PSY 211 - Final Project - Research Investigation

Infant Development Within the Non-Traditional Family

Melissa J Dawson

Southern New Hampshire University

Literature Review

            Having chosen Track Two for my course work assignments I reviewed three articles that pertained to childhood development under various circumstances.

    A 2003 study by a group headed by S.E Gilman looked at potential causality link between adult depression and a child’s socioeconomic link in early life along with family disruption. Disruption was defined as a major change in the child’s household situation, such as the loss and/or acquiring of a step-parent. Previous studies had shown a link between a child’s low socioeconomic circumstances and issues with cognitive development and behavioral problems, this study looks to how those challenges for young children affects them into adulthood. Overall it does appear that adult depression is affected by early childhood situations such as family disruption and economic disadvantage. However, it was also noted that when the parent(s) worked nonmanual occupations that risk factor decreased.

The Linebarger research (2015) also sought proof of cause and effect on children’s attention span and behavioral challenges based on the age of the child, how much time they spent playing video games, the violence level of those games and the effect of parenting styles in mitigating negative outcomes or effects. When looking at the various covariant scenarios it was seen that regardless of parenting style a very low level of exposure to not violent games correlated to increased hyperactivity levels, but those levels dropped with longer exposure.

            The third article by Y. Parfitt (2014) was looking to see what effect parental interaction with infants had on the child’s various developmental milestones. Three time-points of 3 months, 5 months and 17 months were used to assess the child’s motor development, cognitive development and language skills. Additionally, the researchers sought to gather information pertaining to the parent’s stress, relationship quality with the baby, and perception of their child’s characteristics. Their findings showed that stronger mother-child relationships positively affected language development while a strong bond between father and child was associated with advanced motor development. Their data also showed that mothers with pre- or post-natal depression had children who did not perform optimally either cognitively or with language. It also was shown that when a parent had a lower, or negative, perception of their baby’s characteristics this did impact the child and they tested below standard.     

            These three articles each looked for how a parent’s interaction and monitoring of their child’s activities and behaviors influenced developmental and social development goals. Each also made note of challenges children face with either their parent/primary caregiver and/or physical environment were not structured or stable. This uncertainty does appear to have an effect on children’s development of cognitive and psychological skills. At the beginning of the last century it seemed to be accepted that very small children had no awareness of their surroundings and therefore were not influenced by the emotions or actions of their caretakers. We are now aware that this is not true and from birth a child is learning ways of communication and accepted behaviors.

            Overall it appears that the three studies highlighted the importance of parental modeling and interaction with their children being a major factor in achieving learning and development goals as well as establishing a basic sense of morality and appropriate behavior.

Prior research has shown the significance of a child’s first year experiences in building a positive foundation for future learning and well-being. And early childhood has been widely understood to be an important time in the social, mental, emotional and psychological child development. When a can be diagnosed early with developmental challenges, and steps are taken to address those, there can be seen less social and economic risk factors to the society at large. Previous studies had shown how impaired parental-child relationships, attachment issues and low social support for the mother could be seen as causes for negative child development requiring a lot of more societal and community interventions. During earlier work the focus had been primarily on the maternal bond and wellness as factors for the child’s growth. These studies expanded the focus to include the parental influence as well as the relationship dynamic between the parents as potential effects on development. This shifts the onus off the mother only and just as the pregnancy was a shared event, so too should the raising of the child. By confirming the positive effect that consistent responsive parenting has on young children their development into more integrated members of various societal groups becomes more positive and supportive for all those concerned. Discipline issues in school are less likely to need specialized attention that can often leave an instructor feeling as though other class members are not being given equal attention and support.

      All three studies relied on the interview/questionnaire research design where the parents/caretakers were the respondents. This is the most appropriate considering the young age and limited verbal skills in small children. The study that looked at adult depression did split the respondents into two groups – the initial data collection was done by working with the parents and getting their input, while the children were contacted once they were adults to follow up to ascertain whether adult issues with mental health had manifested themselves. In all cases, care was taken to ensure randomization and removal of all personal identifying data in order to maintain the children’s anonymity. Parental Consent was obtained in all cases and the children were not subjected to any stressful or strange situation environments as all observations, by parents and in one study a training development specialist, were conducted in the child’s home where they would be most comfortable.

            These studies’ designs do serve as an example of how to work ethically with very small children, something that was not always practiced in the research community. There are well known examples of undue, and even cruel, parameters being asserted on vulnerable children during the early years of research. One of the better-known cases took place in the 1940s – two groups of infants were cared for with the exact same activities, food and sanitation. The difference is that one group received interaction and affection from their caretakers and the second group received none, and only the most minimal amount of touch needed to complete a task. This second group shut down emotionally and physically with several of them dying. Even when they were re-assigned to a more nurturing environment they never managed to thrive.

Research Design

            Focusing on Parfitt’s research (2014), I considered what additional research focused on a gap I identified, would be of the greatest interest and value to the Psychology community moving forward.

            Parfitt’s study focuses on the impact a traditional family structure (one mother, one father) has on a child’s development during the first 17 months of life. What it does not address is the impact of non-traditional parental structure and their relationship as factors in infant development. Within the last decade, our society has become more accepting of the non-traditional family structure, and awareness of the challenge’s families face when a child or parent identifies as transgender has made society more aware of the danger of bullying. Therefore, there is value in assessing evolving parenting situations that are becoming more visible and should be explored. These scenarios make no assumption as to whether the child is related biologically to one or more parent.

1)     Long-term lesbian couple with male family member routinely interacting with the child (i.e. Uncle, Grandfather)

2)     Long-term gay couple with female family member routinely interacting with the child (i.e. Grandmother, Sister)

3)     Single parent of either gender with opposite gender family member routinely interacting with the child

4)     Transgender couple where either one takes on a more paternal and the other a more maternal role, with/without extended family interaction

            Previous research has shown that stable parental relationships and mental health have a positive influence on infant development incomes. And that both the paternal influence and maternal influence can affect specific aspects of development. With children raised in non-traditional family structures how are their developmental milestones affected when a non-parent assumes a gender specific parental role? Of particular interest is past literature from a variety of sources that observe the impact interactions with each gender of parent has on a child’s development. Does this mean that there is a bio-chemical reaction that occurs in children dependent upon the presence of a Y or X Chromosome – or is the influence less biological and more sociological in that the parent who displays a more nurturing nature, or a more goal oriented behavior what drives the positive effects regardless of the DNA designation of the caretaker?

            In order to be able to compare this new study results with Parfitt’s, this project will use development assessments by a third party, and parental/caregiver questionnaire completed within the home. This should eliminate any undue changes in the baby’s performance or behavior which can occur in a new environment.

            Parents / Caregivers will be recruited through adoption facilities (private and state-run) as well as selected OB-GYN practices based on their non-traditional family situations. Data on the child’s developmental milestones will be observed at months 3, 5 and 17. Questionnaires and development assessment researcher will be carefully written and trained to ensure no biased language is part of the documents.

            Adult questionnaires will ask about parenting styles, child interaction with other family members and basic identification of that family member such as gender and age. They will also note how much time per week that peer or family member spends with the child, do they routinely babysit? Occasionally so the parents can have dinner outside of the home? Or merely for family events and holidays?

The age of the children means that only parental/guardian informed consent will be required, and respondents informed that they may withdraw at any time. No identifying information about the parents or child will be stored in the same location as the answers and findings.

Conclusion

Within the last three decades Western Societies have seen a significant increase in historically non-traditional family structures. Whereas a single parent household would have been the minority, today they are almost a third of families. According to the US Census the number of single-family households went from 9 percent in 1960 to 27% in 2016. There has also been a rise in lesbian and gay parent households with the relaxation of marriage and adoption guidelines for single sex couples. When we factor in those inhabitants of our country who are now able to live openly as transgendered and there are millions of children who will not grow up in the formerly standard parental structure of a male and female parent.

            Scientists, psychologists, anthropologist, and governments all have a stake in understanding what, if any, resources these children may require to ensure that they mature into adjusted, productive members of the greater society. Parfitt’s article notes that there was not enough evidence collected to state what link there is on specific development milestones in the child as a factor of their relationship to the father. Which leads to asking – if there is not a male gendered parent to adopt the role of the father – what potential developmental difficulties might the child experience? As with not having a female gendered parent which Parfitt showed had a positive influence on the child’s language skills. Is biological gender the key that triggers developmental growth, or an assumption of one nurturing, one more structured parental influence?

            If Psychologists can identify any development gaps children with single parent, same sex parents or transgendered parents may be vulnerable to, those gaps can be researched for supporting resources for that family. By helping families, in any form, ensure their children are healthy and well-adjusted it can only benefit their communities and society as a whole. While also saving state resources addressing problems at a much later stage of life when change is more difficult for the individual.

Reference

Gilman, S. E., Kawachi, I., Fitzmaurice, G. M., and Buka, S. L. (01 May 2003). Family

Disruption in childhood and Risk of Adult Depression. American Journal of Psychiatry

Online. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1176.appi.ajp.160.5.939

Linebarger, D. L. (2015). Contextualizing Video Game Play: The Moderating Effects of

Cumulative Risk and Parenting Styles on the Relations Among Video Game Exposure

and Problem Behaviors. Psychology of Popular Media Culture. 4(4), 375-396.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037.ppm0000069

Parfitt, Y., Pike, A., & Ayers, S. (2014). Infant Developmental Outcomes: A Family Systems Perspective. Infant & Child Development, 23(4), 353. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com. ezproxy.snhu.edu/ login.aspx ?direct= true&db =edb& AN=97320098 &site=eds-live&scope=site

Santrock, J. W. (2015). A topical approach to life-span development (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

IDS 402 Final Presentation on Water Equity

Presentation on Water Equity

            I will be presenting an overview on Wellness and then look at some issues and potential remediations that might be implemented on a global scale to address the imbalance of access to safe drinking water

I view WELLNESS and HEALTH are different aspects of the human experience. Specifically, as they relate to Hospice Care which is my primary educational focus. HEALTH is the measurable functioning of individual body systems to assess the overall functional level of that body (aka our “meat suit”). These measurements provide data that can be used to adjust levels of medication, hydration, nutrients and pain management options. This for me is the technical part of caring for the physical body, similar to the maintenance and care that is required to keep a vehicle in optimal operating condition.

            WELLNESS is a less analytical measurement, and is subjective to the person involved. What one person sees as optimal conditions for wellness another may view as intolerable. When considering the factors which contribute to overall Wellness we can look to four broad lenses or perspectives, along with eight dimensions of Wellness. Components that work together in the definition of a whole state of Wellness.

The modern re-establishment of Hospice care, where terminally ill patients are made as comfortable as possible during the dying process, arises from a medieval practice wherein monastic groups cared for the dying through physical, spiritual and emotional means. Wellness is what we now call this over-arching concept.

            Even when a person’s body is not functioning as it should they can still be in a state of Wellness. Through personal belief, faith, familial and community support, and feeling informed and part of the health process each person can be “at ease” within their own mind and emotions even when the physical body is at “dis-ease”.

            Their Wellness then becomes a powerful force in both working to recover from illness or injury – or to transition with grace and calm when recovery is not physically possible. So too can communities and societies learn to work together for the ease of all their citizens to become stronger, or “healthier” than before.

            I want to present some information and possible changes to consider regarding the vital need that every living thing on this planet has regarding water, and specifically SAFE water.

            Certain requirements of daily life in most western countries that are taken for granted: oxygen, food and water being three of the most necessary. Most people in First World countries never consider that water will not be there when they want it. For showers, brushing teeth, washing clothes, cooking, or removing bodily wastes we expect that with the turn of a knob a seemingly endless supply of safe, clean water is our right. But this expectation is a very new privilege in the history of human kind, and it is still not a given in many parts of the world, nor even in all of the United States.

For thousands and thousands of years humans have settled into communities based not on the view, or defensibility, access to fuel for fires or shelter from the elements – but on the availability of water. Not that those other factors were not considerations, but water was needed in order to sustain the life of the community. Water holes provided a place for animals to gather that could be killed for meat, clothing and people could be washed, food prepared using water, domesticated animals could be watered, then crops irrigated and sacred rituals performed using water. Neanderthals, Roman Legions, Celts, Huns, Nomads, Masai and Asians – no culture has ever been able to survive or grow without access to water. Empires have flourished, trade routes established and wars won and lost on the waterways of the world.

            Communities needed to take into consideration how to manage more complex matters of waste removal as their populations grew. And with that growth there would be more competition for safe water with disenfranchised groups perhaps relegated to area of brackish, unhealthy water. 

The human body is made up of 60% water, organs rely on water to perform vital functions, flush away toxins and deliver nutrients on an ongoing basis. Three of our most vital organs are more than half water: the brain and heart (73% each) and lungs (83%) (Marieb, 2018). Without water the body cannot perform basic functions such as cell growth, waste removal, oxygenation of the blood, secretion of vital hormones or maintain a healthy immune system. Factors that not only put the body at risk of ceasing to function, but cause miscarriages in women, organ failure in children and epidemics of disease and infection which can eradicate entire villages in under-developed countries.

            While the human body has remarkable capacity to fight off infection and pathogens when it is in a healthy state, a weakened body lacks those robust defenses. And when unclean water is all that is available to a compromised body, then the bacteria and pathogens in the water meet little to no resistance and can cause catastrophic illness.

            Safe water insecurity can also cascade down through subsequent generations of a society. The mother who is malnourished and chronically dehydrated typically will not birth a robust child, that child will experience developmental delays in various aspects (i.e. social, intellectual, physical) that will hinder his ability to become self-sufficient or a leader, he may then mature enough to father another child with a similarly stunted female whose offspring will have additional challenges. All of which become dependent upon the greater society for support and their circumstances make it less likely they will experience a full quality of Wellness. 

Water, and any pollutants or pathogens carried within it, will work its way through a community with predictive outcomes. Just as non-polluted water helps animals develop into safe food options, so do plants benefit by maturing into nutritionally important components of the human diet.

            The reverse also holds true that contaminants from water will alter or stunt the growth of crops and food animals, but those pollutants often remain in the foodstuffs consumed by people where they can have catastrophic results for the individual and community. 

The scientific Law of Conservation of Mass, discovered by Antoine Lavoisier in 1785 states “Matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical process” which means there is the same amount of water on earth today as there was tens of thousands of years ago.

Our planet’s surface is almost 70% covered by water, or which only 2.5% is “fresh” and not saline. Of that 2.5% we only have ready access to 1%. Therefore only 0.007% of the earth’s water is available to sustain 6.8 BILLION people. As we will never have more water on the planet, doesn’t it make sense to take care with what we do have?

Natural pollutants such as minerals from surrounding strata accounts for a very small amount of contaminated water. Humans are responsible for the contamination of the rest. When faced with a water crisis, humans will revert away from their civilized veneer Even within the US several major water sources are at risk of drying up over the next 15 years according to the United States Geological Society

·       Consider short-term options for immediate need:

o   Government issued water filtration devices

o   Total water ban on all residential landscaping in high-risk areas – xeriscaping to be the standard

o   High punitive fines for those violating bans

o   Use of Gray Water for public parks, flushing toilets, certain industrial applications

o   Re-institute use of cisterns and rain barrels for all multi-occupancy buildings.

·       Long-term options:

o   Water rationing for business and residential properties – applying to fresh and not gray water the company re-uses

o   Building properly engineered septic systems and leech fields for communities not served by public sewers – this will protect water tables from contamination

o   All agricultural waste to be disposed of differently – mandatory composting for any facility with more than 50 animals being raised for food

o   Phase out use of toxins and chemicals on farms of more than 5 acres

·       Strengths

o   Would apply to everyone equally regardless of socioeconomic status. When we think back to the gas shortages in the 1970s – there was no advantage based on what kind of car you drove or how much you made. Everyone had to wait in line based only on the numbering of your license plate.

o   Short-term option relatively cost effective, tax credit option – reward business and residential properties who implement run off collection, rerouting of grey water for toilets etc.

o   Finally address a centuries old problem using newest technology – it is not a surprise that water shortages are going to be more and more pressing on populations. This is not a problem that arose overnight and it will take years, or decades, to fully implement.

o   Can be applied to any global location – safe leach fields, water filters, reduction of animal waste into waterways – these are things that are applicable to all locations where people live.

·       Challenges

• Property owner’s sense of entitlement and NIMBY – an overall change will need strong global commitment and leadership from many places. There will always be people who feel they should be exempt from any limitations however, they need to be fined often and with numbers big enough to get their attention.
• Lobbyists would need to be addressed – this would require a re-structuring of politics, something that has needed doing for a long time. Special interests can no longer be considered over what is best for the larger whole
• Cost – price caps should be set by law so that no one manufacturer or retailer can gouge consumers who purchase their product.
• Inevitable closing of certain businesses – just as it always has, this type of global change will be the dying off of some businesses and grown opportunities others. Such is the way a market economy works.
• Time for completion and education of populace – again, think in terms of years not months. 

Water scarcity affects every living thing on our planet – flora and fauna and people. When clean, drinkable water is not available crops wither and fail, food animals die without reproducing, human biology is adversely affected and neither Health nor Wellness can thrive. Water is not just a problem for some other country, or for people “over there” that we do not interact with – it is a global issue that will need global cooperation and work to address in order ensure all living things have equal access to this basic biological necessity. 

Thank you for your time and attention. Feel free to send me any additional questions you may have about my proposals.

Breathing New Life into an Old Site

Back in February 2018 I was "downsized" from my job at Smith & Nephew, along with five other department members.

After months of job seeking it hit me - I really did NOT like what I had been doing and really did not want to take another job doing the same thing for years and years more.

I wanted to completely change my career.

So in September 2018 I began taking classes at Southern New Hampshire University to earm my Bachelors degree in Psychology, and then to work as an End of Life Doula working with Hospice patients.

During my studies I have written several papers, and created presentations, which I am rather proud of and wanted a place to share them.

So I have decided to resurrect this page as a place to not only mark scholastic items but to track my re-newed participation in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).

2019 SCA Falling Leaves A&S Competition

So my forays into Medieval Foods continue. For this event I decided to narrow my focus to just one fruit and the various ways it could be preserved, cooked and used.

Peaches in Medieval Britain

Background:   In the modern produce section of many supermarkets consumers are accustomed to seeing a wide range of colors represented. Yet orange is still a minority color, seen in oranges, peaches, apricots and kumquats. As early as occupation of Britain by the Romans, peaches and apricots were available in the markets – many of them were most likely dried for transport.

Despite the availability of fruits there was still an opinion amongst doctors that they were bad for people, especially those that grew too close to the ground. However as the populace would not stop eating the fruit they could obtain some rules came into place to mitigate the “danger” of fruits.

Yet the peach has had the reputation for centuries of being an aphrodisiac, and the shape of fruit was said to suggest the female anatomy. These beliefs survived from Ancient Greece, China and then into Europe.

  Fruit Beliefs at the time:

•Fruits classified as “cold” in Hippocratic medicine must be eaten at the beginning of the meal – Peaches fall into this category

•Fruits that grew on trees were considered better than those growing lower as they were closer to Heaven

•Fruit eaten raw was considered more dangerous than cooking it first

•Most very early recipes were found in Apothecary documents and not cookbooks.

Candied fruits and fruit jams could be served at the end of the meals as they were believed to close up the stomach and make digestion easier. .

  Dried:

•Drying foods, either under the sun or in an oven, is one of the oldest methods of preserving foods for long term storage.

•When preparing dried fruits for cooking it typically requires more preparation steps than fresh produce. Specifically, soaking it in boiling water for 10 minutes to partially re-hydrate the fruit before cooking it into a confit, compote or stewed mixture.

Fresh:

•Fresh peaches were available in parts of the Persian Empire around the Mediterranean, by 100 BC. Cultivation was still confined to the warmer climates of the Middle East and Northern Africa.

•By 800 AD fresh peaches were more readily available along the Northern African coast.

•Some of the oldest recipes I found using fresh peaches in the British Isles dated back to the late 15th century, as this appears to be the time frame when the fresh fruit became more readily available, but still on a limited basis.

Differences:

  I wanted to do this comparison to challenge modern perceptions about what people ate and to experience the differences between the extant and modern textures and flavors. 

I started with two versions of the peaches .... fresh and sun dried. I wanted to see the difference in textures and taste

Diced dried peaches soaked in boiling water then drained.








These were then mixed with candied ginger root then steeped together with local honey before being canned. I used a modern water bath method to reduce the risk of bacterial growth

Struggling with Perfection

A shared article in the Keepers of Athena's Thimble Guild page brought about a rambling muse ....

The Difference Between Embroiderers Yesterday and Today

Thank you SO much for sharing this post. This is an issue I have struggled with for decades and it still haunts me – at times even paralyzes me from sharing my work with anyone. Or even venturing to weekly or monthly get togethers I must confess.

I think it is very easy to see images shared by others and then our own work and feel we will never be “good enough”. Part of this may be human nature, we tend to share openly our best works and hide the learning pieces and flubs from anyone else’s eyes. I have a personal goal of earning competency in all 12 guild categories – but the idea of the lace ones keeps me paralyzed in “There is never any way I can do that”. It also is hard for me to see something at panel that the maker shrugs off with “it is not my best and it took over a two weeks to do…..”. I would love one day to hear the maker say something along the lines of “Thank you – this is actually my 23^rd time trying to do this – the first ten I just set fire to outside they were such a tangled mess!”

I am not against striving to be as good as we can be, and I understand the need of having a standard to aspire to. I am just regularly disheartened when the only things I see are “too” perfect and actually look machine made. This also stops me from showing some of my work, the comments that “such and such would not have been done in period …” I want to ask those who say this … “How do you know? Just because we have no pictures of a woman doing X, and textiles from the 11^th century did not survive outside a few rare snippets … can you prove that they DIDN’T do this? Can you honestly tell me that nowhere in the history of the world did a woman not sketch out something she saw and did her best to replicate that image in needle and thread?”

At this point part of my brain is screaming at me to apologize for airing my feelings. But when organizers of A&S Displays wonder why they have light participation perhaps how I feel is how others feel. When you attend an event, take the time to read the artist notes. Creators – write down why you did what you did – what is the story? Leave an encouraging comment or token, thank the person for sharing their work and passion.

So now I go back into my shell and work on my non-period-provable projects that I will enjoy but may never be seen outside of my home. Because despite what people think they know about me from the casual public contact we may have had – I can be hurt very easily and am scare of exposing my work to the raised eyebrow and elegant sniff from one of the “Perfection Patrol”.