Psychosocial Profile of Spanish and Portuguese Family Preservation Users: an Analysis of Needs and Intervention Clues
Year: 2016
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: At-risk families live under circumstances that hinder their parenting competences, \ncompromising their ability to fulfill their children’s needs appropriately. The complex \nand multiple-source nature of the adversities that they endure makes family preservation \ninterventions challenging. Because their efficacy largely depends on the extent to which \ninterventions fit participants’ needs and characteristics, the aims of this study were to draw \nthe sociodemographic (individual, family, economic, labor, and child-related variables) \nand psychosocial profile (negative life events, parenting stress, and psychological distress \nsymptomatology) of Spanish and Portuguese family preservation users while testing the \ninter-country differences. The results showed that the majority of participants had a low \neducational level, were unemployed, and were poor. Spanish and Portuguese participants \nhad suffered an average of 5 and 4 negative life events over the past 3 years, respectively, \nwith a high emotional impact. The most common were labor precariousness and economic \nhardship. Clinical levels of parenting stress were found in 48.1% of the Spanish participants \nand 39.1% of the Portuguese participants. An important proportion of the participants had \nclinical levels of psychological distress (Spain = 71.9%; Portugal = 45.8%), indicating the \npresence of mental health problems. Families’ support needs are discussed and guidelines for \ninterventions aimed at improving parents’ and children’s well-being are outlined.
Institutions: Universidad de Sevilla, University of Algarve
Language: English
Topic: Child Welfare and Adoption
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2403269574