) can severely, negatively affect maternal health, child development, and the wellbeing and functioning of the entire family. Yet, despite screening and treatment programs for PPD, many women who experience depression with onset in the postpartum year do not communicate their symptoms. Negative relational experiences early in life, such as not receiving sensitive help and support when needed, often result in so-called insecure attachment styles, and there is evidence that these may contribute to the development and maintenance of PPD. However, the role of insecure attachment styles in non-help-seeking is unknown for this group. Using mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology, we identified help-seeking barriers of women who experienced depression with onset in the postpartum year but who had not sought help for their depression (N = 37), and explored links to their attachment orientations as assessed through both self-reported attachment style and narrative based attachment script assessment. The sample was non-normative regarding attachment, with an over-representation of avoidant attachment styles. Help-seeking barriers varied systematically with the mother’s adult attachment style. Specifically, convictions of a strong self and lack of trust in healthcare professionals constituted a common barrier among women with avoidant attachment styles, while unrealistic expectations about motherhood constituted a barrier for women with secure attachment styles. This new knowledge on how barriers to communicating symptoms and seeking help when suffering from PPD vary systematically with attachment orientation can help formulate individualized, and therefore more efficient, approaches to addressing non-help-seeking behavior in women who suffer in silence.
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19. |
- Compagno Strandberg, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Validation of the Swedish version of the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, based on people with epilepsy
- 2021
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In: Epilepsy and Behavior. - : Elsevier BV. - 1525-5050 .- 1525-5069. ; 115
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Title: Validation of the Swedish version of the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, based on people with epilepsy. Purpose: The aims of the study were to explore the latent structure of the Swedish Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ), to investigate its reliability and to identify the extent to which individual factors among people with epilepsy (PWE), as well as their general beliefs about medication, predict their beliefs about their specific anti-seizure drugs (ASDs). Methods: One-hundred and fifty six included study participants diagnosed with epilepsy and with a well-established neurological follow-up completed an array of rating scales. Included were the Swedish BMQ, which captures beliefs about medicines, scales for symptoms of anxiety and depression and sense of self-efficacy, as well as a general questionnaire regarding their social situation in general. Statistical analysis included Principal Component Analyses (PCA) and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results: The PCA revealed a two-factor structure for each of the BMQ-subscales with acceptable (BMQ-G) to high (BMQ-S) internal consistency. The only individual factor that predicted variance in beliefs about medication was patient gender, where levels of both anxiety and depression were elevated in women. Conclusion: The Swedish BMQ exhibits psychometric features indicating its reliable use in adult PWE. Our results suggest that the BMQ provides information about the patients’ view of their medication regardless of their general mood and that women hold stronger beliefs of concern beyond influence from their levels of depression and anxiety.
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20. |
- Cox, Laura, et al.
(author)
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Coparent exclusion, prenatal experiences, and mental health during COVID-19 in Sweden
- 2023
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In: Journal of Family Psychology. - 0893-3200 .- 1939-1293. ; 37:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pregnant women were classified as a risk group during the COVID-19 pandemic, and restrictions resulted in nonbirthing parents being excluded from antenatal care and in uncertain or brief involvement in the birth of the child. Sweden presents a unique context for examining parents’ experiences during the pandemic because of the country’s policy to not enforce lockdown and its commitment to gender equality in parenting. This study aimed to explore the experiences and mental health of expecting parents in Sweden by combining qualitative content analysis of parents’ own narratives (n = 212) and quantitative analysis of established measures of perinatal depression, anxiety, and self-efficacy (N = 378). Content analysis indicated that parents reported feeling isolated and missing social support. Regarding the medical context, nonbirthing parents reported feeling excluded, and birthing parents reported increased worry about a potential birth with their partner absent. However, parents with a partner also reported feeling closer with their coparent and appreciating the increased time and nearness. Quantitative results indicated that symptoms of depression and anxiety significantly predicted mentions of feeling isolated and absence of mentions of positives. Concerns of exclusion were significantly linked to lower self-efficacy. Together, the findings highlight the risks of reducing social support and excluding nonbirthing parents in health care during the pandemic, as well as the potential for more positive perinatal experiences if parents’ time together is enabled in the prenatal period. Implications for health care and workplaces are discussed.
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21. |
- Cox, Laura, et al.
(author)
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Mothers’ experiences of family life during COVID-19: a qualitative comparison between Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States
- 2023
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In: Community, Work and Family. - 1366-8803 .- 1469-3615.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic amplified demands on parents regarding balancing childcare and working from home. How parents distribute responsibilities differs culturally, and governments undertook varied strategies to address COVID-19. Research indicates that the pandemic resulted in increased burden for mothers, but also that it created a novel situation in which parenting and working styles could be re-evaluated. However, Swedish mothers of toddlers and school-aged children were underrepresented in this research, and their voices can contribute to understanding how mothers in countries with different gender norms and lockdown statuses were affected. This study aimed to illuminate how mothers in a country with explicit commitment to gender equality in parenting and no lockdown (Sweden) experienced the pandemic, in contrast to mothers from countries that had lockdowns and different gender norms in parenting (the UK and US). Findings based on 193 mothers’ qualitative responses to open-ended questions indicated that mothers struggled with COVID-19 financial worries and concerns about family wellbeing. Support, both external and in coparenting, varied considerably among participants. Positives were reported, such as gratitude, closeness, and better quality of coparent interactions. We highlight the importance of considering emotional work, and the need to support parents both in times of crisis and beyond.
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23. |
- Di Folco, Simona, et al.
(author)
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A Comparison of Attachment representations to Mother and Father using the MCAST
- 2020
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. - : Wiley. - 0036-5564 .- 1467-9450. ; 61:2, s. 243-252
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of the current study was to examine the factorial structure of the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST), using a father doll to address the child's attachment representation to father. While the MCAST, a doll story completion task measuring attachment representations in early childhood, has been validated for use with a mother doll, its use for assessing attachment to father is relatively unexplored. Thus, an additional aim was to compare the factorial structure of the child's attachment representation to father and mother, respectively. We analyzed data from 118 first-grade children who underwent counterbalanced administration of the MCAST with a mother and father doll, respectively, within a period of three months. Exploratory factorial analysis revealed similar, three-factor solutions for attachment to father and mother, with a first factor capturing the child's (scripted) knowledge of secure base/safe haven and a second factor reflecting intrusive and conflict behavior. The third factor was different in the father and mother representations, capturing self-care and role-reversal in attachment to father and disorganization in attachment to mother. Findings support the potential usefulness of the MCAST for exploring the father-child relationship and highlight a need for further research on early attachment representations to father.
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24. |
- Di Folco, Simona, et al.
(author)
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Attachment to mother and father at transition to middle childhood. Journal of Child and Family Studies.
- 2017
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In: Journal of Child and Family Studies. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1062-1024 .- 1573-2843. ; 26:3, s. 721-733
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The present study investigated concordance between representations of attachment to mother and attachment to father, and convergence between two narrative-based methods addressing these representations in middle childhood: the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) and the Secure Base Script Test (SBST). One hundred and twenty 6-year-old children were assessed by separate administrations of the MCAST for mother and father, respectively, and results showed concordance of representations of attachment to mother and attachment to father at age 6.5 years. 75 children were additionally tested about 12 months later, with the SBST, which assesses scripted knowledge of secure base (and safe haven), not differentiating between mother and father attachment relationships. Concerning attachment to father, dichotomous classifications (MCAST) and a continuous dimension capturing scripted secure base knowledge (MCAST) converged with secure base scriptedness (SBST), yet we could not show the same pattern of convergence concerning attachment to mother. Results suggest some convergence between the two narrative methods of assessment of secure base script but also highlight complications when using the MCAST for measuring attachment to father in middle childhood.
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